After the grueling, headache-inducing final class of the afternoon, Rain stood up from his desk and approached Auryn, who was still sitting quietly at her own.
"Hey, wanna go for a walk?"
Auryn turned to look at Rain as he stopped by her desk. She nodded without saying a word.
Rain excused himself from the group of friends. Gaia, Zyn, Eliza, and Zheairn headed back to the dorm after parting ways with him. Rain walked with Auryn through the corridors, aimless, just inviting her to wander while asking her to share what she knew. But her responses were curt—simple 'I don't know' or 'I don't want to talk about that'.
"So, do you know anything about this place?" he asked.
She glanced at him, tilting her head slightly.
"Not really. I know as much as you guys do. I'm not some all-seeing wizard, you know?"
Her tone was teasing, accompanied by a soft, shy chuckle.
The pink hue of her hair faintly reflected the overhead lights on the high ceiling as she spoke. She flashed Rain a quick smile before turning back to the corridor, her movements swift.
"By the way… I hardly ever see you talking to anyone," Rain said.
She went quiet, her shoulders lifting slightly—barely noticeable, but enough to catch his eye. After a moment, she spoke in a soft, almost whispered tone.
"Nobody wants to talk with me…"
Rain was slightly taken aback by her response. She added, "They all say I'm weird."
Rain edged a bit closer to her, still keeping some distance, and whispered back curiously, "Weird how?"
She flinched slightly, raising her hands to cover her face as she replied, "I… don't know. I guess I just remember things better than others… or something. I don't know."
Rain raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Really…?"
She added, "Or maybe it's because of my hair color?"
Rain went quiet, then let out a soft, amused chuckle at her question.
"Dunno."
***
The two continued talking as they walked, unaware that they had reached the playroom, just a few steps ahead. Rain decided to invite her inside.
"Hey, we're at the playroom. Wanna go in?"
She nodded without saying a word.
They stepped inside, where other kids were playing, likely blowing off steam from the day's stressful lessons. Rain walked in with Auryn at his side, heading to the nearest bench and sitting down.
Auryn followed quietly.
"So, what are we doing?" she asked.
He replied softly, settling onto the bench and letting out a sigh.
"Nothing, just taking a break."
She sat down beside him.
Rain sat quietly, his eyes scanning the room as if searching for something, ensuring some unspoken certainty. His gaze swept carefully across the playroom, taking in the artificial grass floor, the walls, and the simulated sky ceiling, as if cataloging every detail. Suddenly, he caught a faint sound—like something scraping against dense metal. His ears perked slightly, straining to pick up the noise. It was so soft, almost imperceptible, that it required intense focus to hear. He glanced at Auryn to gauge her reaction, but she showed no sign of noticing it. Perhaps it was too faint, or maybe he was imagining it. He tried to focus again, but the chatter of other kids and ambient noise drowned out what he was trying to hear. The scraping came in sporadic bursts, elusive and directionless, impossible to pinpoint. Then, it stopped altogether.
***
After a while of sitting on the bench, he turned to her.
"Alright, I think we should head back to the dorm. I'm exhausted and need a break."
She didn't speak, only nodded lightly. He stood, straightened himself, and left the playroom with her.
As they left the playroom, Rain and Auryn walked side by side back toward the dorm. Auryn stayed close, inching just a few centimeters nearer—barely noticeable unless you were paying attention. With each step, she seemed to subtly close the gap, bit by bit. Though slight, the proximity made her presence feel increasingly tangible. Their steps fell into a steady rhythm until her shoulder brushed against Rain's, sending a faint jolt through him. He turned to look at her. Catching his gaze the moment their shoulders touched, Auryn flinched slightly and quickly stepped back to restore a comfortable distance.
"I-I… I didn't mean to. Sorry," she stammered.
A soft pink flush bloomed across her cheeks, clearly visible. She turned her face away, staring down at the floor.
"No big deal," Rain replied, continuing to walk.
