It's our secret and we won't tell anyone

"Yes, all our teachers are impressed with your son's progress and believe he is ready for the next grade level."

The headmistress had contacted Masashi Nakasima to let him know that his son had displayed exceptional academic achievement and that his performance far exceeded those of his peers. In fact, the boy had been doing so well that he could complete his high school education faster than expected.

The surgeon's adopted child was sitting in the office while the conversation was taking place. He watched the cherry blossoms flutter outside the window and silently listened.

Natsuo's brown hair was carefully combed back off his forehead, revealing his deep blue eyes. His uniform was neatly ironed and his shoes were polished to a shine, making him look quite different from the disheveled student he used to be.

"That will be done then. Thank you for your time."

The headmistress ended the call and smiled faintly at the student opposite her.

"Seems like you are well prepared to move forward," she said with a gentle nod.

The student couldn't help but wonder if his father was even the slightest bit proud of him - but then he quickly brushed that thought out of his mind, reminding himself that he didn't have parents. He was just an orphan, abandoned when he was just a baby by his birth mother.

"May I excuse myself now?" he asked in a strained voice, his eyes still fixed on the dancing pink flowers swaying in the wind. The air inside the office was stale and stuffy, making it almost difficult to breathe.

"Yes, you may. You will get an upgraded class schedule from Tanaka."

Natsuo bowed formally and walked out of the imposing room, closing the mahogany door behind him. He looked around the old building as he wandered forward, observing the bare white walls, the heavy curtains, and the rows of desks lined up in the empty classrooms.

The student often imagined himself walking out of the school grounds, out of the city and into the wilderness, where he could be free from all expectations and restrictions. He longed for freedom, to be able to roam wherever he wanted and do whatever he liked, without anyone's permission.

Then, Natsuo heard a loud laugh and instantly recognized Kohaku's obnoxious comments.

"Look at him, he is so weak!"

He peered out from around the corner and witnessed how the large teenager wiped a thin boy across the floor, laughing loudly and mocking the dirt he had left behind. His two partners were cheering and encouraging him, adding their own insults and taunts to the mix.

All three of them repulsed Natsuo, but he couldn't help but think he wasn't that different. Even though he used to ridicule others and make fun of their misery, he never physically attacked anyone, having been beaten too much himself.

The flame within him had slowly dwindled inside the school walls - but then, as he looked at the fire extinguisher placed conveniently on the wall within reach, it flared back up.

(Later that day)

Five boarding school residents sat in detention while a wall clock ticked endlessly. The atmosphere in the empty classroom was oppressive as the minutes dragged on.

The largest and oldest of the students was digging his nose and examining the findings with morbid fascination. His head had a swollen bump from the previous altercation.

"Kohaku. Stop that immediately," the headmistress chided, catching a glimpse of the pupil's actions.

The boy's two thin friends wearing thick eyeglasses sat in their seats, one nodding off and the other tapping his feet impatiently.

The fourth and youngest student gulped, visibly anxious as he sat at his desk under the headmistress' watchful eye.

The fifth student with blue eyes sat in the corner, quietly looking at how the pointer moved around the clock. He was convinced that the seconds had stopped ticking and that the minutes had actually halted as if time itself had been held in stasis.

"Nakashima, no matter how hard you stare, it won't get faster," the headmistress stated.

The gray uniforms of the high schoolers were still damp from the foam that Natsuo had sprayed to stop the biggest one from terrorizing the smallest one. Kohaku had tried to swing his new opponent with his fist during the fight, but missed and slipped instead, hitting his head on the floor with a loud thud.

It got him thinking about why he had been so eager to help someone he had never met. He had certainly not been the type to stand up for someone else, let alone get physically involved in a conflict.

Natsuo glanced at the fourth student whose face had been used as a mop, seeing a resemblance between him and the little ghost from his old school. The boy had the same trembling frame and the same fearful expression as his former classmate - and for some reason, a stab of guilt struck through him.

Interrupting Kohaku made him feel more alive than when he was a bully. If he had known that defending someone else could make him feel so empowered, he would have done it much sooner.

The headmistress squinted at her watch and her brows wrinkled.

"You can excuse yourself. Your detention has concluded."

The five students rose up from their stools, filling the classroom with creaking chairs.

Kohaku focused on his previous victim as he landed a mischievous look at him, but Natsuo blocked his sight and stood between them, challenging the bigger bully with his fierce eyes.

"You wouldn't dare."

The headmistress observed as the boys made their way out of the classroom, her gaze lingering on Nakashima for a moment before he disappeared out the door.

"I will be your senior from now on, so you better show some respect," Natsuo announced and flicked his fingers at Kohaku's head bump.

"No way," Kohaku replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Maybe if you started paying more attention in class you would - " the incoming third grader was about to scold, but his words trailed off as he realized how hypocritical he sounded, given his own lack of interest in studying at his old school.

"Whatever. Just stop picking your nose. It's disgusting," he finished and tucked his hands inside his pockets, strolling away as the other high schoolers watched after him.

(Elsewhere at the same time)

"He has lost an awful lot of weight," a homeschool teacher commented with a worried face, glancing at the young male student staring blankly at his desk.

"My nephew has been through a lot. Just keep an eye on him and make sure he is doing okay," Toshiro Takuya replied, gazing at the teenager’s slumped posture from the doorway.

The boy's dark hair was scruffy and his shirt hung slightly loose on his body as if he had grown out of it overnight. His pale brown eyes looked at the books in front of him without really seeing them.

"Why don't we give him a day to rest? I'm sure he just misses his home," Toshiro suggested to the homeschool teacher, who nodded her head before leaving.

The man in the dusk-blue suit walked to his nephew's desk. He kneeled down and put a hand on the boy's shoulder, causing him to jolt and glance up at his uncle in shock.

"Your parents are coming to visit soon. Are you excited?" Toshiro asked in his deep voice, his focus never leaving the teenager as he spoke.

Jiro looked down at the table as he remained silent. The man leaned in closer, his lips almost touching the boy's small ear as he whispered in a low voice.

"Let's keep everything between us, okay? It's our secret and we won't tell anyone - not even your mom and dad."

"Remember, you don't want to make your uncle mad now, do you?" he said in a playful voice, wiping away the tears from the boy's face with his cigarette-smelling fingers.