The next day rolled in like a wet sock slapped against a concrete wall.
Everyone in class looked about as alive as Lanz felt, which was to say, barely.
Morning lectures dragged on as usual, the fluorescent lights above flickering just enough to be annoying but not enough to warrant fixing, and at the center of the class stood Mr. Shigeno, still rocking the tired eyes of a man who hadn't slept since the previous century.
"And that will be all. Any questions?" he asked flatly, as though daring anyone to speak and waste more oxygen than necessary.
Naturally, nobody said anything.
Not even the class suck-ups bothered to fake a nod.
Talia didn't even f*cking move, well, she probably absorbed everything through osmosis halfway through the lecture and was already solving equations in her head that weren't even part of the lesson.
Mr. Shigeno let out a breath. "Why do I even ask? Just remember to participate tomorrow. You may leave."
