The morning light crept in slowly, touching the edges of the curtain like it was afraid to disturb us.
I opened my eyes to the soft, filtered glow.
The room was warm. Quiet. Still.
His arm rested beside mine.
His body was still there.
But his soul…
Gone again.
I didn't move for a long time.
My head lay on his chest, listening to the heartbeat that had never once changed for me—not when I kissed him, not when I cried, not when I gave everything I had.
I thought last night might soften something inside him.
But it only softened me.
And that was the problem.
I lifted myself slowly, careful not to wake him—though I doubted he was truly asleep. Ren didn't sleep like others. He drifted somewhere else entirely.
Always elsewhere.
Always distant.
I sat at the edge of the bed, clutching the sheet around my bare body, staring at the pale carpet beneath my feet. I could feel the remnants of last night, the cum slipping from my pussy, a stark reminder of the intensity we shared. But it felt hollow, empty, just like him.
"You give everything except what matters."
My words echoed back at me.
He hadn't denied it.
He never does.
My fingers trembled slightly as I touched the small scar near my neck—the one he left the night before when I bit him, when I tried to make him feel something. Anything.
All I wanted was to know he was still human somewhere under all that silence.
But maybe he wasn't.
Maybe he never was.
Still, I turned to look at him—half-asleep, shirt still open, face calm in that maddening, unreadable way.
Even now, my heart hurt looking at him.
Even now, I wanted to hold him again.
Even now… I would do it all again.
I gathered my clothes quietly.
Dressed.
Combed my fingers through my hair in the small bathroom mirror, wiping tears I didn't realize had started again.
As I stood at the door, I whispered it—not to him, but to the part of me that still hoped.
"Please… say something next time."
I left the room without another sound.
POV: RenLocation: Earth – Morning – School
When I woke, the sheets were still warm.
But the space beside me was empty.
Astraea had left without a word.
No note. No message.
Just silence.
The same way I would've done.
I sat up and dressed without thought. Movements mechanical. Shirt. Tie. Blazer. Bag. Face.
The face mattered most.
The one the world knew.
The one that smiled gently when spoken to.The one that bowed slightly to teachers.The one that nodded when Airi slipped her hand into mine at the gate.
She was waiting there. As always.
But something in her grip was tighter today.
Something in her smile didn't reach her eyes.
"Good morning," she said, brushing her bangs behind her ear.
"Morning," I replied with my usual softness.
"You didn't message me last night."
"I fell asleep early."
A beat.
"I see," she said.
We walked to school together, like always. Our footsteps side by side. Familiar. Quiet.
But I could feel her eyes on me more often now.
Lingering.
Measuring.
In the classroom, she sat beside me. Astraea, now officially enrolled, took the desk on my other side.
She greeted Airi with a sweetness so polished it sounded like a blade sliding through silk.
"Ren-nii and I studied a lot last night," she said casually, flipping open her notebook. "He's really smart. But you already know that, don't you, Airi-senpai?"
Airi smiled back.
It didn't reach her eyes either.
I stared at the board, listening to the teacher drone on about thermodynamics.
None of it reached me.
But I nodded in the right places. Took notes. Tilted my head thoughtfully.
The mask stayed in place.
Inside, I felt nothing.
Not guilt.Not pride.Not fear.
Just the sensation of pressure tightening around me—like thread being wound taut by invisible hands.
They were both watching me.
Airi.Astraea.
For different reasons.With different eyes.
But still watching.
Why don't I erase it?
The thought brushed my mind again.
Why not end the tension? End the noise?
One flick of thought, and everything could be rewritten. Clean.
But I didn't.
Because maybe—Just maybe—this pain made me feel alive.
Even if it was a lie.