This will probably be my will.

I have committed a sin. I want whoever eventually reads this to understand that. About her.

It was my fault that Yuki Takeya’s time stopped.

I was the one who wanted Yuki-san to smile. I was also the one who made the illusion that is the School Living Club. When she regressed, I thought that was preferable. Even these circumstances were my fault.

Tears streamed through my eyes as I wrote in my journal.

The other day, I finally went to the staff room. The evacuation manual. My responsibility. All adults’ responsibility. There aren’t any other adults left, so this is my responsibility.

You can’t stop the flow of time. If one day those four can make it out of this school smiling… I don’t care what happens to me to make that happen.

Sending those students off safely is my reason for living.

I closed my journal shortly.

“Do you have some time Sensei?” I turned over to see Ryu standing by the entrance.

“Take a seat”

“So I assume you know what I’m about to talk about?” Ryu sat on a nearby chair.

“Mmm”

“I’d like to mention that what has happened isn’t necessarily your fault”

“How did you know?”

“You just admitted it”

“Before that”

“You made the club after all” Ryu moved Kamiyama’s flower case to the corner, “I was worried that you’d feel guilt over it”

“Well… I kinda do” I tried to keep a sort of happy face.

“Mmm”

“One thing Ryu-kun”

“Hm?”

“Why did you play along with Yuki-san?”

“There’s one thing I’d like to mention”

“...”

“I have a feeling Yuki is doing all of this… for our sake”

“Our sake?”

“Yuki hasn’t faced any trauma up to this point. She had always been cheerful up to this point. Why would it develop up to this point where she’d make delusions? Especially since two days ago, she had admitted to what had happened in the outbreak”

“What happened two days ago?”

“I met with her on the rooftop”

“Ah, that. I could hear you talking with her up there”

“Am I that loud?”

“No, where you spoke was close to where I slept”

“I see…”

“Honestly Ryu-kun. I noticed something from you…”

“What is it?”

“You seemed… intrigued over Yuki”

“I’m not the romantic type”

“Not like that” I chuckled, “You seem like you cared a lot recently”

“Don’t I have a responsibility as Council President?”

“Your care seemed more personal”

“I’d look heartless if I didn’t bother helping Yuki-san… I feel like what I’ve done is just… empathy”

I couldn’t help but giggle in response.

“Is it not?”

“No, no” I lowered my hand from my mouth, “I like how you’re trying to be nice to Yuki-chan”

“I see…”

“Well, can I give you some advice?”

“Always”

“It’s kind of cliche, but she once told me that the people you treasure and care for, you have to look out for them”

“That’s common sense Sensei”

“Of course it is. But who do you truly care about?”

“My family…”

He couldn’t mention anyone else.

“Let me rephrase my question. Who do you want to walk around this world with a smile on their face?”

“...”

“Don’t you want Yuki and her friends to be happy as well?”

If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

“Why would I? Not to sound mean of course”

“They do care for you…”

“Really?”

“Mhm! They’ve been worried about you. That’s why they send Yuki to check up on you from time to time. Even when the others thought you were just lazy, Yuki insisted to knock on your door and check up on you”

“I see…” Ryu smiled, “Perhaps I should do something in return…”

“Didn’t you do something in return already?”

“That was for something else…” He looked out of the window, “Sensei, can I lend you a secret?”

“Of course!”

“I had… a friend a long time ago…”

One sentence and I was already intrigued.

“She was a nice person. Someone who cared for me. I couldn’t understand why. Other than the fact that she was a neighbor and a classmate”

“Is she in this school?”

“She moved during high school…”

“Oh…”

“I know…”

“Well, if she was still around now, I’d probably be desperate to know if she’s still alive”

“We all have that feeling…”

“The reason why she was my only friend was because I messed up”

As Ryu spoke, he had this guilty look on his face.

“If you don’t mind answering, how did you mess up?”

“She was pretty much a magnet for bullying… At first, I was oblivious to it, but when I started to appreciate and like her care, I realized the degree of bullying that it had reached”

“...”

“She moved schools later on…”

“Have you tried getting back in contact with her?”

“I couldn’t get her socials… even if I did, she would probably be unhappy…”

“You can’t blame yourself for that all of the time. For all we know, she would’ve left either way”

“Even if she did, when she looks back at her old life, all she knows is that everyone there was uncaring to her. It’d shape her personality for the future…”

“Agreed…”

“It created this sort of false view I had on friendship where I felt like it was a waste of time. I thought trying to cheer her up was a way to make her feel happy. Yet… it didn’t help her from moving”

“Did she ever say goodbye to you or anything? Try to get closure?”

