January 8, 2015, Thursday, 7:10 AM
"Oyyyy!!" Yumi shouted from a distance as he saw Shina walking down the hallway. Shina stopped, turned around, and replied with a shy expression, "Go-good morning, Yumi."
Yumi rushed over to Shina and asked with a smile, "How are you today?" Shina replied, and they chatted as they made their way to the classroom.
In the room, Kaede looked at the time and noticed the teacher wasn't there yet. Students murmured, wondering why the teacher was absent.
After a few seconds, a random student entered the room to announce that their teacher wouldn't be coming due to urgent matters.
Upon hearing this, Kaede decided to step out and buy a drink while waiting for the next teacher. As he walked down the hallway, he spotted Yumi and Shina in the distance.
Yumi silently ran up to Kaede and hugged him from behind. "I'm so sorry, Kaede. I couldn't sleep at your apartment yesterday because my parents needed my help. Their friend's best friend was visiting, so I had to assist with the preparations," Yumi explained, still clinging to Kaede's shoulder.
"You're heavy," Kaede muttered.
Yumi pouted. "Rude! Hmph!"
After letting go, Yumi asked where Kaede was heading. Kaede explained what had happened earlier in the classroom.
"Ah, I see. It's the second time our first-period teacher hasn't shown up. He must be really busy," Yumi remarked.
"Uh... um... good morning, Kaede," Shina greeted softly, bowing slightly.
Kaede looked at Shina, his eyes widening as he noticed she was wearing the same clothes from when he was in her body. He didn't realize he was tearing up.
"Kaede? Are you crying?" Shina asked.
Kaede quickly wiped his eyes. "Oh, just got some dust in my eyes. Anyway, I'll grab a drink. You two head to class and wait for the next teacher."
"I want two sodas! One for me and one for Shina! Your treat, okay?" Yumi called out as Kaede walked off.
On his way to buy drinks, Kaede passed by Fina, who looked furious. As they crossed paths, Kaede felt a shiver of anger, remembering what happened. He stopped briefly, looking back at Fina as she hurried away.
When he returned to the classroom, Kaede saw Yumi comforting Shina, who was on the verge of tears. Curious, he asked Yumi what had happened.
"That bratty girl, Fina, came up to me acting nice at first. Then she started badmouthing Shina, saying horrible things. I didn't believe her, so she raised her voice and acted crazy. I don't know why she hates Shina so much," Yumi explained.
Kaede thought to himself, "This didn't happen in that timeline. Does that mean I've already changed something? I need to stay cautious—Fina might be planning something."
Yumi continued comforting Shina as the other students whispered about Fina's rudeness. Kaede returned to his seat, feeling bored, and eventually dozed off.
RING!!! 12:00PM
The lunch bell rang, but Kaede remained asleep, unaware that class had ended. Yumi and Shina approached him to wake him up.
"Wake up, Kaede," Yumi whispered softly, shaking his shoulder.
Kaede opened his eyes, noticing the empty room. "Why didn't you wake me earlier?" he asked.
"The teacher said not to disturb you. They even laughed a bit but let you sleep. I took notes, though, so don't worry," Yumi assured him.
"Let's eat together," Yumi suggested.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. "KAEDE! COME OUT AND FIGHT ME, YOU LITTLE PIECE OF CRAP!" shouted a random guy.
Kaede looked at him, puzzled. "Uh... who are you?"
The guy looked enraged. "YOU FORGOT WHAT YOU DID TO MY BROTHER LAST WEEK?!" he yelled.
Before Kaede could recall, the guy swung at him. Kaede instinctively blocked the punch, surprising both the attacker and himself. Confused, Kaede noticed his own reflexes felt faster.
The attacker's two friends joined in, one kicking and the other punching. Kaede saw their movements in slow motion and dodged effortlessly. His eyes glowed blue momentarily, but only Yumi noticed.
"Hey, Kaede, your eyes..." Yumi murmured.
Before Kaede could respond, the three attackers lunged at him again. Annoyed, Kaede countered swiftly, knocking them down one by one.
As they got up, the first guy screamed, "I'm not done with you! I'll get revenge for my brother!" He then ran off, crying.
Yumi looked at Kaede, still confused. "You really don't remember? Last week, they tried to mug you, and you fought back with a stick."
Kaede finally recalled. "Oh... right."
Meanwhile, Fina, on the verge of losing her sanity, called her men, ordering them to kidnap Shina. "I want to kill her myself," she muttered darkly.