He was there.
Outside.
Noir stood beneath the maple tree across the street, his body still, half-hidden behind a veil of shadow. The dim orange glow of the streetlamp caught the side of his hood, but not his face. His eyes never left the third window from the left.
Aria's window.
It had gone dark over an hour ago.
He shifted his weight slightly and pulled out his phone. The screen's cold light flickered against his features as he opened the chat, still there, still full of blue checkmarks, unanswered.
He typed:
"Are you awake?"
Sent.
No response.
He waited. Watching. Fingers twitching.
Another message:
" I know something's happening."
Sent.
Still nothing.
His thumb hovered over the call button. He hesitated, then pressed it.
"Calling Aria…"
One ring.
Two.
Disconnected.
He stared at the screen. Then again.
This time, the call didn't even try.
"Number no longer available."
Blocked.
The silence hit harder than the cold air.
He stood there a long moment, unmoving, unreadable, before slowly pocketing the phone.
Then he reached into his coat and pulled out the envelope.
A heavy, stained sheet folded tightly, marked with a sharp black symbol on the flap, that same twisted X inside a crooked circle. He had drawn it himself. Not signed. Not explained. Just… placed with intention.
He moved.
Around the side of the building, where the shadows thickened and the security light never reached. The alley behind the apartment was silent, littered with wet leaves and the faint smell of old paint.
He checked his watch.
Then the back door.
Unlocked, same as last time.
He remembered seeing her mother fiddle with the broken latch days ago.
He slipped inside.
The hallway smelled faintly of detergent and warm dust. A nightlight glowed under one door. The place was asleep. Safe. Still.
Except it wasn't.
Noir moved with eerie quiet.
Third door on the left.
Aria's.
He didn't knock. Didn't pause.
He crouched and slowly slipped the envelope beneath the door, fingers brushing the wood like a silent farewell.
And then he waited.
Just for a second.
Listening.
Watching.
Maybe remembering.
But when nothing came…
He turned.
And disappeared into the dark again.
Upstairs, behind that door, Aria stirred.
Not awake, not yet. Just a furrow in her brow, a restless movement beneath the blanket.
The letter waited like a whisper at the edge of her world، quiet, heavy with meaning.
And far below, under the trees, Noir stood once more, his face shadowed, unreadable,
By the time Aria stirred in her sleep, just barely shifting under her blankets, Noir was already gone .
The next morning, the sky was unusually grey.Not stormy, just dull. Like the sun had chosen not to wake up properly.
Daiki's phone buzzed as he stepped outside his apartment.
Daiki:"Morning. Just checking in, you okay?"
He hesitated before hitting send. Part of him worried she might still be shaken from everything. But then, a few seconds later, his screen lit up.
Aria:"Hey. I'm okay. Didn't sleep well though. I'm staying home today. Just tired."
He exhaled, relief, but laced with something quieter. Tired. It was a simple word. But it didn't feel simple today.
At school, the halls didn't sound right.
Not quiet. But not alive either.
Daiki met up with Lena and Mia by the lockers. Lena gave a small nod but didn't say much, her eyes distant. Every time Yona walked past, her gaze dropped to the floor, her lips pressing tightly together like she was holding something in.
Something she didn't dare let slip.
Mia stood beside her, silent too, but in a different way. She kept glancing at Yona's back as he walked down the hall ahead of them, not turning around, not looking at her. Not even once.
But Daiki saw it, the way Yona's hand twitched slightly every time Mia passed. He didn't speak. But he wanted to . The distance between them was so loud, it filled the hallway.
Mia kept her expression neutral. Not cold، just numb. Like she'd made peace with being ignored. Or was pretending she had.
Daiki forced a smile and greeted them both anyway, trying to lift the mood.
"Hey! Guess what? I didn't burn my breakfast today. Progress!"
Lena gave a weak chuckle. Mia smiled faintly, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
As the bell rang and students shuffled toward their classes, Lena suddenly shifted her bag onto one shoulder.
"I forgot something,"she murmured, barely audible.
Daiki blinked. "Wait… you're leaving?"
She hesitated, then gave a quiet nod. "Yeah. I'll see you later."
And just like that, she turned and walked away down the corridor. Not in a hurry. But like she needed to get out.
Lunchtime felt hollow.
Daiki sat across from Mia at the courtyard table, their meals barely touched. The usual noise of chatter and laughter felt like it came from another world.
Yona sat two benches away, pretending to scroll through his phone, though he hadn't unlocked it in ten minutes.
Mia didn't look at him.
Yona didn't look at her.
But the space between them was louder than any words.
Daiki picked up his phone again, typing out another message to Aria.
Daiki: "School's weird today. Feels like everyone's sleepwalking. Hope you're okay."
He stared at the screen. No reply yet. He didn't like this silence.
He checked the time.
Still nothing.
He shoved his phone back into his pocket and sighed quietly." Maybe she is sleeping."
The hallway was nearly empty. The final bell had yet to ring, but most students were already in class.
Mia stepped out of the bathroom, adjusting the strap of her bag. Her thoughts were distant until she heard footsteps approaching.
She froze.
Yona.
He stopped when he saw her, only a few feet away now. They stood there for a moment, the unspoken words hanging heavy between them.
Mia met his gaze, her voice flat. "You following me?"
Yona's lips parted, then closed. "No. Just… bathroom."
Mia let out a short, humorless laugh. "Right. Of course."
The silence lingered.
Then Yona took a small step closer, his eyes filled with something softer, more regretful. Not tired from lack of sleep, but tired from guilt.
"I didn't mean to hurt you," he said suddenly. "Back then."
Mia's expression faltered. "Then why did you?"
Yona lowered his gaze. "Because I was stupid. Scared. Everything felt like it was falling apart."
"And I wasn't worth holding on to?" she asked, her voice brittle.
"No—" Yona stepped forward. "Mia, you were… the only thing that felt real."
For a moment, Mia saw the Yona she used to know، the one who laughed too loudly and touched her hand without thinking. The one who waited for þþ even when she was late.
Her chest ached with something familiar.
She blinked it away. "You're good at saying things too late," she whispered.
Yona nodded slowly. "I know."
Another pause, then Mia swallowed, voice shaking. "Do you still miss me?"
"Every single day."
Mia's lip quivered, but she didn't want to cry. She straightened, taking a small step back.
"You should've fought harder."
The bell rang.
Yona opened his mouth, but Mia was already turning away.
"Goodbye, Yona," she said, without looking back.
And with that, she walked down the hall, leaving him standing there, his gaze lingering on her.
Behind a row of lockers, Lena stood frozen.
She hadn't meant to overhear, but when she saw them alone, something in her made her stay put.
She saw it all، Yona's voice, Mia's trembling breath, the raw honesty between them.
Lena's heart tightened as she watched Yona bite his lip , whispering to himself, "Such stupid I am…" His fist clenched tightly at his side.
She felt his guilt, his regret, as if it were her own. She knew that weight. The pain of losing someone you loved because of mistakes you couldn't undo.
Lena glanced briefly at Mia, already turning the corner, before her eyes returned to Yona. He stood alone, looking smaller, almost vulnerable in that moment. Tears streamed down from the angles of his eyes, tracing silent paths along his cheeks. Lena stayed hidden, her chest aching for him, wondering just how much more pain he could hold before it broke him.
To be continue ...