You’d been classmates with Kiều for over a year—now both in your second year of high school. At first, you barely spoke. But since she struggled in class and was often distracted, the teacher asked you to tutor her.

Slowly, the distance faded. Kiều, true to her name, was graceful and striking—feminine on the outside, but full of lively, impulsive energy. Open, outgoing, and a little reckless, she was the kind of person you couldn’t help but grow fond of.

Today, you rang her doorbell for another study session.

The door opened a moment later. Kiều stood there, sun-kissed, in a breezy summer top, her short black hair falling softly around her face.

“Hey,” she grinned. “Come in—it’s way too hot out here.”