The mornings at Mirae Academy always carried an unusual kind of silence.
It wasn’t the peaceful silence of an empty place.
It was the silence of hundreds of students pretending they weren’t terrified of the upcoming monthly exams.
The corridors buzzed with hurried footsteps.
Some students revised formulas while walking, others compared homework answers one last time before class.
Everywhere I looked, someone seemed to be worrying about something.
I tightened my grip around my sketchbook as I stepped inside Class 2-A.
For a brief moment…
My eyes instinctively drifted toward the last row beside the window.
He was already there.
Takoru Ryuzaki.
Sleeping.
His head rested lazily on one folded arm while the early morning sunlight slipped through the window, painting golden streaks across his messy black hair.
His black helmet sat beside his desk exactly where it always did, as if it belonged in the classroom more than he did.
I quietly walked to my seat beside him.
Yesterday’s memories refused to leave me alone.
The quiet garage…
The smell of engine oil…
His grease-covered hands carefully tightening a loose bolt…
The tiny smile of that little boy when his bicycle finally worked again.
None of it matched the person everyone described.
I slowly placed my bag on the chair.
Yesterday…
Those hands had repaired something with incredible patience.
Today…
Those same hands rested motionless on a school desk, completely ignoring the lesson that hadn’t even begun.
How could someone be two completely different people?
I still didn’t understand.
“Good morning, sleeping beauty.”
Nesmin’s cheerful voice echoed across the classroom.
He dropped his bag onto the desk in front of us before dramatically turning around in his chair.
“…Boss is still alive.”
No response.
Stevan entered a few seconds later carrying a stack of books under one arm.
“He slept for three hours.”
Nesmin widened his eyes dramatically.
“Three hours?”
He placed a hand over his heart.
“That’s incredible.
At this rate you’ll actually graduate before retirement.”
Several nearby students laughed.
Without opening his eyes, Takoru spoke in a sleepy voice.
“I can still hear you.”
Nesmin grinned.
“I know.”
A pause.
“I wanted to make sure you could.”
Another ripple of laughter spread through the classroom.
Takoru slowly lifted one hand without opening his eyes.
“If you keep talking…”
Nesmin immediately raised both hands.
“Understood.”
“I’m silent.”
“…Completely silent.”
He stayed quiet for exactly three seconds.
“…But Boss.”
Takoru sighed without moving.
“You failed.”
Even Stevan couldn’t hide the tiny smile that appeared for a second before disappearing again.
Watching them…
I found myself smiling too.
It was strange.
The entire school treated Takoru like someone untouchable.
Yet around these two…
He almost looked normal.
The bell rang.
Mrs.
Sharma entered carrying another thick folder.
“Good morning, everyone.”
“Good morning, ma’am.”
She nodded with satisfaction.
“The exams are getting closer.”
Instantly, half the class groaned.
“I expected that reaction,” she laughed.
“But unfortunately…”
She placed another worksheet on every desk.
“…geometry doesn’t become easier just because you complain.”
Collective suffering filled the room.
Even Emmi buried her face in Yuri’s shoulder.
“I’m being personally attacked.”
Yuri adjusted his glasses.
“It’s only five questions.”
“It’s five impossible questions.”
“They’re not impossible.”
“They are emotionally impossible.”
I quietly opened my notebook and began solving the first problem.
Around me…
Pens scratched against paper.
Pages turned.
Students whispered calculations under their breath.
Beside me…
Silence.
I glanced sideways.
Takoru had opened his notebook.
But instead of writing today’s lesson…
His pencil moved across the page with slow, confident strokes.
Curiosity got the better of me.
Very carefully…
I looked.
It wasn’t random doodling.
It wasn’t meaningless sketching either.
The page was filled with incredibly detailed mechanical drawings.
Interlocking gears.
Engine pistons.
Measurements written in tiny numbers.
Arrows pointing toward different parts.
It looked less like a school notebook…
And more like the blueprint of an actual motorcycle engine.
I blinked.
Once.
Twice.
The precision was unbelievable.
Every line looked deliberate.
Every measurement perfectly aligned.
Even someone like me—who knew almost nothing about machines—could tell this wasn’t the work of a beginner.
He wasn’t wasting time.
He was studying…
Just not the subjects everyone else cared about.
Without thinking, I stared a second longer.
Almost immediately…
Takoru stopped drawing.
He didn’t turn his head.
But he knew.
“…Something wrong?”
His quiet voice startled me.
“I…”
Heat rushed to my face.
“N-no.”
I quickly looked back at my notebook.
“I was just…”
My words disappeared.
For a second, neither of us spoke.
Then, surprisingly…
He pushed the notebook just a little closer toward my side.
Not enough for anyone else to notice.
Just enough that I could see the drawing more clearly.
“I still haven’t finished it.”
His voice remained calm.
“So don’t judge it yet.”
I looked at him, genuinely surprised.
For the first time…
It felt less like we were strangers sharing the same desk…
And more like two people quietly sharing the same silence.
For the rest of the morning…
Neither of us spoke again.
Mrs.
Sharma continued explaining formulas across the board while students hurriedly copied every word into their notebooks.
Beside me…
Takoru had returned to his usual position.
His notebook remained open.
The unfinished engine drawing rested quietly on the page, while he leaned back against the window and closed his eyes once more.
It almost looked as if nothing had happened.
