I strolled down the hallway—the very same hallway where that slender figure had once grabbed me. Back then, everything had been dim, suffocating, like the walls themselves were closing in. But now… now it was crowded. Alive. Loud.
Children ran past me, their laughter echoing off walls that no longer felt threatening. Teenagers leaned against lockers, talking about things that seemed so normal it almost hurt. The colors were brighter than I remembered—too bright. The lights hummed faintly overhead, steady and artificial, as if trying too hard to convince me that everything was fine.
It wasn't.
Something about it all felt… staged.
The slender aunt figure was gone. No trace. No shadow. No lingering presence. Just gone, like she had never existed in the first place.
And yet—
My hand drifted to my left arm.
The band-aid.
Why is that there?
I don't remember getting hurt.
I pressed it slightly. A dull sting answered, real enough to make me flinch. So something did happen. Something I couldn't remember.
Great.
Just great.
And then another thought hit me like a sudden drop in temperature.
Where is Aruka?
I lifted my head, scanning the hallway. Faces blurred together—strangers, acquaintances, people who probably knew me better than I knew myself. And then—
There.
Aruka.
Relief hit me instantly, like finally surfacing for air.
But then I saw him.
Standing next to her.
Close.
Too close.
Her boyfriend.
Not "friend." Not "classmate." Not "some guy." No—boyfriend. The kind that stands just a little too near, the kind that shares those quiet laughs that feel private even in a crowded hallway.
Disgusting.
The way they smiled at each other… the way she leaned slightly toward him…
Ugh.
Whatever.
I looked away, pretending not to care. I totally didn't care. Not even a little bit.
…I cared.
Still, I dragged myself toward them. My legs felt heavy, like I hadn't eaten in days.
Wait.
The muffin.
Right.
I didn't eat it.
That explains… something. Probably.
By the time I reached them, my exhaustion had settled deep into my bones. Aruka noticed me immediately—of course she did. She always does.
That look.
That soft, worried look she always gives me.
Before I could say anything, she pulled me into her arms. Warm. Safe. Familiar.
For a moment, everything else faded.
Even him.
Well… almost.
Because there he was.
Lovin.
I finally remembered his name.
I pulled back slightly and looked at him properly.
Medium-length hair, parted in the middle, tied into a ponytail—but those two thick strands hanging down the sides of his face? What even are those? They looked like they had their own gravitational pull.
And his eyes—blue. Clear. Too clear.
Everything about him was… precise.
That smile? Not natural. No way. The corner of his mouth was lifted at the exact same angle every single time. If I had to guess—30 degrees. Maybe 31 on a good day.
His stance? Balanced. Measured. Feet spaced like he had marked the floor beforehand.
Twenty-eight centimeters apart. I'd bet my life on it.
Who stands like that naturally?
No one.
That's who.
Everything about him screamed calculated.
And I hated it.
He noticed me looking.
Of course he did.
We locked eyes for a second.
There it was again.
That perfect smile.
We didn't say anything, but we didn't need to.
The war continued.
A silent, ongoing battle.
He still had to prove himself. And I still wasn't convinced.
Not even close.
Sure, he stayed with Aruka when she was sick. A whole week. Took care of her, made her laugh…
Yeah, yeah.
That doesn't mean anything.
…Okay, it meant something.
But still.
That's my sister.
I sank further into Aruka's embrace, letting my weight lean into her. My eyelids felt heavy.
Maybe I'll just stay here forever.
That wouldn't be so bad.
Then—
"Hahaha, look at him standing in front of you like a tiny chihuahua, how cute!"
…
What?
My eyes snapped open.
Did he just—
Did he seriously just call me a tiny chihuahua?
I slowly turned my head toward him.
You.
You absolute—
I imagined it vividly. A clean, precise kick. Right where it hurts most.
"…Well? Neshra, what was it you had planned for today, on such a hot day?"
Aruka's voice cut through my thoughts instantly.
Soft.
Warm.
Perfect.
Like nothing bad could ever exist in a world where that voice existed.
I blinked, my anger dissolving almost immediately.
"Maybe go out today and devour a Nesquik!"
She laughed.
And just like that, everything felt lighter.
Her laughter—it wasn't just sound. It was… something more. Like a melody that wrapped around you and refused to let go.
I wanted it to last forever.
"Exactly," she said, still smiling, "and an hour later I'll have to drag you out of the freezer again!"
…
Oh no.
No no no no—
I froze.
Slowly, painfully, I turned my head.
People were looking.
Not just a few.
A lot.
Too many.
I started counting.
Why am I counting?
Stop counting.
…No, keep counting.
I need to know.
…147.
Approximately.
147 people.
All of them probably heard that.
Great.
Fantastic.
Perfect.
My face burned.
What are they going to call me now?
Wait.
I already know.
Clowny.
Of course.
My lovely, permanent nickname.
And who gave it to me?
The Chanbai group.
Specifically—
Timur Kajchick.
I spotted them almost immediately, like my brain had a built-in radar for trouble.
There he was.
Timur.
Standing like he owned the hallway.
Tohal beside him, looking like shampoo had personally offended him at some point in his life.
And Benow…
Yeah.
Benow was just… Benow.
Hard to describe. Easy to recognize.
And then there was Tazia.
His older sister.
Aruka's best friend.
She wasn't loud. Not like the others. Not popular like Keshka or Netka either. And definitely not intimidating like Benow.
But she had something else.
She listened.
Actually listened.
And when she spoke, it mattered.
I respected that.
Even if I didn't say it out loud.
My hand unconsciously brushed against my face.
The scars.
Two of them.
Running from my eyebrows down to my cheeks.
Symmetrical.
Like someone had planned them.
Like a smile carved into my skin.
That's what they said, at least.
That I looked like a clown.
Like something out of a nightmare pretending to be funny.
So they called me Clowny.
And I laughed along.
Because what else was I supposed to do?
…I am strange.
I know that.
Different.
Too different.
Like the time—
The freezer.
Yeah.
That.
I once got stuck inside a freezer.
And not for a few seconds.
Not even minutes.
Long enough for things to get… weird.
Cold in a way that doesn't just touch your skin—but crawls deeper. Into your thoughts.
Time felt slower in there.
Or maybe faster.
I still don't know.
But ever since then…
Something hasn't been quite right.
And now—
The hallway.
The band-aid.
Lovin's perfect smile.
Something is off.
I can feel it.
I just don't know what it is yet.