Chapter 9: "The Weight of the Past"

  Scene: School Gate – Morning

  The sun cast long shadows over Apex Academy’s entrance, gilding the pavement in gold and amber. The usual din of morning chatter filtered through the crisp air—laughter, rushed footsteps, and the occasional clink of lockers being slammed shut. Students trickled in, absorbed in their own little worlds. But the crowd naturally parted around two figures, like animals sensing a coming storm.

  Rei Tsukumo had barely stepped onto the school grounds when he heard it—that voice. Familiar, bitter, sharp.

  Haruto: "Stop right there."

  Rei halted. Slowly, deliberately, he turned, the breeze brushing his hair aside like nature itself pausing for the drama.

  Haruto stood there, tense, coiled like a spring. His eyes were wide and dark, fists clenched so tightly the skin stretched white over his knuckles. There was something unstable in the way his chest rose and fell—like his emotions were pressing against the surface, begging to explode.

  Rei: (calm, uninterested)

  "Ah. Haruto. If you're here to waste my time, I hope you at least planned something interesting."

  He didn’t flinch, didn’t blink. Just a level gaze that felt more like a mirror than a person—one that reflected nothing back.

  Haruto took a slow step forward. His lips were parted slightly, but his jaw was clenched. A bead of sweat trickled from his temple, despite the mild temperature.

  Haruto:

  "You're not the same person you were before."

  For a moment, a subtle flicker passed over Rei’s face. The corner of his mouth twitched—just enough to betray a smirk, or maybe contempt.

  Rei: (flatly)

  "That’s true." (pauses briefly, then shrugs)

  "Do you have anything else to say, or are we just stating the obvious now?"

  The jab landed. Haruto’s breath hitched slightly. He wasn't expecting that level of emotional detachment. His own memories—once warm, once filled with camaraderie—were now ghosts, clawing at him in the shadow of Rei’s indifference.

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  Haruto: (voice tight, barely above a growl)

  "I hate you."

  The words came out like a confession—raw, vulnerable, and clumsy. Rei blinked once, slow and deliberate, as if processing a mildly interesting headline.

  Rei: (calmly, without hesitation)

  "That’s fine. Everyone has opinions."

  Not a trace of empathy. Not even annoyance. Just that eerie, detached neutrality that made it impossible to know what Rei was actually thinking.

  Haruto’s lips curled. Rage surged beneath the surface like magma beneath cracking stone.

  Haruto: (voice rising)

  "That fake reaction AGAIN?! Why do you always do this?!"

  Rei tilted his head slightly. Like he was observing something beneath glass—a caged animal throwing itself against the bars, unaware of its futility.

  Haruto: (voice shaking with rage)

  "I’ll reveal your real character. I’ll make sure everyone sees the truth about you!"

  There it was—the outburst. The declaration. But to Rei, it was noise. Predictable. Repetitive.

  In his mind, a single thought surfaced, clear as day:

  (That makes things easier.)

  Then, aloud, his tone dipped—slow, deliberate, and condescending. Like a surgeon picking apart a patient without anesthesia.

  Rei:

  "Did my actions hurt your pride? Did I leave a scar on your fragile self-image? And more importantly—do you really think I care about your opinion?"

  It was surgical. Every word cut a specific tendon, every sentence unspooled a little more of Haruto’s restraint. He wasn’t just attacking—he was dismantling.

  Haruto’s entire body tensed. His breath came out in sharp, uneven bursts. He looked like he was about to lose control completely—yet something held him back.

  Haruto:

  "Tch—!!" (gritting his teeth, fists trembling)

  Rei took a step forward, just one, but it shifted the entire atmosphere. The air thickened. The temperature seemed to drop.

  Rei: (quietly, amused)

  "Did I wound your sense of self, Haruto?" (pauses, studying him)

  "Do you see me as the one mistake in your past? The thing you failed to crush? And now, you think that by attacking me, you can somehow fix it?"

  Silence.

  Everything stopped—the ambient chatter of students faded into the background. Rei’s words rang in Haruto’s head like church bells tolling for something already dead.

  Haruto's body trembled, but not with anger alone. There was something else now—something he hadn't expected.

  Fear.

  Rei exhaled softly and shook his head, not in disappointment, but in something colder—dismissal.

  Rei: (quietly, almost pitying)

  "You really are a child, Haruto."

  And just like that, he turned and walked away—unbothered, unburdened. Behind him, Haruto stood rooted in place, fists clenched so hard it looked painful. He didn’t call out. He didn’t follow. His rage had curdled into something that stuck in his throat.

  ---

  As Rei approached the school entrance, the shadows stretched long behind him. His footsteps echoed in his own ears, steady and sharp. The confrontation was done, but the implications were still unraveling in the background.

  Then—another voice, calm and familiar.

  Kai:

  "What was that?"

  Rei turned slightly, finding Kai walking toward him. The boy’s usual laid-back expression had shifted into something else—curiosity laced with suspicion.

  Rei: (with a faint smirk)

  "Nothing. Just an idiot trying to release his pent-up anger on me."

  Kai’s eyes flicked toward the gate where Haruto still stood—rigid, motionless.

  Kai: (flatly)

  "I don’t like him."

  Rei raised an eyebrow, his voice almost amused.

  Rei:

  "Oh? Really?"

  Kai folded his arms, his usually lazy posture sharpening just slightly. The air around him changed—not threatening, but firm.

  Kai:

  "He’s too arrogant. The kind of guy who thinks he’s always right, even when he’s not."

  Rei let out a short, calculated chuckle. Not quite friendly, not quite cruel. Just enough to play along.

  Rei: (smirking slightly)

  "Oh, it seems our thoughts connect."

  (A lie. But one told effortlessly.)

  Kai nodded, seemingly satisfied. For him, it was camaraderie. For Rei, it was leverage.

  Kai:

  "That’s great. If he tries anything, contact me."

  Rei’s eyes flickered, absorbing the ease of manipulation, the simplicity of swaying people with just the right words.

  Rei: (nodding)

  "Alright."

  And with that, they walked together toward the classroom, their silhouettes blending into the

  flow of morning students.

  But Rei’s thoughts were miles ahead, quietly amused.

  Rei (in his mind):

  (This is sooo easy.)

  ---

  END SCENE

  Haruto’s emotions spiral, but Rei remains untouchable. Yet every storm leaves ripples. What comes next may not be as predictable. Stay tuned—things are only getting darker from here.

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