Daiki's thumb hovered over his phone, staring at the screen like it might suddenly light up. Another message to Aria, another unanswered wait. His fingers trembled slightly as he typed and deleted words, struggling to find the right line, then finally sent:
"Are you okay? Please say something."
Seconds stretched. No reply. His eyes flicked up to the hall, then back down. He sent again, desperate but careful not to sound frantic:
"I'm here. Whenever you want to talk."
Still nothing. Daiki's breath hitched; he forced himself to look away.
Beside him, Yona shifted, breaking the silence. "Hey… everything alright?" His voice was soft, almost hesitant.
Daiki blinked, slipping his phone into his pocket. "Yeah. Just… texting Mia, you know, we just mess with each other sometimes."
Yona nodded slowly, but didn't look convinced. He glanced over, eyes scanning Daiki's face like he was trying to read the unreadable. "You've been on that phone all day. Kinda worried."
Daiki laughed, a sharp, short sound, trying to deflect. "Nah. Just waiting on a reply. Nothing big."
"Uh huh." Yona gave him a sideways look but didn't press. Instead, he leaned back against the lockers, folding his arms. "You sure you're okay? You've been kinda… off ."
Daiki swallowed hard, forcing a small smile. "I'm fine. Just stressed with school stuff."
Yona's gaze didn't soften, but he didn't push. "Alright." Then, after a beat, he added, "If you need to talk… you know where to find me."
Daiki nodded quickly, grateful but still restless. As Yona walked away, Daiki pulled out his phone again, fingers twitching as he typed once more:
"Please, Aria. Say something."
Yona's eyes drifted toward Mia across the courtyard. She wasn't scrolling through her phone like usual, her hands rested in her lap, empty and still. Her gaze was distant, unfocused, as if her mind was far away.
He glanced back at Daiki, who sat rigid, eyes locked on his own phone even though it was dark in his hands now. The worry etched into Daiki's face was impossible to miss, like a shadow clinging to him.
Yona leaned closer, voice barely above a whisper.
"There's really something serious going on."
The air in the classroom shifted like a chill creeping in through a crack in the wall.
The door clicked open.
Noir stepped in. No hesitation. No glance around. Just quiet control.
He wore the school uniform like armor, clean and perfect, but there was something about the way he moved, too smooth, too silent, that made a few students glance up instinctively.
His expression was unreadable, eyes cold and focused. He didn't look left or right. Didn't speak.
He walked straight to Mia.
She didn't see him at first. She'd been staring at the same page in her notebook for nearly ten minutes, her pen unmoving.
Then his shadow fell over her.
Her head jerked up.
Their eyes met. Something passed between them—silent and heavy.
Without a word, he reached for her hand.
Not gently. Not cruelly. But with certainty.
And somehow… Mia didn't resist. She just stood, slowly, her bag forgotten at her feet.
A few students murmured, confused. One girl near the back whispered something under her breath.
Yona's head snapped up.
He saw Noir.
He saw Mia's hand in his.
He saw her leaving.
His chair scraped loudly against the floor as he stood, abrupt, impulsive. His chest tightened, his fists clenched at his sides.
But he didn't move.
He just stood there, frozen in place. Watching.
Then slowly, like something inside him crumbled, he sat back down.
His eyes stayed on the door long after it closed behind them.
Inside, his thoughts spiraled.
Is that why Mia doesn't talk to me anymore?
Is it him?
Since when?
He clenched his jaw, forcing his hands to stop shaking.
And in the silence of his own mind, Yona whispered to himself:
"Did I lose her… because of him?"
Noir led Mia down the east corridor, one of the quieter ones, where the walls always seemed too silent, like they were listening. The further they walked, the more the sounds of the school faded, swallowed by stillness and pale fluorescent light.
Mia followed without resistance, her steps uncertain, slow. She glanced back only once, toward the classroom door, now far behind. Her fingers twitched in Noir's grip, but she didn't pull away.
They stopped at the far end of the hallway.
Noir didn't say anything. He just turned, pulled out his phone, and tapped the screen. The glow lit up his face, then hers, as he held it out for her to see.
Mia leaned in.
And froze.
Her eyes widened in a heartbeat, shock hitting her like cold water. Her hand went to her mouth, breath catching as she stared. The image on the screen was something she shouldn't be seeing.
Her voice broke in a whisper. "Where did you get that ? "
Noir didn't reply. He didn't need to. The silence was answer enough.
Around the corner, just a few steps away, Ayumi watched.
She hadn't followed on purpose. Something had felt off, Mia's blank expression, the way Noir moved with her, too quietly, too confidently. So she trailed behind, unnoticed, until she saw
Mia's face.
Terror.
Ayumi stopped in her tracks. Her eyes flicked to Noir, calm and still, then to the phone in his hand.
And then—his head turned.
Sharp. Precise. He looked right where she stood.
But Ayumi was already gone.
Noir's eyes narrowed slightly. He stared at the empty space for a beat longer than necessary, the corners of his mouth tightening. Then he slid the phone back into his pocket and looked at Mia again.
"She saw," he murmured, more observation than concern.
Mia didn't respond. Her breathing was shallow, her eyes still locked on where the phone had been.
Then, finally, she whispered, "What do you want from me?"
Noir's voice was steady. Controlled.
"The truth."
Mia's back pressed hard against the lockers, the cold seeping through her clothes, but she barely felt it. Her eyes were locked on Noir, her pulse thundering in her ears. What he'd shown her on the screen still burned in her mind.
