Reality proved that Hirakawa Tetsufumi had been far too naïve.
He had thought that after Amamiya Yoru's sincere apology—and her promise not to repeat her mistakes—things would finally settle down. Even though he still didn't understand why she had suddenly threatened him before, if she was truly remorseful, then forgiving her wasn't a big deal.
But in the end… that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
The very next day
Yes, the very next day after making that promise—
Amamiya Yoru was late again.
"Hirakawa-sensei… um, Amamiya-san didn't show up for first period today either."
The news came casually from Kuda-sensei, who had just returned from class.
"She didn't come?"
Hirakawa immediately asked for confirmation, disbelief clear in his voice.
Kuda-sensei nodded, looking troubled as she placed her books down.
"Yeah."
For a moment, Hirakawa didn't even know what to say.
Yesterday, her apology had seemed so sincere.
And now this?
A faint sense of being deceived crept into his chest.
This time, he couldn't just let it slide.
He had already given her one chance—if he kept being lenient, it would turn into indulgence.
At noon, he had to talk to her properly.
That was what he decided.
But by noon
Hirakawa's expression had completely hardened.
Amamiya Yoru still hadn't come to school.
"She's still not here?"
"No."
Without even sparing Kuda-sensei another glance, Hirakawa pulled out the student contact book from his desk.
Flipping through it, he quickly found Amamiya Yoru's home phone number.
At first, he had assumed it was just another case of being late—after all, that had been happening these past few days.
But now it was already noon.
She hadn't shown up at all.
This was no longer "lateness."
This was something serious.
And as her homeroom teacher
this was his responsibility.
Taking a steady breath, Hirakawa dialed the number.
After a few rings, the call connected.
A young woman's voice came through.
"Hello, this is the Amamiya residence."
"Hello. May I ask if you are Amamiya Yoru's guardian? I'm her homeroom teacher, Hirakawa Tetsufumi."
The moment he introduced himself—
The tone on the other end changed.
"Hirakawa-sensei? Um… I'm Yoru's mother. Did something happen to Yoru at school?"
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
Hirakawa's heart sank.
"Amamiya-san did not come to school this morning."
"I'm sorry, Sensei—could you say that again?"
Her voice, just seconds later, was tinged with panic.
"She has not been at school this morning."
"How is that possible?"
Disbelief.
No refusal to believe.
Hirakawa forced himself to stay calm.
"When did she leave the house today?"
"Like usual. Just before eight."
"Did anything seem unusual before she left? Or in the past few days?"
"No. Nothing at all. Yoru is a very well-behaved child."
"Were you aware she's been late these past few days?"
"I had no idea."
"Can you contact her right now?"
As soon as he asked—
"Please wait a moment!" came the hurried reply.
A clatter followed—the receiver being set down.
Then
Silence.
A suffocating, anxious silence.
Every second stretched unbearably long.
Then, at last—
Footsteps.
Closer and closer.
And finally—
"Hirakawa-sensei! Thank goodness, I reached her. She's safe."
The relief in her voice was unmistakable.
"Hah…"
Hirakawa exhaled deeply, tension draining from his body.
Thank goodness.
During that wait, he had already imagined the worst-case scenario.
If things had gone wrong… he might have had to call the police.
And if it came to that?
he would never forgive himself.
"Where is she now?"
"She said… she's at a shrine near the school… but I'm not sure exactly where."
"A shrine… Do you mean the one along the route between the station and the school?"
"Yes, that's what she said."
"I'll go get her."
"Oh no, I can—"
"It's fine. I'm closer."
Even as he spoke, Hirakawa was already on his feet.
He shot a quick glance at Kuda-sensei, who had been watching anxiously, and then rushed out of the office.
"I'm really sorry to trouble you, Hirakawa-sensei."
"It's no problem."
He ended the call and broke into a light run—talking on the phone while running wasn't exactly easy.
A shrine.
That place.
Hirakawa had been there before.
Small. Hidden deep within a cluster of trees.
Quiet—almost eerily so.
Hardly anyone ever went there.
Which raised a question—
Why would Amamiya Yoru go there during school hours?
For what purpose?
A sudden, absurd thought crossed his mind—
Could she be… burying Yamamoto-sensei there?
"What am I even thinking?"
He muttered under his breath, shaking his head.
But somehow
That uneasy feeling refused to go away.
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