THE FORGOTTEN SPRING

CHAPTER 11

"THE FORGOTTEN SPRING"

by: Dark Flame Master

3RD PERSON'S POV:

It had been nearly two weeks since the incident between Haru and Kai, and since then, Haru had stopped bothering Kai entirely. At first, Kai felt relieved. Finally, his life was back to normal. No awkward interactions, no strange moments that left him overthinking at night. Yet, as the days passed, a different feeling began creeping in.

Kai couldn't shake the sensation that Haru was watching him. Every now and then, he’d glance over, only to catch Haru quickly averting his eyes. It was frustrating. Why wouldn’t he just leave him alone completely? Still, Kai didn’t have the courage to confront him about it. After all, who would want to talk after what happened between them? Neither of them seemed willing to lower their pride, and Kai couldn’t imagine starting a conversation himself. It would just feel... weird.

Hana, Kai's friend, noticed the tension almost immediately. “Kai, what’s going on with you two? Are you guys fighting?” she asked one day during lunch.

Kai groaned, clearly irritated. “Why would we fight? I’m not even CLOSE to that annoying guy!” His voice was louder than he intended, loud enough for Haru to hear. Kai's eyes glanced toward Haru. He immediately regretted it. Haru’s expression was sad, almost defeated. That guilt Kai had been trying to ignore started gnawing at him.

“What are you saying, Kai? That’s mean. You know that would hurt him,” Hana scolded, grabbing his hand to calm him down.

“How? He doesn’t even understand English, right?” Kerk chimed in, trying to lighten the mood.

Kai smirked sarcastically. “Yeah, exactly. He won’t get hurt because he can’t understand me!”

The words hung in the air for a moment. Kai watched as Haru flinched. Without a word, Haru stood up and walked out of the classroom, his movements slow and heavy. Kai's chest tightened. For some reason, watching Haru leave like that felt... wrong.

“Weird,” Cyrus muttered, leaning back in his chair. “Do you think he actually understood what we were saying?”

“Enough about him,” Kai snapped, slamming his desk with more force than he meant to.

“Whoa, calm down,” Kerk said, brushing Cyrus’s hand off his hair. “I don’t know what’s going on between you two, but don’t take it out on us.”

Kai sighed and rested his head on his desk. “S-sorry,” he mumbled. Then, almost to himself, he added, “...It’s his fault anyway.”

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.

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Later that afternoon, their second-to-last teacher finished the lesson and made an announcement. “Your next teacher won’t be coming in today—she’s on vacation. You can use the time as you wish, but stay in the classroom until the period ends.”

The class erupted into cheers. Some students pulled out their phones, others gathered in groups to chat or play games, and a few used the time to study. But while most were thrilled, both Kai and Haru sat in silence, neither of them shared in the excitement.

The teacher called for Kai’s help to carry some materials to the office. Normally, Kai would have refused, but he welcomed the excuse to leave the classroom. Without hesitation, he agreed.

As soon as Kai left, a group of students decided to play Truth or Dare. Hana, eager to intervene in the tension between Kai and Haru, grabbed Cyrus and Kerk, dragging them into the game. She didn’t stop there—she went straight to Haru.

"Nee, Aihara-kun! Zettai tanoshii!" (Come on, Aihara-kun! It’ll be fun!) she said, her tone was sweet but insistent.

"E... ee to... dou kana..." (I... I don’t know...) Haru hesitated.

"Onegai! Kondo dake de ii kara!" (Please? Just this once?) Hana pleaded, her persistence wearing him down. With a resigned sigh, Haru nodded. He couldn’t say no to her.

The group formed a circle at the back of the room. There were eight players in total, including Hana, Kerk, Cyrus, Haru, and Eli. One of the students spun the bottle, and the game began.

“Alright, first spin!” the student said, giving the bottle a good twist.

It landed on Cyrus.

“Truth or dare?” the student asked, grinning.

“Truth,” Cyrus replied confidently.

“Do you have a crush or are you in a relationship with someone?”

The group erupted in cheers and teasing. Cyrus’s face turned a faint shade of red as he admitted, “I do!” Then, before anyone could press him for details, he quickly spun the bottle.

The next target was another classmate who chose to do a dare. Cyrus made him dance in a ridiculous way, which had everyone laughing uncontrollably.

The third spin landed on Eli.

“Truth or dare?”

“Truth,” Eli said, crossing her arms.

“Are you really going out with—”

“Yes!” she interrupted, not letting the question finish. The room exploded with cheers and playful teasing again. When it was Eli’s turn to spin, the bottle landed on Haru. Everyone froze. The air grew tense, especially for Hana, who had hoped to use the game to get Haru to apologize to Kai.

“Truth or dare?” Eli asked, locking eyes with Haru.

Haru hesitated for a moment before answering. “Dare.”

Eli smirked mischievously. “Alright. I dare you to kiss the first person who walks through the door.”

Before anyone could react, Haru’s face turned pale. “N-no... I-I don’t want to...”

Hana stood up abruptly, shocked. “Y-you can speak English?! You said—” Haru avoided her gaze, managing a weak smile. The others, including Cyrus and Kerk, were equally stunned.

“Please... can’t you change the dare?” Haru pleaded softly. But just as he said that, the door opened and Kai stepped inside. Haru froze, his eyes locked on Kai. “Oh... never mind,” he muttered under his breath, standing up.

“Aihara-kun, stop!” Kerk said, grabbing his leg in a desperate attempt to hold him back. “Don’t do it!” Cyrus added, standing to intervene.

But Haru didn’t stop. Ignoring them, he walked toward Kai, his steps steady and determined. “Kai,” Haru said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Kai blinked, confused. “What?”

“Don’t move,” Haru said firmly.

Before Kai could process what was happening, Haru leaned in, removed Kai's mask, and pressed a kiss to his lips.

The room went silent. Kai’s eyes widened in shock. For a moment, he stood frozen, unable to react. Then, reality hit. He shoved Haru away with enough force to make him stumble backward.

“WHAT THE HELL?!” Kai shouted, his voice trembling. Without waiting for an answer, he turned and ran out of the classroom.

Hana clutched her head, guilt washing over her. “This is my fault,” she whispered, her voice shaky.

Cyrus moved toward Haru, gripping his shoulder tightly. “What were you thinking?!” he demanded. Haru didn’t respond. He simply stared at the door. Kerk shook his head, muttering, “This is a mess.”

Kai ran until he couldn’t hear the voices of his classmates anymore. His heart pounded in his chest, his thoughts racing with unwanted memories.