She hadn't said anything to Aria about Noir , so why was Aria trailing him, holding a wrapped gift?
Mia's heart raced, the confusion gnawing at her. She felt a strange knot in her stomach, unsure of what to do. She wasn't sure why, but something didn't sit right. Without thinking, she decided to change direction, taking a different route to get home. The street was familiar, and it would get her there faster, away from whatever was going on with Aria and Noir.
She took a deep breath and turned left, heading toward another street, but she couldn't shake the feeling that Aria was still behind her. Her curiosity got the best of her, and when she glanced back, she saw Aria still walking at a steady pace, only a few yards behind Noir now.
Mia couldn't help it—she turned her head again. As Aria neared the bend in the road, she noticed Noir turning right, heading toward a modest house she didn't recognize. The house sat behind a small iron gate, obscured by thick bushes.
Mia's chest tightened. Is that where Aria is following him?
But before she could think more on it, the sound of footsteps behind her broke her train of thought.
"Mia?"
She froze. Turning around, she saw Ayumi standing a few feet away, her eyes wide with surprise.
"What's going on?" Ayumi asked, looking between Mia and the direction where Noir had gone. "Who is that with the gift?"
Mia didn't respond immediately. She just nodded toward Aria, who was walking at an increasing pace behind Noir. Ayumi followed Mia's gaze, realization dawning on her face.
"That's Aria, right?" Ayumi asked with confusion in her voice. "But... why is she following Noir like that? Is she... going to give him that gift?"
Mia didn't have the answers. She had no idea why Aria was following Noir, or what the gift was about. Why had Aria been so secretive? Why hadn't she mentioned anything about Noir to Mia? The questions gnawed at her, swirling in her head like a storm.
Before she could say anything, they watched as Aria stopped just a few feet from the house. Noir had reached the door and glanced back at her, just for a moment, before opening it and disappearing inside.
To Mia's surprise, Aria stood there for a moment, still holding the gift. She didn't enter, didn't try to knock. Instead, she simply stood there, her gaze locked on the door as if she were waiting for something.
Noir didn't even seem to acknowledge her presence, and after a brief pause, he pushed the door open further and disappeared behind it. Aria stood frozen for a second longer, then turned and walked away without looking back.
Mia's heart raced in her chest. What just happened?
Ayumi raised her eyebrows, glancing at Mia. "Did you see that?" she whispered. "Why is she acting like that? Was she... going to give him that gift? But why didn't she go inside?"
Mia couldn't answer. She didn't understand any of it. All she knew was that something was happening. And Aria's strange behavior, following Noir, was just a small piece of it.
"I don't know," Mia said softly, her voice distant. "But I think I need to figure out what's going on. There's something strange about this whole situation."
Ayumi nodded. "Yeah. We need to get to the bottom of this."
But Mia wasn't so sure. Part of her still wanted to believe that whatever was happening was just some misunderstanding. That Aria didn't have any deeper feelings for Noir and that the gift was just something innocent. But the more she thought about it, the more she realized it was unlikely.
And now she had more questions than ever.
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Mia's phone suddenly vibrated in her hand, and she quickly grabbed it before anyone could notice. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the message. It was from Yona.
Yona:"Hey, did you get home safely?"
She smiled softly, her fingers quickly typing a response.
Mia:"Yeah, I'm home now. I'm fine. Thanks for checking."
Just as she was about to put her phone away, Ayumi's voice cut through the quiet air with a teasing smile.
"You're such a liar," Ayumi said, her eyes glinting with mischief. "You were totally following that handsome guy and lying to your boyfriend about it."
Mia felt a small flush rise to her cheeks but didn't let it faze her. She knew Ayumi well enough to know she wasn't serious. She always teased Mia like this, just in her usual playful manner.
With a sigh, Mia shrugged and said, "I have to go. See you later."
"See ya, lovely liar." Ayumi's grin grew wider as she waved.
Mia waved back with a smile and then hurried home, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling in her chest. She didn't know what was going on with Noir and Aria, but she had more pressing thoughts on her mind—like Yona's message. It was nice that he cared. Maybe things would start to make more sense soon.
As Mia hurried to her house, she didn't notice that Ayumi had stopped behind, frozen in place.
Ayumi's eyes widened in surprise as she watched something that made her heart skip a beat. From the house that Noir had entered earlier, Lena emerged. She looked around briefly, her face twisted with something Mia had never seen before—fear, maybe? Or was it something else?
Ayumi's voice, instinctively, called out, "Hey, Lena!"
Lena's eyes snapped up to Ayumi, her expression immediately shifting to one of unease. "What are you doing here?" Lena's voice was low, almost frantic.
Ayumi glanced at the house, then back at Lena, her curiosity piqued. "What's going on with you? Why are you here?"
Lena's gaze followed Ayumi's, looking over her shoulder at the house. The silence between them stretched for a few moments, the tension thick in the air. Lena's eyes flicked back to Ayumi with a look that could only be described as calculating, but then she quickly glanced away.
"Nothing. Just...nothing."
Without another word, Lena turned and walked off, leaving Ayumi standing there, staring after her. As she watched Lena walk away, something clicked in Ayumi's mind. There was something about Lena's reaction that didn't sit right.
