The night fell fast over Hanamura High, blanketing the school in a veil of silence. Most students had long since disappeared, their laughter and footsteps swallowed by the approaching darkness.
But this silence wasn't peace.
It was tension.
The kind that slithered through the wind like a whisper. The kind that made you pause without knowing why. Something heavy, unseen but undeniable, clung to the air.
Miku Yamashita stepped out through the school gates alone. The final strokes of orange retreated from the sky, painting everything in a steel-blue hue. In her hand, her phone cast a soft glow on her face as she scrolled through old photos—grinning faces, captured memories. Alya hugging her from behind. Taiki mid-laugh, hair wild from practice. Rio, caught blinking in surprise, holding up two bubble teas like a confused prince.
Her thumb paused.
> Why now, Akira? Why come back now?
Why now, when he maybe has finally moved on?
The ache in her chest throbbed like an open wound.
She needed answers. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now.
So she walked.
No texts. No calls.
Just her feet on the pavement.
Past the station—where the train lights flickered in the distance.
Past the convenience store—where she used to buy coffee milk after late practices.
Into the alley by the old, shuttered bike shop—where rust crept along the metal doors like ivy.
And there he was.
Akira Hoshino.
Leaning against the wall, arms crossed, posture relaxed but his gaze sharp and cold like broken glass.
"Looking for me?" he asked without moving, voice low, almost bored.
"I want to know why you're here," Miku said, forcing her voice to be steady.
Akira tilted his head slightly, as though considering her words.
"What if I told you I was done?" he said. "No more games. No more targets. You're free, princess."
Her fingers curled into fists.
"But you're not," she snapped. "You're circling Rio. Taiki. Alya. You're not done. I can feel it."
He stepped forward. Just once. Close enough to see the hint of a smirk on his lips.
"Cute," he murmured. "You care."
Miku's stomach twisted.
That's when she felt it.
A shift in the air behind her.
She turned sharply—two figures blocking the exit.
Akira's old crew. Same leather jackets. Same cold stares.
Miku's pulse surged.
Akira's voice dropped to a whisper. "You should've stayed away, Miku."
And before she could even take a step—
Darkness.
---
Meanwhile.
Across campus, Alya stretched with a groan, tossing her pencil onto the table. "Man, that study session dragged forever."
She stepped outside the library's back door, pulling her hoodie tighter. The wind had gotten colder.
And then—she froze.
Across the street.
She saw them.
Miku.
Akira.
And then… they vanished into the alley.
Her heart dropped. Her brain screamed. She didn't wait.
She ran.
Straight to Hanamura High.
The side gate creaked open with a clang as Alya barreled into the courtyard, chest heaving.
She burst into the empty gym hall. "RIO!!"
He looked up from where he sat on the bleachers, startled. His phone slipped from his hand.
"She's gone!" Alya shouted. "Akira—he took her! I saw them near the station. She followed him!"
Rio's heart clenched. His mind raced.
"What?" he breathed. "Where?"
"I don't know!" Alya yelled. "But I swear—he was watching her. She chased him into the alley by the bike shop!"
Before Rio could respond, the gym door swung open again.
Taiki.
Silent. Sharp-eyed. Having heard everything.
He didn't ask.
He didn't panic.
"Let's move."