Morning came peacefully.
Arou woke up earlier than usual. No strange incidents, no weird voices, no frozen time. Everything felt… normal.
And somehow, that was exactly what made him a little uneasy.
He got ready, put on his school uniform, and left his room.
Akari was already waiting in the living room, fixing her bag.
"You're up early," she said.
"If I'm late again, the teacher's gonna lecture me," Arou replied.
They left together, walking along streets that were already getting crowded with other students. There was no serious conversation—just casual talk about classes and unfinished assignments.
When they arrived at school, the classroom felt a little different.
Louder.
More… lively.
The bell rang, and everyone took their seats. Their homeroom teacher entered the classroom with two students standing behind him.
A boy and a girl.
The room immediately fell silent.
Arou raised an eyebrow.
Akari leaned forward slightly.
Mei stopped writing.
Haru, Duri, and Tomo exchanged glances.
"New students?" Tomo whispered.
The teacher cleared his throat.
"Alright, before we begin, we have two new students joining us today."
Several students immediately looked interested.
"Go ahead and introduce yourselves."
The boy stepped forward.
His hair was neatly styled, and he wore a relaxed expression.
"Hi, everyone. My name's Nano."
He smiled casually, showing no sign of nervousness.
Then the girl beside him stepped forward.
She had light blue hair—soft, long, and striking under the classroom lights.
"And I'm Lin," she said calmly.
"I'll be joining this class from today."
A few students started whispering among themselves.
But that name felt… strangely familiar to one person.
Arou froze.
Lin?
His heart beat a little faster, but he kept his expression neutral. He stared straight ahead, making sure not to react too much.
The teacher pointed toward an empty desk.
"Nano, you can sit over there."
Nano nodded and walked toward the empty seat beside Tomo.
Tomo immediately turned toward him.
"Oh—hey."
"Hey," Nano replied casually before taking his seat.
Then the teacher looked toward the middle of the classroom.
"Lin, you can sit in the back."
Lin walked slowly past the rows of desks.
When she reached the empty seat behind Mei, she stopped.
Mei turned around and gave her a polite smile.
"Hi."
Lin returned the smile.
"Hi."
Akari turned toward Lin, her eyes lighting up.
"We meet again," she said calmly.
Lin nodded, looking slightly confused.
"Uh… yeah."
Arou said nothing.
But inside his head, one question kept repeating.
Why are you here… Lin?
Lin sat down quietly, opened her bag, and glanced toward Arou.
Their eyes met for a split second.
Lin gave him a faint smile.
As if saying, Relax.
Arou quietly sighed.
The school day had only just begun—
and somehow, he already knew
his "normal" life had shifted another step.
---
The bell rang for break.
The classroom instantly came alive. Chairs scraped against the floor, conversations erupted from every direction, and several students left the room while others stayed behind to eat or chat.
Arou stood up.
Without hesitation, he walked toward the back of the classroom—straight toward Lin.
She was closing her notebook when Arou stopped in front of her.
"Hey…" Lin said casually.
Arou stared straight at her.
"Why?"
Lin frowned slightly.
"What do you mean?"
Her tone sounded genuinely confused.
And somehow, that only made Arou more annoyed.
"Don't play dumb."
Arou raised a hand and pointed directly at her.
"Why did you enroll in this school?"
Lin looked surprised, but she didn't get defensive.
"Uh… me? I just wanted to, I guess. Is there a problem?"
Arou scoffed.
"Why does a cheating creature like you have to mess with my school life?"
Lin tilted her head, looking genuinely confused.
"I don't know what you mean."
"Don't pretend."
Lin shook her head.
"I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."
Arou stared at her.
"You're Zata, aren't you?"
For the first time, Lin went completely silent.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"Uh? Zata? Who's that?"
She pointed at herself.
"Me?"
"Yeah. Who else?" Arou shot back.
Lin let out a small laugh. Not mocking him—she just seemed confused.
"You think I'm someone else?"
Arou hesitated.
"Uh… no. I'm sure it's you. You're still hiding your identity."
Lin shook her head more firmly.
"I just arrived in this city last night. I don't even know anyone here… including you."
Arou went silent.
"Really…?"
"Yeah."
Her voice was calm and sincere. There wasn't even the slightest hint that she was joking.
Arou let out a long sigh.
"Ah… sorry. I thought you were someone I'd met before."
Lin smiled faintly.
"It's fine. No big deal."
Then she asked curiously,
"Is she really that similar to me?"
Arou answered without hesitation.
"Very."
"Really?"
"There's almost no difference. Well… at least…"
Lin narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled.
"Are you nervous?"
Arou looked away for a moment.
"A little."
Then he looked back at her.
"Is your name really Lin?"
Lin nodded.
"Yep. My name is Ai Lin. Just call me Lin."
Arou paused before slowly nodding.
"Uh… yeah. Okay."
Lin returned to her seat as the break was almost over. She sat down calmly and opened her notebook as if their conversation had never happened.
Arou remained standing for a few seconds before turning around and walking back to his own seat.
But his steps felt heavier than before.
Ai Lin… new student… arrived last night…
Everything sounded reasonable.
Too reasonable.
"Rou."
Arou flinched.
Mei turned toward him from the desk beside his.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly. "You've looked weird all morning."
"Ah… nothing," Arou replied quickly. "I'm just tired."
Mei stared at him for a few seconds. She clearly didn't believe him completely, but decided not to push.
"Oh… okay."
Not far away, Akari also glanced at Arou, then toward Lin in the back.
Her eyes narrowed slightly—not suspicious, exactly.
More like she was trying to figure something out.
The bell rang.
The teacher returned to the classroom and began the next lesson. The sound of chalk against the board filled the room.
Arou tried to focus.
But every few seconds, his eyes drifted toward the back.
Lin sat properly at her desk, her back straight as she watched the board. Sometimes she took notes. Other times, she simply listened.
Her movements were… normal.
Too normal.
If she really was human…
why did Arou feel like something was hiding behind that calm expression?
The class dragged on.
Arou barely remembered anything the teacher had explained.
---
Finally, the dismissal bell rang.
The classroom immediately became noisy again.
Students began packing their bags, chairs scraping across the floor as everyone prepared to leave.
Arou stood up, planning to leave right away.
"Hey, Arou."
Lin's voice came from behind him.
Arou stopped and turned around.
Lin stood there with her bag over one shoulder.
"Sorry about earlier," she said. "If I made things confusing for you."
Arou quickly shook his head.
"No… that was my fault too."
Lin smiled lightly.
"Then… see you tomorrow?"
"Ah… yeah."
Lin walked past Arou toward the classroom door.
As she passed him, Arou felt something strange.
Not an aura.
Not pressure.
Just… silence.
A kind of silence that seemed to move along with her.
Akari appeared beside Arou.
"You already got close to the new girl?"
"Yeah," Arou answered briefly.
"Her name really is Lin?" Akari asked.
"Yeah."
Akari watched Lin's back as she walked away.
"She's weird."
Arou looked at her.
"Why?"
"I don't know," Akari replied quietly.
"Just a feeling."
Arou said nothing.
He simply stood there, staring at the classroom door after it closed.
Deep down, one conclusion was slowly beginning to take shape.
Slowly—
but surely.