The afternoon sun shone brightly, its orange hue reflecting beautifully on the shallow water beneath the bridge.
Rivan leaned against a pillar, watching it all from there.
He sighed in awe — no matter how many times he saw this view, Rivan was always captivated. Especially with the gentle breeze brushing against his skin, carrying a soft chill.
He lowered his gaze, enjoying the peaceful scenery, until his attention was caught by the sound of a violin.The melody blended perfectly with the view before him, adding a strange, tender feeling to the moment.
Rivan closed his eyes, letting himself drift away in the music.
After a few minutes of listening, he hurriedly ran down from the bridge, searching for the source of the sound.
He stopped five steps from the riverbank, his eyes widening in wonder at the sight before him.
A girl with long lilac hair stood there, the ends of her one-piece dress swaying with the wind. Some strands of her hair caught the orange light, making her seem to glow.
Rivan stood frozen, holding his breath — afraid his presence might disturb her.
The violin suddenly fell silent. The girl lowered her head slightly and exhaled softly.
"Did it work?" she murmured.
She waited for a moment, then sighed in resignation when no answer came.
The lilac-haired girl turned around with a small pout—only to gasp when she saw Rivan standing behind her.
"You...?" Her pupils shrank, and her lashes trembled lightly.
Rivan was stunned by her silver-violet eyes — he had never seen a color like that before.
Realizing her confusion, Rivan quickly spoke. "I didn't mean any harm."
"Your violin playing was so beautiful that I just...," Rivan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, too shy to finish his sentence.
The girl stayed quiet for a moment before chuckling softly. She glanced at his blushing face and said, "Thank you. My name's Lunara. What's yours?"
His heart pounded wildly when she smiled at him. Her gentle and polite voice brushed softly against his ears. Feeling his face grow hot, Rivan quickly looked down, too embarrassed to meet her gaze.
Lunara... what a beautiful name.
A smile appeared on Rivan's lips, his blue eyes gleaming as he replied with cheerful energy, "Rivan Aster! You can call me Rivan."
Lunara smiled calmly. Her eyes flicked to his uniform before she said, "Melvare High School."
"?" For a moment, Rivan didn't understand — until he realized she was looking at his school uniform. "Ah—yeah, that's where I go to school."
A soft silence fell between them. The breeze blew through, lifting some strands of her hair. Lunara tucked them behind her ear and smiled again, her gaze returning to Rivan.
"I used to go there too," she said.
"Really?" Rivan asked, his tone full of excitement.
A perfect chance to keep the conversation going! But before he could say anything more, Lunara looked up at the sunset sky, quietly watching as the sun sank below the horizon.
Noticing Rivan's silence, she blinked and apologized softly, "Ah, sorry... I was lost in thought."
Rivan shook his head quickly. "No, it's fine! I'm the one who disturbed you."
Drinkk... Drinkkk...
Rivan pulled out his phone — a message from his mother telling him to come home.
He typed a quick reply, then looked back at Lunara with an awkward smile. "Sorry, my mom's calling me home."
Lunara blinked, saying nothing. Her calm smile stayed as she watched Rivan fidget, clearly unsure of what to say next.
"C-can I have your phone number?" he asked, hand trembling as he held out his phone to her.
Lunara froze for a second, then laughed softly. She took the phone, typed in a few digits, and handed it back.
Rivan gripped his phone tightly, eyes sparkling. A wide, joyful grin spread across his face as he ran off, waving at her and jumping every few steps.
Lunara chuckled quietly. "Such an energetic boy."
Then her eyes turned back to the other side of the river — the spot where she had played her violin earlier. There was a flicker of intrigue in her gaze as she whispered, "Fascinating… two identical essences existing in one place."
---
"I'm home," Rivan called as he set his shoes on the rack and walked inside.
"Welcome back," replied a 16-year-old girl, munching snacks on the couch in front of the TV.
Rivan sat down beside her, nudging her to the side. He grabbed one of her snacks, making the girl yell angrily, "Mom! Rivan's stealing my snacks again!"
Ignoring her protests, Rivan calmly chewed and kept watching TV.
"Don't be stingy! I only took a little," he teased with a grin.
A middle-aged woman came out of the kitchen, a spatula in hand. She looked helplessly at her two children before saying gently, "Riv, give it back to your sister."
Rivan pouted, glancing between his mother and Elena. Then he smirked — quickly grabbing as much of the snack as he could before sprinting up the stairs to his room.
"RIVAN!" Elena's scream echoed through the house. Their mother just sighed, shaking her head before returning to the kitchen.
Lying on his bed, Rivan chuckled softly, remembering Elena's furious face.
He rolled to his side, grabbed his phone, and stared at the new contact.
"Lunara…" he whispered.
He opened the chat box, typing a few words only to delete them again.
After several attempts, he took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and pressed send.
[Rivan]: Hi.
[Rivan]: It's Rivan. We met earlier by the river.
He kept staring at the message, tapping the screen whenever it dimmed.
Even without a reply, he didn't give up.
"Dinner's ready!" his mom called from downstairs.
With a resigned sigh, Rivan went to the dining table, sitting next to his sister. His mood lifted instantly when he saw his favorite mushroom soup.
"Mushroom soup! Thanks, Mom!" he said enthusiastically, digging in.
"Eat slowly," his mother said with a warm smile. "Remember to come home early tomorrow."
"...Is there something happening tomorrow?" Rivan asked between bites.
"…" His mother and Elena exchanged glances, both staring at him silently.
Rivan tilted his head, confused. Before he could ask again, a voice came from the door.
"I'm home," said a man who looked partly like Rivan himself.
Instinctively, all three turned toward him as he walked closer.
"Sorry, traffic was awful," the man said, placing a box on the table before sitting down.
Their mother stood up to put away his coat and bag, then sat again.
"What's this?" she asked, pointing to the box.
The man smiled and whispered something to her that made her smile too.
Rivan just watched quietly — used to their playful banter.
"So, Mom, what's happening tomorrow?" Rivan asked lazily.
The three of them exchanged looks — then burst out laughing.
Rivan raised an eyebrow, puzzled.
"Ahem. Just don't come home too late tomorrow, okay?" his mom said gently.
"Mm." Rivan nodded, then went back to eating.
The atmosphere was cheerful. They chatted about their days, occasionally laughing at his father's terrible jokes.
After dinner, Rivan went back to his room, flopping onto his bed and rolling around lazily.
He sighed softly, reaching for his phone, hoping for a new message. But the screen stayed empty.
"Guess she's already asleep," he muttered.
He tossed the phone aside, hugged his pillow tightly, and closed his eyes as sleep slowly pulled him under.