A white wing glided across the sky.
The sky today was an unusually deep blue. Thin layers of clouds drifted lazily with the wind, and soft sunlight washed over everything, casting a deceptively peaceful calm.
Kai tilted his head up, hands braced behind him, his back resting against the rooftop fence.
Kai:
"Today's… pretty peaceful, huh?"
It was afternoon break. The rooftop of the high school was deserted, occupied only by three familiar figures.
Duke squatted nearby, eyes glued to his handheld game console, fingers tapping nonstop.
Duke:
"Same as any other day."
Mike lay flat on the concrete, hands folded behind his head, letting out a long, weary yawn.
Mike:
"I'm dead tired~ Is class starting yet or what?"
Duke flicked a glance at the digital watch on his wrist, then click—snapped the game console shut.
Duke:
"Soon."
Suddenly, loud cheers erupted from the schoolyard below. Laughter, whistles, and excited shouts overlapped chaotically.
Curious, Kai stepped closer to the railing and leaned over to look down.
A crowd of students had gathered in the middle of the yard. At the center stood three boys who clearly stood out from the sea of people.
Duke and Mike walked over, stopping on either side of Kai.
Mike:
"Is it them?"
Duke:
"Yeah. The school's three 'musketeers.'"
Duke pointed to the one standing in the middle — a boy with sunlit blond hair, a confident smile, and a perfectly balanced build.
Duke:
"Hajime. Nickname: 'Mr. Perfect.' Sports, academics, looks — good at everything."
Then he shifted his finger to the one on the right, a large figure with broad shoulders, muscles obvious even beneath the school uniform.
Duke:
"And that's Chad. A legit gym rat. Sports-wise, he's unbeatable. As for studying…"
Duke trailed off, letting out a small chuckle.
Mike narrowed his eyes at the last one. He had black hair, sharp eyes, and a gaze that seemed perpetually locked onto something invisible ahead.
Mike:
"What about that guy?"
Duke:
"Daniel. An exchange student from the U.S. I don't know much — just rumors that he's smart, the kind whose brain never stops running."
While the other two kept talking, Kai had already stopped looking at the yard.
His gaze drifted back up to the clear blue sky above.
He let out a very soft sigh.
Mike noticed and turned toward him.
Mike:
"What's with you, idiot? Jealous of them or something?"
Kai curled one corner of his mouth and shook his head.
Kai:
"No. I do not care about them."
Duke glanced at Kai and shrugged.
Duke:
"Why bother caring? The three of us are all painfully average. Nothing special about any of us."
Kai was silent for a few seconds.
Kai:
"No… that's not what I mean."
Duke:
"Then what do you mean?"
Kai didn't answer right away.
The wind blew gently, chilling the metal railing beneath his hands. The noise from the schoolyard below slowly faded, as if being submerged under something unseen.
Kai:
"…Don't you ever get bored?"
Duke and Mike both turned to look at him.
Duke:
"Bored? Bored of what?"
Kai:
"Bored of this life."
Mike let out a light laugh, half joking, half serious.
Mike:
"You sick of living or something?"
Kai gave a quiet scoff, eyes still fixed on the sky.
Kai:
"No. I mean… school, home, then school again. Over and over. Graduate, get a job, then another loop."
Duke:
"What can you do? That's what life is."
Mike sat up and lightly patted Kai on the shoulder.
Mike:
"He's right. Life's boring by nature. Always has been."
Kai smiled faintly, but the smile never reached his eyes.
Kai:
"Guess so…"
He paused, then continued, his voice softer.
Kai:
"…But if there were a chance… I'd want to try something new."
He looked up at the blue sky one more time.
Then blinked.
In that brief instant, something was wrong.
That blue… it was brighter. Deeper. As if the sky had moved a little closer.
Kai opened his eyes.
The wind no longer smelled of concrete and schoolyard dust.
Beneath his feet was no longer cold cement.
Kai looked down.
Grass.
A vast field of grass stretched all the way to the horizon. The wind rippled through it in rolling green waves, carrying the scent of soil and an unfamiliar wilderness.
Screams echoed everywhere.
Shouts of panic. Crying. Voices calling out names.
Kai looked up.
Hundreds of students — the entire school — were scattered across the field.
Kai:
"…Duke?"
Duke:
"What the hell is this?!"
Mike:
"Wait… where are we—"
The three stared at one another, breaths ragged, hearts pounding wildly.
No buildings.
No fences.
No familiar sky.
Only a strange, unknown world unfolding before them.
All three shouted at once, their voices trembling with panic and disbelief:
"What the hell is going on?!"