Shot of Silence

Chapter 9: Beyond the Handshake

Fighting back a sigh, Heath stared out the window at the clear sky above.

‘How peaceful,’ he noted, yet he couldn’t bring himself to enjoy the calming atmosphere.

And just like that, as if jinxing himself, the silence was broken by someone talking right next to his ear.

"Hmm, what's with the long face, Heath-kun?" 

Upon turning his head, Heath found an unsettling grin suddenly only a few inches from his face. 

‘This punk—’ That prince didn't flinch, as he was quite used to ambushes in his previous life, but his brow did twitch for another reason.

“Maa, Perry-kun~” He piped in response. “Please don’t invade my personal space if you want to live,” Heath said, delivering a casual threat with a mirroring grin.

“Oops, right right. Sorry!” The mutant took a step back, raising his hands in a playful surrender, while the brunet shook his head bemusedly.

On one hand, the former prince was used to sneak attacks from both friends and foes. On the other hand, his co-worker wickedly reminded him of his mentor. She loved to appear randomly and startle him, saying, ‘It was fun to see your shocked face’.

Heath huffed slightly at the memory, then waved his hand in dismissal to answer the homeroom teacher’s previous question. “Setting aside my own expression, wouldn't you agree that this entire situation tends to furrow people's brows?" He pointed out, “Teaching a misfit class alone is already quite an experience on it’s own. But to get involved in all of this?"  

To which Perry hummed in agreement, fully understanding what the other was suggesting, “True true~ Any sane person would find it weird,”

Heath nodded, “And I’m a sane person,”

To which Perry arched his brow, “Are you, though?”

“Well, debatable,” At that, they both burst into laughter.

While Perry had been joking, he had also been briefed about Heath when he was teaching at the main building before the incident. He didn’t want to bring up the bitter past, but seeing how the brunet reacted to his chiming, he felt like they could be good comrades.

'What an easy-going fella!' The new teacher made a great first impression in his view.

It was then he noticed how Heath’s brown eyes were fixed on his attire.

"Does this place also have a dress code, or...? I mean, your tie is rather cute. Did you make them yourself?" He rambled as his hands reached for the mentioned accessories.

‘Hm?’ What is he doing—?

"Guffwaaah!" Perry shrieked, backing away just enough to evade being stabbed by a cutter.

'W-When did he...?' He sweated, not expecting the sudden attack. Especially not when he was sure that the other’s hands were empty when he stepped into the room.

Meanwhile, the brunet inwardly clicked his tongue, 'My reaction is slow.' Then again, he should be grateful that he can wake up at all, given that this body that he’s using has technically died once.

'Rest and recover. For the next few days, that shall be my priority then,' He determined before then snickering at his co-worker’s startled expression.

"Maa, Sorry, sorry," Heath chuckled as he twirled the ruler he used. “But you’re getting too close again, Perry-kun~ And I did warn you not to disrespect my personal space, didn’t I~?”

‘Ah,’ Perry blinked, “I did? Well, hmm, it’s not my intention to—”

“but you did get too close, no~?”

The atmosphere in the room shifted, tension crackling like electricity. Perry, his heart pounding, took a moment to regain his composure. He couldn't help but acknowledge the danger he sensed from Heath, a realization that sent shivers down his spine. It was a stark reminder that appearances could be deceiving.

The mutant felt nervous at the smile aimed at him, before reluctantly nodding, admitting that he was, in fact, in the wrong for crossing the boundary.

“Then, there’s no hard feelings, right, right~?” Heath’s tone was cheerful and misleadingly innocent, however, the way he’s waving the cutter fluidly tells another tale.

‘It’s a threat,’ And definitely not a feeble one. While a cutter won’t be able to harm him as he needs to have a special matter coated into weapons before they can do damage on him, the accuracy of that swing would have caused a slash wound across his chest had the speed advanced one level above.

No matter what, that motion does raise some suspicion.

It might be baseless qualm, afterall, Heath’s record is as clean as any normal civilian would. Yet the mutant could somewhat pick up the sinister intent and notice that the brunet is just as dangerous, if not more, than Lilian herself. And she is a trained agent!

‘Maybe he’s not the person the file mentioned he was.’ After all, he’s dealing with the government who’s not on his side. He shouldn’t be surprised if this Teacher is actually a Proffesional in disguise. 

‘How cunning~’ It appears he's been letting his guard down as well. How naive it was to assume those in power wouldn’t resort to shady tricks. He never stipulated in his contract that he must be notified about every new recruit against him.

Just because he discovered that Sagara Heath failed in his attempt, there’s no guarantee he’s still alive, especially considering the extended absence he conveniently took. 

Someone else could have taken his place, posing as the real Sagara Heath.

That’s a possibility too.

But regardless of the truth, it’s a challenge he’s willing to take on.

Whereas, in response to Heath’s words, he replied in a carefree tone, "Right right~ of course, Heath-kun, no harm done! I should be the one to apologize.” 

After giving his co-worker a theatrical bow, he followed up to address the brunet’s previous question, "Now, to answer your questions, this tie is a gift, and as for the dress code, as long as it's appropriate, then it's a-okay!" Perry said, his arms forming a big circle above his head.

Putting the cutter back into the pencil case where he found it, Heath hummed, "I see, so as long as it's appropriate, huh?" he snickered. Which, honestly, that homeroom teacher didn't know whether to feel amused or anxious seeing it. 

He decided that both were valid.