On a slightly overcast morning, the snow had begun to blanket the streets and trees. I left home early, wrapped in a coat and scarf, watching the soft snowflakes fall from the sky.
Since it was still too early, I decided to take a longer route. I headed to the station and caught a tram toward the city shopping district. Once I got there, I stopped in my tracks when I saw the Colosseum, its top dusted with snow. The German flag above it hung limp. no wind today, only cold air.
As I started walking again, a white pigeon with a hint of gray landed right in front of me. I stopped and crouched down, stretching my hand toward it. Just as I was about to touch it, the pigeon turned to face me, and stared straight into my eyes.
I don't know what happened, but suddenly I felt like I was pulled into a silent, dark place. A mix of emotions started swirling inside me. I even heard a voice familiar. It was Andri's.
The moment I realized that, the pigeon suddenly flew away, and everything snapped back to normal. I could hear the laughter of kids walking past me, and the blaring car horns from the morning traffic.
I looked at my watch. 6:30 AM. I still had a few minutes to walk around the area. I turned my gaze toward the towering Colosseum and started remembering everything that had happened.
"This is where we beat Cleopatra together. And also…"
No! I can't let myself spiral like this. I have to believe that he's still out there. What I need to do now is find Nico and talk to him so we can figure this out as soon as possible.
I turned away and left the Colosseum behind, hurrying toward the station so I wouldn't miss the tram.
– –
During lunch break, I went to the school garden to look for Nico. The grass around the garden, normally where students would gather to eat, was now covered in thick white snow. The colorful flowers that once decorated the garden were buried under snowy petals. I walked around a bit, scanning the area. No sign of Nico. He was probably eating lunch somewhere else too. I had to find him.
I headed to the school's storage shed, a separate building from the main one. Nico usually spent time there prepping gardening tools. But maybe because of the snow, everything inside looked untouched. like it hadn't been used in days. With him not there, I decided to move on. There was only one place left where he could be hiding from me.
I went to the rooftop—the highest point of the school. As I opened the door, I saw a large guy sitting and eating from a big lunch box while staring at the sky.
What is he doing here? Is he really just eating while watching the snow fall? Weird.
I walked up behind him and called out, "Found you."
He turned quickly. "Ah! Sylvia. What's up?"
I stepped closer, holding my lunchbox in one hand. Once I reached him, I sat down in front of Nico and opened it. "There's something I want to ask you. It's about Andri."
"What is it? Don't tell me, you found something out about him?"
I shook my head and paused. "It's more about... where he is."
"Where he is?" he echoed.
I took a cube of chicken and popped it into my mouth. After swallowing, I continued, "Yeah. I mentioned Andri's name to a friend earlier, and she said she didn't know who that was."
"Had she met Andri before?"
I nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"Maybe she just forgot?"
"No! Andri's been forgotten by everyone!"
Hearing that, Nico choked on his food. He dropped his spoon into his lunchbox, wide-eyed. After coughing and catching his breath, he spoke again. "No way! I still remember him clearly!"
"Yeah, me too! And I think... it's because we're Saints."
"You mean, normal people have forgotten him?"
"Yes. Not just my friend. I asked his two closest friends too."
"Oh! Those two? I always see them hanging out in the garden during lunch. So, what did they say?"
"Same thing. They didn't know him. Not even a trace of the memories they shared with him."
Snow started falling again. The cold, damp air made it hard to enjoy lunch. Maybe it was the weather, or maybe it was the mess in my head, I couldn't tell. With most of my food untouched, I closed the lid of my lunchbox and wrapped it back up.
Nico did the same. I didn't know if he was full or just lost his appetite too. He set his box down and sat in silence for a moment. "So… it's like all their memories of Andri have been erased…"
"Who would even do something like this!?"
Nico picked his lunchbox back up and took a bite of soy-glazed beef. "I don't know for sure. But... it's probably them."
"You mean the ones who attacked me and Andri?"
He nodded slowly. He reopened his lunchbox, took out a rolled omelet, and continued eating. "Things are getting complicated, huh…"
"What should we do…"
Hearing the sadness in my voice, Nico suddenly set a warm cup of coffee in front of me. "Here. Drink this."
"Eh? But—"
"It's okay. I'm sure he's alright. And don't try to deal with all this alone. We're a team, right? I'll help too. I'll find a way to bring him back."
He sounded so much like a responsible adult just now. It was kind of annoying, getting lectured by him, of all people—but somehow, his words calmed me down.
"Thanks."
I took the cup of coffee and drank it slowly. Up on that snowy rooftop, Nico and I began to plan our next move—how to bring Andri back.
