When I stepped out, everything felt normal.
I was heading toward the classroom, where students were laughing and chatting among themselves—some walking lazily, others talking excitedly about their lives at the academy.
I felt the urge to join them, to take part in their conversations…
but I didn't have any friends.
So I kept walking in silence.
I had only taken a few steps when I heard a voice calling me from behind.
I stopped, then slowly turned around.
I recognized him immediately.
It was Darwin.
I took a quiet breath and looked away slightly.
Damn it… why won't he just leave me alone?
I shouldn't have even thought about wanting to talk to a friend…
I really am unlucky.
He approached me quickly, a faint smile still on his face, and said,
"Hey, where were you yesterday? I've been looking for you everywhere. Honestly… I was worried about you."
I didn't want to worry him any more than I already had…
All I wanted was for him to leave me alone.
I wanted to ask him to do just that, but the words got stuck in my chest, so I chose the easier way out.
"I was tired… so I slept," I said calmly.
He looked at me for a second, then smiled in a way I understood without him needing to say anything.
"You must have been exhausted."
After that, he raised his hand and placed his middle finger lightly against his lips, as if he were thinking about something.
A brief silence settled between us.
It wasn't uncomfortable—but it wasn't comforting either.
I was waiting for him to say something I didn't have the energy to hear.
Just as he finally opened his mouth to speak, another voice interrupted from behind.
"Rion."
I turned toward the source of the voice and saw a beautiful girl with long black hair and slightly dark eyes.
Her features were calm, and her steps confident without being arrogant, yet her presence alone was enough to make Darwin stop speaking immediately.
He looked at her, then back at me, as if deciding to postpone whatever he was about to say.
She turned to Darwin and said,
"Could you give us a moment alone?"
Darwin paused briefly, as if thinking it over, then said,
"Alright. We'll talk later."
He walked away with calm steps.
Finally… he left.
As I watched his back fade into the crowd, I said without thinking,
"Thank you."
Lina turned to me in surprise and asked,
"Why are you thanking me?"
Only then did I realize that I had spoken my thoughts out loud.
I felt embarrassed and tried to explain, but I couldn't come up with anything at all.
I stood there silently for a few seconds, not knowing what to say.
Then Lina said calmly,
"It doesn't matter."
She took a step closer to me and looked directly at me.
Her face came closer than I expected.
Up close… her face was strikingly beautiful.
She spoke in a low voice,
"What's been going on with you lately?"
Then she added before I could answer,
"You're not acting like your usual self."
I wanted to respond, but the closeness of her face unsettled me.
My words stumbled, and before I could say anything useful, I hesitated and said,
"Could you… move your face back a little?"
She paused for a second, then said,
"Oh…"
She stepped back slightly and added in a light tone,
"Are you embarrassed in front of your sister?"
I wondered silently to myself:
And who wouldn't be embarrassed when such a beautiful woman gets this close?
Then I added sarcastically in my thoughts:
…And I'm not even your brother.
But I couldn't say that out loud, so I stayed silent.
Seeing me like that, she continued, her tone less calm than before,
"You really have changed."
The moment I heard her words, a strange, uncomfortable feeling washed over me, as if something inside me had shifted without warning.
Without thinking, the question slipped out of my mouth:
"Do you… even know me at all?"
The moment I said it, I knew I had messed up.
Her expression changed instantly, and clear signs of anger appeared on her face.
It wasn't loud or explosive, but it was sharp enough to make the air between us feel heavier.
She frowned and said in a tense voice,
"What do you mean by that?"
I didn't answer.
I didn't know how to explain what I had said—or even why I had said it.
After a brief pause, she added,
"If you think I don't know you, then you're wrong."
She turned her face slightly, as if holding back her emotions, then continued,
"But it seems you're not in a state where you can talk right now."
She stepped back, gave me one last look, and said,
"Forget it."
Then she left without looking back.
As I watched her back disappear among the students, I found myself thinking:
Why did I say that?
I could have stayed silent.
I could have changed the subject.
But I didn't.
I kept walking, lost in my thoughts, replaying my words over and over, until I finally reached one clear conclusion:
I need to apologize to her when we meet again.
Not because I was completely wrong…
but because I said something that didn't need to be said.
I continued walking without any real destination, letting my feet guide me unconsciously.
That was how I ended up in the academy courtyard.
The place was unusually crowded.
A large group of students stood in the center of the courtyard—some staring at a screen, others talking excitedly.
The atmosphere felt different, as if a small event had caught everyone's attention at once.
I stopped for a moment, watching from a distance, then slowly approached to see what was going on.
When my eyes landed on the announcement displayed on the screen, I immediately understood why.
Additional activities.
Damn it…
A quiet curse slipped from my lips without me realizing it.
I had completely forgotten about it.
I never thought the date would arrive this quickly.