The winter holiday ended quietly, without ceremony. The festive lights were taken down from the streets, the sweet smell of roasted chestnuts disappeared from the campus gates, and the university returned to its usual rhythm. A new semester began.
Micah returned to school with his face half-hidden behind a black mask. It did little to quiet the attention. If anything, the buzz around him had only grown louder.
Students slowed when he walked past. Some whispered. Some openly stared. A few boldly lifted their phones, pretending to scroll while secretly taking photos. His popularity from the advertisement had not faded as he had hoped. Instead, it had spread through every corner of Isatis City, leaving him feeling trapped. Micah kept his head down and walked straight ahead, pretending he heard none of it.
