Two or three minutes after the bell rang, Teacher Takeuchi, the homeroom teacher, entered the classroom holding a math textbook.

"Kawai, what's going on? Are you ignoring my instructions?" he asked coldly, staring at Ishida Shoya's untouched desk and chair in the back row.

"Takeuchi-sensei, I—"

Bang!

Takeuchi slammed his book onto the podium, cutting her off before she could explain. His tone sharpened with impatience.

"No excuses. Everyone, down to the field. We're having physical education. If you don't come, I'll call your parents myself!"

And with that, he left the room, giving no opportunity for discussion.

On the Field

"What's going on?!"

"We actually have P.E. today?"

"Something's not right…"

As the teacher walked away, confusion filled the room. Some students cheered, glad to be out of class. Others packed up in silence, already sensing this wouldn't be a normal P.E. session.

Once on the field, Takeuchi had Kawai Miki take attendance. Only Miyamura Akira, Nishimiya Shouko, and Ishida Shoya were absent.

And just as a few sharp students had guessed, Takeuchi ordered everyone to run—no lap count, no goal—just continuous running.

"I'm dying…" Kawai Miki panted after three laps, turning to Ueno Naoka. "Can we just walk, like the students behind us?"

Naoka kept jogging, but Miki tried again. "Look, they've been walking for a whole lap, and Takeuchi hasn't said anything. That's like... permission, right?"

Eventually, Naoka slowed to a brisk walk, sighing. The two of them were soon joined by Sahara Miyoko, who also switched to walking and groaned:

"Is he seriously gonna make us run until noon?! I can't even feel my legs!"

"No way. He wouldn't do this for the whole morning," Naoka muttered, brushing off the worry.

"Yeah, Sahara, relax," Miki chimed in. "We'll be back in class before we know it."

Still, Sahara wasn't convinced. Something didn't feel right, especially with Shouko and Miyamura conveniently absent. And with Ishida's recent trouble, this all seemed connected.

After Class

When the bell rang, Takeuchi finally dismissed the class. "We'll gather on the field again next period," he said as he walked toward the teachers' lounge.

The students groaned. A few muttered curses under their breath.

"Is he serious?!"

"We just ran for an hour!"

"Forget running—I'm not even walking anymore!"

Some students tried to look at the bright side.

"Well, at least it's better than sitting through math…"

Kawai Miki and Ueno Naoka collapsed onto a shady bench. Miki dabbed her forehead with a tissue.

"Oh no… Sahara might've been right."

Naoka leaned back, exhausted. "If we stop, he yells. If we walk, he pretends not to see. No use resisting now."

Sure enough, Class B spent nearly the whole day out on the field. Even during the hottest hours, they weren't allowed to rest. Takeuchi stayed in the shade, shouting at anyone who dared to stop moving.

No one got heatstroke—thankfully—but that was the only positive. The students were furious, though most dared not say anything aloud. Takeuchi became the most cursed name of the day. Ishida Shoya came in a close second.

Many believed the punishment was tied to Ishida reporting what had happened—and resented him for it.

Even Shouko and Miyamura were side-eyed for not being there. But Sahara eventually voiced what others had quietly wondered:

"Could Takeuchi have acted like this because Miyamura wasn't around today?"

That one comment made some students pause. It reminded them of a rumor circulating lately: "Miyamura Akira is President Miyamura's son."

And with that, their anger toward Miyamura quietly faded.

Later That Night

"My legs are dead. Shouko, I'll need your support just to walk tomorrow."

"Alright, alright," Shouko chuckled and ended the call with Sahara Miyoko.

Just as she put her phone down, Akira reached for her hand again.

"Hey—stop that," she said, gently swatting his fingers. He'd been playing with her hand for the past ten minutes. And now he was staring at her socks.

"Don't even think about it," she added quickly, raising an eyebrow. "You're not playing with my feet."

Akira blinked. "What? I wasn't—"

Shouko gave him a suspicious look. "First my hands. Now you're staring at my socks. I know that look."

Akira scratched his head innocently, trying to play it cool. "I was just… admiring your balance?"

"Mm-hmm."

(He totally wasn't. But he didn't have a good excuse yet, so he just kept quiet.)

"What did Sahara say anyway?" he asked, changing the subject.

Shouko sighed. "She was complaining about how Takeuchi made everyone run all day. Honestly, we were lucky to come back early."

Akira nodded thoughtfully. He'd already suspected what was going on: Takeuchi was venting his frustration by punishing the whole class, and Shoya's absence just made him an easy scapegoat.

The real issue—vandalizing Shoya's desk—would likely escalate if nothing was done. The others wouldn't see the real culprits as the problem. They'd blame Shoya even more.

People who knew the truth might stay silent, and the rest would either join in or watch from the sidelines.

Akira looked at Shouko again and grinned.

"I'm serious, though. Hands are one thing—but I won't let you say no when it's time to massage my legs tomorrow."

She blushed and rolled her eyes.

"Only if you behave."

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POWER STONE!!!

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