A few more days passed. Time, as always, had no meaning. Everything was the same, steady, just like always. But something began to change.
Yuzuki continued to sit next to me, speaking as usual, trying to break through my coldness. All I could do was respond politely, emotionless, or simply remain silent. But her words kept reaching me, like invisible thorns, embedding themselves in my indifference. And I didn't know what to do about it.
One day, she spoke again, her voice breaking through my thoughts.
"You're quiet today," she said, as always, with that same sincere smile on her face. "Are you lost in thought?"
I turned to her, but didn't respond. My silence was expected. It was my shelter, my defense.
"You know, I don't care what you think," I said, trying to keep my voice cold and emotionless. "Don't waste your time on me."
She didn't get offended. She only smiled softly and said, "It's your life, and you choose what to do with it. But you know... not everyone knows how to feel when their soul is locked behind walls."
Something pricked at my chest, but I quickly looked away.
Damn it, I could feel her words reaching me, cutting through my walls, getting somewhere inside — somewhere that had been devoid of life for so long.
And at that moment, I realized that these small conversations with her had become something important. I didn't know what it was, but it was alive. And that was enough to make everything start to fall apart.
The bell rang, as always, interrupting my thoughts. I stood up without saying anything and began walking towards the exit. But Yuzuki called out to me again.
"Kaoru, you're not lonely, right? You're not alone, and I know you can be different."
I turned toward her and froze. There was no reproach in her eyes, no pity. Just understanding. There was something in her eyes that I couldn't comprehend.
But in that moment, as I stared into her eyes, I felt something stir inside me. It was a strange feeling. And I knew this couldn't go on for much longer.
Shadows from the past began to rise in my memory. I tried to push them away, but they were too strong. Memories of family, of harsh loss, of how I became who I was. All of it came back to life.
And that's when I understood. She had become, in a way, an illusion of what I had lost. A living reminder of feelings I had buried long ago.
I opened the door and stepped out of the classroom. But something told me this wasn't the end. Yuzuki wouldn't let me go that easily. She was like a key I didn't want to turn.
She was starting to pull me out of the world I had built around myself. And I didn't know what to do with that.
But, as always, there was danger hidden in it. In her sincerity, in her curiosity about me, there was something dangerous. As if she could awaken something inside me that had been long buried.
The shadows of the past were getting closer. And I knew I wouldn't be able to avoid them.