The entrance to Class 2-B looked exactly the same.
The same squeaky door. The same scuff marks on the floor. Even the old cherry blossom poster someone had drawn on years ago still hung—faded now, but still clinging to the wall with the same stubborn spirit.
Kaito stood just outside the classroom, holding a tiny hand wrapped in his. Their daughter, now almost three, clutched a plush cat in her other arm, staring up at the big windows and tall lockers with wide, curious eyes.
"She looks so small here," Kaito whispered.
Ren, standing beside him, smiled. "We were small here once too."
Voices from inside filtered out—old classmates laughing, catching up, swapping stories and selfies. Someone mentioned cram school. Someone else joked about getting detention just for sneezing in Mr. Suda's class.
Kaito took a breath. "Ready?"
Ren smirked. "You're the one who was student council president. Lead the way."
They stepped in.
At first, there was a brief pause—just long enough for a few heads to turn. And then—
"Kaito?! Ren?!"
Someone called their names and suddenly, they were surrounded. A wave of familiar faces. Some barely changed. Some completely transformed.
And then someone noticed.
"Wait—who's this little one?"
Their daughter blinked up at them, then pointed to Kaito. "Papa."
"And Daddy," she added, patting Ren's leg.
For a moment, the room went quiet again.
Then came the warmest sound: a wave of surprised, delighted laughter. Followed by the click of someone's camera. Then another.
"Wait, you two ended up together?"
"Didn't we all kind of know that would happen?"
"She's adorable! What's her name?"
"Kaiyo," Kaito said proudly. "She just turned three."
Ren scooped her up and sat her on a desk—his old one, ironically. She immediately began kicking her feet and pretending to teach invisible students with her stuffed cat as an assistant.
Kaito and Ren leaned against the wall, watching her with soft smiles.
"Remember when I transferred in?" Ren murmured. "I sat right there. Next to you."
Kaito chuckled. "You made me nervous."
"You made me feel seen."
Kaito glanced sideways, eyes soft. "We've come a long way."
"Yeah," Ren said, watching their daughter pretend to assign homework to a row of empty chairs. "And I'd do it all again."