With the end of the school day, the sounds subsided throughout the school, and the corridors began to empty one after another, as if the place was slowly turning the page on a heavy day. Ahmed and Misaki went up to the school rooftop, that small sanctuary which resembled a secret space untouched by noise. The sky was leaning toward the color of sunset, and the air carried a pleasant coolness that brought a sense of serenity to the heart.
They sat on the wooden bench near the railing, close to each other without intention, as if fatigue had brought them closer than ever before. Ahmed quietly opened his bag, took out small containers neatly arranged, and placed them between them with a warm smile not devoid of satisfaction.
He said in a low voice, with a tone of simple joy: "I prepared a lot of food and dessert... let's celebrate that we helped that girl."
Misaki smiled, and let out a light laugh that came from a heart exhausted by worry all day. She took one of the containers, looked at him with a grateful gaze, before saying: "Perhaps she needed us more than we thought..."
They ate slowly, exchanging conversation about what had happened, about the fear they saw in that girl's eyes, and about the heavy silence that fell over the principal's office. The words were simple, but the feelings left by the day were not. Short moments of silence passed between one sentence and the next, a silence that was not empty, but filled with something resembling temporary reassurance.
Then... everything stopped.
Misaki suddenly froze, her features pale, and her gaze fixed toward the edge of the rooftop. Ahmed noticed her change, so he raised his head questioningly, and followed her gaze without uttering a word.
And the moment his eyes met what she saw... he felt his heart drop into a void.
At the edge of the rooftop, stood that girl.