~Remaining in misfortune is negligence… but letting others decide your life is a tragedy.~
I kept my promise. That afternoon, I met Misaki at the back gate of the school and handed over my novel without saying much. She accepted it with a small smile — too faint to read… yet strong enough to linger in my thoughts until night.
I left immediately without asking anything. Without looking back. Without courage.
Strangely, by the time I arrived home… I realized something:
I didn't feel relieved.
As if by giving her the novel, I had handed over something far greater. Something that wasn't hers… but somehow had become hers now.
1. A Morning Too Calm for Something Bad
A new day came.It felt fast. Too fast.
When I woke up, my chest felt heavy, as if the night had left behind a burden it failed to carry away. Not just anxiety — but a bad premonition waiting patiently behind my front door, like something that had already decided to happen. It felt as if the wheel of events had started turning without my consent, while I was left behind, half-aware, unable to catch up or stop it.
I stepped outside with that feeling still clinging to me. The trip to school brought no relief. Inside my head, grumbles and curses collided, forming a constant murmur that never fully escaped. Each step felt filled with anger that had nowhere to land.
I was upset because I never expected everything would lead back to me — that this chain of events would place me at the center of a painful circle.
I was being avoided, and it wasn't my fault.
Averted gazes, people quickening their pace away from me — as if my presence had become contagious. No one asked. No one tried to understand. I was pushed aside by a collective decision I never agreed to.
And among all of it, one name kept burning: Suri.
My hatred toward her glowed like embers that refused to die — not blazing, but hot enough to slowly scorch my patience. She didn't need to be present to hurt me; her shadow alone was enough to make the day feel like a sentence I had to serve from morning.
Suri caused all of this.Suri made me a joke.Suri made me a target.
I knew this kind of hatred would give me nothing but new wounds. But at that moment, I couldn't let it go. Sometimes, holding onto anger feels easier than facing fear about what may be waiting at the end of the day.
And the more I thought about it, the more my thoughts twisted — until Misaki's words from yesterday surfaced again:
"You're a coward."
The words cut deep. And somehow… I began to believe them.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2. A Classroom Too Quiet
When I entered the classroom, something felt very… wrong.
My desk.
Clean.
No new scribbles.No threats.No insults.
Strange.Confusing.Tense.
Suri never stopped that easily.
I glanced at her seat — empty.Tomo and Annie were there, but they spoke quietly, avoiding eye contact with me.
Suri didn't come.
Of course I wanted that to be good news… but instead it made me uneasy.
There are many reasons someone might be absent.Including bad ones.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3. Misaki… Too Normal
I looked toward Misaki.
She was laughing softly, chatting casually with her three friends. So normal. So peaceful.
Too peaceful.
As if she wasn't involved in anything — even though only she and I knew how dark the last two days had been.
Part of me hoped she would return the novel… but another part of me was afraid to see it back in my hands.
Because now, the novel was no longer just a book.
It was a binding thread.
And that thread… was in Misaki's hands.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4. Suri Is Missing
The bell rang.The teacher entered.The class settled down.
But Suri's chair was still empty.
Our homeroom teacher let out a long breath, her expression tense — not angry, but like someone about to say something she wished she didn't have to say.
"Students…"
Her voice sounded gentle on the surface, but something underneath it tightened the room instantly. She paused, as if choosing words that could wound without shouting.
"Today we received unpleasant news."
The sentence fell softly, yet heavily — not like ordinary news, but like a sign that something had shifted.
The class began whispering.My heart pounded.
"This is about Suri."
The pause lasted too long — as if time itself wanted to stretch the fear.
My chest tightened again.
Bad news is rarely just news. It always brings consequences. And somehow, even before she explained further, I already felt it — this storm would touch me again.
"Last night…" Her voice lowered, making every ear sharpen.
"Your friend, Suri, experienced an incident."
The word incident sounded vague — too vague for something that clearly left damage. It hung in the air like a shapeless shadow, inviting the worst possibilities.
One name was mentioned, but the impact spread across the room.
Some students exchanged looks, others held their breath — aware that whatever followed was no longer just a story from last night.
The teacher exhaled again, heavier this time, shoulders slightly lowered — not by age, but by responsibility she could not escape.
"She is currently being treated in the hospital, and based on the latest information we received, her mental condition is quite shaken."
The class fell silent.
Annie covered her mouth.Tomo turned pale.Some students were shocked, others confused.
And I…
I didn't know what to think.
Suri? Mentally shaken?
Why?How?What happened?
"If any of you know something," she said slowly, scanning the room as if searching for a guilty face — or one too good at hiding the truth, "it would be best to inform the school."
That closed the discussion.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5. Misaki — A Reaction That Shouldn't Exist
Reflexively, I turned toward Misaki.
She sat still.Hands on her lap.Her face perfectly composed — too composed.
No shock.No sympathy.No confusion.
Nothing at all.
She only wore her usual small smile.
A thin smile.Too thin.
As if she had just heard light news — like a forecast of afternoon rain.
When her eyes caught mine…
She gave a slight nod.
Not a greeting.Not a hello.
An acknowledgment.
A silent acknowledgment. A subtle smile that seemed to say:
"Now you understand?"
My body went cold.My mouth dry.
Because for the first time… I saw something behind Misaki's eyes.
Not just calmness.Not just intelligence.
But darkness.
A deep darkness.One that didn't need light.One that moved slowly like a shadow just awakened.
And at the same time, a thought struck me:
What happened to Suri… was not ordinary.
And Misaki knew it.
Maybe…
Was Misaki the reason Suri wasn't here today?
Was she involved?
That smile… was too peaceful for someone who had just heard her enemy fall.
Too peaceful.Too… perfect.
As if it wasn't bad news.
But—
the opening of a party.