"Is that so… Then I'll call you Nanami."
Mukuro didn't pay attention to the puzzled look in his seatmate's eyes. He quietly opened his textbook.
"Since Zenin already found a seat he likes, class should begin now. Let's not take up more of the teacher's time."
The homeroom teacher gave a quick apologetic bow to the woman still waiting outside, then left the room. The female teacher walked in and started the lesson.
She was beautiful, with a pleasant voice, and her handwriting on the board was elegant and neat. Watching her write was almost calming.
But no matter how good a class was, drowsiness always lingered.
Mukuro's head started nodding, his vision blurred, and before long he naturally drifted off to sleep. He didn't stir until the bell rang. Stretching his arms, he lazily woke up at the end of the period.
"Zenin-san, do you live nearby too? Want to walk home together after school?"
"Zenin-san, how about eating lunch with us later? There's a restaurant close by that's really good!"
Several girls rushed over, surrounding him and Nanami so tightly there was hardly any space left. Their voices chirped nonstop, questions and invitations flooding at once.
Nanami didn't say a word, but the noise irritated him, and his brows knit together tightly.
"Here, take this candy. Don't bother me. I like quiet places."
Mukuro pulled out the candy given to him by the principal and handed it to one of the girls. Waving his hand, he signaled them to leave.
Whether it was because they felt embarrassed by his words or because they noticed Nanami's stern face, the girls eventually returned to their seats.
"Why did you choose me? Those girls really wanted you to sit with them."
When it finally quieted down, Nanami turned to his deskmate. Unlike himself, who normally went unnoticed, Mukuro drew attention just by appearance alone.
"Don't think too much. I just felt like I'd get along with you better."
Mukuro raised his fist. His thoughts were simple. Nanami seemed like a good person, someone worth respecting. Since fate brought them together, he wanted to be friends.
"Is that really it…?"
Nanami froze. He had never been the type to socialize. It was the first time anyone told him they felt like they would get along with him.
Ding! Ding! Ding!
The bell rang once more.
Break times always seemed short, just like youth itself, gone before it could even properly begin.
As the next teacher entered, Mukuro pulled his fist back. He glanced at the subject written on the board, and seeing it wasn't language class, he lowered his head back into the books and returned to sleep.
He wasn't here to become an excellent student. He only cared about learning to read and write.
The teacher noticed his behavior, but remembering the strict instructions from the principal, chose to ignore it.
He hadn't heard much about the Zenin clan, but the seriousness in the principal's tone wasn't something to take lightly. Better to avoid unnecessary trouble.
So Mukuro slept soundly until Nanami nudged his arm.
"What is it?" Mind still groggy, he blinked in confusion.
"Class is almost over."
Nanami showed him his watch, the second hand ticking closer to twelve. But surprisingly, the dismissal bell didn't ring when it should have. The teacher kept speaking at the front of the class.
"Is it broken again…?" Nanami frowned. He watched the second hand pass twelve, then move further away.
He lifted his head toward the clock above the blackboard. That too showed class should have ended. After waiting for thirty seconds, he realized the school bell must have malfunctioned again. He decided to raise his hand to speak up.
"Teacher, it's already time to leave."
Before he could, Mukuro stood up, one hand in his pocket, the other pointing at the classroom clock.
"Ah! sorry about that! Sometimes the school bell malfunctions. My apologies! Well then, class dismissed everyone!"
The teacher checked the clock, confirmed the time, and quickly ended the lesson after apologizing to the students.
"Let's go, Zenin-san." Nanami tapped his shoulder, gesturing to leave together.
"Call me Mukuro."
Ignoring the curious looks of their classmates, he slung his bag over his shoulder and walked out beside him.
"Sometimes, things like this happen. The bell fails, and usually I'm the only one who reminds the teacher," Nanami muttered to himself, his eyes occasionally drifting to the boy at his side. "You might think it's strange. Staying a few extra minutes isn't a big deal. But I just want to control my own time."
Mukuro glanced at him and replied calmly, "That's perfectly normal. Wanting your own time isn't strange. What's strange is obeying everything without question."
Those words hit Nanami hard. At an age when most children followed teachers and adults with no resistance, he finally felt like he had found someone who understood him.
"I'll admit, what you said makes sense."
"Huh?" Mukuro was caught off guard by the sudden remark. The two of them continued walking toward the school gate.
"You go on ahead, Mukuro. I just remembered something."
Not waiting for an answer, Nanami turned and rushed off in another direction.
"Really… carrying burdens at such a young age?"
Mukuro watched his back fade into the distance and sighed.
* * *
Meanwhile, Nanami ran through the grounds, weaving past other students before he reached a secluded corner.
In his sight was a girl collapsed on the ground, with two small cursed spirits clinging to her back, each about the size of a football.
"Something this weak… I should be able to handle it."
Nervousness tightened his chest.
Both his parents were sorcerers, and he had awakened his innate technique two years earlier. But he was still young and had never exorcised a spirit completely on his own before. Even if these were just small, weak pests, it was still different from training.
He tried to summon cursed energy, gathering it inside his body. Yet it either wouldn't come out at all, or just trickled out in the faintest amount.
"So that's how it is. You like that girl? She looks like she's in trouble though."
Mukuro's voice suddenly rang in his ear. Startled, Nanami flinched, and the little energy he had managed to gather scattered instantly.
"I can't explain this to you right now… Just know this place is dangerous. Leave, quickly!"
Nanami assumed Mukuro couldn't see the curses. He had no idea how to explain the situation and only wanted him gone.
"They're just two tiny pests."
Mukuro dropped his bag to the ground and began stretching his arms and shoulders.
**
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