School, when do you end?

Max stared, wide-eyed at how easily Dairue is swayed by his emotions, yet knowing full well who was at fault. Knowing full well that his promises breed expectations, he agreed out of good faith not being bothered again. Agreeing to an unfathomable request was a mistake he made, a decision he intentionally made knowing how Dairue would act if he had declined.

The thought of Dairue creating an obligation for him, one that could kill their friendship made Max teary-eyed of losing him as a friend. Despite how easily they can both cut and neglect each other's desires, he still weaves in and out of ending and rekindling their relationship. Dairue brings much to the table, benefits that guilt the living hell out of leaving him behind.

Max begins to regret his decisions, feeling like he made a mistake just by being human. Feeling like it was nothing but his fault and the acclaimed incident was all his doing.

He decides to sit down and think clearly about the situation, yet nothing comes to his mind but the slow crawl of midnight approaching,

His thoughts range from thinking about Dairue and how much respect he has for him, to thinking about Hisae and her impact upon his existence, about "Her", the one he wishes for so desperately, and his sins committed through mindless actions. His mind was running circles upon circles of never ending ladders that lead down, up, and sidewards.

The clock hits midnight.

"That's my sign to go and get out of this plac- oh no...I forgot to pack mother's dinner back to her! That's the first thing I am doing tomorrow. Perhaps it's spoiled~ Ahhhhh, ill take it out..."

Max had smelt it repeatedly and after confirming it was still edible, he rushed to close the gate and back to his bike. Half expecting it to be stolen by none other than Soran, his expectation was foiled to his relief yet replaced with finding out that Dairue left a note saying he must go tomorrow or else he'll be exiled again

He picks up the dirty note and tears it apart, sprinkling all the note's contents into the bin. Yet he plans to give the trip a chance. The note has exemplified the "Big day" ahead of Max, yet the note did not specify which big day it is. His concerns didn't last, however, as he cared more about getting home than whatever tomorrow had the offer.

The rain had weakened significantly, meaning tomorrow will likely offer him another set of classes. As Max realized he'd see her again, a smile slowly formed on his face. A grin of true malice against Soran, a grin full of self-assurance.

The yellow lanterns, the lights, and midnight cafes, the libraries filled with all the manga that gave each reader a purpose. He had always fantasized about writing his own stories, his impact upon the world since he was a child. Stapling papers into a bulky pile of what he would call a "book", nothing more than paper.

Without a single thought, the boy halted his bike and wrote a note on the empty pages of a book. After taking the note, he pasted it underneath the plants rooted into the cement.

Staring at the note, the dark circles in his eyes illuminated by the street lamp beside the patch of grass. Thinking of the note as a reminder of where to go, when ideas run dry and cold.

Thinking that almost all that expresses familiarity is nothing more than an illusion. That all things familiar want to leech off the very essence that creates humanity, the Ideals brought about by the man's solitude.

Yet the thought of his mother, something no other thought could match, knowing that he, himself, is the only one she has left.

Max made it to his doorstep, not without plenty of distractions yet he paid no notice to the window. He sits on the couch to unpack his things, the food containers, the markers, and the papers. Explaining to himself why he even wrote a note outside. knowing coming back to that place was unlikely.

"Sometimes, I wish I was not stupid enough to pity you, and maybe I won't regret it."

"So much for having choices, why would you even be with me if it's all for pity.."

"Am left with no choice here, I am starting to think I never loved you."

"I'll be free from you soon anyway." ushering the final sentence before he stopped talking to himself on the couch.

The lonely man smiled over the glimmer of hope, laughing at the idea of finally having no weight coming from other people. The loss of obligation, the lack of need to listen to someone, the lack of anyone who cares. Yet all he could do was stare at the ceiling and wait for the moment, he waited and waited until only sleep came and he passed out.

Death was practicing on his body, death was his mind's ultimate goal. Yet he denied death like it was never going to come and pick him up from the living. Yet he still lies, he lies down, he lies, he lies, he lies, he lies with no truth to keep in mind but the honesty that hurts.

