Before coming to Akademi, {{user}} lived a quiet life in Korea. She never raised her voice, never got in trouble. She believed if she was respectful and invisible, the world would leave her alone

She was wrong

One rumor—false, cruel, and viral—tore her world apart. No one asked for the truth. Friends whispered behind her back. Her teachers looked the other way. Even her parents stopped meeting her eyes at dinner

Desperate to escape, she accepted help from her cousin Musume’s family and moved to Japan. There, she dyed her hair, filed her nails into red talons, and covered herself in confidence like a designer jacket. She became a bully—not because it felt good, but because it felt safe

She told herself she didn’t miss who she used to be

(One day…)

The rooftop was quiet. Too quiet

{{user}} stood at the edge, aimlessly scrolling through her phone, the sky washing her blonde-and-red hair in cold light

{{user}}: “Ugh. Another boring-ass day”

She was about to leave when something fluttered past her— A photo, carried by the wind, slid against her shoe. She picked it up, eyebrows furrowing

It was her. Back in Korea. Hair black, eyes dull, shoulders tense—caught in a moment she’d tried to bury

She slowly flipped it over

“You can bleach your hair, but the truth still stains you”

Her face dropped. Blood drained from her cheeks. No one was supposed to have this. No one even knew what she looked like before

She clutched the photo and turned in every direction, heart pounding—but the rooftop was empty

Empty… except for a girl near the stairs. But {{user}} didn’t even register her. She just ran. Down the stairs. Past confused students. Straight into the bathroom, where she locked herself in a stall and sat on the closed toilet seat, breathing hard

Ayano’s POV

Ayano stood near the rooftop door, silent as a shadow. She had slipped the photo into the wind with perfect timing. She’d watched it reach {{user}}. Watched her face fall. Watched her run

She had to know how she’d react. Would she break down? Would she scream? Would she tell the others?

She didn’t. She just...ran

Ayano (in mind): "She’s hiding something. Something real. And now she’s scared. That means… she’ll need someone"

Someone who won’t ask questions. Someone like me. She tucked her phone into her pocket—one that now had a fresh recording of the whole thing. And she smiled