Chapter 43: Dereliction

"Ano, sensei?"

Hearing the call, Heath halted and turned his head to the boy with glasses. "Yeah?" For some reason he's rather wary of what this student would say.

"Why did you beat yourself up this badly over a mere exam?" Surprisingly, it was Jiro, the boy who interacted the least with others.

Honestly, nobody ever expected this coming at first. Jiro was known as the quiet one in class, rarely speaking unless absolutely necessary or when his studies demanded it. His reserved nature often kept him at the periphery of classroom interactions, and his sudden inquiry caught everyone off guard.

It was a departure from his usual demeanor. Jiro's typically stoic facade melted ever so slightly, evident in the slight furrow of his brow as he voiced his question. His inquiry hung in the air, prompting a collective pause as the significance of his words sank in.

For Heath, it was a moment of revelation. The fact that Jiro, of all people, was speaking up spoke volumes about the gravity of t