INT. CLASSROOM – MORNING
(NOKKO appears briefly above the wristband, floating in the corner of the screen like a smug pop-up tutorial.)
NOKKO (to audience):
"Before we begin, here's your cheat sheet for interpreting my epic RGB glow-up modes—because apparently, subtlety is dead."
Blue – Chill. No strong feelings. Emotionally beige.
Orange – Sarcasm, trolling, or I'm feeling cute.
Red – Stress. Meltdown. Someone's about to throw hands.
Green – Brain firing on all cylinders. Genius unlocked.
Purple – Anomaly. Weird memory shivers. Emotional ghosts.
Gray – I'm asleep, dead, or pretending to be both.
NOKKO (smirking):
"Good luck. Rei needs it."
The bell rings. Groans erupt like dying animals.
Ms. Tsuda enters with a clipboard and the thousand-yard stare of a woman who's reconsidering her life choices.
MS. TSUDA
"Quiz Bee reps — you're up. Head to the auditorium."
A whistle from the back.
STUDENT 1
"Team Genius and... Guy Who Breathes Loudly."
Laughter.
I grab my bag in silence. Nokko pulses faintly blue on my wrist.
NOKKO (cheery):
"Status: Prepared for cognitive combat."
REI
"You're helping this time, right?"
NOKKO (flickering orange):
"…zzz…"
He shifts gray. Fully offline.
REI
"Wait—what?"
NOKKO (muffled):
"Do not disturb. Ate too much… temporal bento lag… reboot in 300 minutes...zzz…"
REI
"I hate you."
Across the room, Shino Kagawa is already walking out.
Silent. Straight-backed. Doesn't even glance my way.
INT. AUDITORIUM – QUIZ BEE SETUP
Shiny whiteboards. Folded chairs. Dead-eyed audience.
Two reps per class. One marker each.
I sit next to Shino. She doesn't speak—just surveys the room like a chessboard she already won.
REI
"You nervous?"
She doesn't look at me.
SHINO
"Should I be?"
REI
"…Guess not."
ROUND ONE
MODERATOR
"What is the powerhouse of the cell?"
Shino steps forward.
Writes: Mitochondria.
Fast. Clean. Cold.
MODERATOR
"Correct."
Light applause.
Nokko snores from my wrist.
Gray. Useless.
ROUNDS TWO TO FOUR
Shino demolishes.
Obscure math? Nailed.
World history? Bodied.
Crowd? Awed.
STUDENT (whispering):
"She's unreal."
ANOTHER:
"Is Rei even doing anything?"
ANOTHER:
"Dude's just... breathing decor."
I squeeze the marker tighter.
Nokko flickers orange mid-snore.
NOKKO (mumbling):
"Rice balls and regret…"
Back to gray.
REI (gritting):
"Useless alien plush."
ROUND FIVE – FINAL QUESTION
The rival team — smug Class 2-C — flex with fake humility.
One of them smirks at Shino.
STUDENT 2-C:
"Try not to freeze up, princess."
Shino's eyes narrow. She steps forward.
MODERATOR
"Translate this Latin phrase:
'Through hardships to the stars.'"
She grips the marker.
Eyes locked. Muscles tensed.
Then… nothing.
Complete stillness.
REI
"Shino?"
She doesn't blink.
The audience shifts.
STUDENT
"Is she... broken?"
REI (quietly):
"…Nokko. Help."
The bracelet flashes — suddenly, violently.
Purple. Then green.
NOKKO (sharp):
"Override active. Answer: Per aspera ad astra."
I step up.
Hand moves before I can stop it.
Per aspera ad astra.
Silence. Then—
MODERATOR
"Correct."
Applause. Scattered. Confused.
We win.
I turn.
Shino still hasn't moved.
AFTER THE QUIZ – HALLWAY
She holds the prize like it's made of cardboard (because it is).
We walk in silence.
REI
"You okay?"
SHINO
"Fine."
REI
"…You froze."
SHINO
"I know."
REI
"…Why?"
Silence.
REI
"That phrase… have you seen it before?"
She stops walking. Still doesn't face me.
SHINO
"I wrote it before."
REI
"…When?"
No reply.
REI
"I thought you carried the whole team."
SHINO
"I did."
REI
"But I carried you once."
A pause. She exhales.
Not a laugh. Just breath.
SHINO
"Don't let it go to your head."
LATER – REI'S ROOM
The quiz bee certificate is crumpled on the floor.
Victory smells like microwave noodles and existential dread.
Nokko floats above me in lazy, lopsided circles.
NOKKO (orange, smug):
"Today's stats: one academic victory, zero meltdowns, and approximately 43 rice balls consumed. Progress."
REI
"You ditched me."
NOKKO
"I delegated. To the competent one."
REI
"She froze."
NOKKO
"And you unfroze. Congrats. Achievement unlocked: 'Useful for Once.'"
I groan and pull the blanket over my face.
REI
"That Latin phrase… I didn't know it. Not really. But when I wrote it…"
NOKKO (lowering, dim purple):
"It felt familiar."
REI
"…Yeah."
NOKKO
"Because it wasn't yours."
REI
"Then whose was it?"
He hovers lower. Quieter now.
NOKKO
"Someone you forgot.
Or maybe… someone who forgot you first."
REI
"You ever gonna give me a straight answer?"
NOKKO (smirking):
"Straight answers are for boring stories."
He spins upside-down, slow and smug.
REI
"So I just wait? For more memories that aren't mine?"
NOKKO
"We're not here to make you a genius, Rei."
NOKKO (serious):
"We're here to find what broke you."
I stare at him. He stares back — glowing faintly. Fading.
Then that same grin.
NOKKO (cheerful again):
"Also, please stop choking under pressure. I nap for like four hours max and the whole ship goes down."
I hurl a pillow at him.
He dodges with a backflip.
REI
"You suck."
NOKKO (beaming):
"And yet, I'm still the best thing in your life."
END OF CHAPTER 4