_–_–_–_
Rain and Gaia walked back to the cafeteria, side by side in silence.
There was only the sound of their breathing and the steady rhythm of their footsteps echoing softly along the corridor.
After what had just happened, neither of them said a word.
A couple of guards passed by them—
Their expressions stern, movements calm and unhesitating with each step.
"We're back,"
Gaia called out, waving casually toward Zyn and Eliza.
"Took you long enough,"
Zyn tilted her head slightly, one eyebrow raised in mild suspicion.
Inside the cafeteria, most of the students had already finished eating.
Some wandered around, others headed off—
A few to the library, some toward the playground.
Zyn stood from the table, stretched her arms lazily, and walked over to Rain and Gaia.
Eliza followed quietly behind her.
"Anyone going anywhere?"
Zyn asked while letting out a small yawn, arms still raised above her head.
"I want to go to the library. I want to prepare for tomorrow's lessons,"
Eliza answered with her usual calm tone, but there was clear determination behind her words.
Gaia spoke up, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"I'm fine with whatever…"
The four of them decided to go to the library together, following Eliza's suggestion to prepare for the next day's lessons.
They left the cafeteria, walking past groups of other students and patrolling guards.
This was a designated break period—
a time when students were allowed to move freely between rooms within the permitted areas.
Even so, silent guards and hidden closed-circuit cameras kept a close eye on every movement.
Rain walked alongside his friends, drifting in thought, not really watching where he was going.
And then—
he accidentally bumped straight into the arm of a guard.
The guard stopped, slowly turning to face him.
A sharp, unreadable gaze pierced through the solid black mask that covered they entire face.
"Ah— sorry, sir. I wasn't looking…"
Rain blurted out immediately, his voice flustered.
The guard didn't respond.
Not a word. Not a single twitch.
They simply stood there, unmoving, staring directly at Rain with an unnerving stillness.
Rain quickly averted his eyes, stiff with discomfort, and hurried to walk away.
But he could still feel it—
That stare. Heavy and unrelenting, burning into his back.
No words were spoken,
but the pressure was unmistakable—
as loud and forceful as a shout.
Eventually, the guard turned away and resumed they patrol,
They footsteps echoing sharply on the floor behind them.
Not long after, they arrived at the library.
There were already several students inside—
apparently, many had the same idea as Eliza: to prepare for tomorrow's lessons ahead of time.
Rain trudged into the room and made his way straight to a soft couch.
Without a second thought, he flopped down face-first, burying his head into a pillow like all the energy had been drained from him.
Gaia followed close behind, silently settling into a seat nearby.
Meanwhile, Eliza and Zyn split off to browse the shelves, looking for books related to the next day's material.
Hundreds of books lined the shelves, most of them dry, academic texts with dense writing and little to no illustrations—
reading them felt more like a headache than a help.
Eliza took the initiative to tutor everyone.
Once she'd gathered what she needed, she led the group to a nearby table.
They all slowly sank into their chairs—
all except Rain, who was still collapsed face-down on the couch, looking absolutely wiped out.
Eliza walked over and poked him.
"Hey, we need to study."
Rain mumbled into the pillow.
"It's just too boring…"
"Come on, you don't want to be cramming later, do you?"
"Like anyone actually cares about this stuff…"
Eliza sighed softly, her voice even.
"If you don't read, you'll fail."
"Huh… There's no way that'd happen…"
"And how would you know?" she countered smoothly.
"…"
Rain let out a quiet sigh, then slowly pushed himself up from the couch.
At last, he walked over to the table and joined the others—
grudgingly opening a book to begin reading along with them.
Time drifted by like a slow current. Rain and his friends continued studying in silence within the library.
But then—
in a fleeting moment, Rain felt it.
A pair of eyes, watching him from somewhere.
He lifted his head from the book, glancing cautiously around the room.
His gaze swept through the rows of bookshelves—from left to right, combing through every nook and cranny.
But he couldn't find the source of that stare.
He let out a soft sigh, thinking it might've just been his imagination.
But the instant he lowered his head again—
the feeling returned.
Stronger.
So cold it sent a shiver crawling from the base of his neck down his spine.
Startled, he quickly set the book aside and looked up once more,
eyes darting across the room—still, no one.
There were plenty of students in the library, but none had that kind of gaze.
It wasn't just someone looking.
It was a gaze that pierced.
Unable to ignore it, Rain quietly excused himself from the group and stood up.
He walked slowly, eyes tracing along the gaps between bookshelves… one row at a time.
The tall wooden shelves towered around him like a maze.
But still—nothing.
Until—
The sensation flared again.
Right at the corner of the shelf to his right—
just for a split second, he knew something had been there.
Rain hurried toward the spot,
rounding the corner swiftly—
only to bump directly into someone.
A girl.
She was short, wore glasses, had short hair, and gave off a shy, bookish vibe.
"Ahh… hey…"
The girl let out a small yelp, quickly lifting the book in her hands to cover the lower half of her face.
"D-Do you… want something from me?"
Rain froze in place for a moment, words catching in his throat.
"Uhh… hi… uh, ahaha…"
The atmosphere between them turned awkward in an instant.
The girl kept the book half-raised in front of her, peeking over the top with lowered eyes and a shy, uneasy posture.
Rain, unsure of what to do, happened to glance at the collar around her neck—
emblazoned with the ID:
A3-09-GX
"Oh… You're from, uh… another unit?
I don't think I've seen you before."
The girl lowered her gaze further, responding softly, her voice filled with embarrassment.
"Eh…?"
She then peeked at Rain's own collar.
"Ah… you're right… I guess so."
--------
"I… uh, I'll get going then."
Rain spoke softly, scratching his head awkwardly as he slowly turned to leave.
But just before he could step past the corner of the bookshelf—
a voice called out from behind.
"Wait…!"
He stopped in his tracks, then slowly turned back.
She was still standing there, clutching the same book tightly to her chest.
The overhead light glinted faintly against her glasses as she looked up at him, hesitating.
"Something wrong?" Rain asked.
She shook her head gently, then spoke in a barely audible voice.
"…What's your name?"
Rain paused for a second, then gave a small smile.
He turned to face her properly again.
"I'm Rain," he said, his tone even, but with a quiet friendliness.
She gave a small nod, as if trying to memorize the name.
Then, just as softly, she replied:
"…I'm Lynnea."
Her eyes stayed fixed on his as she spoke her name—
as if those words held a meaning deeper than they sounded.
Rain smiled again, a little friendlier this time.
"Ahh, nice to meet you… That's a cool name."
He glanced toward the large clock near the library entrance.
The long hand had just touched the 10.
Almost 2 p.m.
"I… um, I should get going," Rain said, glancing behind him before turning back to meet her eyes. "Still gotta get back to studying with my friends."
He smiled slightly, then added with a casual tone,
"Wanna come with me? My group's just over there. If you feel like studying together or anything."
The girl was silent for a moment, then slowly shook her head.
She turned her gaze off to the side, avoiding his eyes, and waved a small hand in gentle refusal.
Rain gave a small nod, accepting her response without pressing.
"Alright then… see you. Bye."
He turned around and walked away, passing through the hushed murmur of other students scattered across the library.
On the way back, he passed a few fellow students heading in and out between the shelves.
His eyes found his group again—still seated at the same spot, right where he had left them.
Rain quietly dropped back into his seat.
Zyn looked up from her book, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"Hey. Where'd you go? You were gone for a while."
Rain gave a small shrug and picked up the book resting on the table in front of him.
"Bathroom,"
he replied simply, as if nothing had happened at all.