The sun had dipped low, drenching the university grounds in a soft golden haze. Classes had ended, the campus buzzing with students heading home or lingering in groups. Yet inside one classroom, eight people remained behind—caught by fate and Professor Harrow's sharp voice.
"You eight," he said briskly, pointing at them. "I need a favor. Retrieve the old project files from the South Library and sort them into the database room. Teamwork is important—remember that."
Before anyone could protest, he was gone.
The eight of them. Aira and the seven.Destiny, it seemed, had a sense of humor.
Dragging their feet, they left the classroom together—an odd, chaotic cluster orbiting around the silent figure who walked a few steps ahead.
Aira.Black boots tapping softly against the marble. Hair tied neatly. Expression blank. Aura unreadable. She was the stillness at the center of their noise.
Behind her, chaos thrived.
Kai groaned dramatically, throwing his head back. "Are we being punished for breathing?"
Bianca laughed, nudging his arm. "If we are, it's your fault for being too loud."
Kai clutched his chest, stumbling theatrically right behind Aira as though mortally wounded. She didn't glance back. Didn't even twitch.
Zane smirked faintly at Kai's antics, hands shoved lazily in his pockets. His eyes, however, lingered only on Aira's back.
"Finally something we agree on," Damian muttered, tone as dry as the desert.
Valentina leaned toward Ivy, whispering just loud enough for everyone to hear. "I swear she's not human. She's like… ice, walking."
Ivy grinned. "More like the final boss in a video game."
Rei widened his eyes in mock fear. "I'm just here trying to survive, okay?"
Their laughter spilled into the corridor, chasing away the quiet. Aira heard it all, every word brushing against the armor around her heart. On the surface, her face remained cold, eyes fixed ahead. But inside… something stirred.
Why are they laughing? Why does it not feel like mockery?
Inside the Old Library
The South Library greeted them with the stale perfume of dust and forgotten pages. Long-abandoned bookshelves towered into the dim rafters, cobwebs hanging like veils. The floorboards creaked under their steps, the air heavy with age.
Kai lifted a moldy file high above his head like a cursed relic. "Bet there's a ghost in here somewhere. The tragic librarian spirit, doomed to alphabetize forever."
Bianca shrieked. "Kai! Don't say that!" She clung to Rei's arm in mock terror. Both of them stumbled into a pile of old chairs with a crash.
Aira blinked once at the sight. Deadpan.
Valentina burst into laughter. "You two are hopeless."
Damian's voice cut in dryly. "Natural selection at work."
Ivy elbowed him lightly, smiling. "Be nice, Damian. We have children among us."
Kai poked his head out from under a chair, grinning up at Aira. "You're laughing inside, aren't you? Admit it, Ice Queen."
Her stare was flat, her voice low. "You're mistaken."
The others burst into giggles again. Even Zane chuckled softly, though his gaze lingered on the almost-imperceptible twitch at the corner of Aira's lips.
Little Gestures
They settled into sorting dusty files. Laughter, bickering, and clumsy accidents filled the silence between their tasks. For once, Aira was not the shadow lurking at the edge—she was among them. Silent, yes. But present.
At one point, Valentina casually passed her a bottle of water. "You probably don't need it," she said with a light smile, "but… just in case."
Aira stared at the bottle for two seconds too long before taking it. "Thank you."The words were still cold, but… genuine.
Bianca, meanwhile, managed to drop a file the size of a brick on Rei's foot. His howl echoed through the library.
"I'm dying!" he declared, hopping on one leg. "Tell my family I love them!"
The group howled with laughter. Aira stood still, unmoving. But deep inside, a strange, unfamiliar warmth bloomed.
Is this… friendship?
Teasing Zane
Kai wiped tears of laughter from his eyes and nudged Zane. "You're staring too much, man. Never seen you interested in anyone before."
Zane's reply was cool, dry. "Observing. Not interested."
Yet when his eyes flicked toward Aira again, something rare flickered there. Curiosity. Intrigue. An ember he couldn't quite define.
Ivy smirked. "Should we start planning the wedding now?"
Zane raised a brow, voice calm but edged. "Try it. I'll make you disappear."
Their laughter erupted again, louder this time. Even Damian cracked a rare grin.
Aira, silent at the edge of their circle, felt… unsettled. No one had ever joked around her like this without cruelty beneath their words. No venom. No trap.
Is this… safe?
Mission Complete
An hour later, sweaty and dust-streaked, they dumped the sorted files into the database room.
Kai collapsed dramatically onto the floor. "We survived! Against all odds!"
Bianca laughed, wiping her forehead. "Barely."
Valentina grinned at Aira. "Some of us thrived. Right, Ice Queen?"
Aira tilted her head slightly. "I survived. That's enough."
A silence followed. Then Rei gasped, clutching his chest. "She… she made a joke. A real joke. Historic moment!"
Laughter exploded through the group. Even Zane allowed himself a low, rare laugh—so unexpected that everyone turned to stare at him like he'd grown two heads.
Damian pretended to wipe a tear. "Our little boy's growing up."
More laughter followed, echoing off the dusty shelves until the library itself seemed to awaken with it.
Parting Ways
Outside, night crept slowly over the campus. The group lingered by the steps, reluctant to part.
Bianca and Ivy waved. Valentina blew an exaggerated kiss. Kai formed heart shapes with his fingers, Rei and Damian shaking their heads in disbelief.
Aira stood frozen, watching them scatter into the twilight. Her chest tightened, her breath caught. Then, as always, she turned away.
What is this feeling? Why does it terrify me more than hatred?
Aira's Dorm – Late Night
Her room was cloaked in darkness. Aira sat by the window, knees drawn to her chest, staring at the campus bathed in pale moonlight.
Inside her heart, a war raged.
I don't deserve this. They'll leave, like everyone else did. If I get used to it, it will hurt more when they betray me.
Her fingers curled tightly in the blanket. Shadows of old betrayals haunted her thoughts. Sana's smirk. Her father's anger. Liam's back retreating.
Stay cold. Stay distant. It's safer.
Yet as her eyes drifted closed, one memory lingered—The sound of laughter.The weight of a water bottle, offered without expectation.The warmth of belonging, however brief.
Aira squeezed her eyes shut, burying her face into the pillow. No. I don't need it. I don't need anyone.
But deep within, the ice cracked—a small, fragile sound, like frost breaking under the first touch of spring.