Chapter 8: The Unsettling Silence

The day dragged on in a haze.

Kai barely managed to focus in class, his thoughts constantly returning to the events of the previous night.

Was it all just a weird dream?

The questions kept circling in his mind, each one more confusing than the last.

He couldn't shake the memory of Saito's eyes — that strange, knowing look.

She had asked him if he wanted to know the truth, and then... what? The details were fuzzy, like a dream fading away upon waking.

And then there was the handkerchief. He couldn't understand how it had ended up in his pocket if he hadn't given it to her.

After school, he found himself walking aimlessly through the hallways, lost in thought, his steps automatic. The usual chatter of his classmates seemed distant, as though he were in a dream or another world entirely.

Suddenly, Beck appeared beside him, slapping him on the back with his usual boisterous energy.

"Yo, Takeda! You alright? You've been acting weird all day. Something on your mind?" Beck asked, his tone light but filled with concern.

Kai blinked, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, uh... yeah, I'm fine," he said, forcing a smile. "Just tired, I guess."

Beck raised an eyebrow. "Tired, huh? You sure? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Kai chuckled weakly. "Maybe I have."

Beck gave him a sidelong glance, clearly not convinced, but he didn't press the issue.

"Whatever, man," Beck said, throwing an arm around Kai's shoulders. "You know I'm always here if you want to talk."

But Kai didn't want to talk. Not yet, at least. He needed time to figure out what was happening.

The last thing he wanted was to bring Beck into this mess.

As they made their way out of the school, Kai's mind wandered back to Saito. He hadn't seen her since their brief meeting after school, and he wasn't sure if he wanted to. Something about her — something about the way she had looked at him — made him feel both drawn to her and terrified at the same time.

He paused by the gates, watching the students around him laugh and chat. The normality of it all felt so out of place.

But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was watching him, just beyond his sight, waiting.

"Hey, Takeda, you coming?" Beck called, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Kai nodded quickly and caught up with him, but a nagging thought lingered in the back of his mind.

Saito isn't done with me. I know it.