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The Principal stayed in his office even though everyone already left. He can't go back to his house, not yet. He had to do something first. Something to make him feel at ease. He stared at the crescent moon, shining so brightly in the night sky along with the stars.
Gakuho remembered his lovely child when he's still 5 years old.
"Papa?" Gakushuu asked, pulling Gakuho's sleeves.
Gakuho looked down at his son, smiling at him and lift him up. He kissed Gakushuu's forehead and put him down on his lap.
"Yes, Gakushuu?" Gakuho asked.
"I was looking at the stars earlier." Gakushuu told him, "They are so shiny!"
"Yes, child. Beautiful, aren't they?" Gakuho asked.
"Yes, they surely are. But I have a question, papa" Gakushuu pouted, crossing his cute little arms. "I'm not sure if I'm correct."
"Go on, ask me." Gakuho whispered, already guessing what question his lovely child would ask him.
"Do you remember when you told me about the garden earlier?" Gakushuu asked, making sure that his dad will know his reference.
"About the beautiful flower getting picked first and dies? Is that what you mean?" Gakuho blinked in confusion, is his child going to ask about death again?
"If a flower dies, or anyone dies...will they became stars?"
Gakuho looked at him, shocked. What was the last time he feed something rotten to his child accidentally? Is this the outcome? Gakuho smiled sadly and nodded. He lied, who cares. Gakushuu is still a child anyway.
"I came up with that when I looked up at the sky. The stars are so bright and beautiful. Just like the flowers in your garden, papa. So I thought when someone dies, they go up in the sky and became a star watching over their love ones." Gakushuu happily said, hugging his dad.
Gakuho laughed at the memory. Gakushuu is a bright child. He knew it instantly the first time he saw him. He walked to his drawer and opened it, pulling a small book.
This is his little album of Gakushuu. It was camouflaged as one of lesson plans so no one opened it yet. Gakuho sat down on his chair and flipped the book. It contains all the most memorable event that happened to his son. The first day he smiled, first day he walked, first day he learn how to color, until he reached middle school.
Gakuho frown a bit, this was his rebellious state. The way Gakushuu made some dog collars for him, Gakushuu staying on one of Virtuosos house without telling Gakuho, also that time when Gakushuu asked politely the 3-E to defeat Gakuho.
But Gakuho's favorite picture of him is when his friend, Ren, gave him a bouquet of violet tulips. There are tears forming in Gakushuu's eyes and he smiled so brightly. That's probably the first time in all those years when Gakuho saw his child smile once again.
Gakuho knew about his son's "secret" relationship with Sakakibara but he have chosen to stay quiet and pretend he didn't know. He's glad that there is a man who makes his son happy. What if he told his son that he's okay with their relationship and plan an advance wedding ceremony? Will Gakushuu be happy or mad?
His thoughts were cut off when his door slammed open, revealing a red head devil, huffing in anger.
"Good evening, Akabane." Gakuho smiled creepily as he closed his book. He saw Karma flinch and his smirked widened.
"You...! You're the real devil!" Karma shouted at him, Gakuho noticed some tear stains on the child's cheeks.
"What do you mean, Akabane?" He asked, pretending he doesn't know what Karma is angry about.
"It's your fault! All your fucking fault!" Karma clenched his fist, getting ready to punch the daylights out of the monster infront of him.
"I know you have the skills of an assassin but you are in my territory. Avoid using violence specially infront of your Principal." Gakuho said proudly, enjoying Karma's bloodlust.
"There you are! Karma please stop it!" Nagisa yelled, pulling Karma out of the room.
"Would you just let that monster live, Nagisa?! It is his fault that Gakushuu is in the hospital right now!" Karma screamed as he wiggling out of his friend.
"Calm down, Karma! And actually it's not only his fault!" Nagisa pulled Karma once more.
"I know that!" Karma's tears fall and he gave up on his little tug of war with Nagisa. "I know...It's our fault too, 3-E. Well more on me since I'm his rival and I annoyed him too much. But that monster did worse!"
3 ringtones were heard as they all pull their phones to check it. Gakuho looked at the mail, it's from the hospital.
"You monster! You disgusting monster!" Karma shouted in rage again, it seems he finished reading the mail too.
"W-we have to go! Now!" Nagisa told him and pulled Karma, which is now easier since Karma wants to see Gakushuu more than to kill Gakuho.
Gakuho sighed as the two left. He reached for his keys, hanged on the wall and walk to the parking lot. He started the engine and drove all the way to the hospital.
