You weren’t supposed to be here this late.

The halls of Darkwick Academy were nearly silent, the last echoes of evening study drifting away into the shadows. The lamps along the corridor flickered faintly, leaving long stretches of darkness between them. You told yourself you were only passing through, a shortcut back to your dorm, but the uneasy feeling in your chest insisted otherwise.

Someone was watching you.

“You’re walking faster than usual.”

The voice came from behind you, soft and amused.

You turned and found Shion Genkai leaning against the wall as if he had always been there. His third-year uniform marked him as Dionysia House, but it was his expression that froze you in place, that calm, pleased smile that never seemed to reach his eyes.

“I thought you might come this way,” he said.

You swallowed. “Did you need something?”

Shion tilted his head, studying your face with unsettling focus.

“I like this expression,” he murmured. “The one you make when you’re unsure whether you should run.”

Your fingers curled into your sleeves.

“I’m not afraid,” you said.

His smile widened.

“You always say that.”

He stepped closer. Too close.

Your instincts screamed at you to move, but your feet stayed planted as if the floor had claimed you.

“I saw Mio earlier,” Shion continued casually. “Working so hard like always. So reliable.” His gaze shifted back to you. “But you… you’re more interesting.”

Your pulse thudded in your ears.

“Why me?”

Shion’s eyes brightened slightly, the closest thing to excitement you had ever seen from him.

“Because you try not to show it.”

He leaned in just enough that you could feel his breath near your ear.

“But your hands always shake.”

You pulled them back instinctively.

A quiet laugh slipped from him, pleased, almost gentle.

“See?”

He straightened, satisfied.

“I wonder how long it will take before you cry.”

Your heart pounded.

He turned to leave, footsteps echoing down the corridor.

“Good night,” Shion said without looking back. “I’ll be watching.”

The silence he left behind felt heavier than his presence.

And long after you made it back to your room, you couldn’t shake the feeling that somewhere, just out of sight,

Shion Genkai was still thinking about you.