The break bell rang loudly. Rania walked out of the classroom with hesitant steps, her head lowered as usual. After only a few steps, her body immediately tensed.
Near the corridor wall, Liam stood leaning with his arms crossed over his chest. His head was slightly lowered, but the hard expression on his face was clearly visible. That aura made Rania's breath catch.
Don't look… don't look...
Rania tried to walk straight past him, pretending not to notice his presence. But before she could get away,
"Stop."
Liam's hand gripped her shoulder hard. Rania flinched.
"Come with me," he said coldly, leaving no room to refuse.
Rania swallowed. She knew resisting would only make things worse. With trembling steps, she followed Liam to the back of the school building, until they finally stopped in front of a quiet warehouse.
As soon as the door closed, the atmosphere felt even more suffocating.
Liam turned to face her, his gaze sharp and full of anger. Rania unconsciously took a step back.
"Why are you still getting close to her?" Liam's voice was low, but full of pressure.
"I-I…" Rania stammered, her words stuck.
Liam stepped closer, the distance between them shrinking. His hand suddenly grabbed Rania's chin, forcing her face up.
"Look at me when you speak," he snapped. "I want you to stay away from that new girl."
Rania trembled, her eyes watering. "B-but I just… I just talked to her a little. She's kind to me…"
"Kind?" Liam let out a short, cynical laugh. "Do you know what she did to me last night?"
Rania shook her head slowly, her breath uneven. "I… I don't know. But why can't I be close to her?"
That question only made Liam's face darken even more.
"How dare you ask for a reason?" Liam's voice rose. "Your job is to obey, not to ask!"
Slap.
The slap sent Rania's head to the side. Her body wavered, tears instantly falling.
"I-I'm sorry…" her voice broke. "Please… I just-"
"Shut up!" Liam cut her off harshly. "You belong to me. My target. Prey doesn't get close to anyone except me. Understand?"
Rania sobbed, her knees weakening. "I… I didn't mean-"
Liam shoved her hard until Rania fell onto the warehouse floor. Her breath stopped for a moment when Liam's shoe struck her stomach.
"This is your fault," Liam said coldly. "If you didn't try to get other people's attention, I wouldn't have to do this."
Rania curled up on the floor, her hands clutching her stomach, her body trembling violently.
"Remember this well," Liam continued while looking down at her. "Stay away from her. If I see you getting close to that damn girl again, the consequences will be far worse."
Liam turned away without waiting for an answer. The warehouse door opened and closed again, leaving Rania alone on the floor, sobbing softly in the silence.
***
In the cafeteria, Garin and Lira sat facing each other on a long bench. Garin leaned back lazily, his fingers tapping the table impatiently.
"Did she go to the restroom or abroad or something?" Garin complained dramatically. "She hasn't come back at all. I'm hungry, my mood is ruined."
Lira, who had been focused on her phone, only glanced briefly, her expression flat and as if she didn't really care.
"Calm down a little, Garin," she said lightly. "She just went to the restroom. She'll show up eventually. You're being so fussy since morning."
Garin snorted softly, about to reply, but someone's footsteps approached. Arven appeared carrying his drink, then sat between them.
"Sorry I'm late," Arven said casually. His eyes glanced around for a moment, then his brows slightly furrowed. "I don't know why… it feels like something's missing. Sia is usually here."
That statement made Lira immediately raise her head. A faint smile appeared on her lips, but it wasn't a warm one.
"Missing?" she said quietly, cynically. "I think it's actually more peaceful when she's not here. The atmosphere isn't so heavy."
Arven turned to her. "You're always like that whenever you talk about her."
Lira put away her phone, crossing her arms. "I'm just being honest. No matter how hard we try to look kind, if someone is already under the influence of a demon, then they're still a demon. That's a fact."
Arven didn't reply immediately. He just let out a breath, clearly disagreeing, but choosing to stay silent.
Garin let out a short laugh, sounding tired. "I'm tired, you know? Tired of pretending to be nice in front of her. Tired of pretending I don't feel something's off."
Lira looked at Garin sharply. The irritation was clearly visible on her face. "If that's the case, why do we still have to be friends with her?" she said irritably. "Why did she-" her voice lowered, full of emotion, "-ask us to get close to that damn girl?"
Arven finally spoke, his tone calm but piercing. "If you're looking for her now, she might be in the library. She's usually being bothered by Giselle there."
That name immediately made Garin react. His body tensed, his eyes narrowed.
"There," he said quickly. "I'm sure all of this is because of Giselle. She must be the one who triggered that strange influence in Sia."
Lira nodded slowly. "I think so too. Especially when she passed near Sia…"
Arven looked at the table, then gave a small nod. "I… was thinking the same thing."
Garin fell silent for a few seconds. The face that had been full of emotion slowly softened. His shoulders dropped slightly, his expression turning uncertain.
"But…" his voice slowed, "if you think about it… Sia isn't actually wrong, right?"
Lira turned quickly. "Garin?"
"She's a good person," Garin continued quietly. "She even dared to stand up for Rania, even though it was obvious it would get her into trouble. Maybe we've misunderstood her all this time."
Arven looked at Garin, his expression softening. "I thought about that too."