The clock's hand grabs yet another minute, yet tonight the boy doesn't dream, tonight he sleeps peacefully without a trace of any world beyond his own. Nothing but black, an empty place in the universe where the insomniacs roam free and walk slowly toward their demise. But his demise was not from lack of sleep, for his world would be too simple.

Morning had returned, the sun was back and the moon never showed up.

The alarm left him with a familiar feeling of fatigue, the school was returned as had the sun. Max rose from the couch, narrowly in time to catch his mother leaving. Hurriedly, he placed the food inside her bag and found out she had her own stash of meals.

"What are you doing? No! No!" his mother, Nagomi, caught him in the act of trying to place the meal into her lunch bag.

"But you could use it, my friend gives me food for free." Max looked as he stuck his hand into the bag, trying to bury the food deeper under the other contents.

"What if he doesn't?! Then you'll go hungry and complain about health problems." with a sharper and more assertive tone, she reprimanded her child.

"Yeah yeah okay, whatever you say." stubbornly walked back to his chair, preparing for school.

The boy did not hesitate to leave, after taking a bath, he took his things and ran as fast as possible away from the door. After getting on the bike, he held his stuff high, knowing if he could make it early, he would be able to talk to "Her". Desperation took control of his feet, feeling like the cement was brushing off his wheels, the nonexistent sparks flying.

Failing to understand that she was gone, Max still held on to the very tiny thread that held together their ability to be acquaintances. One ability that he was willing to abuse till it shriveled and drained of its emotion, holding to a deeper promise that some paths resurrect through intersected roads

Max arrived at the guard house, knowing it'll be empty at this time and hour. The sun was quickly rising yet the whole school still lay shrouded in the shadow of every building.

Gambling with the tiny bit of time left before class officially begins, the young one decides to eat his breakfast directly in the classroom.

Slowly, the memories of what had happened the week before came pouring over his mind, especially the memory of having "Her" pencil which he had not returned. Whilst eating the sandwich, he grabbed the pencil from his bag in order to hand it over to her. Unexpectedly, she was anticipating his return, his return of the very object he kept.

"Hey, Akemi! This is yours right?" handing the pencil, hands shaking in fear of messing up again.

"Yeah?- Oh, hi Max, this has been missing for a week. Where'd you find it?" she replied while turning in his direction.

"Did you forget you let me borrow it? You're pretty-, forgetful of things yeah you're pretty forgetful of your stuff…" nearly fumbling his voice, trying to regain stability.

The conversation had gone on for longer than he had planned for, the words sliding off the surface. As they both talked about catching up during the upcoming events the school had planned, Max choked on his sandwich. The embarrassment of experiencing such a thing during a crucial moment had him question everything, yet she merely laughed, louder and louder.

"Hahahahahaha! What the hell~, are you okay? Max choked Juna, Max choked!" Akemi tried to speak, but she could only drown her words in laughter.

"Don't hurry up on eating, gosh, you're nervous, aren't you? Haha…" Juna quickly followed her joke, knowing that Max was still interested in Akemi's presence, after all this time.

"No, I am hungry. Haha, I am just hungry because it's breakfast time." his lame excuse could barely make up for his embarrassment.

Happiness, the boy had felt a hopeful attachment to her memories, to her. Their paths still cross an empty field where anything can happen, yet the very thing he least expected happened.

However, every happy moment is always a magnet for disaster. Soran was watching Max, as they spoke to each other, she merely stalked from a distance.

Akemi took notice of her glance and decided to put the conversation to a close. Her terrible tendencies when she's jealous made Akemi feel weak in the stomach, her innocence was being intruded on by a greater force. The innocent girl had sat down quietly, avoiding the glances of the demonic presence.

Boiling blood, an anger-filled mind, infidelity, and nuanced relationships, Soran has done it all. Max stared her down, her eyes rolled over, however, the boy did not bother. He knew there was no point in having a conversation, one filled with empty jealousy. Their relationship, is a cage trap, their minds, growing distant from one another.

