Ryoko (jokingly):
"Whoa, what's this? You're getting smarter? Are these glasses or a piece of future technology?"
Ryuichi (surprised and confused):
"Ryoko... What are you doing here?"
Ryoko (winks):
"I was on a little tour of the university, I heard rumors of a new genius challenging Shindo in biochemistry, so I thought... Why don't I take a look?"
He approaches lightly and lowers his voice:
Ryoko:
"I heard you're planning to take the exam in two days, you're a little late, but who knows... You're not alone now, are you?"
Aura (whispering in Ryuichi's ear):
"His movements... His eyes... The way he reads his surroundings... He can't just be a student, he's either an apprentice or... something else entirely."
Ryoko (takes a step back and laughs):
"Anyway, good luck my friend, I'll be around. And... If you need anything, you'll know how to find me."
Then he turns his back, waves his hand gracefully, and leaves, leaving a trail of mystery and concern in Ryuichi's mind.
Ryuichi (whispering):
"...this guy... I can't read him."
Aura:
"And that's... that's what worries me."
As soon as Ryuichi left the lecture hall, student whispers began to spread like wildfire through the hallways. Glances followed him, a mixture of admiration, amazement, and sometimes skepticism.
"Who is this?" said one student, staring at him from afar:
"He was never involved, and suddenly he answered the most complicated question as if it required nothing more than a normal breath."
Another whispered to his companion in a tone that was a mixture of jealousy and bewilderment:
"He must have something, those glasses of his seem so advanced... Could they be the reason for this performance?"
On the other side of the room, some students expressed silent admiration, especially when they saw him striding toward the blackboard with a confident stride and chalk in hand, as if he were on a stage rather than a board.
One student muttered as she watched him:
"I've never seen him before... "But he left an unforgettable impression."
The student who answered before Ryuichi knitted his eyebrows in subtle annoyance, as if some of his academic dignity had been wiped away.
In the other corner, two of Nakamura's closest confidants exchanged worried glances:
"Did you notice who shook his hand at the door? It's Ryoko... Why is he interested in this boy?"
With all that silent noise, Ryuichi continued on his way without turning around, while Aura observed everything through the lenses of his glasses, memorizing every expression, every tone, and preparing for what was to come.
On the other side...
Ryoko had said goodbye to Ryuichi with his usual calmness, then turned and walked away with unhurried steps toward the bus stop. The gray sky cast faint shadows on the sidewalk, and the distant noise of the city seemed to drown out the solitude of his thoughts. Putting his hands in his pockets, he took a deep breath, immersed in an internal dialog:
"It's been a long time since I really needed to go back... back to everything I left behind."
He looked at the faces of the people in the parking lot, then at the buses coming in, one by one, but it wasn't his destination. "That's not her number..." He muttered.
Moments later, his cold eyes caught a glimpse of the bus approaching in the distance. A wide smile spread across his face, and he opened his arms as if to welcome a long-awaited old friend.
But the bus didn't stop.
It passed by him quickly, its wind slapping him as if to remind him that he didn't belong.
He froze for a moment, his eyes following the tail of the bus as it drove away. Then he closed his eyes, and a tilted smile played on his lips that said it all: Understanding, sarcasm, and cruel acceptance.
"So that's it... I have no choice."
Suddenly, a shiver of subtle energy coursed through his body. The ground shook lightly under his feet. The wind stopped blowing. Around him, the air began to ignite with a majestic mana aura; a combination of luminous light blue and dark violet rippling like a cascade of cracked celestial light. It was as if the earth had broken its stillness to announce the appearance of an unfamiliar being.
Then-it disappeared.
In a flash, he appeared and disappeared around the bus that didn't stop for him, like a spectral stalker, as if time had no control over him. Moments passed, then... At the next stop, where the bus was supposed to stop, he was standing there, his hand on the sign post, his eyes half-closed in sophisticated irony.
The bus stopped, and the door slowly opened.
Without saying a word, Ryoko stepped onto the bus as if nothing had happened.
