The headmaster observes his son in the school grounds. He has received worried calls from teachers, telling him that Gakushuu has missed all his lessons today so far. Asano reassures them his son is all right, makes up an excuse for absence. But the boy is sitting in the middle of the grounds, not doing anything, not making an effort to do anything.
Once upon a time, Asano might've dragged his son to his office, yelled at him, slapped him and sent him to his lessons. Forced him to do catch-up and maybe learn a chapter from a book by heart. He wouldn't even think of his son's mental health, which seems to be slowly degrading. His boy - his child - is falling apart and he didn't even notice.
Just like his mother.
Mrs Asano wasn't the smartest woman, or even the prettiest. She was average. That was what Asano loved about her. She could laugh and chatter and dance, and always bothered him while he worked, which in turn made him feel loved, wanted.
But when his student committed suicide, he paid less attention to his wife, and more to his work. She still bothered him, kissing his head and asking to talk, wrapping her slender arms around Asano. He became so obsessed. He neglected her - neglected their home. His wife stopped bothering him. They had Gakushuu and she was happy again for a while, but soon, with the death of her mother, and her brother, and no support from her previously loving husband, she began to fall.
Asano, as well, had been cruel to her. Tried to infect her with his obsession, and when she resisted, for herself and their young son, he had grown cold towards her. Unable to take anymore, she had left, without Gakushuu, and a few years later, he read of her suicide in a newspaper.
Another person he had failed to protect.
Asano sighed, gazing down at his son, who was idly lying back, using his bag as a pillow. It was a stunt that E-class boy would pull - Karma. With his sharp eyesight, he could see that Gakushuu's face was blank. It unnerved his father, that he couldn't tell what he was thinking. His own son. His child.
And his reaction the other day... Gakushuu had been avoiding him like the plague. The entire of A-class seemed to be in on the 'avoid headmaster Asano at all costs' plan because every time he entered a room they would claim he's gone to the toilet or getting something for the class or he was absent because he was planning something for them all. What, they never said. And when he waited, the class would protest, telling him Gakushuu wouldn't be back for a while, and that it was better not to waste his time.
They were also letting Gakushuu stay at their houses overnight. He had found a rough rota-type thing of where his son was going to sleep next. He was glad that his child had so many dedicated wonderful friends, but he did just want to talk.
He wondered if Gakushuu knew about E-class. He seemed to spend a lot of time around them, so surely they would have let something slip. Is that why he was so down? Why he was acting strangely?
Or has he always been this way and I was too blind to see it?