"Crouch down, crouch down! They'll see us!"
Sakura was gripping Sayori's arm so hard it was nearly bruising as she took cover behind a dumpster. Sayori both hated this thick atmosphere of espionage and felt a secret surge of adrenaline.
"Sakura, what we're doing is not only unethical, it's also physically exhausting," Sayori whispered, straightening her school blazer.
A few meters away, Kyoko stood behind a newsstand, pretending to look at something on her phone. But her eyes were fixed on the strange duo exiting the school gates: Kunon and Akane. They walked side by side, yet there was a strange distance between them. Not too close, not too far. They were exchanging words, occasionally stopping to look at the file in Akane's hand.
"My theories are ready," Sakura said, deepening her voice like a detective. "One: Kunon is actually Akane's secret bodyguard. Two: Akane is taking Kunon to a secret lab in the school basement. Three: They're actually in love, but since her father—the principal—won't allow it, they meet secretly in the streets."
Kyoko approached them. "Option three is impossible, Sakura. Look at their eyes. There's no romantic electricity. It's more like... a business partnership, or a conspiracy."
Sayori remained silent. Kunon's distant behavior from the night before still bothered her. Now, they were tailing them through the city's crowded avenues. Kunon walked with his hands in his pockets and his head slightly bowed, as usual. Akane guided him with confident strides.
The walk lasted about twenty minutes. They turned into a side street where luxury boutiques gave way to local shops and older buildings.
"Where are they going?" Sayori murmured.
Kunon and Akane entered a small cafe with a wooden facade called 'Vesta'. The girls hid behind the display window of a bookstore across the street and waited.
"Okay, do we storm in now?" Sakura asked excitedly.
"Wait," Kyoko said. "If we go in immediately, they'll see us. Give it a few minutes."
Five minutes later, the door of the cafe opened again, but this time, the two people inside were different. At least, that's what Sayori thought. Kunon and Akane had taken off their school uniforms and were wearing black aprons over white shirts. Akane had her hair tied in a tight bun. Kunon had rolled his sleeves up to his elbows and was heading toward a table with a tray in his hand.
Sayori was shaken by the sight. "They're working? Here?"
Sakura's jaw dropped. "I don't believe it... The Ice King is a literal waiter. And that apron... Damn it, why does he look so good?"
"Why would the principal's daughter work as a waitress in a cafe?" Kyoko asked, frowning. "It's impossible that she needs the pocket money. Her father practically owns the school."
Sayori watched as Kunon professionally handed a receipt to a customer. His movements were fast, precise, and flawless. So that was the reason for his exhaustion last night. He had been sweating here all night. The "need for control" anger inside Sayori slowly transformed into a strange empathy. Kunon wasn't just a mysterious boy; he was someone working secretly to survive.
"He didn't tell us," Sayori said, her voice sounding a bit hurt.
"He couldn't," Kyoko said, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Clearly it's something that needs to stay secret. Look, Akane is there too. If the principal knew, all hell would break loose. This is their shared secret."
Realizing there was no point in watching further, the girls walked silently toward the end of the street. Each had a different question mark in their mind. While Sakura was still talking about Kunon's "vibe" in a waiter's uniform, Kyoko was analyzing why the cafe was in such a secluded spot.
When Sayori returned to the dorm room, it was past eight in the evening. She sat at her desk, but her mind was still preoccupied with the scene at the cafe. Then, her eyes hit the calendar on her desk.
March 12: The Big Scholarship Exam.
Sayori froze. She had been so focused on Kunon's mysteries, Akane's notes, and their stalking adventures that she had almost forgotten one of the most important turning points of her life. If she didn't get a perfect score on this exam, it would be impossible to pay next year's tuition. This was the only way to lighten the heavy burden on her family.
"Get it together, Sayori," she whispered. "His mystery is his problem. Your problem is this exam."
She quickly pulled out her books. Test prep materials, colored highlighters, and notebooks spread across the desk. Trying not to look at Kunon's empty bed, she buried herself in math problems. For an hour, she cut herself off from the world. As she got lost among derivatives, integrals, and logic questions, the silence in the room no longer tensed her; on the contrary, she needed it.
In the middle of a practice exam, the phone on her desk vibrated.
As Sayori reached for it, she thought, Sakura probably sent some ridiculous photo. But the name on the screen changed her heart rate for a moment.
Sender: Kunon.
Sayori was surprised. She had saved his number from the project group, but she never imagined Kunon would message her. With trembling fingers, she opened the text:
"I'll be late again tonight. Don't wait up, turn off the light and sleep. Your exam is coming up; you need to focus. Study well."
As Sayori looked at the message in the glow of the screen, an involuntary, small smile appeared on her lips. Kunon knew about her exam. He had even worried about her and shown the courtesy to text so she wouldn't disrupt her sleep. Knowing that behind those hard, icy walls there was someone who actually observed and cared for everything comforted Sayori in a strange way.
Since she knew where he was, the uncertainty and anger of the night before were gone. Sayori took a deep breath and quickly typed a reply:
"Okay. I won't turn off the light, I'm studying. I'd appreciate it if you could open the door quietly when you get back."
She set the phone aside after sending it. The restless void inside her had been filled. When Sayori picked up her pen again, she was much more determined. Kunon was going to his own battle, and Sayori was going to hers.
That night, the light in the dorm room stayed on until very late. But this time, under the light, there wasn't a vigil, but a shared understanding. As Sayori solved the next problem, she murmured to herself:
"It seems we're both just trying to survive, Kunon."