The warning notes wouldn't leave her head.
Stay away from him.
Ask Renji about last year.
Aika Morishima wasn't the kind of girl to chase trouble. She wanted grades, safety, quiet. But Kaito Renji wasn't letting her have any of that — and now, neither were the shadows he dragged behind him.
So she made a decision.
If no one else would tell her what happened last year, she'd find out herself.
---
Her first stop was the archives room in the library basement — the dusty, forgotten section where old newspapers and campus bulletins were kept.
The librarian raised an eyebrow. "You want last year's files?"
"Yes," Aika said, forcing her voice steady. "It's… for a research project."
The woman muttered something about "nosy students" but handed over a stack of folders anyway.
Aika flipped through them quickly, scanning articles. Student awards. Event flyers. Rumors columns. Then she found it.
'Mysterious Withdrawals Shake Campus'
The article was vague, almost deliberately so. Three names listed. All students who had been on track for major honors. All vanished from the roster within weeks of each other. No explanation given.
And one detail that made her heart race:
Each of them had been partnered with Kaito Renji in a class.
Her fingers tightened on the paper. This wasn't coincidence.
---
She was so lost in thought that she didn't notice the figure stepping into the aisle until a hand slammed the folder shut.
Aika jumped, eyes snapping up.
Kaito.
He leaned over the table, his face inches from hers, his smile absent this time. "Curious little rabbit," he said softly. "Digging through the wrong burrow."
Her breath caught. "You—! You knew I'd come here?"
"Of course." His eyes darkened. "You're predictable. That's what makes you dangerous."
Dangerous? The word made no sense. But before she could push, before she could demand answers—
"AIKA!"
Mina's voice crashed through the basement like a siren. Aika jolted, nearly knocking the folders to the floor. Mina bounded in, holding a tray of cookies.
"I found the cafeteria giving out free snacks and—ohhh, hi Devil Boy!" Mina froze mid-step, eyes darting between them. "Wait. Are you two having a date in the archives?"
"It's not a date!" Aika yelped, face flaming.
Kaito's smirk returned like a blade sliding free. "If it were, it'd be the most interesting one you've ever had."
"STOP TALKING!" Aika snapped, shoving the folder into her bag before Mina could peek.
Mina raised both brows, grinning like she'd just walked in on the juiciest drama of the year. "Ohhh, I see what's happening here."
"You see nothing!" Aika cried, dragging her toward the exit.
Behind her, Kaito chuckled low, the sound chasing her all the way up the stairs.
And though she told herself it was annoyance burning in her chest… she knew part of it wasn't.
---