Miss Ho looked at them, her eyes narrowing. She knew exactly what was going on.
"Interesting," she said, her voice cold. "I was busy writing on the blackboard, and you two were busy as well—busy playing tricks beneath the platform. Unbelievable." She spread her arms wide, lifting them to shoulder height in a gesture of exasperation. Then she continued, her tone sharpening. "Both of you. Stand up."
Hanky and Ketto rose from their seats. Ketto's mouth opened immediately. "It wasn't me! I never made any paper airplane. I swear—"
Miss Ho cut him off with a look. "Don't bother making excuses to cover your mistake. To be honest, I never thought you would behave like this. It's beyond my imagination." Ketto tried to speak again, but the words died in his throat. He shut his mouth and stared at the floor.
Then Miss Ho turned her attention to Hanky. "And you. You're always ruining my class. I suspected it was you from the start. Just like I've said before—even though I've tried my best to educate you, you never remember my words. You never take them to heart." She pointed at both of them. "Do you even understand what kind of behavior this is? Shameless people never know they're shameless. But I feel ashamed for you."
Ketto's face burned with anger and humiliation. He kept his head low, refusing to meet anyone's eyes. Inside, he was boiling. It wasn't my fault. I'm innocent. Why won't she investigate properly? Why does she just rely on her own suspicions? And beneath that anger, another emotion stirred: hatred toward Hanky. If Hanky hadn't dragged him into his stupid game, he wouldn't be standing here, humiliated in front of the entire class. This was definitely the darkest, most unfortunate day of his life so far.
But Hanky, of course, didn't seem fazed at all.
Miss Ho delivered their punishment. "You will both clean the school pool. That is your consequence for your behavior. I hope you remember this lesson."
Then, unexpectedly, Hanky spoke up. "It's not his fault," he said clearly. "I folded the paper airplanes myself. I flew two at you, and then I flew one at him. It's all my fault. If you're going to punish someone, punish me. Not him."
Ketto felt a jolt of surprise. He turned his head and glanced at Hanky, unsure what to say.
But Miss Ho was unmoved. "Both of you will clean the pool. No more arguments. Don't push your luck."
Ketto's heart sank. He was sad—no, more than sad. He was disappointed. He had always believed Miss Ho knew him, knew what kind of student he was. But clearly, she didn't. Not really. He said nothing and stared at his desk.
Miss Ho told them to sit down and resumed her lesson. But Ketto couldn't focus. He stared blankly at his textbook, completely lost. Hanky, for his part, felt a flicker of guilt. He had only meant to play a trick. He never intended for Ketto to get dragged into trouble.
After class, Miss Ho assigned homework and left without another word. Addy turned around immediately, checking on Ketto. "How are you doing?" he asked quietly, feeling the heavy, awkward atmosphere.
Ketto opened his mouth. "Bad."
Clearly, he didn't want to talk. Addy tried anyway. "Don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault." He stopped there, sensing he shouldn't push further.
Ketto stood up abruptly and walked over to Hanky's desk. Hanky, predictably, was sleeping like a pig. Ketto stood there for a moment, silent, then picked up a pen from the desk and poked Hanky's arm.
Hanky jolted awake, irritation flashing across his face—until he looked up and saw who it was. The anger faded immediately. He looked at Ketto and said, "Sorry. If you want to insult me, go ahead. Whatever."
Ketto stared at him, confused. "No. I just wanted to ask—when do you have time to clean the pool?"
Hanky blinked. "You don't have to. I'll do it myself. It wasn't your fault. I'll take responsibility."
Ketto shook his head. "No. I need to do it too. After lunch? Or after school?"
Hanky realized Ketto wouldn't be persuaded. He shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. Either works."
Ketto thought for a moment. "Okay. For me, I'd prefer after lunch. I don't want to stay extra time after school. What do you think?"
Hanky smiled. "Okay."
Ketto looked at him curiously. "You're in a really good mood. I admire that—your attitude, I mean. Even after getting punished, you act like nothing happened."
Hanky's smile faded slightly. "Don't say sarcastic things."
Ketto rolled his eyes, then turned and walked back to his seat.