Sensei- Chotto Yasunde Ii Desuka -rj01292809- 【POPULAR — 2024】

“Or, you could lie down over there. I can keep watch. Make sure no one comes in.”

Before Akira could argue, Haruki did something unexpected. He walked around the desk, pulled the spare wooden chair closer to Akira’s swivel chair, and sat down. He then pointed to the small, worn sofa against the back wall of the library. Sensei- Chotto Yasunde Ii Desuka -RJ01292809-

The silence stretched. The tick of the clock seemed louder. Then, Akira stood up, legs unsteady. They didn’t walk to the sofa. Instead, they sank onto the floor, leaning back against the solid, cool wood of their own desk. They pulled their knees up and rested their forehead on them. It wasn’t comfortable, but it felt less… vulnerable than lying down. “Or, you could lie down over there

And for the first time in weeks, Akira Sugimoto let their eyes close. The red pen rolled off the desk and onto the floor. The clock ticked. The wind brushed against the windowpanes. And Haruki Saito sat in the fading light, watching over his tired teacher, keeping the world at bay. He walked around the desk, pulled the spare

The voice was soft, almost a whisper, yet it made Akira flinch. They looked up to see Haruki Saito, a student from Class 3-B, holding a stack of returned library books. He was a quiet boy, the kind who vanished into the background, but his eyes… his eyes had always seen too much.

Akira nodded slowly, the knot in their shoulders loosened to a dull ache. They pulled the cardigan tighter, not yet ready to return it. “Thank you, Saito-kun.”