It was sickening. The air is so sickening. Everything felt so heavy, so depressing. It's getting hard to breath. He went to the elevator and pressed 11. He waited, the only sound he can hear is the elevator music. He groaned and tapped the steel bar unknowingly. Who is in their right mind that would play a depressing song on a hospital's elevator?
He rushed quickly outside after he reached the 11th floor. Time is ticking, everything is getting blurry as he ran to reach his son's designated room.
Gakuho spotted Sakakibara outside, walking in circles and repeatedly saying "Shu". He looked exactly like that time when Gakuho used his brainwashing technique over him and the others. He would laugh right now. He should. Sakakibara looked so funny right now, suffering. But his chest is getting heavy and his sight is getting hazy.
Sakakibara noticed the Principal and went back to normal. He smiled sadly, "Hello Principal"
"Hello Sakakibara-kun, please drop the formality. We are in the hospital, Asano is fine." Gakuho said, hiding his worries on the back of his mind.
"Gakushuu is inside and I'm with him and suddenly the machine beeps and I called a nurse. I..." Ren sobbed, "I don't want him to leave."
"I know, you love him so much." Gakuho calmly said. "He'll be fine."
"W-what? Y-yeah I love him since he's my friend and--"
"Sakakibara-kun, I knew from the start that you're Asano's boyfriend."
Silence has occured. Sakakibara stared at him in disbelief. Then he laughed bitterly.
"Of course! You already knew everything!" Sakakibara said, his voice cracked but he didn't care. "Do you even know that this will happen? Do you? Why you let him? Why did you do this?"
Gakuho looked at the boy and just smiled. Ren tugged at his hair due to his anger. Both of them didn't make a move to initiate another conversation. They waited, waited for the strawberry blonde inside the room. 15 minutes have passed and the bluenette along with his raging friend has arrived. Nagisa did his best to not let Karma get near to the Principal.
Another 15 minutes has passed and everyone is getting anxious. Why does it takes so long? Is Gakushuu being a stubborn brat again?
"Damn Second Place!" Karma yelled.
"Karma, we're in a hospital." Nagisa said, his voice is dried up. He looked at the Principal and pulled something out of his bag.
"Sir, you might need this." Nagisa offered.
"No need, I think you need it more." Gakuho politely declined.
The door opened, revealing a doctor with a mask on. The four stood up immediately.
"Mr. Asano" the Doctor called, his eyes tried to remain in contact with Gakuho's but failed. "I'm sorry."
Sakakibara cried the loudest, Karma got mad and blaming both the Asano, Nagisa bit his lower lip and Gakuho just stared at the Doctor. They all entered the room and saw the lifeless Gakushuu on the bed. Ren pulled a tulip from the vase and put it on Gakushuu.
"You're so unfair, Shu. You said you'll go somewhere but I didn't know that this is what you meant." Sakakibara whispered at Gakushuu.
"Stupid stupid fucking stupid..." Karma have been ranting over and over, not noticing that he's crying too.
"Please Karma, stop" Nagisa begged.
Sakakibara sighed and pecked Gakushuu's lips. "Sweet dreams, Sleeping Beauty."
The three teenager has left the room. Only Gakuho was there, staring at his son. He went to the window and looked at the sky.
"Someday, papa, I will be a star!" Gakushuu said, smiling at his father.
Gakuho tilted his head, "Why would you say that?"
"So I can watch over you, papa!"
Gakuho's tears rolled down on his cheeks. Those words he thought would be only a joke. It's not. This is real life. There's no time for jokes. While trying to fought back with his tears, he remembered his most precious student, Ikeda.
"Thank you so much, Asano-sensei! I will visit you everytime I have a free time!" Ikeda cheered.
Gakuho laughed and rubbed Ikeda's hair. "Focus on your study first, okay? I would like you to visit me only in Saturdays."
"Sir yes sir!"
There are group of people who bullied the poor boy until the said boy took his own life. Ikeda is gone because of his teachings. He decided to change his plan. To change his ways in order to protect his son. He avoided teaching kind and ended up being the strict one. Forcing Gakushuu to join martial arts, language lessons, instrument rehearsals, sports club and school council. He hoped that Gakushuu will build himself to be tough.
But this doesn't turn on what he wanted. Here, in this room, is his son, dead, by the hands of himself. He decided to kill himself because of his father. Gakuho knows it. He deserves to be blame.
He laughed while crying then screamed. He threw everything he touched, the chairs, vase, table, even the machine is now on the floor, broken, shattered into pieces.
He stopped and looked at his son. He walked slowly until his hand touch Gakushuu's face.
"Shine brightly, my son. I'll be watching you."