Chapter 5: After He Left?!

The final bell of the day had barely rung when Honoka Takami noticed her best friend, Kotori Minami, darting out of the classroom.

"Kotori! Where are you going?"

Kotori didn't slow down. "The nurse's office!"

"The nurse's office…?" Honoka tilted her head, eyes narrowing in thought. "Wait, isn't that where you took that mysterious guy who was passed out on the rooftop?"

Umi Sonoda, ever composed even when trailing behind the impulsive Honoka, remembered the strange boy Kotori had escorted to the infirmary before class began.

"Let's go with her," Umi said without hesitation.

"Wait for me!" Honoka called, already chasing after Kotori.

The trio raced through the corridors, their footsteps echoing like distant beats of a drum, a rhythm only they seemed to follow. The crisp autumn air swept through the hallway windows, hinting at change.

Earlier, during class, Kotori had done something she never usually did—she'd ignored the lecture.

Hidden beneath her desk, she'd secretly opened a video titled Beginner's Guide to Idol Training, downloaded from her chat group. The moment the screen lit up with a soft voice and a girl with silver hair, jade-green eyes, and an elegant hair ornament shaped like a polished emerald, Kotori had been captivated.

"So… this is Luo Tianyi-senpai…" she whispered to herself. The girl's presence radiated something almost celestial, as if she'd been born to stand beneath the spotlight.

For the first time, Kotori had let her attention drift entirely from the teacher's voice. The rest of the class blurred away.

She had received the video from the group—mostly thanks to Luo Tianyi-senpai sharing it herself, though it was only because the group admin had approved Kotori's membership that she could even access it in the first place.

It was also through this group that she'd received the cryptic message earlier that day:

"The Group Owner has arrived on the rooftop. Please retrieve it immediately."

Driven by curiosity and a strange tug at her chest, Kotori had climbed the stairs. That's when she found the boy—unconscious and alone beneath the open sky.

Then another message appeared:

"You're not seeing things. This rude-looking kid is our Group Owner. Leave him out here and he'll probably get heatstroke."

With Honoka and Umi help, she'd carried the boy—whose name, she would later learn, was Kyren—down to the infirmary.

Now, as she pushed open the nurse's office door, Kotori froze.

The room was empty.

Three pristine beds, untouched and neatly made, stood in silence. The space was flooded with golden light from the window—the same bed by the window where she had left him was now perfectly undisturbed.

He was gone.

Kotori's breath caught in her throat. She fumbled for her phone and quickly typed in the group chat:

"Group Owner, where did you go?"

No reply.

She stared at the screen for a long moment, lips pressed in a thin line. Maybe everyone was busy. Maybe no one had the answers she wanted.

"Kotori... Hey! Kotori!"

"Wha—ah!"

Honoka had appeared at her side, breathless and wide-eyed. "Are you okay? You look super pale."

"I'm fine," Kotori said quickly, but her forced smile didn't fool anyone.

Umi entered a moment later, her eyes scanning the room. She noticed the absence instantly.

"He's gone," she murmured.

Then, gently, to Honoka: "I think Kotori's worried about the boy."

"Is that it, Kotori?" Honoka asked.

Kotori lowered her gaze, nodding slightly. "Mm…"

"Wait, you know him?" Honoka's eyes widened. "But we've known each other forever! When did you even meet a guy?"

"Not long ago," Kotori admitted softly. "It's... complicated."

She pulled out her phone and handed it to Honoka.

"This will explain more than I can."

On the screen was the same tutorial video—the silver-haired idol, serene and radiant. Honoka gasped, her eyes shimmering with awe. Even Umi's usually stoic expression wavered.

"She's... beautiful," Honoka whispered.

Umi, the most disciplined among them, was the first to collect herself. She gently took Kotori's hand. "Where did you find this?"

"A senpai sent it to me."

"A professional idol?" Umi asked, her tone sharpening with realization.

"I think so... She's called an idol diva, so maybe that's what it means," Kotori said, unsure.

As the implications settled over them, Umi found herself silently wondering: When did Kotori meet someone like this? And this boy, too… How much do we not know about our friend?

Honoka suddenly clutched Kotori's other hand with sparkling eyes. "Kotori! Could you—maybe—copy this video for me?"

"Um... I'll have to ask the senpai who gave it to me."

"Please do!" Honoka beamed.

Watching that video had stirred something in her. Before, the idea of being an idol had been vague, a fantasy. But now, for the first time, she saw a path. A future. A dream within reach.

She wanted to shine like that.

Umi, meanwhile, noticed Kotori's gaze flick once more toward the now-empty bed.

"You could ask the chairwoman," she suggested. "If something unusual happens, she usually handles it."

"My mom…"

Indeed, the chairwoman of Otonokizaka Academy was none other than Kotori's mother, Misae Minami.

Kotori's voice trembled. "Do you think she…?"

"You won't know unless you ask," Umi said, gently cutting through her worries.

Kotori nodded. "You're right."

In the quiet office adorned with dark wood and softly rustling papers, Misae Minami sat behind her desk, reviewing recent reports—among them, whispers about a boy who had mysteriously appeared on campus.

She had just learned from students that he'd been found unconscious on the rooftop. And strangely, it had been her daughter who discovered him. There were too many oddities: How had he reached the rooftop unnoticed? How had Kotori known to find him there?

Knock, knock.

"Come in," Misae said instinctively.

The door opened to reveal three familiar uniforms: Kotori, Honoka, and Umi.

"Chairwoman," Kotori began formally, "Do you know where the boy I brought to the infirmary went?"

Misae studied her daughter, her voice calm but certain. "He woke up… and asked to leave. I allowed it."

"You let him leave?" Kotori's voice cracked.

"Otonokizaka is an all-girls school," Misae replied gently. "There was no reason to keep a boy here. It wouldn't have been appropriate."

"I see…"

Kotori's expression dimmed. A weight settled in her chest—regret, maybe, or something more complicated. She hadn't even thanked him. That boy, in his own strange way, had led her to someone amazing. Now he is gone.

Will I ever see him again…?

"Kotori," her mother asked suddenly, "is there something you're not telling me?"

Kotori hesitated. "It's nothing…"

So many questions filled Misae's heart, but when she saw her daughter's guarded eyes, she chose silence.

"If that's all, you're dismissed."

"Yes, Chairwoman," the girls replied in unison, bowing slightly before leaving.

Moments later, the office door opened again.

Another visitor stepped inside—this one wearing her position like a crown of calm authority.

It was Eli Ayase, the student council president.

A girl with golden hair, sharp intellect, and natural charisma. She carried herself with elegance, the kind that turned heads in the hallway and commanded respect in the meeting room.

"Chairwoman," Eli said politely, "there are rumors swirling about a boy found on school grounds. How did the Academy decide to handle it?"

Misae glanced at her, composed.

"He's gone now. He left Otonokizaka of his own accord."

Eli nodded once, her expression unreadable—but behind her calm demeanor, the winds of curiosity had begun to stir.

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