Not in the way teachers complained about, not laughter or shouting, but a low, restless buzz, like something crawling just beneath the surface of everyone's voices.
"I'm telling you, it wasn't military gear."
A student in the front row held up his tablet, scrubbing through a shaky video.
The screen showed rooftops at night, blurred lights, distorted shadows, and then something moving wrong.
"I saw this last night," he insisted. "Right after curfew. It was on my block."
Someone leaned over his shoulder. "That's just bad lighting., The Empress said all the parasites in Shibuya were killed."
"No, look at the way it bends."
Another student scoffed. "Let it go already."
The teacher hadn't even arrived yet.
Kratos stood near the back, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the video. Eurika sat on a desk beside him, chewing thoughtfully on the end of a pen.
"The Empress is a liar" Eurika muttered.
The class gasped.
Kratos nodded. "Parasites are definitely still in Shibuya."
Another student "How do you know that?"
She glanced around the room. "I have a sense for these things."
Kratos's jaw tightened. "Yeah, Eurika has a gift for sensing the unknown."
A few rows over, Xiu noticed the concern on Plums face, she leaned back in her chair, stretching.
"So," she said, loud enough to carry, "has anyone noticed Sleeper Boy isn't here?"
Plum didn't look up.
Einstera immediately shot Xiu a warning glance. "Xiu."
"What?" Xiu shrugged. "I'm just saying. He's never absent. Even when half the island thinks we're about to get eaten, must have gotten tired of someting or someone hehe."
A couple students snickered.
Roxer leaned back in his seat, folding his hands behind his head.
"You know what happens when you mess with people like that," he said lazily. "They're unstable. Bound to disappear eventually, a weak man."
Jah Jah laughed. "Told you."
A few others joined in.
Xiu smirked. "Wow. That was actually kinda funny."
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Roxer winked at her.
Xiu blushed.
Plum stared at the empty desk in the back row.
The one by the window.
Her fingers curled around the strap of the bag resting against her leg.
Inside, something warm.
The door slid open. The teacher finally arrived, calling for attention, but the room didn't fully settle. Eyes kept drifting to the tablet. To the windows. To the empty chair.
After class, the halls were worse.
Whispers followed Plum as she walked.
She stepped out onto the front stairs and nearly collided with Yusuke.
"Oh," he said, adjusting his bag. "Plum."
She nodded. "Yusuke."
"Have you seen Burajiru?" she asked.
Yusuke frowned. "No. Thought he'd be in class sleeping."
Her grip tightened on the bag.
"That's... not like him," he continued. "Maybe he got sick and stayed home."
Plum didn't say a word.
He paused, then added, more carefully,
"By the way, finals for the Black-Ops evaluation are coming up. End of the cycle."
Plum scoffed lightly. "I'm not worried. I'll pass."
Yusuke studied her for a second.
"Yeah," he said. "I figured."
She hesitated. "Do you know where he might be?"
He thought for a moment.
"He feeds cats down by an abandoned place on Fifth Street. Broken fence. Overgrown yard."
"Thank you."
As she turned to leave, Yusuke called after her,
"Hey."
She looked back.
"...Good luck," he said. "With everything."
The abandoned house on Fifth Street leaned inward, like it had grown tired of standing.
Grass pushed through cracked concrete. The air smelled faintly of rust and damp earth.
Plum slowed as she approached the yard.
Burajiru lay in the grass, flat on his back, one arm draped over his eyes. Kyra was curled against his chest, her small body rising and falling with his breath.
He was asleep.
Not pretending.
Not hiding.
Just... gone.
Plum didn't say his name.
She sat down beside him, carefully, as if sudden movement might break something fragile.
For a long moment, she just watched him.
His face looked different like this. Younger. Softer. Less like someone trying to disappear on purpose.
His eyes fluttered open.
He stiffened.
"...Oh," he muttered.
He turned onto his side, pulling his arm up to shield his face.
"It's you."
"Why are you hiding?" she asked quietly.
"I'm not hiding," he said. "I'm just... chilling."
The words came out thin.
She hesitated.
"Did I do something?" she asked. "I'm sorry if i made you uncomfortable, I just want to know you like me"
He didn't answer right away.
Then he rolled onto his back again and stared up at the sky.
"No," he said. "That wasn't it."
His hand drifted sideways until it brushed hers.
He froze.
So did she.
Slowly, carefully, he wrapped his fingers around her hand.
They both noticed.
They both blushed.
He let go almost immediately.
"I'm sorry," he said.
Her brow furrowed. "Sorry for what?"
His voice dropped.
"When we fought the parasite... I stopped. I froze."
He swallowed.
"If you had died because of that, I..."
He didn't finish.
"I'm useless," he said instead.
Plum turned toward him fully now.
"You're not," she said.
"You were scared," she continued. "That's not the same thing."
"It feels like it is," he said.
She was quiet for a moment.
"If fighting scares you," she said slowly, "then let me fight for you."
He shook his head.
"That's not right," he said. "How can I even think about being with you if I can't protect you?"
He sat up, hugging his knees.
"That thing didn't even look at me. It saw you as food."
Plum exhaled softly.
"That's true," she said.
He blinked, surprised by how calmly she said it.
"That's why I need you," she added. "As long as you feed me, I'll get stronger."
She reached into her bag.
"I brought you something."
He frowned. "You didn't have to—"
"Open it."
He did.
Apple pie.
His expression shifted, just a little.
"...My favorite," he said.
She nodded, pleased. "I remembered."
He stared at it for a moment.
Then at her.
"...Thank you."
They sat there.
No kiss.
No touch.
Just the space between them, smaller than before, but still there.
Kyra stretched and yawned.
Plum leaned back on her hands.
"Burajiru?"
"Yeah?"
"I don't understand you," she said honestly.
He huffed a quiet laugh. "That makes two of us."
Burajiru glanced at her, his voice soft and hopeful. "Can I hold your hand?"
She blushed, a warm smile spreading across her face. "I can give you something even better," she replied playfully.
With a mischievous glint in her eye, she stepped in between his legs and rested her head gently against his chest. "How's that?" she asked, her voice a whisper.
Before he could respond, his head leaned against hers, and he began to snore softly. Plum chuckled, her eyes twinkling with amusement.
She mimicked his snores, a playful snort escaping her lips. With a contented sigh, she closed her eyes, savoring the moment of unexpected intimacy and comfort.
To be continued.