Noir's voice cut through the silence like a blade. "You recognize it."
Mia forced herself to shake her head, eyes wide with practiced confusion. "No," she said, a little too quickly. "I don't. I've never seen that before."
His expression didn't change. But the way he looked at her, it wasn't believing. It was waiting.
"The name,"<د he said. "The building. The symbol. You know what they mean."
"I don't," she whispered. "I swear, I don't know what any of this is."
Noir's eyes searched her face, calm and cold. He didn't argue. He didn't accuse.
He reached into his coat and pulled out a small, black key, simple, sharp-edged, and held it out.
Mia hesitated but didn't take it.
Without another word, Noir gave her a long, unreadable look. One that seemed to pin her in place, like he saw something no one else could.
Then he turned.
He walked away, the key still clutched tightly in his hand.
Mia stood frozen, her legs suddenly giving out beneath her.
She collapsed to her knees, eyes wide with fear and trembling.
She whispered, broken and afraid: "How…?"
Noir didn't stop but slowed just enough to glance back with the side of his eyes, sharp, cold, and certain.
He whispered quietly, "I knew it."
Then he continued walking until he disappeared around the corner, the key still in his grasp.
-----------------------------------
Mia remained frozen on the cold floor, her knees digging into the tiles, hands still trembling. The question "How?" lingered on her lips, barely a whisper. Her heart pounded like a warning she couldn't ignore.
Then a soft voice broke the silence behind her.
"Hey… I saw Noir with you."
Mia flinched, eyes snapping up. Ayumi stood just a few steps away, her brows drawn together with worry. She took a cautious step closer, her voice quieter now, more careful.
"I saw him talking to you… then walking away with something in his hand. What was that about?"
Mia's mouth opened, but nothing came out. Her thoughts scattered, her heartbeat thudding in her ears louder than any excuse she could muster.
Ayumi looked at her for a long second, at her pale face, wide eyes, and trembling fingers.
"You're shaking," she said softly, kneeling beside her. "Mia, what happened?"
Mia stared straight ahead, still trying to breathe normally. She forced a weak smile that didn't reach her eyes. "It's nothing. Just… caught off guard."
But Ayumi wasn't buying it. "That didn't look like nothing," she said, her voice firmer now. "Did he threaten you?"
Mia didn't answer. Couldn't. Her fingers curled tightly in her lap.
Ayumi's voice turned firm, serious now.
"What is it, Mia?"
Still nothing.
Ayumi's eyes darted toward the end of the corridor where Noir had vanished. "He had something in his hand. Something black. A key, maybe?"
Mia flinched, barely, but Ayumi saw it.
"Mia… what did he show you?"
Silence.
Mia stared straight ahead, her body trembling, her heart pounding against a truth she couldn't face.
Ayumi didn't press further. She just stayed there, beside her, waiting. But her eyes never left Mia's.
And Mia, still on her knees,
As Ayumi knelt beside Mia, the silence stretched, thick, heavy. Mia's breathing was still uneven, her hands still clenched, but Ayumi's attention shifted.
A strange sensation crept up her spine.
Like someone was watching.
Ayumi's eyes narrowed. She turned her head sharply to the left, nothing. Just the long, empty corridor, lockers stretching into silence.
But the feeling didn't go away.
She turned quickly to the right, and there.
At the far end, half-hidden behind a column, stood Yui .
Eyes sharp. Still. Watching.
Yui didn't move, but she didn't flinch either. Just stared, calmly, almost curiously.
Ayumi's eyes narrowed slightly, lips curving into a knowing smirk. She leaned in a little toward Mia, but her words weren't meant for her.
She whispered, just loud enough for herself:
"Hmm… the princess, watching in her usual style."
Then her gaze lingered on Yui a beat longer before shifting back to Mia.
A slight tilt of her head.
Another soft murmur:
"Interesting."
And though her voice was light, there was something colder behind her eyes now.
Something that said Ayumi was beginning to see the bigger picture.
------------------------------
Yui's eyes stayed locked on Mia for a long moment, then flicked to Ayumi, cool, assessing. She didn't blink. Didn't speak. Just watched.
Then, just as silently as she'd appeared, she turned. Her long hair swayed slightly with the movement, and without a word, she stepped back into the shadows of the hall, disappearing as if she had never been there at all.
Ayumi's eyes followed her until she was gone, then narrowed. She turned back to Mia, her voice quiet but edged with steel. "You should go back to class."
Mia didn't move at first. But slowly, shakily, she nodded. "Okay."
Ayumi stood, dusting off her skirt. Without another word, she turned and walked in the same direction Noir had gone. Her steps were light, silent. Calculated.
She moved down the hall with care, pausing just before turning a corner. Her eyes scanned ahead—then she saw him.
Noir.
Far down the road outside the school building now, just beyond the gates. The midday light caught the silver edge of the key as he slid it back into his coat pocket. He looked calm. Still. Like none of what had just happened shook him in the slightest.
Ayumi stayed hidden behind the corner of the building, eyes locked on him from a distance. She didn't approach. Didn't call out.
She just watched.
And softly, almost to herself, she murmured:
"What's the matter…?"
Then, a pause. Her eyes narrowed further.
"What's the relationship between Noir and Mia? That look on her face… that didn't seem like a sweet couple moment."
Her voice was flat, analytical now. Suspicion settling in like frost.
Ayumi exhaled slowly, her breath steady, controlled. Then she turned away, slipping down another road, quiet, away from sight.
She didn't follow Noir .
She had her own path to follow. Her own answers to find.
To be continue ...