The moment of realization froze Samy.
Ember continued walking ahead, talking casually—taking small steps—
then suddenly she stopped and turned back.
She looked at him, raised her hand, and gave a small wave.
"I think this is far enough, I can manage on my own from here," she said lightly. "You can go back now. "
Samy just stood there.
He glanced at her—
she didn't seem bothered.
Not even a little.
If anything…
she looked warm.
Almost… cheerful.
Ember smiled at him.
"I'll be in your care from Monday," she said.
"Pick me up early."
And just like that—
she turned
and walked away.
Slowly disappearing into the crowd.
Samy didn't say anything.
He couldn't.
His mind had gone completely blank.
No thoughts.
No words.
Just one question—
How could someone be so… calm?
So warm…
towards someone who had just insulted her father?
He stood there for a moment longer.
Still holding the guava.
Still processing.
"…just who is she...!?
Soon, Ember returned to Anna and Amy—
only for Amy to bombard her with rapid-fire questions.
"What happened in those few minutes?"
"How did you reach the stage?"
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"Who arranged all of it?"
Amy had basically summoned the four horsemen of curiosity—what, how, why, and who.
Ember raised her hands slightly, trying to calm her down.
"I'll answer everything—just ask one question at a time."
And she did.
Patiently.
One by one—until Amy's curiosity was finally satisfied.
Amy, now understanding everything, had a distinct look in her face not disappointed but not happy either.
"I was actually looking forward to Samy's performance," she said, "but I didn't expect his partner to suddenly switch… to a cutie like you."
She paused, then smiled.
"But honestly—without any preparation, you two performed exceptionally well. Especially for something completely on the spot."
Anna stepped in with a confident grin.
"What did I tell you? If you trust him, everything will be fine. And see? It worked out perfectly."
She crossed her arms slightly.
"I know my brother. If you trust him, he'll trust you just the same. And when two people share that kind of trust…"
She smiled.
"...their bond becomes stronger than a diamond—and shines brighter than a flame."
Ember looked at Anna and smiled softly.
"You're right…"
She glanced down for a moment.
"He believed in me… despite not knowing me.
Without even realizing who I am."
Her eyes softened.
"Just how much trust can someone hold…?
Who is he… to carry that much trust?"
Amy tilted her head slightly.
"When someone trusts completely," she said,
"and that trust breaks… it doesn't take long for it to turn into despair."
Ember's gaze shifted toward the stage, where others were still dancing. "Then… I'll just make sure not to break it."
Meanwhile, Samy returned to his group—
his expression still troubled.
Theo casually tapped his back.
"Took you long enough, Come on, let's grab something to eat."
Julia added, "Get me something to drink too."
"Got it," Theo replied, then looked at Ellie.
"What about you?"
"Just water," Ellie said.
With that, Theo and Samy headed toward the stall,
leaving Julia and Ellie behind for some much-needed girl time.
Samy walked silently.
Too silently.
Theo glanced at him.
"So… what happened between you and Ember?"
Samy looked at him, slightly surprised.
"You can tell?"
Theo smirked.
"We've been friends long enough. You're basically an open book at this point."
Samy exhaled softly.
"...She's a really good person."
He paused.
"Like… she's so warm. So kind…"
A faint, bitter smile appeared.
"Even to someone like me."
"...a jerk."
Theo raised an eyebrow.
"Don't tell me you've already fallen for her?"
Samy frowned slightly.
"I don't know," he said. "It's too early to say anything."
He hesitated.
"But… I feel like I owe her an apology."
Theo let out a short laugh.
"Aren't things moving a bit too fast between you two? You barely knew each other minutes ago—then you had this perfect dance, and now you're already in the fighting phase?"
He grinned.
"At this rate, I won't be surprised if you two become parents by next week."
Samy shot him an annoyed look.
"Stop joking."
Theo laughed, raising his hands in surrender.
"Alright, alright. Sorry."
He shrugged.
"Look, I don't know what happened between you two. But if you feel like you owe her an apology… then just do it."
Samy looked at him quietly.
Theo added, more seriously this time—
"Maybe it's not even that big of a deal. Maybe you don't need to apologize."
He paused.
