Mr. Tanaka removed his glasses and set them carefully on his desk. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and released a long, tired sigh. "I know about the cafeteria incident."
Ren tried to speak up. "Sensei, I... "
Mr. Tanaka raised one hand not in anger, but as a command to wait. "Let me finish. "
Ren fell silent.
Mr. Tanaka leaned against his desk, arms crossed, weary. He looked tired. Older than his forty-something years. Like he had seen this exact scenario play out too many times.
"The principal wants to expel you."
The words hit harder than Yuto's fists had.
Expulsion. That would mean leaving Yugen. Going back to his mother. Abandoning any chance of finding out what happened to Kaito.
"Violence on school grounds. Disrupting the peace. Damaging school property. " Mr. Tanaka ticked off on his fingers. "He has grounds. More than enough to do that. "
Ren's heart thudded.
