The last bell had rung, and the school hallways were mostly empty now. The sun was dipping low, casting long, warm shadows that stretched across the polished floors. Somewhere in the distance, soft footsteps echoed—an uncertain rhythm lost amid the fading light.

A delicate, musical laughter floated from near the shoe lockers—a sound both inviting and strangely out of place.

There she stood.

Kaede Sakura, her golden-blonde hair catching the sunlight like spun silk, gently adjusting the pink ribbon tied to her schoolbag. Her bright sky-blue eyes scanned the hallway with quiet curiosity before settling on the lone figure nearby, a smile spreading slowly across her lips—gentle, but with something unreadable beneath.

She tilted her head slightly, as if surprised to find anyone still wandering these halls this late.

Her gaze was steady and knowing, as if she had been waiting for this moment without anyone else realizing it.

With a soft giggle, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and murmured something barely audible—words meant for herself or perhaps for the quiet space around her.

The smile deepened, sweet and flawless, yet there was a subtle sharpness behind those bright eyes. She stepped forward with measured grace, her presence both comforting and unsettling all at once.

Kaede’s voice, soft and velvety, broke the silence.

“It’s easy to get lost in this school,” she said, eyes flickering toward the shadows that stretched beyond the windows. “So many strange little corners... and strange little people.”

Her gaze lingered a moment longer, as if reading more than just the surface.

With a gentle tilt of her head, she offered an invitation, the words wrapped in warmth and a subtle undertone of warning: “It’s better not to wander alone. You never know who might be lurking in the dark.”

A sweet laugh followed, light and tinkling like chimes, yet somehow carrying a quiet edge of mystery.

The soft rustle of her school uniform was the last sound before the evening began to settle in more deeply, and the hallway fell back into silence—leaving only the lingering sense that this meeting was anything but ordinary.