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Suo walked down a street that grew darker with every step. His face was cold, his chest just as numb. He stopped at a deserted intersection.
Silent, he stood there, staring straight ahead. His gaze was empty, the chill in his eyes piercing into a distance he could never quite reach.
The wind howled through the night, sharp and unforgiving. Dry leaves scattered in restless spirals. Something brushed against his face —perhaps a leaf, perhaps something else. He lifted a hand to his cheek, though there was nothing there.
Still, it felt as if blood was dripping again.
His eye flickered down to his hand. His knuckles were red. Faint, but enough to make his brow crease. Slowly, he let his hand fall back to his side and continued walking forward. His expression didn’t change. cold and hollow. But in his mind, the same words kept replaying.
'... you really will keep getting stronger, Nirei-kun.'
###
The next morning.
The sky hung heavy with clouds. Strong winds swept through the city, carrying the unmistakable promise of rain that could fall at any moment.
The streets, usually crowded. Especially around the shopping district were filled with uneasy movement. People quickened their pace beneath the dull gray sky, unsettled by the cold morning air.
As if the sky itself was warning them not to begin their day. Amid the restless crowd, a pair of feet cut through at speed.
He didn’t slow down, not even for a second.
There was something he needed to reach. In his eyes, there was a fragile hope that he might still find something he didn’t hate.
Sakura clenched his jaw and ran faster toward the school.
The classroom door slammed open. Sakura stood there, breath tight, eyes sharp as they scanned the room. He hadn’t stopped —he didn’t simply enter the classroom like usual. He frowned, realizing something was missing.
Everyone was there.
Except two. Suo and Nirei.
“Sakura…” Kiryuu called, his expression uneasy, worried. He tried to stand and approach their class leader, who looked visibly stressed.
“Where’s Nirei?” Sakura deliberately ignored the call, he focused on his thoughts.
The class become turned dead silent, Sakura could see them glancing at each other, as if both were trying to hide the answer. But that only made Sakura even more impatient, and he gave them a terrifying glare.
Anzai stood up, calmed the situation and told Sakura to calm down for a moment.
“We heard he’s … at the hospital.” Anzai answered. He had been the first to hear, and he was the first to inform in the class chat group.
Everyone had already heard the news about Nirei. They had been waiting for their class leader to arrive so they could discuss it together. They planned to visit Nirei once they knew which room he was in. But Sakura didn’t seem willing to wait any longer, his chest tightened as uneasy thoughts piled up.
Sakura clicked his tongue and turned away immediately, ignoring the voices calling after him.
He ran again.
Soft drizzle start to fall, as he crossed the school grounds. And this time, he knew he wouldn’t stop until he found him.
###
At the hospital, Nirei sat on his bed.
His face was bruised. One of his eyes was covered in bandages. The other remained lowered, empty, and evoid of light. Still wrapped in bandages, with cuts that had yet to dry.
He had regained consciousness the night before. But he hadn’t said much. He hadn’t told his mother who had done this to him.
Now his mother had said she would go home to get a change of clothes. He was left alone there, part of him feeling guilty for making his family worry again.
But more than that, Nirei' mind was filled with questions. Turning over every piece of information he had gathered, trying to make sense of it, and still, no answers came.
Why did Suo-san leave Furin?
The memory remained vividly etched in his mind. What Suo had said, what Suo had done, and how determined he had been to leave without giving any clear explanation. Nirei admitted he was foolish to fight Suo. Not simply because he lost, but because he hated the words that came out of Suo's mouth.
Nirei gripped the blanket tightly, wrinkling it. He tried to hold back the surge of sadness that refused to fade and the growing disappointment within him.
What he said… that wasn’t the truth, was it?
What is he hiding?
Where is he now?
Why didn’t he say anything… if he was struggling?
…we’re still friends, right?
His hand clenched tighter against the blanket. How am I supposed to tell the others?
… and to Sakura-san?
Nirei couldn’t even imagine it. The disappointment he felt toward himself was suffocating. He was still too weak. He couldn’t stop Suo from leaving.
Nirei stared at his clenched hand.
Slowly, the tension loosened. His fingers trembled before finally opening, leaving creases in the wrinkled white sheets beneath them.
