The lunch bell rang, and for the first time anyone could remember, Kaito Sato moved with urgency.
He was at Yuki's desk before the echo of the bell faded, his voice low but clear. "Hurry."
Yuki glanced up at him, reading the situation instantly. She nodded, grabbing her lunch bag, and together they walked out of the classroom. Fast enough to escape, slow enough not to run.
Everyone watched them leave.
The whispers started immediately.
"They're going to the rooftop."
"Obviously. That's where he always goes."
"Should we follow?"
"Are you crazy? After what happened with Takeda?"
"But... she knows him. From before. Don't you want to know?"
The curiosity was a living thing, pulsing through Class 2-B. Students exchanged glances, weighing fear against fascination.
Hikari stood slowly, her eyes on the door. Rico rose beside her.
"They'll go to the rooftop," Riko murmured.
Hikari nodded. "Let's wait a minute. Then follow."
They waited. Sixty seconds that felt like hours. Then they moved, walking quickly but not running, toward the stairs that led up.
Behind them, a small crowd of students followed at a careful distance. The bravest ones. The most curious ones. All drawn by the mystery of Kaito Sato's past.
They reached the rooftop door. Hikari pushed it open.
Empty.
The wind swept across the open space. The fence. The sky. But no Kaito. No Yuki.
Hikari's eyes narrowed. Riko scanned every corner, her mind racing.
"Where did they go?" someone behind them whispered.
No one had an answer.
---
Perspective Shift
Kaito moved through the hallway with purpose, Yuki keeping pace beside him. He didn't look back. He didn't need to. He knew exactly what was happening behind them—the whispers, the curiosity, the inevitable pursuit.
But he also knew something they didn't.
They expected the rooftop. It was his pattern. His sanctuary. The obvious choice.
So he chose the opposite.
The library door slid open quietly. The familiar scent of old paper and silence embraced them. The librarian, used to Kaito's presence by now, simply nodded and returned to her work.
They found a table in the furthest corner, hidden from view by tall shelves. Kaito sat. Yuki sat across from him.
For a moment, neither spoke. The silence was comfortable, familiar—the silence of two people who had shared years of history.
Then Yuki leaned forward, her usual bright energy tempered by something deeper. Something patient.
"So," she said softly. "Ask me what you want to know. I'm ready."
Kaito looked at her—really looked at her—for the first time since she walked into the classroom. The years apart faded, just a little.
The unseen rooftop was empty. But the unseen conversation in the library was about to begin.
(End of Chapter 54)