THE MORNING THAT CAME WITH THE RAIN.
An orange-yellow light seeped through the window, landing directly across Liu's face. Outside, birds chirped softly as a fresh wind rustled through the curtains, carrying the scent of wet grass and damp timber with it.
In the morning light, Liu's face shone. Her features looked soft, almost completely free of tension. In that brief moment, I couldn't stop looking at her—she looked so relaxed, a sight so rare ever since her magic incident.
I got up from my bed, my bare feet touching the cold stone floor, just like every other regular morning. Quietly picking up my school uniform from the closet, I slipped out of the dorm. I didn't want to make a single sound that might ruin Liu's rest.
I locked the door behind me with a quiet click and started walking toward the public washrooms everyone used.
The bathroom wasn't overly crowded, but a few people were already moving around. And as with every single morning, I found Harley sitting on a wooden stool, quietly sipping her water.
I walked over and took the stool beside hers.
"Hey. Morning," I said, my voice still thick with sleep, blending into the fresh morning air.
"Morning," Harley replied in her usual cold, husky tone.
After waiting for a bit, we got our turn to bathe.
Afterward, Harley and I headed toward the dining hall. The streetlights around the academy had turned off, and a cool breeze hit us as we walked. The weather was noticeably chillier today, with heavy grey clouds gathering overhead.
We reached the dining hall, grabbed our breakfast, and sat down at our usual spot.
Harley didn't like to talk while eating—as always, her lonely epidemic hit her.
But I wasn't one to sit in silence, especially not while eating.
I ranted about the homework, complained about the project again, and bragged about how I had managed to dodge the physical education teacher this time. I could tell Harley didn't seem to care much on the surface, but deep down, I knew she was listening.
People always say I talk too much because I'm afraid of silence. And they're right. I hate the silence—the kind of suffocating silence I grew up with back home, where my family tried so hard to look perfect on the outside. I never want to be quiet. I never want to sit in that kind of silence ever again.
When we finished eating, Harley finally spoke up. Maybe she saw something in my eyes that I couldn't see myself.
"I think... Liu has finally cheered up a little," Harley said as we walked back toward our dorm building. "Don't worry too much, Khushi," she added, her voice carrying an unusual trace of genuine concern.
"I know..." I admitted, my voice dropping slightly off its usual energetic radar. "I just can't help it."
"Hmm. I see," Harley murmured. This time, her voice returned to its usual cold, husky tone, sounding as if she were fighting an internal battle she had no intention of telling me about.
The rest of the walk was quiet—just the chirping of birds, the rhythmic sound of our footsteps on the stone, and the distant song of a cuckoo bird echoing from afar. It was a peaceful morning, nested in the foothills of the Deo Tibba mountains.
"Hmm? What's this water?" Harley's voice suddenly broke the silence.
"Oh no, it's raining!" I yelled, my voice spiking in pitch.
The rain had officially started—it was the rainy season, after all. Harley and I sprinted toward our dorms alongside dozens of other running students. Suddenly, the quiet morning turned into utter chaos.
The birdsong and the soft rustle of wind vanished, replaced by the chaotic thrum of hurrying footsteps and the heavy patter of raindrops against stone.
By the time Harley and I reached our dorm building, we were completely drenched. Harley's white shirt was soaked through, clinging to her skin. Because she never felt cold, she always wore light clothing—and now, the fabric was practically see-through.
"Eek! Harley, y-your chest is showing! Cover it up!" I literally screamed at her, while Harley barely paid any attention.
"What's there to see? There's no one around," Harley replied in a calm voice, completely unbothered.
"What do you mean?! There's me, and there are other girls around!" I was practically yelling at this point, frantically trying to shield her.
The chaos finally calmed down after I dragged down a decorative curtain I found nearby and wrapped it tightly around Harley. She looked like a giant, walk-in white ghost.
Still scolding Harley, we finally reached the door to our room.
"Don't ever do that again, okay?!" I whispered fiercely, keeping my voice low so the dorm lady wouldn't give us another red card.
"Hmm. It doesn't matter, but whatever," Harley's muffled voice came from inside the curtain wrap.
My chatter ceased the moment I swung the door wide open.
Inside the room, Liu was in the middle of getting dressed for the day. She wore only her sarashi—the stark white cloth binding her chest with utilitarian precision. Below, her garments consisted solely of loose-fitting breeches that ballooned at her hips before cinching tightly around her lower calves, leaving her bare feet resting against the cold floorboards.
"What?! Oh my god, I'm sorry, Liu!" my voice came out in a frantic, half-intelligible stammer.
"It's fine. You guys woke up early," Liu said calmly, reaching for her linen shirt and slipping it on.
"You woke up, that's good. It's raining outside," Harley's muffled voice came from inside her curtain wrap.
"What are you doing with that?" Liu looked at Harley, her voice genuinely confused as she buttoned her shirt.
"Khushi did this. Ask her," Harley said, pointing a sheet-wrapped arm at me.
The temperature in the room plummeted. I stood there completely frozen, looking like I had just seen a ghost. My face was as bright red as a cherry, and I felt like I was going to melt from sheer embarrassment.
"K-Khushi, are you okay?" even Liu asked, her voice dropping low in confusion.
"You... you guys! How can you both just do this and act like it's no big deal?!" I squeaked, my voice starting quiet before spiking loud enough that the girls through the thin walls could probably hear me.
"Do what?" Harley asked, completely fearless.
"Do this! I saw you half-dressed, Liu, and you didn't even care! And Harley doesn't care if people can see through her wet clothes! Are you guys insane?!"
"No, we're not. We just don't care," Harley answered plainly, finally tearing the curtain off her face.
"Yeah... why don't you guys care?!" I asked, thoroughly flustered.
Harley shrugged, sitting down on the edge of Liu's bed. "I don't know."
"Yeah... I really can't understand you two," I sighed, feeling completely defeated, my face still burning red.
"Umm... well... where did you guys come from?" Liu asked, her pitch rising noticeably as she hastily tried to change the subject.
"We came from the dining hall," Harley answered, while I walked over to open the window and chugged a glass of water.
The conversation carried on naturally after that—low, steady, genuine, and completely stress-free. Just friends talking about normal stuff. Nobody brought up my over-dramatic reaction again. Maybe I had acted a bit too wild, but sitting there with them felt warm and happy.
A sharp breeze blew through the open window, making us all shiver slightly. The rain was coming down harder now, and it would probably be freezing by nightfall.
Outside, the distant chatter of students echoed through the halls—some complaining about homework, others about the sudden chill.
The birds had completely gone silent, replaced by the hollow pattering of rain against the ancient stones.
Meanwhile, in the East Wing—where most of the elite nobles lived—a heavy stillness hung over the luxury rooms.
From the shadows of a high window, a pair of dark green eyes glowed softly in the gloom, staring through the downpour toward Liu's building. You couldn't tell what those eyes were calculating. They looked filled with intense desire, ambition, and a terrifying, cold bloodlust all at once.