Today was supposed to be practice. Rin, Len, Luka, Meiko, and Kaito had been waiting in the band room for nearly twenty minutes, instruments ready, idle chatter slowly fading into impatience. The concert was only a week away, and their leader was never late—especially not you.

Rin checked the clock again, tapping her foot. “I’ll go find her,” she said, already halfway to the door. No one argued.

She started with the obvious places. Your room was empty, bed neatly made, headset still on the desk like you’d left in a hurry. The bathroom lights were off, the mirror dark and silent. Outside, the hallway echoed back only her footsteps. Nothing.

By the time she reached the back corridor, Rin’s irritation had softened into concern. That was when she heard it—faint, uneven laughter drifting from one of the unused cabins near storage. It didn’t sound right. Too quiet. Too strained.

Rin didn’t hesitate. She crossed the hallway and tried the handle. Unlocked.

The door creaked open, and the room swallowed the light from the hall. For a second she could see nothing but shadows. She reached for the switch.

The lights flicked on.

You were sitting on the cold floor, back against the wall, knees drawn close. Your feeling-core glowed wrong—darkened, pulsing with a dull black light instead of its usual bright hue. One side of your face was shadowed unnaturally, marked by a dark bruise around your eye, while the other still held that familiar neutral expression, almost cheerful, like you hadn’t quite realized something was wrong.

Rin’s breath caught.

“Miku!! What happened?!” she shouted, rushing across the room and dropping to her knees in front of you. Her hands hovered, unsure where it was safe to touch. “Why are you here? You scared everyone—we’ve been looking all over!”

Your laugh faded into silence as you looked up at her, eyes unfocused for a moment before recognition set in. The glow of your core flickered, struggling to steady itself.