Ishida Shoya stared into the eyes of his classmates, the questions burning silently in his throat but refusing to come out. Deep down, he suddenly felt that even if he spoke, no one would answer him.

Bang!

He slammed his backpack down heavily on the desk beside him and roared fiercely at the eyes fixed on him:

"Are you tired of living? If I find out who did this, I'll make sure you regret it!"

What should have been questions turned into threats under his fierce gaze.

Without waiting for a reply, Ishida Shoya stormed out of the classroom.

The loud thud startled Sahara Miyoko, who had been chatting with Shouko, leaving the latter puzzled by her friend's sudden flinch.

But when Ishida's angry shout followed, everything became clear.

They both turned to watch his retreating figure.

Sahara Miyoko looked toward the desk and chair covered in graffiti and asked, confused:

"Shouko, who do you think vandalized Ishida's desk and chair again?"

Shouko glanced at Akira, who was still catching up on his sleep, then whispered:

"Shimada Ikki said it was 'them' this morning, so I guess there's more than one person involved."

"That makes sense. But aren't they afraid Ishida will tell Takeuchi Sensei? This will probably involve calling parents, right?"

Miyoko nodded nervously, her eyes darting around to make sure no one was overhearing. She whispered her next question:

"If someone overheard this and started rumors, I'd be ostracized too… and eventually end up transferring schools."

At that moment, a familiar voice interrupted their dark thoughts:

"That Takeuchi guy probably won't care about Ishida. This is just the beginning."

They turned and saw Miyamura Akira—Akira—who'd somehow woken up and was staring at them listlessly.

Shouko handed him a tissue from her backpack and asked, curious, "Akira, when did you wake up?"

"I've been awake the whole time," he replied, rubbing his eyes with the tissue. "That spiky head made such a fuss, I couldn't help but stay awake."

Sahara Miyoko teased, "So you eavesdropped on our whole conversation, huh?"

Before Akira could answer, the topic shifted:

"What you said about Takeuchi ignoring the problem—it doesn't make sense, right? Ishida isn't that stupid; he'll resist, won't he? He'll probably fight back and teach those pranksters a lesson."

Shouko nodded in agreement.

Though Ishida Shoya's behavior wasn't exactly kind or sensible, Sahara Miyoko remembered how fierce he was when fighting. That's why most students avoided provoking him.

He probably hadn't fought back today because he hadn't found the culprits yet. Otherwise, he would've acted already. Why else would he just leave after shouting?

"I'm not interested in your whispering, okay?" Akira cut in, unbothered by the speculation.

As for what would happen next, only time would tell.

Kawai Miki and Ueno Naoka entered the classroom together.

"Naoka, look! Ishida's desk and chair have been vandalized again!" Kawai Miki pointed dramatically to the familiar sight.

Naoka impatiently shrugged off Kawai's hand.

"I noticed. So what? Are you going to be Ishida's justice warrior, Class Monitor?"

Any good feelings she had toward Ishida had vanished after he splashed water on her. She'd once hoped for an apology, but aside from an awkward, flustered apology right after the incident, he never tried again.

Kawai chuckled and waved off Naoka's question.

"If Ishida thinks I did this, I'd deserve it."

Ever since the fourth or fifth grade, Kawai had sensed Naoka had feelings for Ishida, likely tied to how he had helped her after a car accident.

Back then, Ishida's lively, carefree nature had pulled Naoka out of her despair.

But those feelings had shifted toward someone else now—someone who subtly surpassed Ishida in Naoka's heart.

Naoka snapped back to the present and glanced at the clock on the podium.

"Hurry up and take your seats. That Bastard is probably coming."

She noticed Kawai's distracted gaze toward Miyamura Tsunayoshi chatting with Nishimiya and Sahara.

Kawai caught the glance and knew her attention wasn't on her.

Just then, Ishida Shoya entered the classroom alone, carrying a small bucket.

He ignored Kawai and Naoka, knowing they had just arrived and couldn't be responsible.

"Dong… dong… dong!"

"Quiet down, everyone! Take your seats and get ready for class!" Takeuchi Sensei's voice boomed as he entered.

He moved to the podium and waited until the noisy classroom settled.

At that moment, the sudden sound of flowing water was unmistakable.

Ishida Shoya felt countless eyes on him—mocking, laughing, teasing, some even pitying.

Even Takeuchi Sensei glanced at him but immediately looked away, ignoring Ishida completely.

Disgust churned inside Ishida's chest. He forced himself to suppress the strange surge of feelings rising within him and quietly continued wiping down his dirty desk.

"Alright, take out your Japanese textbooks. Same as always—the first person on the left, please start reading."

Takeuchi Sensei had noticed the tension when he first came in but chose to ignore it.

Flipping to the day's article, he calmly began the lesson, ignoring Ishida's presence.

The student called stood and began reading.

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POWER STONE!!!

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