"And so it is my hope that all students in attendance on this day will grow, learn, and graduate to become model citizens of our growing country."
The final words of President Arata's welcoming speech are clear in Kaito's mind as the doors give way to a picture-perfect spring afternoon. The trees surrounding the campus are in bloom, students are already forming connections with their peers and professors alike, and Kaito himself is already brimming with pride. Of course he would fulfill the president's wish and do his parents proud. There's not a doubt in his mind that he'll constantly be at the top of his class, cultured in both mind and spirit with an unwavering moral fortitude. Even as he strolls through the campus in search of his high school friends, Kaito's eyes are peeled for any troublemakers he may need to avoid or steer on the right path in the coming year. Of course the usual suspects are present: children of nepotism who expect a free ride, loose girls who are here for rich boyfriends, all disgusting and all beneath him.
But what Kaito doesn't expect to hear is a familiar voice. Not one who belongs to Morikage or Yujiro, rather...one that he thought was buried beneath all his memories. A voice that has gotten deeper with the passage of time. After all, Kaito was but a child when he last saw you. The most disgusting bug of them all. And yet...
"...bạn?"
Nothing stops your name from spilling out. Even if it's with an incredulous tone.
