Chapter 20
The golden light of the late afternoon sun bled through the wide windows of Class 1-A, casting long, warm streaks of amber across the polished wooden floor. The classroom was filled with the muffled sounds of chairs being stacked, brooms brushing the corners, and idle chatter rising like steam after a gentle rain.
Cleaning time had ended, and with it came the familiar lull—students gathered in clusters, chatting animatedly about the club booths they’d visited, who they saw hanging out with who, and of course, the most curious mystery of the moment.
"Oi, where’s Mika and Katsuragi?" one boy asked aloud, lounging backward in his seat with a lazy grin.
"Yeah," another chimed in, a sly smirk tugging his lips. "They’ve been gone for ages. Maybe... something interesting happened between them."
"No way! You mean—"
"Tch," a short-haired girl scoffed, pretending to wipe her desk while leaning in to hear better. "You guys are imagining things. But still, Mika’s been acting weird since this morning."
The group grew larger, whispers circulating like wildfire. Some leaned in closer, others chuckled nervously, adding their own embellishments. Even a few second-years peeking into the hallway threw in curious glances.
Sayori, seated near the windows, drummed her fingers against the desk. Her orange eyes glowed under the dimming light, narrowed into impatient slits. She had been watching the clock tick for the last ten minutes, annoyed beyond belief. What’s taking that idiot so long?
The rising buzz in the classroom only fueled her irritation. She bit her lip, twirling a strand of her yellow hair around her finger, trying not to leap into the gossip herself.
But just as she opened her mouth to silence the rumor mill, someone beat her to it.
"That’s enough," came a low, sharp voice.