---
The elementary school corridor was still relatively quiet.
Most of the students were already in class. The only sounds were the clicking of a teacher's shoes against the floor and the quiet hum of a ceiling fan spinning slowly overhead.
At the end of the hallway was a door with a small plaque that read Staff Room.
---
Inside the room, I sat on a metal folding chair.
Back straight.
Hands resting on my thighs.
Yuna stood to my left.
Her hands gripped the straps of her sky-blue backpack so tightly that her knuckles had turned white.
She hadn't spoken since we entered the room.
Across the desk, her homeroom teacher sat massaging her temples.
She was a woman in her thirties with neat, short hair and thin-rimmed glasses.
On the desk in front of us sat a plastic lunchbox.
Cracked at one of the corners.
---
The teacher let out a long sigh before finally speaking.
"Thank you for coming in so early, Mr. Nishida."
I gave a slight nod.
"It's no problem."
