The next few days passed in a blur of gossip, classes, and Kaito Renji's unbearable shadow.
Everywhere Aika went, whispers followed.
"They were locked in a room together."
"She's his new toy."
"She's going to regret it."
She kept her head high, pretending not to hear. But the truth was, those whispers sank in.
And then came the second warning.
---
It was late afternoon. Aika had stayed behind in the library, determined to bury herself in work and block out the noise of campus life. Mina had left hours ago, muttering something about karaoke. The quiet stacks were a relief.
Until she turned a corner—
—and nearly tripped over a crumpled piece of paper on the floor.
At first, she ignored it. But something about the jagged writing scrawled across it made her pause.
She bent down.
STAY AWAY FROM HIM.
Her blood ran cold.
Before she could process it, a hand closed around hers.
She gasped. Kaito was standing there, too close, his expression unreadable in the dim library light.
"You shouldn't wander alone this late," he said quietly.
She yanked her hand back. "Were you following me?!"
"Protecting you."
"From what?"
Kaito studied her face for a moment, then smiled — a slow, dangerous smile. "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you."
Something in his tone made her shiver. Not from fear. From the terrifying possibility that he was right.
---
The next day, the whispers grew louder. Someone had scribbled a message across the blackboard before class started:
'Ask Renji about last year.'
Professor Haneda erased it before the lecture began, pretending not to notice. But the words burned into Aika's mind.
Last year.
She glanced at Kaito. He sat in his usual seat, relaxed, smirk intact — but his eyes flickered to her, sharp, as if daring her to ask.
And for a second, she wondered…
Was she really sitting beside a classmate?
Or was she playing a role in something much bigger, much darker?
---
That evening, as she and Mina walked back to the dorms, Aika couldn't shake it. The note. The warning. The rumors.
Mina was rambling about bubble tea when Aika suddenly blurted: "Mina… what happened last year?"
Mina stopped mid-sentence, blinking. "Last year?"
"With Kaito."
For once, Mina didn't joke. She frowned, glancing around nervously. "People don't… talk about it much. Some say it's just gossip, some say it's real. But—" She lowered her voice. "Three students. They were close to him. And they… disappeared."
Aika's chest tightened. "Disappeared?"
Mina nodded grimly. "One transferred suddenly. Another dropped out. And the last one… no one's seen since."
The night air felt colder.
Aika didn't want to believe it. But when she looked up at the dorm windows, she caught sight of him — Kaito Renji, standing at the far end of the corridor, watching them from the shadows.
And this time, there was no smirk.
Only silence.
And a look that made her wonder if she'd just stepped into something she couldn't escape.
---