Arrivederci || Dan Heng [✓ ]

⋆ ✦ ˚｡ Part fourteen ˚｡⋆

"Read us another one, duh!"

"No, one is enough."

"But come on! We all brainstormed the project idea together; we deserve to hear it!" March whined, her fists slamming onto the table. When Dan Heng caught my pleading gaze, he finally seemed to give in. He let out a heavy sigh, and I observed March's sulking expression instantly transform with excitement as she saw Dan Heng pulling out the book again.

"Golden sun descends, ocean blushes in twilight—day and sea embrace."

"Ooooh, that must be about the sunset!" Dan Heng nodded, and March celebrated at her correct interpretation. "One more!"

"No way. I already read two—"

"The poems are so good though, just read us one more!"

"But... it's the last one."

"All the more reason we need to hear it." As much as he wanted to deny us, he simply wasn't able to. He released yet another deep, exasperated breath.

"Amidst waves that gleam, my heart sails on the tides—ocean's love takes hold." He recited the poem with noticeable hesitation, pausing frequently. March took a moment to ponder, delving into the meaning of this particular haiku. Meanwhile, Dan Heng wasted no time, promptly placing the book beside our completed projects, prepared to turn them in.

"This one isn't about the ocean's charm or beauty... it sounds more like a love poem," her unsure tone slowly faded into smugness as she went on. When I glanced over at Dan Heng, I noticed he was a little flushed, and his eyes were widened.

"T—that's ridiculous, even for you, March," she snickered, pointing an accusing finger at him.

"It totally is! Look at how red his face is getting!" I couldn't help but agree,

"I guess the next question would be who the poem is about." I sensed Dan Heng's attention fix on myself upon mention of this, and it piqued my curiosity. March seemed to share my intrigue and started to probe him for more information.

Needless to say, he adamantly denied all of our claims, refusing to talk about anything else regarding his haikus. Besides neither March nor I were seriously trying to get anything out of him. Still, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little interested in who he was thinking of

__ __

"Excellent work, all three of you. I'd expect nothing less," Mr. Yang's countenance eased, an uncommon sight for most students. His eyes landed on me, "Especially you—I must admit I was a bit worried about your relaxed attitude toward school, but it seems you can get the job done when it really matters."

A radiant smile graced my lips, and I couldn't help but feel a surge of pride and fulfillment. I would have never guessed that a such an chance-pairing with these two peculiar individuals would turn into something like this.

"Thank you, Mr. Yang!" March cheerfully bowed to him, her grin even brighter than mine. Our teacher nodded curtly.

"I want to ask—what made you three choose the ocean?" The bright-haired girl naturally started to respond on our behalf, but to my surprise, Dan Heng stepped forward. He gently raised his hand to signal her to stop, wanting to take the lead in answering himself.

"I think the waves somehow touched all of us—in it's own way." Mr. Yang seemed pleased with his answer, dismissing us shortly after.

Unknowingly, I had become so lost in my thoughts that I completely blocked out the outside noise. It took March frantically slapping my shoulder to bring me back to reality.

"Hey! Hellooooo—? You listening?"

"Oh, yeah sorry, I zoned out for a second there."

"No wonder. Mr. Yang just called your name, I think he wants to talk to you privately."

"Alright then, I'll catch you guys later," She gave a wink, flashing me a big thumbs-up as she and Dan Heng disappeared into the halls. I leaned myself back through the doorframe—seeing the older man now grading last weeks homework.

Upon sensing my presence, his eyes raised from the papers, and I finally walked back into the room. In an instant, my heart dropped deep in my chest, as I listened to him speak,

"I just wanted to ask...did you have fun at the school?" I tried my best to remain calm, attempting to make sense of the situation.

"H—how do you know...?" Mr. Yang must have noticed my somewhat startled expression, sending me worried glances.

"I happened to come across your student record when you transferred, and it showed you were only enrolled for 30 days. I hope you don't mind me knowing. But don't worry, I haven't shared this with anyone else, I promise," he said, offering a reassuring smile. I had never experienced such an overwhelming sense of relief in my life.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I just didn't expect you to know, that's all!" Finally regaining my composure, I could now answer his original question. "I really did enjoy my time here—thank you for having me." I offered him the sincerest bow I could muster, expressing my deep gratitude for everything he had taught me.

Mr. Yang hummed in response, and as I rose, he spoke with genuine appreciation,

"You are truly a good student."

With a final smile, I turned to leave the classroom, but just as I was about to step out, the he called me back once more. "Oh wait—" I peeked my head back through the doorway. "I'm terribly sorry to keep calling you, but I urgently need these papers delivered to the student council room." My heart sank at the mention of that particular group of people.

"T—the student council room...?"

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╰┈➤ EDITED ✦

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A handmade poster in the hallway

ᴴᴱᴸᴾ ᵂᴬᴺᵀᴱᴰ!

𝙿𝚕𝚎𝚊𝚜𝚎 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚒𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚟𝚘𝚕𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚎𝚕𝚙 𝚛𝚞𝚗 𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚝𝚑𝚜 𝚍𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚌𝚑𝚘𝚘𝚕 𝚏𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚒𝚟𝚊𝚕.

𝐹𝑜𝓇 𝓂𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝒾𝓃𝒻𝑜 𝓅𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝓋𝒾𝓈𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓉𝓊𝒹𝑒𝓃𝓉 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓃𝒸𝒾𝓁 𝓇𝑜𝑜𝓂!

-𝒦𝒶𝒻𝓀𝒶

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