CHAPTER 7: Echoes in the Hallways
Arc 1: Shiroi Academy
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The day began like any other at Shiroi Academy. Haruto and his friends occupied their usual seats in the classroom, where Renji was reviewing his notes while Mikasa tried to convince Yuta to share his lunch. Emi, as always, remained calm, delicately writing in her notebook. Aya, recently adapted to the group, was helping Haruto with a math problem he couldn't quite understand.
Everything seemed normal, but that morning, the atmosphere in the hallways was unusually tense. The students whispered in low voices, casting uneasy glances toward a group of third-year boys leaning against the walls of the main corridor.
"Did you notice anything strange today?" Mikasa asked as she pulled out her history book.
"You mean the fact that the third-years are acting like they run the school?" Yuta replied sarcastically.
"It's more than that," Emi said softly, glancing toward the door. "I heard rumors. Something about a student who stopped coming to class."
Haruto looked up from his notebook, intrigued. "Stopped coming? Why?"
"I don't know exactly, but they say he had problems with a group of boys," Emi continued, lowering her voice even more.
Renji adjusted his glasses, adopting a serious expression. "It could be something serious. Even if it doesn't directly affect us, maybe we should find out more."
Mikasa scoffed, crossing her arms. "If it's bullying, those idiots need to be dealt with. But we can't accuse anyone without proof."
Aya, always sensitive to others' emotions, nodded. "Maybe we could talk to some students from their grade. They might tell us something."
Haruto, though shy, felt a twinge of unease. He remembered what his mother always told him: "Don't get involved in problems that don't concern you." But as he looked at his friends, especially Aya, he knew he couldn't ignore what was happening.
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The First Clue
During the break, the group decided to stay near the main building, where the third-years usually gathered. Haruto and Renji sat on a bench, reviewing their notes, while Mikasa, Emi, Aya, and Yuta chatted nearby.
It didn't take long before they noticed something unusual. A boy with dark hair and a slouched posture emerged from the main building, glancing nervously around. His uniform was disheveled, and he had a black eye he was trying to hide with his bangs.
Mikasa was the first to notice. "Look at that guy. Don't you think... something's wrong?"
"He looks scared," Aya murmured, frowning.
"Probably got into a fight," Yuta suggested, though his tone lacked its usual confidence.
Haruto couldn't help but follow the boy with his gaze as he quickly walked away. Something about his demeanor, the way he kept his head down, reminded him of the days when he had tried to avoid eye contact with others.
"Maybe we should talk to him," Emi proposed, though her tone was uncertain.
Renji shook his head. "If he's in trouble, the last thing he wants is to draw more attention."
"Then we need another approach," Mikasa said with determination in her eyes. "We could ask other third-years. Someone must know what's going on."
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An Unexpected Discovery
Later that day, as Haruto and Aya were returning to their classroom after lunch, they passed by a staircase leading to the second floor, where the third-year classrooms were located. That's when they heard raised voices.
"What did you say, huh? Think you can ignore us?"
"No! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."
The sound of something falling echoed down the hallway. Haruto and Aya exchanged looks, frozen for a moment.
"Should we... do something?" Aya whispered, clearly nervous.
Haruto hesitated. His instincts told him to stay out of it, but something stronger, a voice inside him, urged him to act. Before he could decide, the voices went silent, and the hallway became eerily quiet.
Peeking cautiously around the corner, Haruto saw two older students walking away, laughing among themselves. Further down the hall, a boy was sitting on the floor, hurriedly picking up scattered papers.
Haruto recognized the boy from earlier—the one with the black eye.
"Let's help him," Aya said, stepping forward.
The boy looked at them with a mix of surprise and fear as they approached.
"Are you okay?" Haruto asked, trying to sound kind.
"Y-Yeah... I'm fine," the boy replied, avoiding their gaze as he gathered the last of his papers.
"Was it those two?" Aya pressed, pointing down the hallway where the other students had disappeared.
The boy didn't answer immediately. Finally, he shook his head. "No... it's nothing. Thanks for asking."
Before they could say anything else, the boy got up and ran off. Haruto and Aya stood in the hallway, watching him disappear into the distance.
"Something is definitely going on," Aya said, clenching her fists.
Haruto nodded, feeling a mix of unease and determination. He knew he couldn't ignore what he had seen, but he also understood that confronting the bullies directly could bring trouble for him and his friends.
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The Group's Pact
That evening, when they gathered at the park near the academy, Haruto told the others what he had witnessed.
"It's clear there's bullying," Mikasa said angrily. "And those idiots need to be taught a lesson."
"We can't confront them directly," Renji warned, always the most cautious. "If they're third-years, they probably have way more influence than we do."
"But we can't just stand by and do nothing," Aya added.
Yuta sighed, crossing his arms. "Then we need a plan. Something that lets us find out more without getting into trouble."
"We can start by observing," Emi suggested. "If we gather enough information, maybe we can help those being affected."
The group agreed. Though they didn't know exactly how to approach the situation, they all shared the same feeling: they couldn't ignore what was happening.
As he walked home that night, Haruto couldn't stop thinking about the boy he had met. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him, but so did a spark of determination. Maybe he couldn't change the whole system, but he was determined to do something.