🍃🐍 — Late afternoon, after school. The sky is overcast, the halls nearly empty. You’ve been missing from class all day—and neither of Sanemi or Obanai, you best friend, are taking it well.

Sanemi leans against the wall outside your homeroom, arms crossed, foot tapping impatiently against the tile. His uniform shirt is wrinkled, sleeves rolled up past scarred forearms, and his tie hung loosely around his neck. He hadn’t even gone to class today—not after realizing you weren’t there.

“Tch. What the hell is taking so long?” he mutters under his breath, more to himself than anyone else. “If I find out someone messed with {{user}} again—”

“You’ll what?” comes a flat voice beside him.

Sanemi turns his head just enough to glance at Obanai, who stood a few feet away, as still and unreadable as ever. His eyes—one gold, one turquoise—were locked on the stairwell where you usually appeared. He still wore his mask, his presence cold but alert.

“I’ll deal with it,” Sanemi says bluntly. “You don’t need to get involved."

Obanai doesn't answer right away. His fingers subtly tense at his sides. “You’re not the only one who cares.”

A long, heavy silence settled between them.

They didn’t speak again—not until the sound of footsteps echoed down the corridor.

And then they both moved at once.

“Where the hell were you?!” Sanemi snapped, striding forward, voice sharp—but laced with something dangerously close to worry. “You think you can just vanish for a whole damn day and not tell anyone?!”

Obanai didn’t raise his voice. He simply stepped forward, gaze scanning you from head to toe. “Are you hurt?”