Two weeks later...
Ash sat at his desk during morning prep, busy with his personal studies. Naomi sat beside him, equally focused.
Glancing toward Martin's empty desk, Ash asked quietly, "Is Martin not coming to school today either?"
Naomi shrugged. "I guess not. At this hour, he probably won't show up."
Ash frowned, tapping his pen on the desk. "With just one week left before exams, and he keeps skipping school, yet he's aiming for that university scholarship."
...
When Martin was five, his parents died from untreatable infectious diseases. Left alone with his younger sister, just three years his junior, they were placed under the care of their grandmother, who struggled to provide for them. From a young age, Martin understood her hardships and worked tirelessly in junior school, earning a scholarship to Greenhill Academy, one of the most prestigious high schools in the country.
