Morning came quietly.
No sunlight this time.
Clouds covered the sky, turning everything dull and grey.
Ayinakoji opened his eyes.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Didn't think.
Didn't feel.
Then slowly… he sat up.
His eyes went to the ceiling.
The crack.
"…Twenty."
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
He stared at it a little longer.
Then got out of bed.
The house was already awake.
Voices again.
Same as yesterday.
Same as always.
"…I'm going to be late," his mother said.
"Then hurry up," his father replied.
Ayinakoji stepped into the hallway.
"…Good morning."
Silence.
Not even a pause.
He stood there for a second.
Then nodded slightly.
"…Maybe they didn't hear me."
He walked to the kitchen.
The table was messy.
Plates left out.
A cup tipped over.
Water slowly dripping onto the floor.
He stared at it.
"…I should clean it."
He reached for a cloth.
Footsteps.
His mother entered.
She stopped.
Looked at the table.
Then at him.
"…Did you do this?"
Ayinakoji blinked.
"…No."
A pause.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Then who did?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
"…You were the last one here last night, right?"
"…Yes."
"…Then it was you."
The words were simple.
Final.
Ayinakoji looked at the table.
The water kept dripping.
"…Okay."
He picked up the cloth and started wiping.
His movements were slow.
Careful.
Not because he was scared of making a mistake.
But because…
It didn't matter anymore.
At school, the air felt heavier than usual.
Not physically.
But something in it pressed down on him.
Students talked like always.
Laughed like always.
But whenever he got close…
Something shifted.
Conversations paused.
Eyes moved away.
Like he wasn't supposed to be there.
In class, the teacher walked in with a stack of papers.
"…Test results," she said.
Murmurs filled the room.
Names were called.
Papers handed out.
Ayinakoji waited.
"…Tempest."
He stood and walked forward.
The teacher placed the paper on his desk.
A red mark.
Low.
Very low.
He stared at it.
"…I studied."
The thought came quietly.
He remembered every question.
Every answer.
He knew them.
So why…
"…You didn't even try," the teacher said.
Ayinakoji looked up.
"I did."
The words slipped out.
The class went silent.
The teacher frowned.
"…Excuse me?"
"I studied," he repeated.
A pause.
Then—
"Are you saying I graded it wrong?"
The air shifted.
Eyes turned toward him.
Ayinakoji froze.
"…No."
"Then accept the result."
Silence.
"…Okay."
He sat down.
The paper felt heavy in his hands.
But his face stayed calm.
Too calm.
During break, whispers followed him.
"…He argued with the teacher."
"…Seriously?"
"…And he still got that score?"
Ayinakoji walked past them.
He didn't react.
Didn't look.
Didn't speak.
Later, a loud crash echoed from the hallway.
Students rushed out.
A window was broken.
Glass scattered across the floor.
Voices filled the space.
"Who did this?"
"I didn't!"
"It wasn't me!"
A teacher stepped forward.
Eyes scanning the crowd.
Then…
They stopped on him.
"…Tempest."
Ayinakoji blinked.
"…Yes?"
"Come here."
He walked forward.
Slow.
Calm.
"…Did you break this?"
"…No."
A pause.
Someone spoke from the crowd.
"I saw him near the window earlier."
Another voice joined.
"Yeah, me too."
Ayinakoji turned slightly.
It was them.
The same students.
The same faces.
The same empty expressions.
"…I didn't."
His voice was quiet.
Not defensive.
Not angry.
Just… stating.
The teacher sighed.
"…You've been causing problems lately."
Ayinakoji's fingers tightened slightly.
"…I haven't."
Another mistake.
The moment he spoke…
The air turned cold.
"…Enough," the teacher said.
Silence.
"…You'll take responsibility."
A pause.
Ayinakoji looked at the broken glass.
Reflections scattered across the floor.
Distorted.
"…Okay."
The word came out easily.
Too easily.
After school, he stayed behind.
Cleaning.
Sweeping.
Picking up pieces.
Careful not to cut himself.
Even though…
It wouldn't matter if he did.
A shard slipped.
A small cut formed on his finger.
A drop of blood.
Red.
Bright.
He stared at it.
"…It doesn't hurt."
Not really.
Outside, the sky was darker than usual.
Clouds heavier.
The air thicker.
He walked home slowly.
Each step quieter than the last.
A stray dog stood in his path.
It growled.
Low.
Ayinakoji stopped.
"…I won't do anything."
The dog's growl deepened.
Then it barked.
Loud.
Ayinakoji stepped back.
"…Sorry."
The word came out automatically.
The dog didn't stop.
It kept barking.
Like he was a threat.
Like he didn't belong.
He walked around it.
Slowly.
Carefully.
It watched him the entire time.
When he reached home, the lights were dim.
The house was quiet again.
He stepped inside.
"…I'm home."
No response.
He walked to his room.
Sat down.
The crack on the ceiling waited.
"…Twenty-one."
He stared at it.
Long.
Unblinking.
"…Everything…"
A pause.
"…becomes my fault."
The words felt… normal now.
Not painful.
Not surprising.
Just…
Expected.
He lay down slowly.
Eyes still fixed on the ceiling.
"…Maybe…"
Another pause.
"…it's true."
Silence.
"…Maybe I am the problem."
The room didn't respond.
The world didn't respond.
No one did.
And this time…
He didn't say "it's okay."
He just…
Accepted it.
And deep inside him…
Something shifted again.
Not breaking.
Not yet.
But bending.
Slowly.
Quietly.
Into something darker.