Inside the bus, Ryoko sat by the window in the last seat, where the silence of the city mingled with his restless thoughts. The faces of the passengers around him were ordinary, some staring at their phones, others staring blankly at the road. But for him, that moment was the inner theater of an unrelenting storm.
He rested his arm on the window ledge, gently resting his head against it, while his eyes remained half-closed, watching the reflection of the gray sky.
"I knew I wouldn't be in the shade forever... But it looks like the stage is starting to light up again."
He paused for a second and then whispered again, this time in a quiet, mysterious tone:
"It seems I'll be back on the stage sooner than I expected... I will need all my strength."
At that moment, a faint mana wave rose from his body, but this time it was airtight, invisible except to those with the ability to sense it. He was rebuilding his energy, slowly regaining his fighting spirit.
Ryoko (inside him):
"If they come back... I'll be ready. I'll show them who the real Ryoko is."
The bus drives off into the unknown... while Ryoko returns from the shadows to the light.
When the clock struck three in the afternoon, the Saturday sun was gently warming the sidewalks, and the air seemed fresher than usual, as if the whole city had decided to give Suzuni a soft farewell.
Ryuichi arrived first at the Blue Lotus Café, hidden among the lush trees near the Great Park. He chose an outdoor table overlooking a small fountain, and sat quietly watching the light splash across the surface of the water.
Aura, in a soft voice inside his smart glasses:
"Perfect time to say goodbye to my poet. Just don't start crying, Ryo."
He did not respond. He was busy gazing at the sky when Suzuni appeared.
She was wearing an elegant gray coat, her hair tied in a simple bun, carrying a small handbag, and smiling a quiet smile... Perhaps she was hiding some kind of beautiful sadness behind it.
Suzuni:
"You arrived a few minutes early, as I expected."
Ryuichi (with a slight smile):
"And you're not late. Paris won't wait, will it?"
She laughed lightly and sat down across from him. The waiter began to bring them their favorite drink. The conversation was quiet at first, punctuated by a few quick reminiscences about university, exam moments, and Shindou's lecture that was always too long.
Then, quietly, Suzuni said:
Suzuni:
"When the committee told me I was accepted, the first person I thought of was... You."
Ryuichi (taken aback by the admission):
"Me?"
Suzuni (with a direct look):
"Because you were the one who taught me to believe in my steps... even when I was shaking."
He was silent for a moment, then continued:
Ryuichi:
"I hope that one day I can be... someone you can remember with a smile, not regret."
Suzuni (in a warm voice):
"You already are."
Then, before Aura could say anything, Ryuichi's cell phone rang with a special ringtone. He looked at the screen and a notification appeared: Mikiko Sato - New Message.
He looked at Suzuni, and hid the phone.
But before he could finish, a long shadow approached them... It's Professor Shindo, who seems surprised to see them together.
Shindō (in his usual tone):
"Huh, an unexpected meeting. I hope that's not why you missed the last study session, Ryuichi."
Ryuichi smiled awkwardly, while Suzuni laughed lightly, looking at the professor as if thanking him for cutting off a moment that would have turned into something bigger.
Ryuichi quickly straightens up, while Shindou smiles as he removes his glasses slightly:
Shindo (in a jokingly serious tone):
"I see you're very busy these days, Ryuichi. Meetings, disappearances, and here you are in a cafe... before a fateful exam."
Ryuichi (trying to control his tone):
"I was just saying goodbye to a fellow traveler, Professor."
Suzuni made a tactful gesture:
"Mr. Shindo, don't worry... He memorized your lecture better than I did. I bet he even knows the typos in the slides."
Shindo laughed for a moment, then said:
"If so, I'll have to test you both when you get back, Ms. Suzuni."
He glanced at his watch and then said, in a softer tone:
"Anyway, enjoy this moment. Time doesn't give us many like it."
Then he walked away with quiet steps, raising his hand in farewell without turning around.
A moment of silence follows his departure, before Suzuni says, fiddling with the lid of the paper cup:
Suzuni (in a low voice):
"I think he's a different professor... He's not like other professors."
Ryuichi (in a contemplative tone):
"Yes, his manner is sharp, but his intentions are sincere."
