Dark circles, Dark secrets

Hinata and Akira walked through the school gates together, drawing curious stares from classmates. It wasn't every day that the infamous Toizawa walked in with someone by his side.

As they entered the classroom, the buzz of gossip filled the air.

"Did you hear? They went on a date yesterday!"

"I knew it! The class monitor saw them sleeping together on the train."

"Also… did you hear about the murder?"

Hinata froze. "Murder?"

A girl leaned in, lowering her voice. "A whole family… all four of them. Killed last night. They say it happened near the west district."

The lighthearted teasing suddenly felt distant.

Hinata glanced at Akira. He was completely unfazed. Not a single reaction.

For some reason, that unsettled her.

---

(Games Period)

Akira sat under a tree, arms crossed, eyes closed. Sleeping.

"Oi!"

His eyes snapped open. A tall, muscular man stood over him.

It was Harry-sensei, the fitness teacher.

"What sport do you play?" Harry asked, arms folded.

"None," Akira replied flatly.

The teacher clicked his tongue. "Skipping class, huh? Fine. You want to be lazy? Then go refill drinks for the girls' team."

Before Akira could refuse, Harry had already dragged him off.

---

Akira stood near the water station, filling bottles in silence.

Across the field, the girls' team noticed.

"Look! Toizawa's helping out!" one of them whispered.

Another girl smirked. "Hey, isn't he and Hinata a thing?"

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Hinata.

She turned red. "W-What?! We're not—"

"Akira~!" one of the girls called, waving. "Your girlfriend is over here!"

Akira didn't even react. He simply continued filling bottles, ignoring the laughter.

Hinata, however, wanted to crawl into a hole.

---

(Walking Home)

The sun was setting as Akira and Hinata walked home together.

Hinata hesitated before asking, "How do you feel when they tease you?"

Akira didn't answer.

"You don't care at all?" she pressed.

Still, silence.

She frowned. There was something off about him today. He looked even more exhausted than usual.

Her eyes flickered to his dark circles.

Impulsively, she blurted out, "Want to help me with science?"

Akira raised an eyebrow. "You're bad at science?"

"Uh… yeah!" she lied. "So… come over? After six?"

Akira studied her for a moment before finally nodding.

Hinata let out a breath.

She didn't just want to study. She wanted answers.

---