Scene 1
Step.
A foot entered the classroom, ripples of water spreading from the puddles left behind.
The room fell silent. Goosebumps prickled Haruto's arms, his eyes widening as a suffocating aura filled the air.
The teacher's shadow stretched long across the floor.
But just as the tension peaked, his second step slipped on the wet surface—
THUD!
The teacher fell flat into the puddle with a heavy crash.
The entire class froze in stunned silence.
The teacher pushed himself up from the wet floor, his voice sharp with irritation.
"You all think this classroom is your home, doing whatever you want. Ten points will be deducted for everyone who ignored the teacher!"
He adjusted his damp robe, tugged at his collar, and cleared his throat with a gruff, "Khmm." His thick mustache twitched as he smoothed it down with two fingers. His tone shifted, calmer but still carrying an arrogant edge.
"Make sure this mess is cleaned after I leave."
The teacher stood near his desk in front of the blackboard and cleared his throat again.
"Good morning. My name is Okamoto Jinsuke, and I will be taking your attendance. Listen carefully."
The entire class fell silent.
"Haruzka Senzu."
A boy lazily raised his hand, a straw stuck between his lips as he sipped water from his bottle, his head resting on the desk.
"Present…" he mumbled without lifting his head.
"Riku Arashida."
The spiky-haired boy shot his hand into the air with energy.
"Present!!"
"Daichi Mauro."
The plump boy raised his hand politely, his tone soft and innocent.
"Present, Sensei!"
"Toma Hanezaki."
The boy with glasses pushed them back up the bridge of his nose with two fingers before raising his hand. His tone was flat and dull.
"Present, Sir."
"Kento Hibara."
The teacher's gaze fell on the earring-wearing boy. Kento leaned on his desk, elbow propped, one hand holding his face while his other hand tapped the desk in a rhythm like a horse's trot. He just stared blankly at the teacher, expression unreadable.
"Kento Hibara," Okamoto repeated, voice sharper.
The classroom stayed frozen, everyone watching the silent standoff.
"Kento Hibara!" the teacher barked, suddenly shouting.
Kento finally stirred, his voice smooth.
"Yes, Sensei. What is it?"
"Your attendance, Kento!" the teacher snapped.
"Yes, Sir!" Kento answered with a grin.
Okamoto cleared his throat again, flipping the register.
"Itsuki Noma."
Silence. No one replied.
The teacher slammed the register shut, sitting heavily on his chair.
"Another ten points gone. I won't tolerate this."
Several boys protested, "Okamoto-sensei! We didn't do anything wrong, please take our attendance properly!"
But Okamoto waved them off.
"Enough. You all come regularly anyway."
Lazy Haruka finally lifted his head from the desk, still sipping from his bottle.
"Sensei, we don't need your lecture—you need ours. That boy in the corner with the mask? He's been signaling for a while. He's Itsuki Noma. He can't speak. If he does… something bad will happen. He uses only sign language, even for magic."
The ribbon-haired girl smirked, her ever-present creepy smile curling on her lips.
"Hey, Jinsuke Okamoto, you just got this job three or four days ago and still haven't learned anything? How clueless are you? At least remember you're supposed to call the girls' names too."
Haruto stood from his seat.
"Sensei! You didn't call mine either. I'm new to this class."
Okamoto's expression hardened. He pointed at the ribbon-haired girl, his voice raised.
"Hey, girl! Stay in your place. You are a student, not my equal. Speak like that again, and you'll face punishment!"
The girl laughed, her voice edged with madness.
"Hahaha! Really? Don't you know who I am?"
Okamoto's eyes narrowed. He adjusted his mustache and studied her face.
"You're Rina Amatsu—the one who tried to retake the entrance exam a second time, aren't you?"
Rina's grin widened, her tongue sliding across her lips in a disturbingly playful gesture.
"Oh, so you do know me. Good."
Okamoto flipped through the register again.
"Haruto Shinkami."
The class froze.
Daichi stammered, "Sh-Shinkami?!"
Riku's eyes widened, voice bursting with excitement.
"No way! A Shinkami in our class, and we didn't even know?"
Rina tilted her head, smile twisting into something darker.
"Shinkami…" She dragged her tongue across her lips again, almost savoring the word. "Fighting one will be fun. They're strong."
Haruka yawned, still sipping lazily.
"So who's the Shinkami? Speak up already."
Nervous sweat prickled Haruto's skin. Slowly, he raised his hand.
"Present… Okamoto-sensei."
Every eye in the room turned to him.
The earring-wearing Kento smirked, leaning back.
"So, you're Haruto Shinkami. Why were you hiding quietly?"
Okamoto pulled another register.
"Aiko Kurenai."
The short-haired girl with tiny spikes raised her hand with confidence.
"Present!"
"Yui Hanabira."
Okamoto glanced up from the register. No reply. He started to mark absent when a stuttering voice came from the door.
"P-P-Present!!"
Everyone turned. At the doorway stood a girl with a small ponytail, clutching her bag with both trembling hands. Her cheeks glowed red, her body shaking nervously.
Okamoto frowned.
"So late? Don't you know academy timings?"
The girl's voice faltered, eyes downcast.
"N-No… no, Sensei."
