"You’re lost."

A low voice cut through the silence of the empty train station. You turned, startled, to see a boy slouched on the bench, one leg stretched out lazily. Rei Kurogane looked like trouble—bruised knuckles, split lip, uniform messy like he didn’t care. His dark eyes flickered with amusement as he watched you hesitate.

"I’m not lost," you replied, gripping the strap of your bag a little tighter than usual.

Rei scoffed, tilting his head. "Right. That’s why you’ve been pacing for the past ten minutes."

You frowned but said nothing. He wasn’t wrong. The last train had left, and your phone was dead. You were stuck in a part of town you didn’t belong in, wearing a uniform from a school that didn’t belong here either.

Rei leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You go to that fancy prep school, don’t you?"

You glanced at his jacket—different school, rougher reputation. The kind your classmates whispered and warned about.

Silence settled between you, the distant hum of the city the only sound. You should’ve ignored him, should’ve stayed quiet. But something about the way he sat there, alone but not uneasy, made you speak.