"But if you feel like you should… then do it anyway."
A small smile formed on his face.
"It doesn't make you weak or soft."
He nudged Samy lightly.
"It just means you care enough to notice."
Samy slipped his hand into his pocket, holding onto the small stone cat—almost like a lucky charm.
"You're right," he said quietly.
"Thanks."
Theo grinned.
"Good. Now let's get some snacks since you're finally alive again."
He headed toward the fruit stall.
Samy noticed him reaching for guavas.
"Whoa—stop right there," Samy said quickly, grabbing his wrist.
"Pick mangoes instead."
Theo blinked. "…why?"
Samy looked away slightly.
"No just, let's avoid it for now." Then in a low voice "I don't want any more trouble "
Theo stared at him for a second—then laughed and grabbed the mangoes instead.
"Alright,Mango it is."
They picked up a few more snacks and headed back to Julia and Ellie to refresh themselves.
Later, they all returned to the program, watching the remaining performances from the back,
while Ember and the others enjoyed the front-row seats.
Some people in the crowd noticed them and came over to congratulate them.
"You guys were amazing!"
"That performance was incredible!"
Theo and Julia accepted the compliments warmly.
But Samy and Ellie felt a bit uncomfortable.
It wasn't Ellie who had performed earlier—
but from a distance, the crowd couldn't tell the difference between her and Ember.
The cheering grew louder.
"You two were the MVPs!"
"What a perfect pair!"
Samy glanced at Ellie.
He could tell—she wasn't comfortable receiving praise for something she hadn't done.
He was about to step in—
—but Ellie stood up first.
Calmly.
Composed.
"Actually… that wasn't me," she said gently.
"The one who performed earlier was someone else."
Samy blinked in surprise.
Just moments ago, she seemed uneasy—
and now, she was handling it with quiet confidence.
The crowd went silent for a second.
Then—
Ellie stepped forward slightly, a small smile forming on her lips."But… it'll be me next time."
She paused—just enough to let the words settle—then added, with a hint of playful confidence,
"And trust me… it'll be even better than what you saw today."
A few people in the crowd reacted immediately.
Ellie tilted her head, a spark lighting up in her eyes.
"You think today's performance was good?" she continued, a teasing edge in her voice.
"Wait till you see me and Samy perform at the next program."
She turned toward Samy—
and looked at him.
Not just a glance.
A look.
One that carried expectation… challenge… and just a little excitement.
"Right?"
Samy blinked, caught off guard for a second.
Then—almost instinctively—he nodded.
"...Yeah."
Something about the way she said it—
it didn't feel like pressure.
It felt like a promise.
The crowd erupted again, louder this time.
Cheers. Whistles. Excitement.
Samy looked at Ellie, still slightly surprised.
Just moments ago, she seemed uncomfortable—
and now she stood there, owning the moment like it was hers all along.
And strangely…
he felt it too.
That same spark.
That same anticipation.
Theo quickly jumped in with a grin.
"Hey, hey—don't take all the glory for yourselves."
He pointed between himself and Julia. "We're not here for decorations you know, We'll not be just standing around doing nothing either.
Next time, we're going to perform even better than today."
Julia crossed her arms, a confident smirk forming on her face.
"Yeah. Pointing towards Samy, Ember and you might've had beginner's luck today," she said, slightly teasing.
"But next time, we'll show you what a veteran performance looks like."
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing playfully.
"So Ellie… you and Samy might have to step up a little—
just to even come close to our level."
Ellie didn't back down.
Instead, she smiled—just a bit wider.
"I guess that means…"
She looked between them, then back at Samy,
"I have to surpass not one… but two pair now."
A tiny pause.
Her tone softened—but her confidence didn't.
"Sounds fun."
The bar had been set.
And just like that—
what started as a simple performance had turned into something more.
A challenge.
A rivalry.
Something worth looking forward to.
And somehow…
all it took to ignite that spark—That passion and that excitement
was an Ember.
The day at the program went on, and the group continued enjoying everything—
the performances, the noise, the laughter.
Moments turned into memories before they even realized it.
Soon, the program came to an end.
People began leaving one after another.
