When he entered Class One that morning, the blackboard had not been wiped clean yet.
The chalk dust from last night glowed in the morning light like a thin veil of white mist clinging to the lower edge of the blackboard. Half the classroom was already full, and the desks and chairs seemed packed even tighter than yesterday. The moment Naruto came in, he dragged his chair with a long scrape that made Kiyo's brow twitch. Kiyo lowered his head first to check whether the laces on his forehead protector had come loose. Saori waited by the door until the children ahead of her had entered, then carried her doll down the aisle. Its bell did not ring, as if deliberately cooperating with today's quiet practice.
Iruka had not arrived yet, but voices were already rising in the classroom. Some children were borrowing erasers, some were asking which page last night's homework belonged on, and some were bent over their desks staring at the tips of their new pencils as though they might run away at any moment. Che placed his notebook squarely in the middle of his desk and laid his pencil horizontally to the right. He first glanced at the desk in front of him, then toward the window. The wind was not strong today, but a little cold air still leaked through the window crack, enough to curl the corners of paper.
"First, we'll take attendance." Iruka entered with a new roster in hand. "Attendance is not just answering when your name is called. You will stand up, say your full name, and put your notebook in order. From now on, everyone in Class One needs to know where they sit, how their name is written, and who sits beside them."
Naruto immediately raised his hand. "I