Akira was getting ready for school when a knock on the door caught his attention. He opened it, his eyes still heavy with sleep. Standing there was Hinata, who greeted him with a cheerful, "Good morning."
Akira smiled slightly. "Good morning."
Behind them, Kento's voice rang out. "Hey, it's already 8 AM! Aren't you guys getting late?"
Akira glanced at him lazily. "Are you interested in dropping us there?"
Kento scoffed. "No, not at all."
"Then shut your fucking mouth and do your job," Akira retorted, walking past him. Kento shook his head with a smirk, watching them descend the stairs before heading back inside.
As Akira and Hinata walked towards school, they engaged in conversation. Hinata sighed, her tone heavy with emotion. "So many things happened during the holiday."
"Yeah," Akira replied nonchalantly.
Hinata hesitated before speaking again. "But the worst thing for me was Bomi's death…" Her voice trembled, and tears welled up in her eyes. She didn't notice Akira, who was walking slightly behind her, his lips curling into an eerie smile.
Akira spoke in a calm yet chilling tone. "Don't cry. Time can never be brought back."
Hinata wiped her tears. "Yes, now I have to live with this pain."
Akira's voice remained steady as he continued, "Pain and time are brothers. Time never heals anything—it just makes us learn how to live with pain. If you think an injury truly heals, you're wrong. If you look closely, there's always a scar left behind. That scar will forever remind you of the incident. It never truly disappears."
Hinata turned to look at him, a faint smile on her lips, as if she found solace in his words. They continued their walk in silence until they finally reached school.
As they entered the classroom and took their seats, the class speaker, appointed directly by the principal, made an announcement. "From today, a new teacher will be teaching us economics."
Moments later, a young man entered the classroom. Excited whispers spread among the girls, some even comparing him to Akira.
"Oh my god, he's so handsome!" one girl whispered.
"He looks like a model! Are we really lucky enough to have him as our teacher?" another giggled.
"I swear, if he has a girlfriend, I will cry!" someone murmured dramatically.
"Shh, look at his outfit! So stylish! He doesn't look like a teacher at all!" another girl pointed out.
"Do you think he's single?" a girl named Saki asked.
"I hope so!" her friend replied. "He's definitely better looking than any guy in this class."
Another girl, who had been staring at Akira, smirked. "Well, Akira is still the best in terms of looks and mystery. This new guy might be good, but Akira's aura is something else."
Hinata, however, wasn't paying attention to the chatter. Her gaze was fixed on the teacher, and then she leaned slightly towards Akira and whispered, "Isn't he John? The one who took us to the police station?"
Akira smirked. "Yes."
But in his mind, a darker thought unfolded. The real game begins now.