Classes continued as usual.
The teacher wrote on the blackboard, explaining the lesson in a flat voice.
Hikari Mikami sat quietly in her seat, staring ahead.
Occasionally, she wrote notes, but her mind felt heavy.
Suddenly, her vision blurred slightly.
She saw the faint image of an adult woman.
The face was identical to Airi Mikami.
"Hikari."
The voice was soft.
Hikari's chest tightened. She took a slow breath.
Then the image disappeared.
"Hikari."
The teacher's voice startled her back to reality.
"Sorry, sir," Hikari said quietly.
The teacher glanced at her briefly.
"Pay attention."
"Yes, sir."
A few students looked at her for a moment before returning to their notes.
At the front desk, Airi stayed silent.
She didn't turn around, but somehow she could tell Hikari wasn't doing well.
When the classroom grew quieter, Airi spoke softly without turning around.
"Are you okay?"
Hikari froze for a moment.
"Yeah," she answered quietly.
"Thank you."
Airi didn't reply. She only gave a small nod.
The bell rang.
Students began packing their things.
Airi stood up, grabbed her bag, and walked out of the classroom.
Hikari remained seated for a while, lowering her head.
For some reason, simply looking at Airi from behind made her chest ache.
That day ended like any ordinary day.
But for Hikari, nothing felt completely normal anymore.
The next day passed much the same.
Hikari arrived early and immediately sat at her desk behind Airi.
The classroom was still quiet.
Airi entered a few minutes later. She sat down, took out her books, and stayed silent.
No conversation. No greeting.
Yet somehow, the atmosphere felt awkward.
Classes began.
Hikari tried to focus, but several times her eyes drifted toward Airi's back.
Then the vision appeared again.
Not clearly—
just fragments.
An older version of Airi, smiling faintly.
A warm feeling surfaced… then disappeared.
Hikari lowered her head and held her breath.
Why again…
"Hikari."
The teacher's voice once more.
"Yes, sir?"
"Can you answer this question?"
Hikari stood up and answered correctly.
The teacher nodded.
"Sit down."
As Hikari sat back down, she noticed Airi glance toward her briefly.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Airi's face looked confused.
During break time, whispers began spreading again.
"That new girl is so quiet."
"She looks like Airi, but different."
"It feels like she doesn't belong here."
Hikari pretended not to hear them.
She stayed seated quietly at her desk.
Airi heard every word.
She stayed silent for a long moment before finally speaking softly—still without turning around.
"If they say weird things, don't think too much about it."
Hikari looked surprised.
"…Thanks," she replied quietly.
Airi gave a small nod.
Nothing more.
But for Hikari, that was enough.
The bell rang again.
Classes resumed.
Yet for the first time since entering Class 2-A,
Hikari felt… less alone.
And without realizing it, Airi had started paying attention to the desk behind her.
Since that day, Hikari began noticing one thing clearly.
People were talking about her.
Not openly.
Just small whispers, sideways glances, quiet laughter that stopped whenever she walked past.
"She's weird."
"She's way too quiet."
"Her eyes always look empty."
Hikari pretended not to hear any of it.
She sat silently at her desk, writing notes and staring at the board.
But eventually, it became exhausting.
In the middle of class, one student deliberately dropped an eraser.
When Hikari looked over, several students laughed quietly.
The teacher immediately scolded them.
"Stop making noise and focus."
The class calmed down again.
But the feeling remained.
During break, Hikari stayed inside the classroom.
She opened a book, though she wasn't truly reading it.
Several students passed by her desk.
"She doesn't have any friends, huh?"
"Probably."
Under the desk, Hikari clenched her fists tightly.
At the front desk, Airi heard everything.
Her jaw tightened slightly.
She turned halfway toward Hikari, just enough for her voice to reach her.
"You didn't do anything wrong," she said softly.
"You don't need to care about them."
Hikari fell silent.
"…I know," she answered quietly.
Even though she wasn't completely sure herself.
The rest of the day felt long.
When the final bell rang, the classroom instantly became noisy.
Hikari packed her things more slowly than everyone else.
As the room emptied, she lowered her head and closed her eyes briefly.
Her chest hurt.
Tears almost fell.
She took a deep breath and held them back.
Not now.
Not here.
When she opened her eyes again, the classroom was nearly empty.
Only Airi remained at the front desk.
Airi stood up and picked up her bag.
Before leaving, she paused for a moment.
Without fully turning around, she spoke softly.
"Tomorrow… just sit like usual.
Don't change yourself because of them."
Hikari looked startled.
"…Okay."
Airi left the classroom.
Hikari remained seated quietly for a long time.
Finally, one tear fell onto her notebook.
She wiped it away quickly.
The classroom was nearly empty.
Several chairs were still out of place, and faint footprints covered the floor.
Hikari remained seated at her desk.
She pretended to organize her books, though her hands were trembling.
After the door closed, silence filled the room.
Her chest had felt heavy all day.
She lowered her head, staring blankly at the pages before her.
A drop of water fell onto the paper.
Hikari paused before quickly wiping it away with her sleeve.
"Not now…" she whispered softly.
She covered part of her face with one hand.
A tear slipped down slowly… then stopped.
She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
Not long after, footsteps echoed from the front of the classroom.
Airi stood near the door.