She looked at him for a moment, then said as she stood up:
"I think it's time. I don't want to be late for the preparations."
Ryuichi got up with her. A quiet moment of farewell was created between them, not with a lot of emotion, but with that long look that says what words can't.
Suzuni (with a slight smile):
"Stay well, Ryo. And... Be confident in yourself, as you've always been in my eyes."
Ryuichi (in a low voice):
"And you... Don't forget that Paris may be the city of light, but your glow is stronger."
Suzuni turned, then paused for a moment, before walking steadily down the street. As she walked away, Ora said in a quiet voice inside his glasses:
Aura:
"You're strange, Ryuichi... When you're honest, you're dangerous."
He replied without smiling:
Ryuichi:
"That's what scares me, Aura."
After Ryuichi returns from meeting Suzuni. It's chilly, the sky is turning dark blue as the sun sets, and the city is beginning to drown in its artificial lights. He was heading toward the dormitory when he received a notification in his glasses:
Aura (in a neutral voice):
"You have an unread message from Mikiko Sato... five minutes ago."
Ryuichi (with a light sigh):
"Read it."
Aura:
"Content: Are you still awake? I need to talk to you for a bit... alone."
Ryuichi stopped walking. He looked forward slightly, as if time had stopped for a moment.
Ryuichi (in a whisper):
"A place?"
Aura:
"She didn't specify it. But I'm monitoring her location... It's near the small plaza next to the central library."
He hesitated, then turned around:
Ryuichi:
"Let's go."
...
[Small Square by the Library]
The dim light of the garden lamps gives the place an intimate feel, the leaves of the trees swaying in the breeze. Miku was standing under a lamppost, her hands in the pockets of her gray coat, her eyes lost in space.
Ryuichi approached with cautious steps. Aura inside his glasses began to analyze her condition:
Aura:
"Pupil constriction, tension in the shoulders, repetition of a slight tremor in the right foot... She is tense. Very."
Ryuichi (internal whisper):
"I know, Aura... This time, no need to analyze you."
When he approached her, Miku slowly turned around, and gave a faint smile:
Miku (in a soft voice):
"You came... I wasn't sure if you would."
Ryuichi (soft voice):
"When you write to me like that... I can't ignore you."
Mikiko was sitting across from Ryuichi, her eyes staring at him in a way he was unfamiliar with. There was no apparent tension, but her silence was imbued with something akin to accusation. Finally, she spoke in a soft but sharp voice:
"I was reviewing the project records this morning... Project Aura."
Ryuichi stopped stirring the spoon in his cup. He looked at her slowly, trying to maintain his composure.
"And?" He asked in a normal tone, but his left eye twitched unconsciously.
"I noticed a glitch in the analytical structure of the system, like something was missing... Like some Aura files were copied or redirected to another interface, without going through the main control protocols."
Ryuichi's face suddenly went pale. His heart beat so loudly that he could feel its vibrations in his neck. Aura, inside him, didn't say a word, as if watching silently.
"Strangely... Aura herself acted in an unusual manner. One of the mana analysis units has been behaving in a way that has no logical explanation. There's no record or program input to explain these movements... It's as if someone secretly reprogrammed her."
Ryuichi smiled with feigned naivety, a futile attempt to hide his horror:
"Miko... I think the system is still being tested, maybe just a technical glitch?"
But the miko didn't smile. She just narrowed her eyes, as if trying to gauge his responses.
"You know, the weird thing is that there's a fingerprint... but it doesn't match any of the official accounts associated with the project."
"A fingerprint that's different... but it's familiar."
Here, Ryuichi nearly collapsed. His hands under the table gripped each other so tightly that his veins bulged. Aura muttered inside him:
"Stay calm. "She doesn't have the evidence... yet."
Forcing himself to breathe slowly, he said in a voice more confident than he felt:
"To be honest, I don't understand this technical stuff much... but it sounds really alarming. Have you notified management?"
Miko didn't answer directly. She just looked at him for a long time, then said:
"No."
"I wanted to see you first."