---
*SCHOOL WALKWAY – AFTERNOON*
*"Nao."*
She kept walking.
*"Naoooo."*
His voice chased her again.
She stopped but didn't turn. Her voice came out low but sharp enough to pierce him.
*"You sure... I'm *Nao* and not just your *ex's best friend's sister*?"*
Her words lingered in the air like a bruise.
Kaze's shoulders tensed.
"Dang... Come on," he muttered, quickening his steps behind her.
---
*SCHOOL GROUNDS – BENCH AREA*
The wind was light, the sun warm, dappled through the trees surrounding the far side of the school field. Nao had found a quiet bench, hoping to breathe.
She opened the music theory book she borrowed from the library, pretending to focus on the notes.
Then a shadow fell beside her.
*Kaze.*
He sat down casually, as if the tension didn't exist.
*"You know,"* Nao said without looking at him, *"if you keep following me like this, people are gonna get the wrong idea."*
He leaned back with that same unreadable calm.
*"Just a team leader giving his new member a tour. That's all."*
Her fingers clenched slightly on the page.
> *I hated this... this version of him.
The one who acts like nothing ever happened.
Who ignores my emotions like they're inconvenient.*
> *I wanted to ask—
Where have you been all these years?
Why did you disappear?
Did you even miss me?*
> *But I knew the truth.
I'm the only one still holding on.
The only one who cared enough to ask.
And even if I did... why would he bother replying?*
Her thoughts were interrupted.
*"Um... Kaze?"*
A girl approached, shyly holding her phone.
*"I was wondering if... maybe I could get your number?"*
Nao glanced up, already expecting him to smile and say yes like he always did before.
But he didn't.
Instead, Kaze slid an arm around Nao's shoulders, leaning closer with a grin.
*"We do have some plans right now, don't we?"*
He said, eyes still on the girl.
*"Huh...?"*
Nao blinked in confusion.
He stood up, gently tugging her along with him.
The girl's smile faltered.
*"Oh... okay."*
> *Again...*
Nao looked down at his hand wrapped around hers.
---
*~ FLASHBACK – 14 YEARS AGO ~*
*"Kaze-kunnnn~ We're having a party tonight at 9! Special invitation just for you!"*
A bubbly girl called, blowing a kiss.
Little Nao stood beside him awkwardly.
Without missing a beat, Kaze had thrown an arm around her.
*"Sorry girls, we've got plans, right Nao?"
*"H-Huh?"*
He grabbed her hand, dragging her along before she could object.
*"Too bad, ladies!"*
He winked.
Nao had stared at his hand on hers, heart pounding.
---
*BACK TO PRESENT*
She yanked her hand away, her voice sharp:
*"Stop doing that."*
Kaze blinked at her, slightly startled.
Just then, *Ria*, *Ryan*, and *Sato* approached from the side path.
*"Oh~ Kaze, there you are!"* Ria grinned, walking up.
Ryan narrowed his eyes playfully.
*"Wait a sec. Was I blind, or were you two *holding hands* just now?"*
Kaze didn't flinch. He placed a hand on Nao's head like she was a child.
*"Yup. Reunion takes a lot out of you."*
Nao immediately brushed his hand off, her jaw clenched.
*"Ugh."*
*"Anyway, we've got work to do in the club,"* Ria said, waving them all along.
The group turned to leave, and Kaze glanced at Nao again — but this time, she didn't look back.
---
*IMPERIAL ADMIN BUILDING – EVENING*
A cold room. A silent pen.
MIRA stood in front of the *admin desk*, her eyes swollen from crying but dry now. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the *leave-note*.
She began to read it aloud, her voice small but firm.
*"I, Mira Kang, swear to never step foot in Imperial for any purpose, because I have come to the realization... that I do not have what it takes to be a student here."*
She swallowed hard, her chest tightening.
Mr. Tom, the administrator, nodded without emotion, sliding the formal withdrawal form toward her.
*"That's done. Sign here."*
Mira didn't hesitate.
The moment her pen hit the paper, it was as though a part of her spirit shattered.
She handed it back, stood slowly, and bowed slightly before walking out of the room — alone.
No one stopped her.
No one called her name.
And as the doors shut behind her, Imperial didn't even blink.
---
*"I, Mira Kang, swear to never step foot in Imperial for any purpose, because I have come to the realization... that I do not have what it takes to be a student here."*
She swallowed hard, her chest tightening.
Mr. Tom, the administrator, nodded without emotion, sliding the formal withdrawal form toward her.
*"That's done. Sign here."*
Mira didn't hesitate.
The moment her pen hit the paper, it was as though a part of her spirit shattered.
She handed it back, stood slowly, and bowed slightly before walking out of the room — alone.
No one stopped her.
No one called her name.
And as the doors shut behind her, Imperial didn't even blink.
---
*IMPERIAL'S – LEAVE GATE*
The air was still.
The sun hung low behind the towering buildings of Imperial, casting long shadows over the iron gates that separated the school from the outside world. *Mira Kang* stood in front of the leave gate, escorted by a silent faculty officer.
Her uniform looked perfect—pressed, crisp, dignified. But inside, she was hollow.
She looked back once—just once.
The massive campus behind her glimmered with perfection: the shimmering halls, the glass-fronted towers, the pristine gardens...
*But none of it felt right anymore.*
Her voice, soft and steady, echoed in her head.
> "Imperial... is not a normal school."
> "Everything that makes Imperial successful... is tied to something dark."
> "I'm not leaving because I got kicked out of a club… I'm leaving because my dad, *Mr. Kang*, resigned just last night."
She paused at the gates, her hands clenched at her sides.
> "I've never seen him scared before. Not like that."
> "He didn't even pack—just said we had to go. Now."
> "And when I asked why, all he said was... *'Some things are more dangerous than failure.'*"
> "Imperial is as tall as the secrets buried beneath it."
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