The final bell rang through the hallways of Seihou High like a liberating clarion call, signaling the end of another grueling school day, although this one hadn't been as bad.
Students erupted from their desks in a wave of chaos, chairs scraping back with a collective screech that filled the air, bags being zipped and slung over shoulders, conversations exploding in bursts of laughter and shouts as groups formed and dispersed.
The room smelled of chalk dust, sweat-soaked uniforms, and the faint lingering scent of cafeteria lunch—greasy fries and overcooked rice—clinging to everyone's clothes.
Renji sat for a moment longer than usual, his pen still hovering over the last note he had scribbled in his history book, the words blurring slightly as he blinked away the fatigue from a day that had been strangely, unexpectedly normal.