"Then why are you still standing there?" he pressed.
Before she could answer, Aiko, with short spiky hair, spoke up.
"Okamoto-sensei! Yui was the first one to arrive this morning."
"Then why are you standing?" Okamoto asked sharply.
Yui's words stumbled as she fidgeted.
"B-Because… someone took my seat. There's no empty desk left."
Haruto sat at her desk, absentmindedly fiddling with hair clips he had found inside. He glanced at Yui, then at the clips, realization dawning. His face tightened as he jumped to his feet, grabbing his bag.
"I'm sorry! I didn't know this was your seat. Please, take it. I'll find somewhere else."
Yui walked quickly to the desk, head lowered, cheeks red, and gave a nervous little bow.
"Th-Thank you…"
Haruto stepped aside. But when he looked around, no spare desks remained.
Okamoto closed the register firmly.
"That's enough. The rest of you are marked present already. Let's begin class."
Haruto raised his hand, bag still in his grip.
"Okamoto-sensei! Where should I sit?"
Scene 2
An extra desk was placed beside Yui's row, and Haruto sat there, yawning.
"Huaahh… this is so boring. Renzaki was right—this academy is a waste of time. I need to escape somehow."
He scratched at his palms, restless.
"My hands are itching. I need training."
With a sigh, he dropped his forehead onto the desk. His pocket shifted, and the hair clips tumbled to the floor.
He quickly picked them up, glancing at Yui beside him. She was quietly sketching in her notebook.
Haruto leaned slightly, covering his mouth with his hand to whisper, "Hey! Hey, Yui! Listen!"
She slowly turned her head toward him, then quickly snapped it back, her face reddening.
Haruto extended his hand carefully, voice low.
"I forgot to return your hair clips. Sorry for touching them. Here."
Yui's cheeks tinted pink, and she stammered softly.
"N-No, keep them. I don't need them anymore."
Haruto shook his head.
"My hands aren't that dirty. And I don't even need these—I just played with them. Now take them back."
Nervously, Yui opened her palm beneath his fist. Haruto gently placed the clips in her hand. For a moment, their skin touched, and Yui's heartbeat spiked, her face warming again.
Just then, Okamoto noticed.
"HEY!"
Both froze.
Yui yanked her hand back, hiding her face, cheeks still flushed.
Okamoto stormed over.
"You two! Talking during class? I've been lecturing, and you're ignoring me? Pay attention!"
Haruto stood up and bowed quickly.
"Sorry, Sensei! We weren't talking—I was just returning her clips! Sorry!"
Okamoto cleared his throat, brushing his mustache.
"Hmph. Fine. Now focus."
Haruto sat up straight. Yui smacked her own cheeks rapidly in an attempt to calm down, her blush refusing to fade completely. She forced herself to look forward at the teacher.
Okamoto began pacing at the blackboard.
"As you all know, Devils are an even greater threat than Demons. We know very little about them, including their true strength—or their king."
Haruka muttered lazily, sipping from his bottle.
"After Yamara's seal, wouldn't the strongest Devil become their king? We just don't know who he is."
Rina's grin stretched wide.
"Maybe they don't have a king. Even sealed, Yamara's crown still rests on his head. No one dared to take it. That crown alone makes him their king forever."
The teacher nodded.
"Exactly. And he is the reason more Demons and Devils keep appearing."
Aiko raised her hand.
"Then what's the secret behind Yamara's body? Why is it still… why didn't they completely—"
"I'll end him."
Every head turned. Haruto stood, fists clenched tight, veins visible on his hands. His face was shadowed, voice steady.
"I will erase the Yamara. I promised my mother I'd take revenge."
The class stared in stunned silence.
Haruka broke it with a lazy drawl.
"This isn't child's play. You can't imagine his strength. Even his dead body alone is enough to destroy us humans."
"Stop discouraging him," Okamoto cut in firmly. "It's true Yamara cannot be fully destroyed, but there are still people strong enough to fight him—like Lord Einzuro, who protects us. And new children are born every generation with miracles of power. You are those children."
Haruto raised his head, determination blazing.
"Then tell me, Sensei—where is Demon Land? Where can I find him?"
Okamoto picked up a chalk stick and turned to the blackboard. He drew a large hexagon, then another inside it, connecting their corners.
"This is the world. At its center lies the Nature Land." He sketched a leaf inside the smaller hexagon. "A paradise of trees, rivers, animals, and life."
He drew a mountain symbol in one section.
"This is Stone Land, where we live. Once barren and harsh, now made livable by the kings who built a kingdom here."
Toma adjusted his glasses.
"Sensei, then where does our food and water come from in such barren land?"
"A good question," Okamoto said, raising a finger. "Our fourth king, Rukenshin, forged a bond with Nature Kingdom. Because of him, we receive food and water from Nature Land."
He completed the hexagons, forming six outer lands. He marked each with a symbol.
"Gust Land. Blaze Land. Flow Land. Snow Land. Lightning Land. And finally…"
Haruto's voice rose, tense.
"Where's Demon Land? Isn't it part of this world?"
Riku leaned forward, unable to hold back.
"Sensei, stop with the suspense—just tell us alrea—"
Okamoto cut him off.
"It's behind this map."
The classroom fell silent.