Yet every few minutes…
Without meaning to…
My eyes wandered toward that notebook.
Those careful lines.
Those tiny measurements.
Those perfectly drawn gears.
They didn’t look like the work of someone lazy.
They looked like the work of someone who loved creating things.
Maybe…
He wasn’t avoiding hard work.
Maybe…
He was only avoiding a life that never interested him.
I quickly shook the thought away.
I barely knew him.
It was foolish to think I could understand someone after only a few strange moments.
The lunch bell rang.
The classroom instantly filled with noise as students rushed toward the cafeteria.
Emmi grabbed my wrist.
“Come on!
If we’re late again, all the good food will disappear.”
Yuri quietly followed behind us.
The cafeteria was louder than usual.
Almost every table was filled with students discussing exam preparations.
As we sat down with our lunch trays, Emmi immediately leaned closer.
“Rubi…”
“Hm?”
“You sit beside Takoru every day.”
I nodded.
“…Is he really as scary as everyone says?”
I hesitated.
“I…
don’t know.”
Emmi lowered her voice.
“The seniors were talking about him again this morning.”
I looked up.
“What did they say?”
She glanced around before whispering dramatically.
“They said he got into a huge fight last year.”
Another student from the next table overheard them.
“No.”
“I heard he challenged another biker gang by himself.”
Someone behind us laughed.
“My cousin says he got suspended once.”
Immediately another voice answered.
“Suspended?”
“He didn’t even come during the suspension.”
The entire table burst into laughter.
Rumors spread through the cafeteria faster than the smell of fresh coffee.
Everyone seemed to know something about Takoru.
Yet somehow…
Every story sounded different.
Some called him dangerous.
Some called him fearless.
Some simply called him crazy.
Yuri quietly continued eating before speaking.
“You know what rumors have in common?”
Emmi looked at him.
“What?”
“They grow every time someone repeats them.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
Silence followed.
Nobody argued.
I lowered my eyes toward my lunch.
Yesterday…
I hadn’t seen a violent gang leader.
I’d seen someone quietly repairing an old bicycle for a child who couldn’t stop smiling.
I’d seen someone who sat alone inside an empty garage instead of showing off in front of people.
I’d seen someone whose notebook was filled with beautiful machine drawings instead of homework.
Which version was real?
Maybe…
None of us actually knew.
Or maybe…
Everyone only believed the version they wanted to believe.
The afternoon classes passed more quietly than usual.
Even Nesmin wasn’t making many jokes anymore.
The pressure of the upcoming exams had finally reached everyone.
Everyone…
Except Takoru.
He slept through almost the entire literature lesson.
Mrs.
Sharma sighed as she looked toward the last row.
“I’m beginning to wonder if Mr.
Ryuzaki attends school simply to improve his sleeping schedule.”
Several students laughed softly.
Takoru didn’t even open his eyes.
“I sleep better here.”
The classroom laughed louder.
Mrs.
Sharma pinched the bridge of her nose.
“I don’t know whether to be concerned…
or impressed.”
Even she couldn’t hide a smile.
When the laughter finally settled…
She closed the attendance register.
“I have an announcement.”
Instantly the classroom became silent.
She folded her hands together.
“The monthly examinations begin next week.”
Groans filled the room.
“I know.”
She smiled knowingly.
“But complaining won’t change the calendar.”
She waited until everyone settled down again.
“I’ve been observing this class carefully.”
Her eyes slowly moved across every student.
“Some of you study alone.”
“Some depend too much on others.”
“And some…”
Her gaze briefly rested on the last row.
“…don’t study at all.”
Nesmin quietly looked toward Takoru.
Stevan simply sighed.
Mrs.
Sharma continued.
“So I’ve decided to change the way all of you prepare for the exams.”
Curious whispers spread across the room.
“What does she mean?”
“Another project?”
“Please don’t say presentations…”
Mrs.
Sharma gently tapped the desk.
“Tomorrow…”
The whispers stopped immediately.
“…every student will choose a study partner.”
The classroom instantly exploded into excitement.
“No way!”
“I’m choosing Emmi!”
“Yuri!
You’re with me!”
“I already have a partner!”
Students began talking before the announcement had even finished.
Mrs.
Sharma raised one finger.
“And…”
The room slowly quieted again.
“No one…”
“…will be allowed to study alone.”
The excitement suddenly became something else.
Some students smiled.
Others looked nervous.
I slowly turned my head toward the window.
Takoru hadn’t reacted at all.
He simply looked outside, where the evening sunlight painted the school courtyard in soft shades of gold.
His expression remained impossible to read.
For some reason…
A strange feeling settled inside my chest.
Tomorrow…
Someone would have to stand beside him.
But…
Would anyone choose him?
For the first time…
I wondered if someone like Takoru Ryuzaki had ever been chosen by anyone at all.
End Chapter.
To Be Continued…
welcome to chapter 14!
Sometimes, the loudest stories are the ones everyone tells…
But the quietest truths are the ones almost nobody notices.
Rumors can create monsters out of ordinary people, while silence often hides battles no one can see.
Rubi has started seeing a side of Takoru that doesn’t match the stories whispered around the school.
But is she seeing the real him…
or just another piece of a puzzle that hasn’t been completed yet?
And tomorrow, when everyone is free to choose their own study partner…
Will Takoru finally be chosen…?
Or will he once again be left standing alone?
See you in the next chapter.