Garin scratched the back of his neck, then as if remembering something. "Oh, right… my birthday is in a few days."
Lira looked up. "Really?"
"Yeah," Garin replied. "My dad wants to throw a big party. Invitations will be sent to certain people." He glanced at Lira and Arven in turn. "As for you, no need for invitations. You've been my friends since we were kids."
Arven smiled faintly. Lira only nodded, but her gaze turned empty again, as if her thoughts drifted elsewhere, to one name they had been talking about.
Garin spoke again after a few seconds of silence. His tone sounded hesitant, not as firm as before.
"In that case…" he said slowly, "do you think… I should invite Sia?"
Lira immediately opened her mouth, clearly about to answer quickly. But before a single word came out, Arven reached for her wrist, giving a slight pressure as if telling her to stay silent. Lira turned sharply, but Arven had already looked at Garin.
"It's your party," Arven said calmly. "You're free to invite anyone you want. You don't need to ask or get anyone's approval."
Garin looked at them one by one. His face still showed hesitation, as if weighing something in his mind. After a few seconds, he gave a small nod.
"Yeah… that's true," he muttered.
He took his phone, opened the class group chat, then scrolled slowly. His eyes stopped at one message. His brows lifted slightly.
"Someone here said Sia is sick," he said. "I think this is her mom informing it."
Garin lowered his phone, then suddenly looked at Lira and Arven with an unreadable expression. "In that case… how about we visit her later?"
Lira immediately scoffed. "For what?"
"She happens to be sick," Garin continued, his tone sounding too casual for what he really meant. "At the same time, we can find out where she lives. Might be useful for… investigating further."
Lira turned her face away, clearly disgusted. Her shoulders tensed, her jaw hardened.
"You're too much," she said coldly. "But…" she paused for a moment, then let out a rough breath, "…I can't say you're completely wrong."
Arven covered his face with one hand, his fingers pressing his temple. "You guys are giving me a headache," he muttered. A few seconds later, he lowered his hand. "But fine. If you really want to, I'll come along."
Garin smiled slightly, as if satisfied. "Alright."
***
Meanwhile, in the quiet library, a man sat alone at one of the tables near the history shelves. A thick book lay open in front of him, his fingers holding the page neatly.
The corner of his lips lifted into a faint smile, a mocking smile.
"Reckless," he murmured softly, almost as if speaking to himself. "And now starting to question my orders."
He shook his head slowly, his expression remaining calm, almost cold. There was no anger, only a calmness that felt dangerous.
"Humans are always like that," he continued quietly, then his eyes returned to the page. "They think too much… when they should simply obey."
He turned the page neatly, his smile fading, replaced by a controlled, expressionless face.
But suddenly, the man's vision was covered by a hand from behind.
He let out a long sigh, sounding weary, not from surprise, but like someone who had dealt with this too many times.
"…Giselle."
His tone was flat. There was no curiosity, let alone enthusiasm.
Behind him, Giselle chuckled softly. She removed her hand, then walked around and sat beside the man without hesitation. Her arm immediately wrapped around his arm, hugging him casually as if it were natural.
"You knew right away, huh?" Giselle said in a spoiled tone, tilting her head slightly. "I wanted to surprise you."
The man didn't turn. His gaze remained on the book in front of him.
"Because you're the only one who does things like this without thinking," he replied calmly.
Giselle wasn't offended. Instead, her smile widened, as if she took it as a compliment.
"Cruel," she said lightly. "But I like it."
Another set of footsteps approached. Two girls appeared from behind the shelves. Reina and Kayra.
Reina carried a soft-colored lunch box, while Kayra held a red rose.
"This, as you asked," Reina said while handing over the lunch box.
"And this is an extra from Giselle," Kayra added, raising the rose with a small smile.
Giselle immediately beamed. "I picked it myself."
The man finally closed his book slowly. Not because he was interested, more because the situation had become too noisy to ignore.
He glanced briefly at the lunch box, then at the flower in their hands. His expression remained flat.
"Stop."
That single word was enough to make the atmosphere freeze slightly.
Giselle blinked. "Hm?"
"I'm not hungry," he continued without any change in tone. "And I don't need that."
He slowly pulled his arm away, freeing himself from Giselle's embrace without looking rough, but clear enough as a rejection.
"Don't bring things like this again," he added.
A few seconds of silence.
Kayra and Reina exchanged glances, unsure what to do. The rose in Kayra's hand felt awkward, as did the lunch box that hadn't been accepted.
Giselle fell silent.
For a moment, just a moment, her smile disappeared.
"…I see," she murmured softly.
But the change didn't last long.
Just as quickly, her smile returned. Even sweeter than before, as if what had just happened meant nothing.
"Alright then," she said lightly, taking back the lunch box. "If you're not hungry now, you'll be later."
She stood up, fixing her hair gracefully, then slightly bowed toward the man with a charming smile.
"I'll keep coming, so you should start getting used to it."
Her tone was soft, but there was something… forceful about it.
The man didn't respond. His gaze returned to the book, as if their presence no longer mattered.
But his jaw tightened slightly.
His gaze remained on the book, but there was a subtle change in his face, an expression that disappeared so quickly it was almost imperceptible.
Disgust.