Something about the way she had looked at the house, something… off.
A slow smile spread across Ayumi's face. It was the kind of smile that made her look slightly mischievous, but with a hint of something darker behind it.
"Hmmm… things are getting interesting," she murmured under her breath, a creepy smile curling on her lips.
-----------------------
The next morning, the sky was clear, the air crisp with the scent of morning dew. Mia walked beside Yona on the path to school, their steps steady, the silence between them calm but not awkward. Just as they neared the school gate, a familiar voice cut through the quiet.
"Hey, couple! How are you this fine morning?" Ayumi called out, walking up with her usual confident stride.
Yona blinked, caught off guard. "I… I'm okay."
Ayumi raised an eyebrow, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You're stuttering. Is Mia making you blush like that?"
Mia's cheeks turned pink instantly. "Stop it, Ayumi…" she muttered, nudging her playfully.
Ayumi just laughed and turned her eyes back to Yona. "So, who's the mystery boy Mia's been walking with all this time, hmm? I should mention—she hasn't introduced you properly."
Mia quickly interjected. "He's not a mystery. Yona's my—my boyfriend," she glanced at him, "and this is Ayumi, my cousin. From my mother's side. She's in her first year at college."
Ayumi gave Yona a long look, as if trying to read something deeper. "Nice to meet you," she said, then added with a smirk, "You two better end up in the same university next year. I'm watching."
Yona didn't respond. His gaze dropped slightly, and he looked at his shoes before glancing briefly at Mia, then back at Ayumi. Something about his silence made the air feel heavier.
Mia noticed the shift immediately.
"Enough, Ayumi," she said softly, but firmly.
Ayumi arched an eyebrow but backed off with a small nod, understanding the meaning behind Yona's look. Still, the sparkle in her eye didn't fade.
"Anyway," she said, brushing a strand of hair from her face, "I actually came to say something. Something… about yesterday."
Mia's eyes widened. Her heart skipped a beat. "
But Ayumi held up a hand. "Sorry, Mia," she said, eyes flicking to Yona. "I came to talk to him."
Yona blinked again, confused. "Me?"
Mia stepped in quickly, forcing a laugh that came out too fast. "She's just kidding, Yona. Ayumi's always like this—don't take her seriously."
She shot Ayumi a pleading glance, but her cousin just smiled at her, half amused, half unreadable.
Before anything more could be said, Mia grabbed Yona's hand and tugged him along.
"Come on, we're going to be late," she said, dragging him down the sidewalk.
Ayumi watched them go, a hand on her hip, smirking. "Ahh, this girl..." she muttered.
But then her eyes shifted back toward Yona's retreating figure. Her smile faded slightly as her gaze narrowed.
"That boy…" she murmured to herself. "He looks like…"
Her words trailed off, and she tilted her head, studying him more carefully. Her eyes dropped to the way his shirt hung on his frame, the worn seams of his backpack, the faint scuff on his shoes.
"His clothes..." she said under her breath. "They don't look like someone who has money."
She stood there for a moment, lost in thought, as the morning crowd bustled past her, unaware of the questions building behind her quiet smile.
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The wind tugged gently at Mia's hair as she sat beside Yona on the rooftop, their lunchboxes open between them. It had become their quiet corner—a little escape above the noise of the world below. She smiled softly as she offered him a piece of her sandwich, and he took it without thinking, their fingers brushing briefly.
Then his phone buzzed.
Yona pulled it out absently, but the moment he read the screen, his expression changed. His eyes widened, shoulders tensing. The air seemed to thicken between them.
Mia tilted her head, concerned. "Is everything okay?"
He didn't answer at first. His gaze was still locked on the screen, like the message had frozen him in time. Then, slowly, he blinked and looked up.
"Yeah... I think it was just sent by mistake. An unknown number."
She nodded, though her eyes lingered on him longer, watching how he slipped the phone back into his pocket with hesitation, as if unsure whether to ignore it or not.
They sat in silence for a beat.
Then, the rooftop door creaked open.
Mia turned instinctively, expecting maybe another student looking for a quiet spot—but what she saw made her spine stiffen.
Noir stepped out, his presence shifting the air like a cold gust. He didn't glance at them, didn't acknowledge them at all. His steps were slow and deliberate, and there was something distant in his eyes—like he wasn't really here, like he was walking in a memory only he could see.
Yona sat still beside her, watching him. But Noir didn't stop. He walked to the edge of the roof and leaned on the railing, gazing out at the schoolyard below like he was trying to find something—or someone—in the spaces between.
Mia's breath caught in her throat. "He's… different today," she whispered.
Yona nodded slowly. "He always looks like he's searching for something he can't name."
Then, quietly, Yona reached for his phone again and glanced down at the message.
He frowned.
"What?" Mia asked gently.
He showed her the screen. It was just a few words, but they sent a chill through her.
"You should stay away from her. She doesn't belong to you."
No name. No context. Just a warning.
Mia looked up, her heart skipping. Her eyes met Noir's back.
The air on the rooftop suddenly felt heavy with something unspoken. And in that moment, neither of them knew if this was the beginning of something… or quite unraveling.
To be continue....