The uniform still smelled new.
Seina tugged at the sleeve of her blazer as she walked down the school hallway. The fabric was too stiff, as if it hadn't yet learned the shape of her body.
The school was big.
Too big.
Wide corridors, staircases crowded with students going up and down at the same time, voices echoing off the walls. Everything felt noisy, alive, busy.
She felt out of place in the middle of it all.
A group of girls walked past her laughing. One of them glanced quickly at Seina before whispering something to the others. Quiet giggles followed as they moved away.
Seina pretended not to notice.
She kept walking.
The map of the school they had shown her at the office was still a bit confusing in her head. She turned down the wrong hallway, went back, climbed a flight of stairs.
When she finally found the classroom, several students were already seated.
The conversations quieted when she walked in.
The teacher looked up from her desk.
"Ah. You must be the new student."
Seina nodded.
"You can introduce yourself."
Several heads turned in her direction.
Seina stood near the door for a second.
"My name is Im Sei-na…"
She didn't add anything else.
Someone in the back let out a muffled laugh.
Other students exchanged glances.
The teacher seemed to wait a bit longer, then sighed.
"Alright… you can sit in the back."
Seina walked to the last row and sat down.
During the first class, no one spoke to her.
But she felt the looks.
Quick looks. Curious.
Or judging.
During break, that changed.
She was in the hallway trying to figure out which corridor led to the rooftop when three girls approached her.
One of them had bleached hair tied in a high ponytail and a smile that seemed sharper than friendly.
"Hey." Seina stopped. "You're the new girl, right?"
"I am."
The girl tilted her head.
"Where did you come from?"
"Another city."
"Which one?"
Seina shrugged.
"Far away."
The other two laughed.
"Wow, how mysterious," one of them commented.
The first girl looked Seina up and down.
Her uniform was neat, but her hair looked slightly messy. A tired expression. A closed-off demeanor.
"Do you always walk around like that?"
"Like what?"
"Like… lost."
More giggles.
Seina didn't respond.
The girl took a step closer.
"You're strange."
The word came out simply, almost casually.
"And you don't even seem to try to look normal."
Seina lightly tightened her fingers around her sleeve.
"I'm just walking."
"Sure."
The girl looked at her chest.
Her gaze lingered there a second longer than it should have.
"Seriously," the girl said. "Do you really think you can get boys' attention with that fake thing?"
Then she reached out without warning.
The touch was quick.
Direct.
Seina froze.
"Damn," the girl said with a crooked smile. "They're huge… and real…"
Seina stepped back.
Her brain seemed to shut down for a moment.
"Relax," the girl said, tilting her head. "I was just curious."
The girl stepped closer, and Seina simply turned and ran.
"What a weird girl, come back! We're just joking."
The word echoed—being called strange wasn't something she was used to.
Seina felt her chest tighten.
Thalya.
The image appeared in her mind before she could stop running.
Her hands… the way she spoke… the way she looked.
For a second, the school hallway disappeared.
The corridor returned to normal around Seina. Students passing by, conversations happening as if nothing had happened.
She stood there for a few seconds.
Then she started walking again.
The rest of the day went by slowly.
The classes felt longer. The classroom noise louder.
At some point, someone whispered "strange" as she passed by.
She pretended not to hear.
When the last class ended, Seina left school without speaking to anyone.
The city was as busy as ever. Cars passing, people walking quickly along the sidewalks.
But she felt distant from all of it.
When she got home, her parents hadn't returned yet.
The apartment was silent.
Seina dropped her backpack near the door and went to her room.
She sat on the bed.
She stared at her own hands.
That girl's touch still seemed stuck to her skin.
She ran her fingers along her arm, as if she could erase the sensation.
It didn't work.
After a while, she lay down, staring at the ceiling.
The word came back to her mind.
Strange.
Maybe she really was.
Because in the middle of that huge city, full of people… she could only think about one person who wasn't there.
And the more time passed, the more that distance felt wrong.
As if something was out of place.