Auryn hurried to match his pace again.
As they continued walking back to the dorm, Auryn stole occasional glances at Rain. They'd been walking for a while when she noticed his expression—unreadable and strange, as if he were lost in thought. He kept falling silent at intervals, sparking her curiosity. Unable to hold back, she decided to ask.
"Hey, are you… thinking about what we talked about before?"
Auryn clasped her hands in front of her, looking off to the side as if trying to avoid his gaze.
"Oh, a little…" Rain replied.
The two walked on in silence, neither saying anything more after his brief response. After a moment, he added, "People died, you know… If what you said before is true, I'm just thinking about it a bit."
Auryn, still looking aside, turned her face back forward and lowered her gaze to the floor as they walked. She nodded lightly in acknowledgment.
Before long, they reached their destination: the dorm's open door. The sounds of life—chatter and movement—filled their ears again after the quiet corridors, where only their footsteps and voices had echoed.
"Alright, see you later," Rain said, giving Auryn a small wave before heading to his bed.
She nodded in response and returned to her own.
Rain reached his bed and sat down, spotting Zheairn lounging carefree on his own bunk, oblivious to the noise and people around him. Everyone in the dorm continued their tightly controlled routines, waiting for the next scheduled moment. People came and went through the door periodically. After some time, the chime of a clock rang out, accompanied by the familiar evening announcement.
; {It is now time for dinner. Please gather in the dining hall at this time.}
Rain got up from his bed and approached Zheairn's, which was right beside his. Zheairn was sprawled on the top bunk of a double-decker bed, fast asleep. Rain climbed the ladder and gave him a gentle nudge. Zheairn didn't stir—he was deep in sleep, exhausted from the increasingly grueling lessons that seemed to grow heavier each day for no apparent reason. As the academic load intensified, everyone was left reeling, yet, strangely, they adapted quickly. It was as if their brains suddenly expanded to process more information, but it came at the cost of a sluggish, foggy feeling, like their minds couldn't keep up with the influx of data.
Rain shook Zheairn's body to wake him. Zheairn stirred slightly, rolling over on his bed. Seeing no real response, Rain pinched Zheairn's nose. For a moment, nothing happened—until Zheairn couldn't breathe. He jolted upright, sitting on the bed, rubbing his face in shock and taking a deep breath.
"Wake up already. It's time for dinner."
Hearing Rain's voice, Zheairn gave a faint smile, raising a hand to rub his eyes gently with his fist. He looked at Rain with sleepy eyes.
"Alright."
Rain climbed down the ladder, giving Zheairn space to get out of bed. As soon as Zheairn pulled himself down, the two headed to join the others. Gaia spotted them approaching and walked over.
"Hey, guys," Gaia greeted, waving tiredly.
Rain waved back.
The three of them walked out to meet Zyn and Eliza, who were waiting outside. When they reached the pair, Zyn waved to call the three boys over. The group converged, and all five now trudged toward the dining hall, exhausted. No one spoke or seemed eager to start a conversation, each lost in their own silence, conserving energy.
***
When they arrived at the dining hall, they froze, startled by the sight before them. Instead of the usual wide room filled with long tables and neatly arranged plates ready to eat, the scene was different. Personnel members stood at each seating area, holding small device boxes in their hands, seemingly waiting for everyone to take their places as usual.
; {Please proceed as normal. Staff will conduct health checks and measure deviation values for everyone after dinner. Repeat, act normally and do not worry about anything.}
Every students followed the announcement, behaving as if it were just another ordinary day. But something was starkly different—no one spoke, not a single person. Everyone could feel the presence of the adults standing behind them. Though the personnel did nothing, their mere presence was enough to stifle any action or sound. Rain and his group sat at their usual table, acting as if nothing was wrong.
The personnel members behind them remained motionless, not making a move or a sound. Yet their silent presence was enough to plunge the entire room into an oppressive quiet.