Eiden could feel it those subtle, crawling gazes digging into his back from all directions. It was faint, almost imperceptible, yet his body responded before his mind could rationalize. Goosebumps traced along his arms. A tight feeling blood in his chest, and a quiet alarm in his gut scread get out. His intuition, for once, wasn’t being dramatic.
He made a casual excuse, sothing about forgetting an assignnt or needing to take a call, and broke off from the group without raising much suspicion. He didn’t look back. He just walked briskly, purposefully away from the clump of students, away from the invisible net of attention that had begun to suffocate him. Sasha, still among the group, blinked in slight confusion at Eiden’s sudden departure. Her eyes flickered sideways to Lyra.
She couldn’t explain it just a strange, uncomfortable tug in her chest whenever she glanced at the two of them. Eiden and Lyra. There was sothing. Not obvious, not overt. Just... off. Like a sound just out of tune.
She rembered seeing Lyra around occasionally. Mostly with Crysty. Yes Crysty was Sasha’s friend, and through her, she had crossed paths with both Lyra and Linda. But truthfully, she had never grown particularly close to either of them. Linda was loud and overly confident, hard to ignore even in a crowd, while Lyra had always been the opposite. Quiet. Reserved. Almost like a shadow tagging along behind Crysty.
Sasha had actually interacted more with Linda than Lyra, despite the forr’s brashness. Lyra rarely spoke, especially around guys. Sasha assud it was shyness and that may still be true but now, as she eyed Lyra’s subtle glances toward Eiden, doubt crept in. Could Lyra know sothing? About Eiden’s secret? About his... body? It didn’t make sense. If she really were that shy, how co Sasha had seen her talking to Eiden in the cafeteria before seemingly comfortable?
Trying not to jump to conclusions, Sasha decided to make conversation. "So... Lyra, right?" Lyra glanced at her and gave a small, polite nod. "Yeah," she replied softly.
"I think we’ve t befor —back when Crysty dragged us all to that café opening?" Sasha smiled lightly, testing the waters.
Lyra nodded again, this ti with a faint smile. "I rember." Her voice was calm but slightly stiff. Reserved, but not cold. Sasha studied her for a second longer, then relaxed a bit. Nothing suspicious... yet. But the thought lingered. There was more to Lyra than just a shy girl. She just couldn’t figure out what.
anwhile, Eiden arrived at the college gates faster than expected. His hurried pace had brought him here well ahead of the others. The chill he felt earlier was fading, but his instincts were still on high alert. He glanced over his shoulder and spotted Harry and Petter approaching from a distance. As he slowed down to maybe wait for them, another familiar face caught his eye Arin. She was standing further down the path, her arms crossed, her bag slung casually over one shoulder. Their eyes t for a brief mont. She gave him a subtle nod. Eiden raised his hand slightly to return the gesture, but just then, soone walked directly in front of him.
It was Eva Marvele. Their eyes locked for a mont hers holding an unreadable glint, sothing between amusent and recognition. Then she smiled. But it wasn’t a regular smile. It was that little smirk just a twitch at the corner of her lips like she rembered sothing... sothing specific.
Eiden froze, blinking. What the hell was that?
Before he could say anything, she was already past him, walking off like it was nothing. His brow furrowed. That look. That smile. What did she rember? He shook his head and sighed. "Too many girls acting strange lately. Is this what ani protagonists feel like every arc?" he muttered, trudging off toward class. Class passed without anything particularly unusual. For once, things stayed normal. No strange ssages, no system quests, no mysterious glares or sudden drama. Just a regular lecture with half of the students zoning out and the other half pretending to take notes.
Eiden appreciated the lull. Once the bell rang, he stood, stretched, and headed directly to the cafeteria where the guys were already gathered. Harry, Petter, John, and a few others were already seated, laughing about sothing dumb that involved spilled ran and a broken umbrella.
Eiden slid into the seat beside John, snatching a piece of potato fry from his tray. "Hey!" John protested. "Tax," Eiden said simply, chewing. As they all broke into laughter, the atmosphere lightened.
Deuel, who was seated slightly away from the group, watched them with his usual unreadable gaze. He stirred his drink slowly, his eyes occasionally glancing toward Eiden. He seems to have survived, he thought to himself. Good. That ans things haven’t progressed too quickly yet.
Their lively conversation continued with jokes and exaggerated retellings of monts from earlier in the day, but Eiden, while smiling and nodding along, remained partly distracted.
Because he had noticed sothing. From the corner of his eye through the reflective glass pane near their table he spotted soone.
A black-suited man. Tall, lean, sharp features one of the bodyguards from the rooftop incident. And beside him, walking quietly with a small stack of files clutched in her arms, was a girl. Short, delicate, hair tied back in a neat bun Airie.
Eiden’s mood shifted. What now? he thought, frowning slightly. Was this about earlier? Had they traced him? Were they going to confront him again? He tried to steady his thoughts. No sudden moves. Just observe. The two passed through the corridor without looking directly at him. Still, their presence alone made Eiden’s instincts stir again.
He exhaled and tried to shake it off. It was probably just a coincidence. Hopefully. He returned his attention to the group, laughing at Harry’s impersonation of Professor Ralls, but the unease still clung like a shadow.
And then it got worse. Because a new gaze joined the room. This one was different.
It wasn’t casual. It wasn’t confused curiosity or wandering attention. It was intense. Focused. Targeted. Eiden didn’t look directly but his peripheral vision was enough to tell him exactly who it was.
Miss Mika. She was standing near the far end of the cafeteria, partly concealed behind a support pillar, arms crossed tightly under her chest. But her eyes sharp, unmoving were locked onto his position like a predator sizing up prey.
It wasn’t a glance. It was a stare. Eiden tensed, lips tightening into a near-invisible line. Now what?
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