On his way to school, Tiger adjusts his bag and walks past the glass panel near the building exit.
For a split second—
He sees her.
Not like a reflection.
Like something stuck between the glass and reality.
Her eyes weren't blinking.
Stuck to the glass behind him.
Watching.
Still.
His heart skips.
He turns immediately.
She's gone.
Tiger walks closer to the glass and examines it carefully.
Nothing.
He exhales slowly.
"No… this too? It's just coincidence. My mind still hasn't recovered."
"Or maybe I'm still inside something… and I just don't know it yet."
He rubs his forehead.
"I don't have time for this. I need to go."
He forces himself to move forward.
At school, while walking through the corridor toward his classroom, he notices something again.
On the glass wall panel—
She's there.
Clinging to it as if gravity doesn't exist.
Watching him from the other side.
Tiger walks quickly toward her.
"What are you doing here?" he whispers sharply. "If someone sees you—"
Before he can finish—
She climbs upward effortlessly and reaches the rooftop.
Tiger clicks his tongue and climbs after her.
When he reaches the rooftop, he finds her standing near the edge, looking down calmly.
As if she wasn't looking at the ground —
but measuring the height of his fall.
"If someone sees you," Tiger says seriously, "this will turn into a huge problem."
She doesn't answer.
Instead, she suddenly slides down from the rooftop smoothly and lands below without making a sound.
Tiger immediately follows, sliding down as well.
A teacher nearby pauses slightly, as if sensing something from above.
Tiger quickly jumps down.
"Huh? Where did she go?"
He looks around.
Empty.
Then—
He looks up.
She's sitting on the wall again.
Relaxed.
Like she owns the place.
Tiger sighs.
"Oh… so your favorite spot is sitting on walls, huh?"
She smiles faintly.
"Oh? You figured that out?"
She has a small wooden stick in her hand.
She jumps down lightly.
Tiger looks at her more seriously this time.
"Is it necessary for you to stalk me? Can you at least tell me that?"
She begins walking around him in a slow circle.
"Stalk you?" she says casually. "Tiger… I'm not stalking you. Well… you can believe whatever you want."
She keeps circling him while speaking.
Tiger frowns.
"Can you stop walking around me? It's annoying."
She tilts her head.
"Oh? Does it feel strange that I'm walking around you?"
A slight smirk appears on her face.
"Fine. Let's play a game."
With just her index and middle finger, she flicks the small wooden stick toward him.
Tiger catches it easily.
"What game?" he asks nonchalantly.
She places both hands behind her back and leans forward slightly.
"Watch."
Suddenly—
The wooden stick slips from Tiger's hand on its own.
But it doesn't fall.
It floats in mid-air.
The air around it felt distorted.
Like the world hesitated for her.
Tiger's eyes sharpen.
Without warning—
The stick shoots toward his eye at high speed.
Just centimeters away—
It freezes.
Suspended right in front of him.
Close enough for him to feel the air shift.
She laughs softly.
"That was the game."
Tiger doesn't move.
"So you were checking whether my shield was active."
She shrugs.
"Maybe. Maybe."
Then her expression changes slightly.
"I don't have much time. So listen."
She steps closer.
"Let's assume… in the future… you and I have to fight."
Tiger looks confused.
"What?"
She continues calmly.
"If that happens… what would you do?"
Tiger narrows his eyes.
"I don't understand your question."
She looks directly into his eyes.
"Would you kill me?"
Her voice didn't sound scared.
It sounded… curious.
Silence.
Tiger exhales.
"Don't you think you're thinking too deeply?"
She doesn't blink.
"I just need an answer."
Tiger crosses his arms slightly.
"And what if I don't answer?"
She looks at her nails casually.
"Then your question ends."
Tiger frowns.
"What?"
She speaks calmly.
"Yes. Your question ends. You just refused to know your future."
She glances at him sideways.
"If you had answered — 'Yes, I'd kill you,' or 'No, I wouldn't' — you could've walked away knowing something."
She pauses.
"But unfortunately…"
She examines her nails again.
"You chose ignorance."
Tiger's expression hardens.
"I don't care about knowing my future. Even if something bad happens later… I'd rather face it and fix it myself."
He looks directly at her.
"Knowing it beforehand doesn't feel right to me."
"If I know the ending… I might start acting like it's already decided."
She studies him quietly.
Then smiles faintly.
"Interesting."
She steps back toward the wall.
"We'll meet again."
As she touches the wall—
Her body begins phasing into it.
Half disappearing.
Just then—
A gardener walks in carrying a bucket of water.
Exactly at that moment.
She fully vanishes.
The air felt heavier for a second.
Then completely normal.
Like nothing impossible had just happened.
The gardener notices Tiger standing there.
"You have four or five minutes left," she says. "Go quickly or you'll be late for class."
Tiger nods.
"Yes. I'm going. Thank you."
He walks quickly.
As he turns a corner, a staff member notices him.
"Where are you going?" she asks softly.
Tiger hesitates slightly.
"I wa—"
Before he can finish, a teacher approaches the staff member and begins speaking to her.
That distraction gives Tiger the chance to slip away.
He quickly enters his classroom and takes his seat.
The class is full of students.
Normal noise.
Normal atmosphere.
For a moment… everything feels ordinary.
Classes begin.
Time passes.
When lunch break starts, Tiger takes his lunch and walks to the ground.
He sits alone on the stairs.
Quiet.
Thinking.
The noise of the ground felt distant.
Like he was underwater and everyone else was breathing normally.
Icchi notices him from a distance.
She walks toward him and sits beside him.
Tiger hesitates slightly.
"Why are you sitting alone?" Icchi asks. "You usually don't."
Tiger scratches his head.
"Just felt like it."
She looks at him carefully.
"You're lying. Aren't you?"
Tiger gives a small awkward smile.
"Maybe."
He changes the topic.
"Where's your friend today?"
"She had something to do. She didn't come."
Tiger nods.
"I see."
After a small pause, he adds,
"You did well in the fight. And in the hurdling competition too."
Icchi smiles.
"You beat someone properly for the first time. I have to admit that."
She nudges him lightly.
"And thank you."
Tiger looks around.
"I don't see Leon and Togor. Did something happen to them?"
Icchi shakes her head.
"They took a transfer certificate. They're not in this school anymore. Maybe for some reason."
Tiger nods slowly.
"I see…"
They both stand up at the same time.
"I'll go," Icchi says.
"I'll go too," Tiger replies simultaneously.
They both pause and look at each other.
A small awkward moment.
"Oh… okay. See you later," Tiger says.
"See you later," Icchi replies while walking away.
After school ends, Tiger leaves quietly and heads back to his rented home.
But even while walking—
Watching.
Not from one direction.
From everywhere.