Chapter 17: Mind Games

Rei sat at his desk, his eyes scanning the classroom while his mind wandered, weighed down by thoughts. The girl from earlier—the one who had approached him with that unsettling smile—was still seated in the row ahead, her head bent slightly as she scribbled something in her notebook. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off, that there was more to her than met the eye.

Her name still eluded him, despite the few moments they'd shared earlier. He hadn't asked. It didn't matter. Names were trivial, labels that meant nothing when all people did was play their own games.

He noticed that she'd glanced back at him a few times during class. Not overtly, not in a way that drew attention, but enough that he could feel it.

A subtle, but deliberate effort to keep tabs on him.

He wasn't sure why she was doing it, or if it meant anything at all, but Rei wasn't the kind to take such things lightly anymore. He could feel the calculation building inside him, a part of his mind that never let anything slip. He would play the game, but only on his terms. He wasn't about to let anyone use him again.

When the bell rang, signaling the end of the class, Rei grabbed his bag and stood up, glancing once again at the girl, who was still slowly packing her things. His suspicion gnawed at him, but he made no move to approach her. No need. He had learned to wait, to observe. She would make the next move, and he would be ready.

As he made his way out of the classroom, he could hear her footsteps behind him, soft and measured. A quick glance behind confirmed she was following. It wasn't unexpected—he knew how people operated. There was always a reason for the actions they took. But it was her timing, her rhythm, that set off alarm bells in his mind.

He kept walking, but now his steps were deliberate, slower. He didn't need to turn around to confirm she was still there. He could feel her presence, like a shadow trailing just out of reach. What did she want? What was her game?

The school hallway was quieter than usual, most students already heading to their next class or to the cafeteria. But Rei kept his pace steady, keeping a mental note of the layout of the building—where the doors were, where the exits led. He could move if he had to.

And he had learned to trust that feeling.

Without warning, the girl finally spoke, her voice soft but clear enough to cut through the silence.

"Rei, right?"

He didn't answer immediately. He didn't even look at her. Instead, he kept walking, pretending not to hear. He wasn't ready to engage—not yet.

But she persisted. "You know... I don't bite."

He felt her gaze on his back, and he could almost hear the smile in her voice. A smile that had once been unsettling now seemed like something more—something manipulative.

Rei stopped in his tracks, the air thick with tension. He slowly turned around to face her, taking in her innocent appearance. She looked harmless, nothing more than a typical classmate, yet everything about her screamed the opposite to him. It wasn't her outward demeanor, but the way she seemed to move through the world with an agenda.

"Why are you following me?" Rei asked, his voice low and cold. It wasn't out of anger—more of a calculated curiosity. A way to feel her out. To see how she'd react.

The girl blinked, her smile never faltering. "Just making conversation. I thought we could talk. You looked a little... lost in thought earlier."

Rei didn't buy it. It was too convenient, too rehearsed. He could tell when people were trying too hard to appear casual.

"I'm fine," he said, his voice now sharper. "But if you're done, I'll be on my way."

The girl tilted her head slightly, her eyes narrowing just a fraction. It wasn't a hostile movement, but it was enough for Rei to notice. She was measuring him, just as he was measuring her.

But for what?

She shrugged, unfazed by his dismissal. "I get it. You're not the type to talk much. I respect that."

And with that, she turned, disappearing into the crowd of students that were now filling the hallway.

Rei stood there for a moment, his thoughts swirling. There was something about the way she spoke, the way she lingered in his space, that felt calculated. Too carefully placed to be innocent. He couldn't figure out whether she was genuinely trying to make a connection or if she was just another person trying to use him, trying to manipulate him in some way.

As he made his way to his next class, the feeling of being watched lingered.

It wasn't paranoia—it was instinct. A gift, perhaps, or a curse. Either way, he knew one thing for certain: people couldn't be trusted. Not completely. They had motives, hidden agendas. And Rei Daji wasn't about to let himself fall into the same traps that had caught him before.