The classroom remained frozen in the wake of Yuki's revelation. Students stole glances at Kaito, then at Yuki, then back again, their minds struggling to reconcile the icy fortress they knew with the warm, energetic girl who called him by his first name like it was nothing.
Yuki's gaze swept across the room, taking in the shocked faces, the wide eyes, the dropped jaws. She seemed genuinely amused by the reaction.
Then she turned back to Kaito, her expression shifting to something more personal—familiar, knowing, tinged with old concern.
"You're looking completely dead," she said, her voice softer now, meant more for him than the class. "Looks like you still haven't recovered from it, huh?" A pause, a tilt of her head. "Damn, I thought you would be fine after all these years."
She was about to continue—to say something more, something deeper—but Kaito's voice cut in gently. Not cold. Not commanding. Just... quiet.
"Yuki. Can we keep it private? I don't really want to share it." He paused, his tone shifting to something almost warm. "We'll talk at lunch."
It wasn't an order. It was a request. The kind of request you make to someone who actually listens to you. Someone who matters.
The entire class noticed. The Ice Prince had just spoken to someone like she was... important.
Yuki's expression softened. She nodded happily, her smile returning full force. "I told you to use my first name, but you just call me Yuki because it's easier to pronounce, right?" She laughed, a light, musical sound. "You haven't changed at all."
Kaito gave a small nod. That was all.
Ms. Kobayashi, recovering from her own shock, cleared her throat. "Ah, Nakamura-san... please take the seat in front of Sato-kun. The empty desk right there."
Yuki bounced to her seat, settling in directly in front of Kaito. She twisted around to flash him another grin before finally facing forward.
The lesson began, but no one was paying attention.
---
Riko sat frozen at her desk, her hands perfectly still on her notebook, her eyes fixed on the board. But she saw nothing.
Her mind was a storm.
Childhood friends. Elementary. Middle school. She knows. She knows everything. The past. The trauma. The reason he is the way he is.
And then, cutting through the chaos of thoughts like a blade—a feeling.
Sharp. Unfamiliar. Burning.
Riko recognized it after a long, stunned moment. Jealousy.
She had never felt this before. Not once in her perfectly constructed life. She had admired, respected, analyzed, and strategized. But jealousy? This hot, twisting sensation in her chest? This was new. And she hated it.
Why? Why her? Why does she get to know? Why does she get to call him by his first name? Why does he speak to her like that—warm, gentle, human?
She forced herself to breathe. To think logically. This was irrational. She had no claim on Kaito Sato. She barely knew him. And yet—
Her gaze drifted sideways, seeking anchor.
Hikari.
The class rebel, the ghost, the girl who usually slept through every lesson—was wide awake. Her dark eyes were fixed on Yuki's back with an intensity that Riko had never seen before. Observing. Analyzing. Guarded.
Their eyes met for a split second. A silent understanding passed between them.
We both feel it. Something is wrong. Or different. Or both.
Riko turned back to the board, her composure barely holding.
The unseen past had just walked through the door, sat down in front of Kaito Sato, and changed everything.
(End of Chapter 53)