BACK TO SCHOOL

Winter break had come to an end, and the first day of school had finally arrived. It was early in the morning, and the school hall buzzed with life and joy. Students greeted each other with New Year's wishes and good luck for the semester ahead.

As Manjiro entered the classroom, the lively chatter suddenly died down. Every pair of eyes turned to him, curiosity filling the air. Ignoring the attention, he casually walked to his seat, dropped his bag, and leaned back in his chair. As if on cue, the students resumed their random conversations, the momentary silence fading away.

His eyes drifted to the seat next to him—it was empty. "Is she late?" he thought to himself before standing up and peering out of the window.

And there she was. Asuka, running inside the school gate, her bag bouncing behind her. A small, amused smile played on Manjiro's lips as he sat back down.

Moments later, Asuka entered the class. The moment she stepped in, the students glanced at her and smiled before turning away. She returned their smiles and walked straight to her seat.

"Morning, Manjiro," she greeted him.

Manjiro responded with a lazy smile and a slight nod.

She looked at him for a second before tilting her head. "How come you're early today?" she asked, suspicion in her voice.

He sighed. "It's all thanks to Emma."

Before Asuka could say anything else, the teacher entered the class. Everyone quickly stood up to greet them. After attendance was taken, the lesson began.

Asuka sat attentively, her focus on the teacher, taking notes like a model student. Meanwhile, Manjiro... was peacefully asleep.

Asuka glanced at him, unimpressed.

"Manjiro, wake up," she whispered, poking his arm.

Manjiro groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Is the class over?" he mumbled sleepily.

She smirked. "Yeah, yeah, it is," she teased, watching his half-asleep reaction.

Manjiro sat up and blinked at the teacher's empty desk.

"It's P.E. now. Get up, let's go to the ground," Asuka said, standing up.

Manjiro stretched and waved his hand lazily. "You go ahead. I'll join later."

Rolling her eyes, she left to get changed.

By the time she reached the ground, Manjiro was already there, looking much more awake, standing with the rest of the students.

"Get into pairs!" the P.E. teacher announced.

The students quickly paired up and started their warm-ups.

—

After an exhausting P.E. session, the students returned to class. As time passed, one class after another came to an end, and finally, they were free to go.

Asuka and Manjiro packed their bags in record time, eager to leave.

Asuka looked at him. "Shall we go?"

He gave a small nod, his usual response. "As always."

As she walked ahead, Manjiro followed her. Soon, keisuke emerged from his class, catching up with them, walking beside Manjiro. Emma also joined, walking alongside Asuka.

The four walked home peacefully, chatting casually. But that peace didn't last long.

A group of middle schoolers suddenly blocked their path. One of them, clearly the leader, stepped forward with an angry expression.

"Hey! Were you the one who bullied my little brother?!" the boy accused, glaring at Manjiro.

Manjiro raised an eyebrow, completely unfazed. "Huh? And what now? He sent some grown-ass babies to fight for him?" he said with a smirk.

The middle schoolers clenched their fists. Before they could even react—BAM!

In a blink, Manjiro stretched his leg and delivered a solid kick to the leader's face, knocking him to the ground. The others barely had time to react before he took them down one by one.

The street was silent. The defeated boys groaned on the ground, and the leader scrambled up, fear replacing his earlier confidence.

Manjiro smirked and cracked his knuckles. "If your little brother has a problem, tell him to come to me himself. Next time, I won't even leave him in one piece to complain."

The middle schoolers looked at him, gulped, and ran for their lives.

Emma sighed in frustration. "Why do boys always have to get into fights every time?" she scolded.

Manjiro simply smiled at her like nothing had happened and continued walking.

Asuka, who had been watching the whole thing, finally spoke. "You're really strong."

Manjiro flashed a confident grin. "I know."

They finally reached home. One by one, they parted ways, heading to their own houses to rest and change.

"Bye bye" Asuka said to manjiro and Emma both before turning back to her house direction they waved back at her and keisuke .

And just like that, the first day of school after winter break came to an end.