Seiya's body burned with anticipation as he waited for his father to speak about his mother. But the man remained silent, as if savoring the tension.
"What about my mother?" Seiya asked, his voice tight, heart pounding in his chest.
"Never mind that. You can leave" his father instructed, leaving Seiya frozen in place.
Rage coursed through Seiya's veins as he stood before his father, unbelieving that he would summon him only to dangle information about his mother without providing any meaningful details. After all these years, to have his mother mentioned only for the conversation to be abruptly cut off was maddening.
Yet, Seiya restrained himself, bowing lightly before turning to leave. As he walked away, his father's gaze followed him, having called him only to gauge his reaction to the mere mention of his mother.
Seiya's father harbored doubts, particularly after Seiya's offhanded comment in the dungeon about leaving the children to die—a remark that lingered on Mr. Sanio's mind. He worried that Seiya might be changing, that his methods of control might no longer be effective, and he needed confirmation.
As Seiya wandered down the hallway toward his dorm, he noticed the dining hall lights still on. Curious, he approached and peered inside.
There, he found Hayne sitting with his head bowed in deep thought. Noticing Seiya's presence, Hayne looked up, meeting his gaze with a weary, tear-streaked smile. "You're here."
"I was hoping you'd stop by if you saw the lights on" Hayne admitted with a nervous chuckle.
Exhausted and still reeling from his father's dismissal, Seiya didn't have the energy to care about much else. But, someone waiting for him surely had something important to say. Without a word, he approached slowly.
Hayne sighed deeply as Seiya stood before him. His hands were clasped together, his body leaning forward, avoiding Seiya's eyes. A heavy silence stretched between them.
"I'm sorry," Hayne finally said, his voice choking with emotion. He didn't wait for a response before continuing.
"For not knowing what you were being put through for us. For judging and labeling you without understanding who you really are." Hayne's head dropped lower as he sighed again.
"That day, when you looked to me as you were being bullied, I should have helped you, regardless of what I thought of you. I saw the raw pain in your eyes yet I….I chose to ignore it. I'm sorry…" His voice trailed off as tears fell onto the floor.
"Just because you're the master's son…we all assumed the worst. Without knowing anything, we—"
"It doesn't matter" Seiya cut him off, his voice steady, though his eyes carried the weight of years of neglect.
Hayne's head shot up in surprise at Seiya's calm dismissal. "I don't care about it anymore, so it doesn't matter."
This was the first time Hayne had heard Seiya speak so freely and at such length. A faint smile played on his face before his head dropped again. "I knew you'd say something like this. But I needed to apologize. The guilt was too heavy to bear. I had decided against it, thinking it would be selfish to seek forgiveness just to ease my guilt. But…I had to."
"I'm sorry. For being selfish, demanding forgiveness like this to ease my guilt"
Hayne wiped his tears, standing to his full height, slightly towering over Seiya. "The children and I regret everything. Not just me. They're sorry too, though they find it hard to face you. But they're truly sorry."
"Mn" Seiya replied simply, too drained to care about what he considered a minor issue.
Hayne's expression brightened. "Phew! That's a load off my chest! Let's head back to the dorm."
They retired for the night.
The next morning, Seiya woke as usual, going through his routine until the late afternoon when he had a scheduled session with his father. However, he was unexpectedly given reprieve and allowed to have lunch.
As Seiya approached the dining hall, some children were leaving, lunch nearly over. He stepped inside, making his way toward the stack of trays when he noticed a girl stumbling. Instinctively, he lunged forward, catching her arm just before she could fall.
Relieved, Seiya thought he had helped her, but his relief turned to confusion as a piercing scream erupted from the girl. She knelt, eyes squinting in pain, his hand still wrapped around her arm.
"My arm… p-please let go" she cried.
The remaining children, drawn by the commotion, gathered around. Among them were Eiro and Hayne. Eiro rushed over, yanking Seiya's hand away from the girl and crouching beside her. Seiya, stunned, hadn't realized he was still holding her.
