The courtyard of Anden High was quiet now, the chatter of students long gone. The sun dipped low, spilling shadows across the benches and walkways. The air smelled faintly of damp leaves and cold stone.
Akira Killua lingered near the edge of the field, sketchbook in hand. Her attention kept flicking toward Kylori, who sat alone on a far bench. Pale, tall, elegant—like someone sculpted from night itself.
She whispered to herself, half amused, half nervous:
"Okay… he's definitely not normal."
---
From the darkness beneath Kylori's bench, a ripple stirred. A shape—a minor shadow, barely thicker than smoke—twisted and crept along the ground. It paused at the edge of Akira's vision.
She blinked. "Weird… must be my imagination."
The shadow twitched, elongating slightly, then recoiled as if sensing eyes. It never moved aggressively. It only existed.
> We watch…
We follow…
We linger…
Akira shivered, but she didn't fully register why. The feeling was faint, almost imperceptible—a sense of being observed by something intelligent, something dangerous.
---
Kylori's posture didn't change. He didn't look at her. Didn't speak. Just sat, calm, composed, as if he were carved from darkness itself.
Akira tilted her head, curiosity piqued. "Okay… I can feel it. Something's… off."
> Curiosity is alive.
The minor shadow beneath the bench recoiled slightly, then melted back into the darkness. Akira couldn't see what had moved, only that something had.
Kylori's gaze shifted subtly, not toward her, but toward the courtyard, measuring. He noted the tiny ripple of the shadow, the faintest hint of a presence that could have been ignored—but he didn't. Not yet.
> Let it linger. Let it question. It will learn… eventually.
Akira took a cautious step closer. "Weird day, huh?" she said, trying to mask her nervousness.
Kylori didn't answer. Not because he was rude—because nothing she said warranted his attention. Her boldness, her curiosity, her energy—they were merely observed, analyzed. Not yet understood, not yet dangerous, not yet… relevant.
The courtyard fell silent. The air seemed heavier, though nothing moved. Only the faintest whisper of a presence lingered near her, fleeting, gone the moment she looked for it.
Akira frowned. "I swear… I felt something."
Kylori's eyes remained calm, unbroken. Pale light glanced off the obsidian of his pupils, reflecting nothing—revealing nothing.
> Curiosity survives. Observation begins. Danger is patient.
And so the day ended, ordinary to anyone else—but for Akira, the seeds of unease had been planted. She didn't know it yet, but the boy she found intriguing was… entirely untouchable.
The shadows shifted behind him, but not toward her. Not yet.
> Let them wonder. Let them notice. Let them survive a little longer.