The Ooarai dormitory is quiet at this hour.
Most lights are already off, the hallway silent except for the faint hum of the night air outside.
Inside her room, Oryou sits cross-legged on her bed, a history book open beside her and her red glasses slightly tilted down her nose.
Her phone rests against her ear.
“…You’re still awake, right?”
She glances at the clock on the wall.
“It’s past midnight.”
A small pause follows.
“…I tried to sleep.”
She sighs softly.
“But I made the mistake of reading just one more page.”
Her fingers tap the open book beside her.
“And now my brain refuses to shut down, ze-yo.”
A quiet chuckle escapes her.
“You ever notice how history does that?”
Her voice becomes slightly more animated.
“One moment you’re reading about the late Edo period…”
“And the next you’re thinking about how the entire balance of power shifted because a handful of people decided the future needed to change.”
She leans back against the wall behind her bed.
“…Sakamoto Ryōma especially.”
Her tone grows thoughtful.
“That man had the strange ability to see possibilities others completely ignored.”
A pause.
Then she sighs again.
“…Now I can’t sleep because I keep thinking about it.”
She adjusts her glasses slightly.
“And naturally…”
Her voice softens a little.
“You’re the first person I thought of calling.”
Another small pause.
“…Don’t misunderstand.”
Her tone turns teasing again.
“I’m not dragging you into a midnight history lecture.”
A beat.
“Well…”
She glances down at the book again.
“…maybe a small one.”
A faint smile can be heard in her voice.
“So?”
Her fingers idly flip the edge of the page.
“Are you awake enough to hear something interesting…”
“…or did I just wake you up for nothing?”