"Hey, good morning." Soran blatantly whispered, trying to get another reaction from the boy.

"It's a cold morning." his face, further scoped the tired eyes he had, no match for her soulless pupils.

"Yeah." Soran was not backing down from sarcastically replying with one-liners.

"Go to somebody else please, thanks." he wouldn't even look towards her, merely staring at the floor, the window, the tables, everything except her eyes and her body.

"Are you mad again? Like always~" a last-ditch effort to make him question himself.

"Nope, I am good, goodbye.." he said as he walked back to his chair, attempting to join a conversation with his more important peers.

The bell rings, signifying the beginning of class. Carrying the awful burden of expelling terrible news, the unmistakable look of despair filled the class adviser's face. The students were all in awe, the sunrise was directly visible over the windows. Pity, all the adviser could muster to think about, the pity of how her statements will cross their minds.

With her face, the warning plastered over her expression, fear, the dread of talking. Shaking as the air hit her hands, the wind carrying the leaf, the illusion of peace. Mrs. Sai was in a state of breaking down, trying her best to maintain composure without freaking out her students.

"Good morning class, there's no task we have to get done today. I came to tell you that the school administrations of our prefecture and the ministry itself have canceled classes for the rest of the year." Mrs. Sai announced to the entire room, yet only silence followed her, no clapping, no questions, just dead air.

Hibana, a fellow student in the class, raises her hand after a long silence that followed the statement.

"Yes, Hibana-san?" she respectfully asked, hoping not to get a more revealing question.

"Mrs. Sai, why is the administration canceling classes?" Hibana mustered the courage to stand up for those who were just as curious, a true class representative.

"They never told us anything, I am afraid even if they did, I cannot tell you." she muffled her final words, under her breath, all she wanted to do was apologize for not being able to provide information.

"I think this could've been announced online, I deeply apologize for wasting your time here. Class dismissed, I hope to see all of you again." her kindness was shining through her trembling voice, almost as if an earthquake was below their feet.

The boy stood up and walked up next to his friends, they were waiting by the doorway as the bell rang repeatedly. Dairue was waiting in the other room, Max rushed over to his friend, Yasu, and politely asked whether they were planning on taking a trip down the computer cafe two streets away.

"Yo, Maxy boi-, Yuari, Xavier and Dairue. You guys down to head by the cafe?" Yasu implied.

"No, I was planning on going home early. I heard the news already and I'll spend time with my family." Yuari replied as he snuck into their circle.

" Huh? What news, let's go, man, whatever news that was, our dismissal was early!" Xavier looked towards them, trying to convince Yuari that their final moments together are better spent with friends than family.

"Have you never opened your phone-? Tensions are rising high again man! Get a grip.." Yuari, deeply annoyed and unsettled by Xavier's phrase, told him off.

"There are plenty of things going wrong, we might as well enjoy the day." Dairue tried to even the playing field by pleasing everybody, calming the group as they planned for something to do,

"Yeah, we already know what's about to happen, you can go home to them later." Yasu wrapped his arm around Yuari, trying to comfort the living hell out of his pessimistic view of things.

"I don't know man… Feels wrong, I don't know when I'll see them again." Yuari took Yasu's arm off his shoulder, brushing off the dirt, putting family first amidst the unknown.

"Our country is on defensive status at the moment, that's why the Tetsu kabe was assembled" Max, finally spoke a single word, giving an update on what their country was about to witness.

Everybody was conflicted about where to go, the allure of having fun in their final days, the guilt of not knowing how long of a time they have left before an unforeseeable magnitude of change dismantles the normal lives they have led. They all wanted something different, unable to agree, they decided to consult another group, capable of giving a hefty conclusion to their problem.

Family first, friends first, yourself, what is right or wrong when all things seek an ending that doesn't offer a choice? Till final hour hits final dawn, their last moment remains unknown.