The study hall was supposed to be empty this late at night. Rows of books stretched in silence, the clock ticking faintly above.
Aika had come to escape. To breathe. To convince herself she could still control this madness.
But then the door creaked open.
Kaito slipped inside, his presence filling the air before he even spoke. "You're alone," he said softly, like it was an invitation.
Her pulse quickened. "Don't— someone could see us."
His smirk sharpened. "That's what makes it exciting."
---
She tried to move past him, but his hand caught her wrist. Not rough. Not forcing. Just holding.
"Aika." His voice dipped lower, more dangerous. "Stop lying to yourself."
Before she could reply, his lips were on hers again, deep and relentless. Her back hit the wall between bookshelves, the air charged with forbidden heat. She clutched at his shirt, torn between pushing him away and pulling him closer.
Every sound — the creak of the floor, the whisper of their breaths — felt like it could betray them.
"Kaito, we can't—" she gasped between kisses.
"Then tell me no." His lips brushed her neck, igniting sparks down her spine.
But the word wouldn't come.
Instead, her silence gave him permission. And in that silence, Aika realized the scariest truth of all: she didn't want to stop.
---
A sudden noise — the echo of footsteps down the hall.
They froze, breaths ragged, pressed against each other in the dark. The steps faded, the door shut again.
Kaito smirked against her ear. "See? You're addicted to danger."
Her whole body trembled, because he wasn't wrong.
---
The next morning, Mina sat in the cafeteria with a notebook open, eyes narrowed. She'd noticed the late nights, the whispers, the tension in Aika's laugh.
She scribbled a list:
Disappearing at night
Nervous when Kaito's around
New number on her call log
Mina tapped her pen against the page, muttering, "You're hiding something, bestie… and I'll get to the bottom of it."
She circled one name on the paper.
Kaito.
---