Scene 1
"And in this way, every Land has its own Element." Standing before the blackboard, Okamoto turned toward it and pointed with his chalk at the rough sketches of the Lands. "For example, the Nature Element, the Stone Element, the Gust Element, the Blaze Element, and so on. There are seven Elements in total. Their combined versions exist too—but we'll talk about those another time."
Haruto leaned back into his seat and raised his hand. "Then… does the Demon Element also exist?"
The class instantly burst into laughter. Haruka lazily stretched from his desk and smirked. "Idiot, Demon isn't an Element. Where do you even come up with this stuff?"
Haruto scratched his cheek, unfazed. "But, Okamoto-sensei… when there's such a massive Demon Land, doesn't it have its own Element?"
Okamoto placed the chalk down and turned back to them. "No… we don't know. Until now, we haven't properly studied Demons and Devils, so their true nature remains unclear. But no one has ever discovered anything like a Demon Mark, so maybe… Demon Element doesn't exist at all."
Kento, sitting on the edge of his seat with eager eyes, shot his arm up. "Sensei, what exactly is a Mark?" He pointed at his own forearm, where a faint Stone Mark shimmered. "Are you talking about those Elemental Marks that appear on our bodies?"
Okamoto nodded. "Yes. These marks appear either when someone is born inside a specific Land—like you, born in the Stone Land—or when someone goes through years of grueling training within another Element's territory. Usually, it takes two or three years of hard training. But handling two Elements at once? That's extremely difficult. Most bodies simply can't withstand it."
Haruto muttered, "I… I didn't use them all at once, but I've managed four Elements before. Even then, my body couldn't keep up, and they had to assign an S-rank healer just to recover me."
From the back, Haruka, leaning against the wall with a straw between his lips, lazily sipped from his water bottle. He stretched his arms with a bored yawn. "Yaaawn~… This is the same kid who keeps making up stories. Sensei, enough already. lunch time might not be here yet, but let's call it early. I need my nap."
Okamoto slumped heavily into his chair with a resigned sigh. "You're right. If I explain the entire world to you now, all your brains will stop working." Dropping his head onto his desk, he muttered, "Take a short rest for now. We'll continue later." Within seconds, the sound of soft snores filled the room—Okamoto had already drifted off.
At the back, Ribbon-wearing Rina smiled with that eerie glint she was known for. "Hey, girls! How about we go outside for another walk?"
Aiko immediately shot up, pointing her finger at her. "Hey you! If you want to go, then go alone. You always change your mind halfway and lie about it. We're not following you!" She sat back down with a huff, clearly irritated.
The classroom gradually dissolved into chatter. Kento and a few other boys began folding paper into crude balls and tossing them at each other like a game, laughter bouncing from one side of the room to the other.
One of the balls smacked against Haruto's head. His hair shook with the impact, and the soft thwack made him groan quietly. He lifted his head from his desk and called to the boy seated beside him. "Hey, Riku!"
Spiked-haired Riku turned to him with his usual bright grin. "How's it going, Shinkami? What's wrong?"
"Why is everyone so… chill?" Haruto asked. "Sensei's here, and still everyone is this noisy."
Riku chuckled, resting an elbow on his desk. "Sensei's sleep is deep. He doesn't wake up easily. Honestly, this is routine. He just wants an excuse to nap, and that turns into break time for us. Sometimes, he sleeps until the end of class."
"But… don't periods change? Don't other teachers come?" Haruto pressed.
"Only Okamoto-sensei teaches us everything. Every other teacher quit long ago because of us. A new one comes every month, then leaves again. Maybe even Okamoto-sensei will give up someday."
Kento suddenly appeared, tapping Riku's shoulder. "Hey, want to join our game?"
"Of course!" Riku stood up with obvious excitement.
Kento glanced at Haruto. "Hey, Shinkami, you should join too!"
Haruto laughed nervously, scratching the back of his head. "No, no… I have something to do." He quickly pulled a notebook from his desk and held it up like a shield.
Kento raised his hand and shouted loudly, "Alright, who else wants to play? Hands up!"
Nearly the whole class raised their hands—boys and girls alike—except for Haruka, Haruto, and Yui.
Soon after, a boy called out, "I've got a football! Let's play outside during lunch break!"
Haruka, sprawled across two desks he had pushed together like a makeshift bed, yawned again, sipping his water. "Wait until it's actually lunch break. The old man guard will see you if you sneak out early."
