Ayame sat up in bed, the remnants of her dream clinging to her skin like early morning mist. The phantom image of Kael's silhouette fading into cosmic light had stirred something deep in her chest—something heavy, yet not unfamiliar. The stars had whispered his name again, only this time, she wasn't sure if it was memory or prophecy.
The alarm clock buzzed beside her, but Ayame was already awake, her gaze fixed on the silver pendant dangling from her mirror—a tiny orb that shimmered with an iridescent glow. She didn't remember ever owning it, but it had been there since the dreams started. At first, she thought she had imagined it, but now she wasn't so sure.
Outside, the cherry blossoms were beginning to fall, their petals floating like quiet confessions in the breeze. It was the last semester of their final year, and yet, Ayame felt as if she was just beginning to wake up from something longer than sleep.
**"Ayame!"** Her brother, Riku, knocked hard on her door. "You're going to be late again!"
She snapped out of her thoughts. "Coming!"
At Seiran High, the air buzzed with the energy of approaching graduation. Rumors of senior trip destinations, yearbook signings, and university plans clashed in the hallway like fireworks. But amidst the celebration, something else lingered—something quieter. Ayame could feel it trailing behind the conversations, hiding in glances, lingering in the space between seconds.
As she stepped into her classroom, her eyes were instinctively drawn to the empty seat near the window—the one that used to belong to Kael. Even though it had been months since he vanished without a proper goodbye, she still expected to see him slouched against the chair, half-asleep but alert to her every word.
Her heart skipped a beat when the door slid open—and in walked someone unfamiliar.
He had Kael's height, that same almost-effortless grace. But his hair was darker, and his uniform too crisp. He glanced at her briefly, and for a moment, Ayame thought—no, *felt*—that same flicker of something impossible. His name, as introduced by the teacher, was Ren Tachibana, a transfer student from the prestigious Altair Academy.
She didn't hear the rest of the introduction. Her ears buzzed. Something about the way he scanned the room, the way he hesitated before choosing a seat far from hers—yet his eyes flicked back just once, and in them, a flash of recognition.
She didn't know this boy. But her heart did.
---
That afternoon, as she wandered toward the old sakura tree near the edge of campus, her pendant glowed again—subtly, like a heartbeat.
"Ayame." A voice behind her.
She turned—and there he was. Ren. Except now, his hair shimmered faintly in the dying light, and something in his eyes had changed. As if they held stars.
"I think... we need to talk," he said.
She opened her mouth, but no words came. How could they, when her world had just tilted, again?
---