The campus at night was quieter than Aika expected. No chatter. No laughter spilling from dorm windows. Just the low hum of crickets and the echo of her own footsteps.
She shouldn't have been here — not alone, not after everything she'd uncovered. But her instincts wouldn't let her sleep.
Something was happening. And Kaito Renji was at the center of it.
---
The courtyard lights flickered as she passed. Ahead, near the old science building, a door clicked shut. Aika froze.
Kaito.
Her heart pounded. She followed, careful on the stone path. The building was supposed to be locked at this hour, but she slipped in before the door latched.
The hallway smelled faintly of chemicals and dust. She moved quietly, her shoes scuffing against the tiles. Then she heard it: voices.
One male. One female.
Peering around the corner, she caught her breath.
Kaito stood in the empty classroom, leaning casually against a desk. Across from him was a girl Aika didn't recognize — tall, striking, with a nervous energy. Papers were scattered between them.
"You said you'd make it disappear," the girl whispered. "That no one would ever find out."
Kaito smiled, slow and sharp. "And I did. But debts have a way of returning, don't they?"
The girl flinched. "You're cruel."
"Cruel?" Kaito tilted his head. "No. I'm efficient. If you want mercy, you're in the wrong college."
Aika's stomach turned. She pressed her hand against the wall to steady herself. This wasn't teasing, wasn't his usual game. This was something else — darker, real.
The girl shoved the papers at him. "Fine. Take them. Just keep your word."
Kaito leafed through them, his expression unreadable. Then he said something that froze Aika in place:
"You should leave before Morishima decides to play detective again. She's nosy like that."
The girl stiffened, glanced toward the hallway, then bolted past Aika without seeing her.
For a moment, silence. Then Kaito's voice drifted lazily into the air.
"You can come out now."
Aika's pulse spiked. She stepped from the shadows, her hands clenched at her sides. "What… what are you doing? Who was that?"
Kaito tucked the papers under his arm. His smile was softer this time, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Careful, rabbit. Curiosity kills."
"That's not an answer."
"Do you really want one?" He stepped closer, the dim light outlining his face. "Or would you rather keep pretending I'm just your campus rival with a bad attitude?"
Her throat tightened. For the first time, she wasn't sure if she hated him, feared him… or something worse.
Kaito stopped just short of her, lowering his voice. "If you stay close, you'll burn. If you run, you'll still feel the fire on your back. Either way, you're marked now."
Aika swallowed hard, refusing to back away. "Then I'll burn."
For a second, something flickered in his gaze — surprise, maybe even admiration. Then he brushed past her, leaving the hallway colder than before.
---
Aika stood frozen long after his footsteps faded. She should've felt victorious for standing her ground. Instead, all she felt was the creeping certainty that she'd just crossed a line she could never step back from.
And Kaito knew it.
---