Daichi nodded, his plump cheeks puffing slightly. "Yeah, he's right. Besides, lunch break isn't for another hour."
Rina tilted her head with an eerie smile, her ribbon swaying. "So now you're ordering us around, Haruka?"
He sighed, voice dull. "If you're done, go sit back down. That fake smile doesn't suit you."
Rina's grin sharpened. "Is that so? I'll remember this. You'll be fun to fight someday." With that, she walked out of the classroom, still smiling.
The class broke into smaller groups, laughing and chatting. Haruka dozed off completely while Haruto doodled nonsense scribbles—childish stickman drawings—on his paper.
Time slipped by. An hour later, Riku suddenly jumped to his feet, full of energy. "Alright! Lunch time's here, let's go!"
Toma, the boy with glasses, calmly adjusted them with a push of his finger. "No, Riku. There are still two hours left. Daichi's watch is broken—it's showing PM."
Riku froze mid-celebration, his excitement collapsing instantly. His shoulders slumped as he muttered, "...You've gotta be kidding me." The class laughed lightly at his crushed expression.
Haruto leaned against his desk, eyes growing heavy. His eyelids drooped, his head tilted from side to side, and finally—he drifted into sleep.
Scene 2
When Haruto opened his eyes again, the classroom was empty. Even Okamoto was gone. Only Yui remained at her desk, quietly hunched over her notebook.
"Hey, Yui! Where is everyone? Tell me, where did they go?" Haruto asked.
Yui flinched, her hands trembling slightly as she kept her gaze glued to her notebook. "T-They… went outside."
Haruto pulled out his chair and sat across from her. "So why didn't you go with them? What are you doing here alone?"
Her cheeks warmed, though she still avoided his eyes. "I-I was working… so I stayed."
"What are you working on?" Haruto leaned forward, trying to peek at her notebook.
Yui instantly pressed both hands over the pages, lowering her head as if shielding them. "N-No! It's nothing!"
"Alright, alright… must be personal notes." Haruto smiled faintly. "I won't disturb you then." He stood, walking toward the door, leaning against its frame. His eyes drifted outside, where students were sparring.
When will the end of class come? Without them, this place feels so dull.
He watched the sparring outside, students clashing in training bouts. It's been fifteen days since I last fought Renzaki. After that, Einzuro-sensei banned me from training until I fully recovered. I'm going crazy with boredom!
His gaze returned to Yui's notebook. Curiosity tugged at him, and before he knew it, he was beside her desk again.
"Wha—!?" Haruto's eyes lit up in shock. "This is… me?"
Yui instantly slapped both palms over her face, trembling as her body shook with embarrassment.
"You drew me… exactly how I looked when I was leaning at the door, bored out of my mind!" Haruto flipped another page. "Huaaah!! When I was sleeping too!?"
Page after page revealed detailed sketches of their class, sceneries, even playful doodles. Each one was brimming with skill. Haruto's mouth fell open. "These… these are incredible! Where did you learn this!?"
Yui hesitated, struggling to lift her head. Her voice stammered as she glanced everywhere except his eyes. "M-My family… they all used to draw. I learned from them."
"And does anyone else know about these amazing drawings of yours?" Haruto asked.
"N-No… no one knows about my magic either. My father wasn't well-known, so no one took interest in our clan's abilities. That's why… no one knows."
Haruto blinked, leaning back slightly. "Wait… this is your magic? These drawings? That's… strong magic. You must be strong too."
He extended a hand with a grin. "Come on, show me your magic! Let's head to the training ground."
Yui quickly turned her face aside, hiding behind her hands again.
Scene 3
Haruto and Yui walked through the hallway, voices and laughter of other students echoing around them.
Yui nervously rubbed her index fingers together, her words stumbling. "I-I'm sorry… but I don't want to use my magic right now. It consumes too much magic energy."
Haruto shrugged with a playful grin. "Fair enough. Honestly, I don't want to show my magic in front of everyone either. Sensei forbade me. Otherwise, everyone would start chas—"
Thud!
Haruto suddenly bumped into a tall figure. Before he could react, a fist came crashing toward his face.
BAM!
The punch sent Haruto crashing to the floor, his vision spinning. Warm blood trickled from the corner of his lip.
Darkness pressed at the edges of his sight.