The campus, which had been filled with excitement just minutes ago,
slowly grew quiet—
as if the energy itself had decided to go home.
Theo stretched slightly, then glanced around.
"So… is Ember joining us for the celebration?"
At that, everyone's eyes slowly shifted toward Samy.
The last person who had been with her.
Samy immediately avoided eye contact, "…Sorry." He said.
Ellie blinked.
"So she's not coming? Slightly disappointed "She said she'll when I asked her earlier, why she changed her mind suddenly?"
Samy scratched the back of his head, clearly uncomfortable.
"I mean… I kind of forgot to ask her—"
And before he could finish—
A familiar voice came from behind him.
"So… when is the celebration?"
Samy froze.
Again.
Slowly—very slowly—he turned around.
There she was.
Ember.
Standing right behind him.
Looking completely normal.
Anna took one look at Samy—and burst out laughing.
"You looked like an idiot standing there," she said, clearly enjoying this. "But hey, it worked out in the end—and that's thanks to Ember."
She crossed her arms, still smiling.
"You should thank her properly next time."
Samy stayed silent.
Theo's words echoed in his mind.
He looked at Ember for a moment—
then thought to himself,
Before thanking her… I need to apologize.
Amy stepped in, lightly nudging Anna.
"Give your brother some credit too," she said. "He did well himself."
She looked at the group with a warm smile.
"Actually… all of you did. Everyone was really good."
Theo and Julia grinned at that, clearly pleased.
Ember then spoke, her tone calm and sincere.
"Yeah… I couldn't have done it if you hadn't trusted me enough to stand by me."
She glanced briefly at Samy—
then continued,
"And I wouldn't have stepped up if Ellie didn't believe in me…
or if Theo and Julia weren't there to share the burden."
She smiled softly.
"So we all deserve credit."
So it wasn't me,
it wasn't you,
it wasn't even us.
It was trust—making its move.
I couldn't see ahead.
I couldn't perceive the next step,
nor fathom what lay beyond.
The situation was blinding—
but still, we moved.
And yet, in that blindness,
we overcame.
Not because we understood everything—
but because we believed.
Because even in that blindness…
something was leading us.
Trust.
Or perhaps… something deeper.
Faith.
Walking forward—
guided by what we cannot see.
Walking in unseen trust.
Everyone else was shocked by the sudden drop of heavy lines, but none of them felt it was wrong. Somewhere, deep down, they all knew what she said was true.
Ember then continued, "Anyway, we should head back now."
Julia said, "Why so early? What about the celebration?"
Ember replied, "I need to return home to attend to a few things with my mom, so I guess it won't be possible for me today. I'm sorry."
Julia, disappointed, said, "But we were looking forward to spending more time together."
Theo tried to calm her down. "We can celebrate anytime. It doesn't have to be today. And besides, Ellie is injured, so we can wait for her to heal as well."
Ember said, "I'm sorry that you have to postpone the celebration because of me. You don't have to wait for me—you can do it without me too."
Ellie replied, "You're a key part of this and played a crucial role. We can't do it without you, so don't worry about postponing. And honestly, I was planning to return without celebrating too—it's getting hard with my sore ankle."
Anna, a little impatient, said, "I guess that settles it. You can have it next time. For now, let's go, Ember."
Ember looked back and waved goodbye to everyone as Anna pulled her along.
Samy didn't make eye contact and stood behind Theo.
Amy slowly walked behind Anna and Ember and noticed Samy avoiding eye contact with Ember.
Theo then asked him, "Why? Didn't you say you'd apologize to her?"
Samy answered, "I just felt like it wasn't a good moment to do it now. I'll find a better moment next time."
Theo sighed and said, "If you keep waiting for the right moment, it might never come. You can drop a leaf into a river and hope it makes a full circle back to you… but it usually doesn't."
Samy thought about it for a moment and realized Theo was right. I shouldn't wait for a perfect moment to make things right.
Theo then wished him the best and said it was probably time for them to leave too.
Ellie and Julia, who were engaged in their own conversation, realized it was time to go as well.
And with that, they all departed.
At home, Samy went straight to his bed.
Feeling low-key tired, he skipped his meal—
and before he even realized it,
he was already asleep.