Part 7 — Fear Inside the Classroom
The classroom remained unusually quiet.
Not completely silent—
but subdued.
Uneasy.
Small whispers drifted between desks while students kept glancing toward the windows every now and then.
Izumi stood near the center of the room beside Yuna, trying to calm a few nervous classmates.
"…There are shinobi across the entire village now," Izumi said gently.
"…And there still hasn't been any attack."
Yuna nodded quickly beside her, even though she herself looked nervous.
"…Yeah… so we should be safe now, right?"
Some students looked slightly relieved hearing that.
Even if only for a moment.
Daichi, however, still looked pale.
"…But what if the fighting already started somewhere else…?"
Nobody answered him immediately.
Near the windows, Hina sat unusually quiet.
Yuna noticed quickly.
Normally, Hina was one of the first people trying to calm everyone else.
But today—
she hadn't said much at all.
Yuna walked closer carefully.
"…Hina?"
Hina looked up slightly.
Yuna hesitated before speaking again.
"…You usually tell everyone not to panic…"
"…Why aren't you doing that now?"
For a moment, Hina didn't answer.
Then quietly—
"…Because my father was deployed last night."
The room seemed to grow slightly quieter around them.
Hina lowered her gaze.
"…And I don't know if he'll come back."