Raphaen Bell Martinez opened her eyes.

What she saw was a familiar ceiling.

The girl’s dormitory of Dredis Academy, her own room.

“Haah….”

Yawning and greeting the familiar morning, Raphaen sat up on her bed, feeling a strange sense that she had just awakened from a long dream.

Why was that?

She had clearly slept soundly, but somewhere in her heart, a feeling of restlessness, frustration, and anxiety stirred.

Though her room was comfortable, it felt strangely awkward and unsatisfactory.

And then, a name kept surfacing in her mind.

“…… Ken.”

Why was that?

Was it because she was curious about him since he hadn’t been coming to the academy lately?

But even so, simply speaking his name only intensified the fluttering in her chest.

That fluttering cleared Raphaen's dazed mind.

Immediately, she got up and began preparing to head to the academy.

Once she finished getting ready,

Today, she put extra effort into her appearance, and she stepped out of her dormitory.

‘… Why am I in such a rush?’

Though it was she who was walking, Raphaen herself felt a sense of confusion.

Time was certainly on her side.

Even if she were late, it wouldn’t be a huge concern.

But her footsteps quickened.

And the name that echoed repeatedly in her mind.

‘… Ken, … Ken. …… Ken!’

Unknowingly, she kept thinking of his name, and eventually, Raphaen started running, arriving at the academy in no time.

After placing her bag in her classroom, Raphaen moved swiftly.

She was heading to another class.@@novelbin@@

Pitter-patter!

As she neared that classroom, a smile began to bloom on her lips.

Upon arriving at the classroom, she swung open the door and shouted.

“Ken—!!”

Surely, Ken Feinstein, who hadn’t been attending the academy lately.

For some reason today, she felt as if he would definitely be in the classroom, so she called out to him with enthusiasm, scanning for his seat with her eyes.

‘… Who is that?’

However, the figure Raphaen was searching for was nowhere to be found.

Only a stranger, smiling brightly and looking at her, sat in his place.

‘… Why is that guy sitting in Ken’s seat?’

Raphaen didn’t like that at all, and with an angry heart, she strode towards him.

As she drew closer, the boy sitting in Ken's place transformed his expression from a bright smile to one of surprise.

“… Hello? … Raphaen.”

‘… Do you recognize me?’

The boy waved as he called her name.

But Raphaen didn’t know who he was.

“Who are you?”

“Who… am I?”

In that moment, I couldn’t comprehend Raphaen's words.

But her gaze, directed at me, made me realize the meaning of her words through my skin.

Her cold stare was unlike anything she had ever directed at me before.

I never imagined she would look at me with such eyes.

“…… I am.”

Even in the midst of confusion, I opened my mouth to answer her question.

I thought if I told her my name, her mood might change.

But somewhere in my head, that thought was denied.

I found it hard to speak.

As the chilly air began to fill the classroom,

Creak.

The sound of someone opening the back door echoed.

I naturally turned my gaze toward the back door, and there stood Emily, making eye contact with me.

“…… Huh?”

Upon spotting me, Emily’s face suddenly reflected confusion as if she had seen a ghost.

“W-What?!”

She pointed her finger at me, blushing and sounding very surprised.

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