Wednesday – Nurse's Office, Third Floor
The halls were loud.
The nurse's office, as always, was not.
In the back corner, beside the medicine cabinet, Mei Takanashi adjusted the bandage stock in silence.
She didn't speak unless necessary. Her short silver hair framed pale skin and unreadable eyes. Small, unnoticed. But always there.
And she had been watching Aeron Kael since the day he first walked into the building.
Not because of popularity. Not because of rumors.
Because he reminded her of something broken that never asked to be fixed.
---
Flashback – Months Ago
It was raining that day.
A student had slipped on wet stairs. Scraped knee. Minor injury.
He brought her in.
Aeron.
Carrying the girl on his back, soaking wet but completely calm.
"Where's the nurse?" he had asked.
"She's out," Mei had replied softly.
"Then help."
She did.
No questions. No pleasantries.
But when she touched his hand to take the antiseptic—
> She felt it.
That unnatural stillness. That cold strength.
The warmth of someone who didn't feel warm at all.
> "He's not empty. He's sealed."
She never forgot that.
---
Present Day – Hallway
Mei stood silently as Aeron passed by.
He nodded once — polite but distant.
She lowered her eyes, clutching the bandage box.
> "Even now, he doesn't remember me. That's okay. I remember him."
---
Classroom 1-B – Break Time
Tatsuki yawned. "I swear, this school's stress levels are enough to give me ulcers."
"You exaggerate," Aeron muttered.
"Do I? We've had one idol transfer, one corporate heiress threaten people, and you getting flirted with by the art club's number one delinquent."
"…She gave me a sketch."
"Exactly!"
Just then, the door slid open.
Mei stepped inside, holding a small package.
"Aeron Kael," she said softly. "You left this at the infirmary."
He blinked. "When?"
"Two days ago. You had a minor bruise. I treated it."
He looked at the wrap on his hand.
"…Thank you."
She nodded and walked away, silent as snowfall.
---
Ayaka – Watching From Above
Ayaka stood on the upper stairwell.
Watching everything.
> "Another one? Who even is she?"
She didn't like it.
That look on Mei's face.
That invisible thread Aeron never noticed.
Ayaka clenched her jaw.
> "I need to protect what's mine."
---
Side Story – Mei's Private Notes
In a small, unassuming diary, Mei wrote that night:
> Entry 62:
He remembered. Not my name. Not the moment.
But he thanked me.
> That's enough for today.
> One day, I'll tell him everything.
That he doesn't scare me.
That I want to hold his hand — not fix him, not change him, just hold.
> Even if it hurts me.
> Especially if it hurts me.
---
Closing Lines
Aeron sat in his room, fingers resting against the old bandage.
So many eyes on him now.
But for some reason, today, he felt the gaze of someone different.
Gentler. Colder.
> "I've forgotten something," he muttered.
And for a flicker of a second…
He wished he hadn't.