The Unnoticed Shift

Subtle Disruptions

The chime of the school bell rang out, signaling the end of the lesson.

Yuer blinked.

Her fingers hovered over the edge of her notebook, her pen still resting against the paper.

The pages were filled. Equations, precise calculations, neatly drawn steps—all perfectly completed.

Her chest tightened.

She didn't remember writing any of it.

The First Crack in Reality

Yuer was good at math. Not a genius, but competent. She understood formulas, worked through problems carefully.

But she never wrote things down before fully grasping them.

And yet, here it was—her own handwriting, her own numbers, her own logical deductions.

Except she didn't recall making them.

Her fingers brushed the inked equations as if physical contact could bridge the gap in her memory. She flipped the page. The back was filled, too. Every answer complete. Every step methodical.

Her breath felt shallow.

Something was off.

She squeezed her notebook shut, fingers cold against the cover.

A Strange Choice

Lunchtime.

The familiar chaos of the school canteen buzzed around her—the clatter of trays, the hum of conversation, the occasional burst of laughter.

She stepped in line, mentally preparing to order her usual nasi goreng.

But when it was her turn, the words left her lips before she could think.

"I'll have... Udon."

Silence.

The man behind the stall stared at her.

"Adik, you joking?" His brow creased, eyes narrowing. "This is a school, not a Japanese restaurant."

Yuer stood frozen.

She hadn't meant to say that.

She hadn't even thought about saying that.

Yet the words had come, fluid and certain, as if they belonged there.

Her fingers curled slightly against the counter.

How was she supposed to explain this?

The vendor exhaled sharply, shaking his head. "Maggi Kari, boleh?"

Yuer barely nodded. She took the bowl, its warmth seeping into her palms, but the chill in her chest did not fade.

She glanced at the steaming noodles. Did I really want udon? Or did someone else?

The Laughing Friend

"You seriously just asked for udon?"

Yuer had barely sat down before Cher slid into the seat across from her, grinning like she had just unearthed the greatest joke of the year.

Cher was one of the few people she actually spoke to in class. Loud, carefree, and always on the lookout for a chance to tease her.

Yuer hesitated. "No."

"Don't lie—I heard it!" She stabbed her spoon into her rice dramatically. "Even the canteen uncle looked like he short-circuited."

Yuer poked at her noodles. "I just... spaced out."

"Eh, but you've never ordered Maggi before either. Changing tastes?" She wiggled her eyebrows.

She didn't reply.

Because no matter how much she wanted to dismiss it as nothing, the reality remained:

The words had come from her own mouth. But she had not chosen them.

Her fingers twitched slightly.

Somewhere, just beneath the surface of her thoughts, a presence stirred.

A quiet, composed voice.

"That wasn't really your decision, was it?"

Her breath caught.

She had heard that voice before.