Red marks bloomed on the girl's delicate arm, and gasps rippled through the onlookers.
"Are you finally letting out your grudge or what? Why'd you hurt her like this?" Eiro snapped, getting in Seiya's face.
The children's eyes bore into Seiya, awaiting an explanation. But Seiya, overwhelmed, couldn't find the words.
"You're finally showing your true colors! Against a girl, no less! How low!" Eiro spat, shoving Seiya.
Hayne, who had been watching, stepped in, positioning himself between the two. "Alright, stop! That's enough," he commanded, motioning for the children to back off.
"Seiya was just trying to help Ame. He didn't mean to hurt her" Hayne insisted, though even he was unsure how the bruise had formed so quickly.
"Tch! So annoying!" Eiro hissed, leading the others out of the hall.
As the tension eased, Hayne turned to Seiya. "Are you alright?"
Seiya blinked, his gaze falling, and began to walk past Hayne. "Hold up, hold up" Hayne said, stepping in front of him.
"Look" Hayne said, holding up his hand. "Let's try something. Hold my hand." He immediately clasped Seiya's hand.
"C'mon! Clasp mine as well" He urged at Seiya who only stared blankly at his preposterous act.
Seiya clasped Hayne's hand in return after a while, giving in. But the next minute, Hayne declared with haste. "Let go"
Seiya released his grip, and Hayne shook his hand as if it had been burned. "I see now. Your grip is just too strong" Hayne explained, watching Seiya's puzzled expression
"You have a very firm grip. I don't think you realize it, which makes it hard for you to control your strength" Hayne sighed. "You'll need to be careful, or you might end up breaking through walls with those hands." He patted Seiya's shoulder gently before walking away.
Seiya stood for a moment, watching Hayne leave, questions swirling in his mind.
The idea of breaking through walls with just his bare hands wasn't unappealing; after all, it was one of the daunting tasks he had been assigned.
He finished his lunch in solitude and left the dining hall . As he walked through the hallways toward the yard with Miss Onoya accompanying him, they came across a small bunker-like room where children were gathered, both in and out like a commotion was going on.
Seiya paused, glancing at Ms Onoya for an explanation.
"Some elites from the other facility are here today and that's their usual spot. You can take a look" She said.
Seiya stepped forward, approaching the doorway to observe the scene. Inside, four boys, each exuding an air of superiority stood around, one seated nonchalantly atop a table. In their midst were younger boys, bruised and bleeding, clearly victims of the elites' bullying.
Seiya's eyes narrowed as he saw Eiro rise to confront the seated elite. A bruised boy cowered behind Eiro, seeking protection.
"Is he really standing up to me for one of these rats?" The elite sneered, his rhetorical question met with mocking laughter from his companions.
The onlookers watched with anxious eyes, their faces betraying fear and tension. It was clear as day that the elites were the embodiment of mischief and cruelty.
"No matter how many times we deal with rats like you, you never learn your place" the seated elite said, rising to his feet. His brown hair swayed as he approached Eiro.
Grabbing Eiro by the hair, he yanked his head back roughly. Eiro clenched his teeth, fury igniting his eyes but he knew he couldn't do much to them.
Seiya glanced at Ms Onoya, silently questioning whether this was acceptable. She offered no response, reminding him that in this place, conventional morals held no sway.
Seiya watched from the doorway, detached, uninterested in intervening and was about to leave when Hayne stepped forward. Seiya halted, curious.
Hayne placed a hand on the elite's arm which still gripped Eiro's hair. "Please, let him go" He requested politely.
The elite's face contorted with rage, swinging a power punch at Hayne. Before the blow could land, a hand appeared, intercepting the punch with equal force. The impact sent a gust of wind through the room, ruffling Seiya's hair and knocking his glasses askew.
All eyes widened in shock, staring in disbelief at Seiya, who had stopped an elite's punch. It was an act of audacity, one that the other elites deemed a blatant display of disrespect.
They stepped forward, their expressions darkening with rage. "Alright, let's just kill them" They declared grimly, their tone leaving no doubt about their intent.