“I wanted to ask her if we wanted to meet at the Tron Mall for the summer. But when I reached her house, it was empty. She left… without a goodbye”

“Oh no…”

“It took two years for me to start caring for her. And when I truly did, it was too late…”

I kept silent.

“That’s why I never wanted to consider Yuki-san a friend at first… because I knew that I’d be unable to create that bond with her. I was too dead set on other things that I couldn’t even see what was in front of me for my social life other than being a Council President”

“Is that your only regret?”

“Of course…”

We sat in silence for a moment. I couldn’t help but feel bad for him. Ryu had always seemed decisive and quick to act. Yet it stemmed from an everlasting regret of his. I wanted to just comfort him for his admission.

“I know it’s too late for this… but can you promise this, Tanaka-kun?”

“Of course”

“Look back on the regrets you’ve made with… a smile. A way to improve yourself. Not as a way to be saddened over and continue with your old ways. Can you do that?”

“Mhm… sure” He nodded.

“That’s wonderful!”

“Thank you, Sakura-sensei… for everything” Ryu smiled towards me.

“No problem! After all, I’m your teacher”

“Agreed…” Ryu smirked, “Anyways, tomorrow is the big day isn’t it?”

Oh right! The first floor!

“Mhm, it’s good that you managed the forecast quite well”

“Yep! And once we cleared it out, we won’t have an issue”

“Agreed”

Once we reached the first floor… I’d tell them everything. I can’t keep it a secret like this. Someone like Ryu is perceptive enough to understand the gravity of the situation and respect it. But everyone else… I don’t know how they will react.

“Sensei, can I tell you something?”

“Go ahead!” I smiled at Ryu.

“I’d like to say… that you’re a great teacher”

That caught me off guard.

“Gee, thank you… but why is it coming out of nowhere?”

“Well… because most teachers I’d know would probably break down or struggle in a society like this. Or by the very least take over the group in some authoritative manner. But for you, you look out for others in a way I’d not expect in this world”

The emergency manual had stated that the spirit of tolerance and kindness is no longer a virtue. Yet, I had decided to keep it regardless.

“I’d like to apologize for lying to you. It wasn’t like me to be honest. I just wanted you to look forward and see the reality in front of you. But perhaps this is a better alternate”

“It’s alright. I know you’ve been trying to look out for us secretly”

One thing I’ve noticed is that Ryu had a soft heart hidden by his serious facade. He didn’t want to reveal it, yet I had observed this sort of switching behavior from him.

“Anyways, I’ll be going”

“Alright, bye Ryu-kun”

I couldn’t contain the sense of joy inside me after Ryu’s compliment. I had always been discouraged, yet his comment had given me peace knowing that I haven’t ever neglected my care for them.

And I wish to keep that promise until the end.

“What the hell have you done?” A voice echoed.

Wait, where am I?

I looked around the warehouse, noticing the crates and tables toppled across the room, followed by the bloodstains. Did something happen?

I turned over to my side, noticing a figure significantly taller than me crying in agony. It was all too familiar. Yet I didn’t know what it was.

“What have you done!” The figure’s voice shrieked again, this time in a more recognizable high-pitched one.

I was stuck in the middle paralyzed and unable to respond.

“Do you know what you’ve done?” The voice shrieked again.

I couldn’t say anything.

“Are you even listening to me?”

The figure’s arm reached out towards my collar, gripping it close to me. I didn’t want to respond out of fear that I might wake up not being able to remember what happened.

“You’re no human! You hear me?” The voice screamed again, with the sound of sobbing following shortly.

My eyes shot open almost instantly as I jerked off my couch for some unknown reason. I didn’t know why I did that, to be honest. Probably just a reflex to me.

I stared at the clock. 7:12 AM. I had plenty of time before we moved down to the first floor. But I’m not interested in just watching movies and being lazy. For today, I have a goal.

I don’t usually make goals for ‘self-improvement’, not especially during the early morning and almost instantaneously after a dream like that. Yet I had made a promise. And I plan to follow it up.

I aim to make Yuki Takeya, Kurumi Ebisuzawa, and Yuuri Wakasa, my friends.