Wednesday felt less unfamiliar.
Not because the academy changed.
But because I knew where I was going.
I reached the fifth floor earlier than usual.
The hallway was quiet. Morning light stretched across the library floor. I slipped between the shelves and entered the hidden room.
It didn't feel abandoned anymore.
The air was cleaner. The table no longer grey. The shelf steady against the wall.
It looked… used.
I stood by the window.
Below, students were already gathering around club booths. Banners. Posters. Loud voices trying to sound exciting.
From up here, it all looked small.
The door clicked softly behind me.
"You're early."
I turned.
Shine stood there, holding a small paper bag.
"You too," I replied.
She stepped inside and closed the door gently. From the bag, she took out a proper cleaning cloth and a small spray bottle.
"You came prepared."
"I don't like unfinished work."
Of course she didn't.
She walked to the table and wiped it once more, even though it was already clean. I adjusted the shelf screws we had tightened yesterday.
We didn't talk much.
We didn't need to.
After a while, she placed something on the windowsill.
A small plant.
Nothing fancy. Just a simple green one in a white pot.
I looked at it.
"That wasn't here yesterday."
"It improves the atmosphere," she said calmly.
I nodded.
"It does."
Silence settled comfortably again.
Outside, someone shouted about joining the Debate Club.
I glanced down.
"Whole school looks loud today."
"It always does," she replied.
"You don't like loud?"
She paused slightly.
"I prefer quiet."
I gestured around the room.
"Then you chose the right place."
She didn't answer.
But she didn't disagree either.
Later, in class, we were strangers again.
She sat near the center, surrounded by students asking her things.
Teachers approached her desk more than once.
"You'd do well in Student Council."
"You should consider Academic Committee."
"You have the profile."
Her answers were polite.
"Thank you, but I'll think about it."
"I appreciate the suggestion."
Controlled. Composed. Perfect.
I sat near the back window like usual.
Someone tapped my shoulder.
"What club are you joining?"
"Still deciding," I said.
"You should join Basketball."
"I can't even reach the rim."
They laughed and left me alone.
From across the room, Shine never once looked in my direction.
And I never looked at hers.
We were good at this.
In the afternoon, club exploration officially began.
Students flooded the corridors.
Banners everywhere.
Music from one of the performance clubs echoed down the hall.
I walked without a clear direction.
Debate room was crowded.
Science club had a demonstration with smoke.
Student Council booth had a line.
Too loud.
Too many eyes.
Then I saw a small paper sign taped to a classroom door:
Beginner Art Club – New Members Welcome
No decorations.
No crowd.
Just quiet.
I opened the door.
The room was small.
Four drawing stands arranged near the windows.
Stacks of blank paper on a side table.
A few chairs.
No one inside.
I stepped further in.
There was a clipboard on the teacher's desk.
"Trial Drawing. Write your name below your work."
That was it.
No speech.
No instructions.
I walked to one of the stands and placed a blank sheet on it.
I stared at it for a moment.
Blank paper is intimidating.
I picked up a pencil.
I wasn't good at drawing.
Not terrible.
Just… average.
I drew a small sky first.
Then clouds.
Then thin lines of rain.
Underneath, a small house.
Crooked roof.
Two windows.
Simple.
Plain.
Not impressive.
Not embarrassing.
Just something.
When I finished, I looked at it.
"Good enough," I muttered.
At the bottom right corner, I wrote my name.
The room remained silent.
A few minutes passed.
Then I noticed movement outside the door window.
Someone paused.
Then the door opened.
Shine stepped inside.
She stopped when she saw me.
Not surprised.
Not dramatic.
Just aware.
"You're here."
"Looks peaceful," I replied.
She glanced around the empty room.
"It is."
She walked in slowly, observing the drawing stands, the stacked papers.
"You're joining?"
"Maybe."
She stepped closer to my stand.
Her eyes moved over my drawing.
She didn't criticize.
She didn't praise.
"It's calm," she said.
"Yeah."
She chose the stand beside mine.
Placed a blank sheet on it.
For a moment, she just looked at the paper.
Then she began drawing.
Her movements were smooth.
Confident.
No hesitation.
I tried not to stare, but it was hard not to notice.
Lines formed quickly.
Precise.
Balanced.
She wasn't rushing.
But she wasn't uncertain either.
Within minutes, shapes became clear.
A detailed city skyline.
Reflections on water.
Clouds with depth.
Light and shadow.
It looked… real.
I glanced at mine again.
Small house in the rain.
Yeah. Very balanced comparison.
"You're good," I said casually.
She didn't look up.
"I practiced."
That's all.
When she finished, she signed her name at the bottom.
Neat handwriting.
She stepped back slightly.
I looked at both drawings side by side.
One simple.
One refined.
They didn't match.
But somehow, they didn't clash either.
She turned toward the clipboard on the desk.
Wrote her name under the trial list.
I followed.
Wrote mine beneath hers.
Two names.
That was it.
No applause.
No president welcoming speech.
No approval yet.
Just two signatures on a quiet sheet of paper.
She looked around once more.
"No one's here."
"It's new," I said. "Probably still forming."
She nodded once.
"I don't mind that."
"Me neither."
We stood there for a few seconds.
Sunlight came through the windows, landing across the drawings.
The hallway outside remained loud.
Inside, it was quiet.
Comfortable.
No pretending.
No performance.
Just stillness.
Shine walked toward the door first.
"See you tomorrow," she said calmly.
"Yeah."
She left.
I stayed a moment longer, looking at the two drawings.
Then I glanced out the window.
From here, the school didn't look overwhelming.
Just distant.
For the first time since arriving at Seytain Academy—
I didn't feel out of place.
Not above the noise.
Not below it.
Just… somewhere in between.
And that was enough.