– –
The snow began falling a bit heavier as the clock struck 4 PM. Earlier in class, an announcement came through the school-wide intercom. In short, it warned that heavier snowfall was expected later tonight, so students were required to be home before 6 PM. Even all after-school activities were cancelled for the day.
Honestly, my house isn't that far from school. It takes about 45 minutes to walk, or just 10 minutes by car. I could've called to get picked up, but by the time I considered that, I was already halfway home.
For some reason, I had a weird feeling. I knew it—Mom was definitely going to message me soon. It's natural for a mother to worry about her child, but with my mom, it's a whole different level. When something bad happens to me, she gets louder than a traffic jam full of honking horns.
Clink! — my phone buzzed.
> [Are you okay? The weather report says there might be a snowstorm. Do you want me to pick you up?]
Just as I thought. Right on cue.
I quickly texted back to ease her mind:
> [It's fine, I'm already halfway home. If the storm hits early, I can take shelter at the convenience store.]
I chuckled to myself as I hit send—realizing I rarely mess with her like this.
Clink!
> [That's not funny. This isn't the time to joke around! Where exactly are you?]
Yikes. I think I made her more worried. Well, that's just how she is. especially Mom.
> [I'm on my way home. Probably ten minutes away. Do you want me to pick up anything?]
Without missing a beat, she replied instantly.
> [Okay, got it! Don't be late, okay? Oh, by the way, can I ask you to bring some warm red bean soup?]
A small smile tugged at the corner of my lips as I typed a simple response:
> [Sure.]
She replied with a cute sticker, ending the conversation.
Noticing the worsening weather, I quickly ran to the nearest convenience store. The automatic doors slid open as I reached them. I went in and grabbed a pack of Japanese-style red bean soup, Mom's favorite. The packaging was warm to the touch, perfect for cold weather. I decided to grab a hot tea as well, just in case. No way I was letting myself freeze out there.
Once I'd paid and left the store, the doors opened automatically—and just across the street, I saw a boy staring blankly up at the sky.
I wanted to ignore him, but with the weather getting worse, I felt uneasy. I decided to walk over and ask what he was doing.
"Excuse me… what are you doing out here?" I said.
No response. He just glanced at me briefly before turning his gaze back to the sky with that same empty stare.
I crouched down slightly and spoke from behind him, "The weather's going to get worse. You should go home."
Still no response. He just kept staring at the sky, which made me look up too. But there was nothing there—just clouds and falling snow.
"Where's your house? I'll take you there. It's dangerous to stay out here."
The moment I placed my hand on his shoulder, a voice echoed in my mind.
"Sylvia!"
It was faint, but I knew that voice. It was familiar. It was… Andri.
As soon as I pulled my hand away, the boy turned and looked directly at me. A star glowed in the center of his pupils.
And suddenly, I was pulled into a dark, silent void. I couldn't even feel my surroundings.
"This…"
I remembered now. The same thing had happened before—back when I stopped by the garden and saw a butterfly flutter past my face. I felt this exact same sensation.
Soft, muffled words filled my head again. It was Andri's voice—faint, but I could make out what he said.
"Sylvia…"
"It's okay…"
"I… will always be with you…"
"Sylvia… please… hang in there…"
As I drifted deeper into that emptiness, someone suddenly tapped my shoulder.
"Excuse me, are you alright?"
I turned slowly to look. It was a police officer patrolling the area. His clothes were plain, nothing that screamed "cop," but I noticed the shiny gold badge on his hat.
"What are you doing daydreaming in a place like this? The weather's getting bad. You should head home now," he said firmly.
"Ah, I understand. But… what about that boy?"
"Boy?"
The officer looked confused when I mentioned him. That's when I realized, the boy who had been staring up at the sky… was gone.
"I don't see anyone else here besides you," he said.
What? That's impossible! I saw him standing right there, staring at the sky with that blank expression.
Frustrated, I tried to explain. "B-but he was right here just a second ago!"
The officer rested a hand on his hip and gave me a skeptical look. "Like I said, I didn't see anyone else. Sorry, but I really have to insist you go home now. The storm's getting worse."
I lowered my head slightly and answered quietly, "…Alright."
The officer walked away, leaving me alone. I looked up at the sky, just like that boy had done.
How could he have disappeared so suddenly?
My head throbbed slightly as I tried to process it all. I turned to leave, but right then, I saw a flash of light flicker behind the clouds. I stared at it, trying to make out what it was—until my phone buzzed again.
Clink!
> [Sylvia!!!! I'm seriously freaking out now. Please text me back before I send people out to look for you!!!!]
A thin smile crossed my face as I read her message. I replied calmly:
> [I'll be home soon.]
I put away my phone and continued walking home, a warm bag of red bean soup and tea swinging gently in my hand.