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The classroom felt colder than usual.
Yuki sat at his desk, chin resting in his hand, eyes half-glazed over as the teacher droned on about history. He wasn't really hearing it. His mind kept replaying the moment from last night—his fists glowing, the ground cracking, the look in that girl's eyes.
Aiko...
The name stuck in his thoughts like a thorn. She had looked straight into his soul and spoken as if she knew exactly what was happening to him. But who even was she?
He stole a glance across the classroom.
There she was—sitting quietly near the window, doodling something in her notebook. As if she felt his gaze, she looked up. Their eyes met for a split second. She raised an eyebrow, then looked away with a slight smirk.
That was it. No explanation. No follow-up.
The bell rang.
Students flooded out of the classroom, but Yuki lingered. So did she.
He approached her, trying to sound casual. "Hey… Aiko, right?"
She looked up, not surprised. "Took you long enough."
Yuki blinked. "Wait—so you were expecting me to talk to you?"
She shrugged. "You've had that look in your eyes all class. Like your brain's on fire."
Yuki lowered his voice. "What happened last night… that wasn't normal, was it?"
Aiko closed her notebook slowly. "No. But you aren't normal either."
He frowned. "You said something about an aura. What did you mean?"
She stood up, stepping close enough that he could hear her whisper. "There's energy around you. Chaotic, powerful, and old. It's only just waking up."
Yuki felt a chill down his spine. "So what am I?"
Aiko paused. For a moment, it looked like she was about to say something important—but then she just gave him a gentle smile.
"You'll find out soon enough. But trust me, Yuki… things are going to get a lot more complicated from here."
She turned and walked off, her long black hair swaying behind her, leaving Yuki staring after her—half anxious, half in awe.
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