The classroom was completely silent. Only the professor's voice echoed through the lecture hall. The rest of the students were busy writing in their notebooks or staring at the board.
There was only one person who looked completely disconnected from it all.
Sasha Niekawa.
Her dark brown, sleepy eyes were fixed on the ceiling fan slowly spinning above. The lecture was nothing but background noise to her. Like an old radio station that might shut off at any moment.
Sasha lazily spun her pencil over her notebook, drawing random lines without even looking at the page.
"Study…" she thought.
"The most boring thing in this world."
Half of what they teach in school and university is useless in real life. Yet the system insists that you memorize everything. Give exams. Get a degree.
And then what?
After graduation, the same line hits everywhere:
"Experience required."
Sasha's lips moved slightly.
"Bullshit… Everyone wants experience, but no one wants to give it first."
Suddenly, the loud ring of the bell echoed through the classroom. The lecture was over.
Students began rising from their chairs. The sounds of bags closing and light chatter broke the silence of the room.
Sasha picked up her bag without hurry and started walking out of the class.
"…Sasha."
A girl's voice came from behind.
Sasha stopped and slowly turned around.
Noa was standing there, wearing her usual soft smile.
"Hmm?" Sasha replied.
Noa's tone was slightly excited.
"The class group is planning a party today. Are you coming?"
Sasha answered without hesitation.
"No."
Straight. Cold. Just one word.
But Noa's smile didn't fade. She seemed used to Sasha's behavior.
"Alright then," Noa laughed lightly.
"You don't like group parties. That's fine… we can plan something separately sometime."
Sasha simply nodded.
"Hm."
The two of them walked down the corridor, filled with students. Laughter, conversations, footsteps… a constant blur of noise.
But to Sasha, it was all just background.
She slid her hands into her hoodie pockets and kept walking. Another thought appeared in her mind.
"Social gatherings… People act like they care. But most of the time, it's just a mask. A lie. No one here is permanent. Everyone is temporary. Yet people keep forming relationships as if they'll last forever."
"What's the point? Just stupid ways to pass time."
Sasha kept her eyes forward as she walked.
"People stay with you only as long as you behave the way they want."
She walked out of the campus. A little while later, her steps carried her past a small market area.
Suddenly, a sharp sound caught her attention.
"Meowww…!"
A cat's cry.
Sasha stopped and looked toward the sound. Outside a butcher shop, a small cage lay on the ground. Inside it, a white-and-grey cat was trapped. One paw was injured. Blood stained the fur. The cat was clearly in pain.
The shopkeeper yelled at it.
"I told you not to enter the shop! You scare away my customers!"
He kicked the cage with his foot.
"Now you'll stay locked here. Maybe then you'll learn."
Sasha's eyes narrowed slightly. She asked calmly,
"Is that your cat?"
"Yeah. Why?" the shopkeeper replied.
"I want to buy it."
The shopkeeper shrugged.
"Take it. It's useless anyway."
Sasha took money from her bag and handed it to him. The cage was opened. The cat screamed in fear.
"Meowww!"
The shopkeeper picked up a metal rod.
"I feed you every day and you still glare at me?"
Just as he was about to strike, Sasha's hand grabbed his wrist in a flash. She twisted it hard. A painful cry escaped the man's mouth.
"Aah!"
Sasha's eyes were completely cold.
"It's mine now," she said calmly.
"…And I don't like people hurting my things."
The shopkeeper tried to pull free, but Sasha's grip was unyielding.
"Kids these days… no manners at all," he muttered, stepping back.
"Fine. Take it," he said finally.
Sasha gently picked up the cat. Strangely, it stopped screaming and rubbed its head against her hand, as if it felt safe.
"You're mine now," Sasha repeated.
"…And I take care of my things."
A little later, she reached home. She placed the cat on the bed and took out a first-aid kit. Carefully, she wrapped a bandage around its injured paw.
The cat stayed calm. Sasha gently stroked its head.
"From today, your name is…"
"Jinsie."
She poured milk into a bowl and placed cat food on the floor.
"I'll be back tonight. Eat this until then."
While locking the door, she looked up at the sky. It felt strangely quiet.
"I like silence… People keep sharing emotions as if someone will understand them… But how could anyone understand me when I don't even know what I am?"
Sasha walked down the road when something strange caught her eye: a shadow. Something moved, then disappeared.
Sasha stopped.
"What was that?"
She turned back.
"That strange shadow again…" she muttered.
Sasha rolled her eyes.
"Same bullshit…"
Maybe this wasn't the first time it had happened.
Suddenly, a black cargo truck drove onto the footpath and stopped in front of her. The area was deserted. A forest loomed nearby. No cameras, no witnesses.
Sasha frowned.
"It's a footpath. Watch where you're driving, idiot…"
Before she could finish, the back door of the truck opened. A masked man jumped out. He sprayed chloroform directly at Sasha's face.
Everything in front of her eyes blurred. The world slowly faded into darkness.
And then…
Everything went black.