Nirei lowered his head further. The faint sounds of footsteps echoed through the hospital hallway. The wheels of a cart, quiet conversations, doors opening and closing.
Everything felt distant.
As if the world kept moving, without waiting for him.
“… Idiot.”
His voice barely made a sound. He wasn’t sure who it was meant for.
Maybe himself.
If only he had been stronger.
If only he had found something that could stop Suo from leaving.
If only— The door opened.
Nirei’s head snapped up instinctively. Footsteps stopped just inside the room.
“Nirei.”
That voice ... He knew it. And because of that, his chest tightened painfully.
“…Sakura-san?”
Sakura stood at the doorway, the front of his uniform damp and his face dotted with raindrops. He had clearly run straight through the sudden downpour, the rain now splashing softly against the window.
Sakura’s expression went blank the moment he saw Nirei. His brows furrowed, his lips stiff, and his throat felt tight as he tried to speak.
This was worse than he had imagined. Sakura cursed himself at the sight of Nirei in this condition.
Sakura strengthens himself again, and stepped closer to the bed. His eyes scanned Nirei’s condition, every bruise, every sign of damage. His brows furrowed. It wasn’t just anger.
There was guilty feeling and something heavier, something that hurt.
He stopped right beside him.
Silent.
Those heterochromia eyes took in the sight before him, and it struck something deep inside his chest. He had failed. He couldn’t protect someone he cared about.
Nirei kept his head down, unable to meet his gaze this time. His hands remained tightly clenched. Sakura noticed, Nirei thought restlessly and his eyes hardened.
"Who?" He asked. His voice was low. Dangerous.
Nirei flinched, but no answer came. Sakura frowned deeper. It didn’t make sense—why was he hesitating this much? Then he saw it. The bitten lip. The tense jaw. The way Nirei refused to look up—his eyes empty, yet filled with fear.
Not fear of Sakura.
But fear of telling the truth.
Slowly Sakura’s expression softened.
“…Nirei. Tell me. I’ll listen.”
Sakura's voice, laced with a soft tone, reassured Nirei that he wasn't alone in cracking up. He gripped Nirei's shoulders firmly, not hurting him.
“Sakura-san… I…” his voice caught in his throat. He was on the verge of losing control again.
He didn't want to say this, but the next second he whispered very low but still enough for Sakura to hear.
“Suo-san. He said he was leaving Furin… I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop him.” Nirei’s voice slowly drowned beneath the sound of rain seeping into the room.
Sakura heard, thought for a second and was stunned. His eyes showed clear shock.
“… What?”
Sakura’s expression changed instantly. The tension in his shoulders faded, the adrenaline draining from his body. Replaced by something else. Disbelief.
"What do you mean he's leaving, Nirei?”
The words barely escaped his lips. Nirei was on the verge of sobbing. He felt pain, whether from his wounds or from something deeper in his chest, he couldn’t tell.
Sakura, still in denial, pressed him for an explanation. For nearly four days, he had lost contact with Suo, so how could Nirei know? Had Suo met him alone?
Nirei told him everything, his voice trembling as he recounted what had happened that night. The farewell message meant for Sakura and the others, and the most shocking part of all, that these injuries had been caused by Suo.
Silence fell, much more suffocating. His grip on Nirei’s shoulder loosened, no longer firm—just there, resting against the smaller frame that trembled beneath it.
Sakura couldn’t accept this. Suo had disappeared. And now he was gone from Furin and, Nirei was become like this because of him.
A friend left.
Another was broken.
And he did nothing.
His gaze lingered on Nirei’s injuries. Anger burned through his veins at the thought of Suo being the one responsible. But he knew Nirei had tried. Still, did Suo have to go this far?
"What should we do about Suo-san?" tears fell. Nirei cries and Sakura just stared at him blankly, confused.
Why are you still thinking about that guy after what he did... Sakura just suppressed it inside.
Sakura clenched his teeth hard. His expression darkened, something cold and heavy settling beneath the surface. There was anger. There was disappointment. But more than anything; guilt, loss, and betrayal crashed into him all at once. Shattering everything he had been holding together.
This hurt more than anything he had ever endured.
What was the point of being their class leader?