It seemed she had forgotten something.
She stopped when she noticed Hikari still sitting there.
Airi didn't speak immediately.
She simply stood there for a moment before asking softly,
"You haven't gone home yet?"
Hikari was startled and quickly wiped her face.
"Not yet," she answered shortly.
Airi gave a small nod.
She picked up the item from her desk and walked toward the door again.
Before leaving, she paused.
"You… don't need to rush," she said without turning around.
"The classroom's quiet right now."
Hikari lowered her head.
"…Thank you."
Airi left the classroom.
Hikari finally stood up.
She slowly placed her books into her bag.
The next morning, the classroom still wasn't crowded.
A few students chatted quietly as they entered.
Airi sat at her desk before turning directly toward Hikari.
"Hikari," she called.
Hikari immediately straightened up.
"Y-Yes?"
Airi pointed at the attendance book.
"I want to ask you something," she said seriously.
"Your last name is the same as mine.
Mikami."
Hikari gave a small nod.
"Yeah."
Airi frowned slightly.
"If you don't mind… what are your parents' names?"
Hikari froze.
Her fingers tightened around her pen.
"My mother…"
Her voice faltered.
Airi waited silently, staring at her carefully.
"…is Airi Mikami."
Airi immediately froze.
"Eh?"
"That's my name."
Hikari looked at her quietly.
"Yeah," she answered softly.
"You really are my biological mother."
Airi's expression changed instantly.
"What?"
"That doesn't make any sense."
She shook her head quickly.
"Maybe there's just someone with the same name as me."
Hikari stayed silent for a moment before asking hesitantly,
"Um… if I may ask…
what's your birth date?"
Airi looked confused.
"Eh… October 27th, 2009.
Why?"
Hikari lowered her gaze slightly.
"I knew it."
Airi immediately stiffened.
"What do you mean?"
Without another word, Hikari opened her bag.
She pulled out a family registration card and handed it to Airi.
Airi accepted it hesitantly.
Her eyes immediately focused on the mother's name.
Airi Mikami.
Her brows furrowed.
Then she saw the birth date.
"October 27th, 2009…?"
Her voice trembled.
She swallowed hard and continued reading.
"Eh, this is fake, right?"
She looked up at Hikari.
"Your father's name… is Arou?"
Hikari nodded quietly.
Airi stared back at the card.
Her eyes widened.
"And here it says…"
"Your birth date is October 5th, 2029?"
She looked up quickly.
"It's only 2025 right now!"
At that exact moment—
"Eeh?!"
Arou Sikita, who had just entered the classroom, suddenly froze.
"I'm… your father?"
He pointed at himself.
"Seriously?"
Hikari looked panicked.
"Y-Yes…"
Arou shook his head immediately.
"No, that's impossible!"
"This doesn't make any sense!"
Hikari hurriedly replied,
"Um… it's true."
Lumina stepped closer and took the family card.
She read it slowly before raising her head.
"Wait," she said.
"Where did you get this family registration card?"
Hikari hesitated briefly.
"Um… I found it in the drawer in my room."
Haru and Tomo, who had just arrived, also looked at the card.
None of them spoke immediately.
After the break bell rang, Hikari took a deep breath.
She turned toward Airi, who had just finished arranging her books.
"Airi… can I talk to you for a moment? Alone," she asked softly.
Airi looked slightly surprised, but nodded.
"Alright… let's go."
They walked outside to a quiet part of the school courtyard, far from the other students.
Hikari stood there, staring at Airi from close range.
Airi also stood silently, her face serious yet filled with curiosity.
Hikari lowered her head slightly, her hands trembling as she took a slow breath.
"I… I want to tell you something," she whispered.
Her voice was barely audible.
"When I was four years old… I saw my mother…"
She swallowed hard, holding back tears.
"…get killed by a tall faceless creature with tentacles."
Hikari looked directly into Airi's eyes.
"I saw its tentacles pierce through my mother's stomach and throw her against the wall… and that was when she died."
Her voice shook violently.
Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks.
"I came to this time… because I wanted to see my mother again," she said while crying softly.
Airi stared at Hikari with widened eyes.
Her breathing became uneven.
Without waiting another second, she stepped forward and hugged Hikari tightly.
"If that's true… then I'm sorry," Airi whispered while trying not to cry.
Hikari looked confused.
"Sorry? Why?"
Airi wiped her eyes briefly.
"I'm sorry for pushing you away before… because I never realized you went through all of this alone."
Hikari remained still, resting her head against Airi's shoulder as she embraced her.
Their tears fell together.
Hikari took a slow breath before asking hesitantly,
"So… what should I call you?"
Airi smiled faintly.
"You can still call me Airi," she answered gently.
Hikari shook her head awkwardly.
"Uh… for a child, calling their parent by name feels disrespectful."
Airi laughed softly but kept looking at her warmly.
"But we're in the same class. It would feel strange if you called me 'Mom.'"
Hikari nodded slowly.
"That's true… is it okay if I call you by your name?"
Airi smiled warmly.
"Of course."
Nearby, Lumina, Arou, Haru, and Tomo stood quietly without interrupting them.
They understood that this was an important personal moment.
Under the evening sky, Hikari and Airi simply held onto each other.
No other words were needed—
only the warmth they had both been missing for so long.