Monday morning– birds chirping, the weather is not too sunny and it is the first day of Akagami in his new highschool. He said in his heart– today, I'm gonna make my day become a new history of my life (tries to motivate himself as he tried to forget his past in elementary school). He steps into the bathroom lonely as his parents already go to work.
He brushes his teeth, takes a cold shower, and wears his brand new uniform of Sakura High School. He walked to school and arrived at the gate at 7.30 a.m. and saw a teacher welcome him as a new student in the highschool.
He went to the huge and beautiful main hall of that school to join the welcome ceremony of the new intake students. There, he saw a lot of students with the same age as him were placed in that prestiges hall. A fifth year student with eyeglasses and a height of 180cm– that is what Akagami thought about him. As he appears on the stage, he begins his speech. The speech ended with a big clap from the people in that hall.
Akagami then goes to his class and sits at his place with a hope his highschool life won't be the same as the time when he was at the elementary school.
As Akagami settled into his seat, he felt a hand brush against his shoulder. It was light, almost hesitant, but the touch sent a chill down his spine. His body stiffened, every muscle locked in place. No… His mind screamed, dragging him back to that terrible day on the rooftop.
Slowly, with a pounding heart, he turned to see who it was.
Yagami.
The world seemed to narrow, his vision blurring at the edges as memories flooded back—the locked door, the helplessness, the betrayal. He gripped the edge of his desk, knuckles white, fighting to stay calm.
"Hello, Yagami," he said, forcing the words out, though each one tasted bitter. His voice was steady, but his heart hammered in his chest. "Long time no see."
Yagami looked just as shocked, his face pale. "Uh, yeah. Good to see you." But there was something in his voice, something unsaid.
And then, without warning, Yagami blurted out, "Please forgive me! I was forced by Kawasaki to do it. I never wanted to betray you! I was scared... I didn't know what else to do."
Akagami's chest tightened. The apology should have felt like relief, but instead, it reignited the pain, the sense of abandonment. He wanted to scream, to demand why Yagami hadn't come to him sooner, why he hadn't been strong enough to protect him.
But instead, he smiled. A cold, hollow smile. "Don't worry about it," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I've forgotten all about that."
It was a lie. A lie to keep the classroom quiet. A lie to keep the storm inside from spilling out. But as soon as the words left his lips, Akagami felt like he couldn't breathe. He excused himself quickly and walked to the bathroom.
Once inside, he locked the door and collapsed against the sink. His hands trembled as he stared into the mirror. He wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to face Yagami, not after everything.