Iris's POV
I was standing in the middle of a beautiful meadow. Flowers stretched endlessly in every direction. It was peaceful… calm.
Suddenly, two figures approached me.
They were dressed in white from head to toe.
"Iris!" they called.
"Mumma… Papa…!"
The moment I recognized them, I ran forward and wrapped my arms around them.
"Iris… how are you? Are you happy?" Mumma asked softly.
Tears welled up in my eyes.
"No… I'm not. Come back with me… then I'll be happy…"
Tears started falling from her eyes too.
"We can't, princess…" Papa said gently.
"Why? Where are you?"
"We are in the afterlife, baby. Don't be afraid. We are always with you… whether you see us or not."
They both kissed my forehead.
And then—
they disappeared.
I woke up suddenly.
My room.
5 a.m.
Again… that dream.
Well, today was a holiday.
But not for me.
I still had to visit Grandma… and go to work.
I am an orphan.
My parents died when I was eight. Since then, I've been living with my grandmother. Her health isn't good anymore… so I take care of the house, the expenses… everything.
I quickly prepared breakfast, packed some for Grandma, and left.
I had repaired my cycle yesterday.
Soon, I reached the hospital.
"Grandma," I called softly.
She stirred and slowly opened her eyes.
"Iris… back again? You should focus on your studies instead of worrying about a soon-to-die old lady," she said weakly.
"Don't talk like that. You're still young and beautiful," I said, forcing a smile.
She laughed softly.
While eating the porridge I brought, she spoke again.
"It must be time to pay rent. Take my savings… or the landlord will trouble you."
I glanced at her and simply nodded.
She forgot.
Those savings were already gone… spent on her hospital bills.
Never mind.
I've already paid the rent with my salary.
After a while, I left the hospital and headed to the café where I worked part-time.
Looking at the crowd…
Yeah.
I'm going to sweat a hundred buckets today.
---
Kaizer's POV
I couldn't sleep all night.
The headache was unbearable. Sharp. Constant.
I only managed to fall asleep around five in the morning.
Even then, it got worse when I noticed someone in the house opposite mine was already awake.
I raised an eyebrow…
…and went back to sleep.
When I woke up again, it was already noon.
After taking a bath, I finally felt some peace. Fewer thoughts. Less noise.
I opened Lux's chat.
Luxy: I'm sharing the school portal. Vote for anyone.
I opened it.
The first option was for school president.
There were two names.
One guy…
I didn't bother reading it.
Because the second name caught my attention.
Iris.
She's everywhere.
I closed the portal and made myself instant noodles.
---
It was around 11 p.m. when I decided to go out for a walk.
Bad decision.
I thought the streets would be empty.
They weren't.
*It's so messy here…*
Yeah. It is messy.
Your mind is messy.
*Am I looking pretty?… I am. I'm always pretty…*
I almost laughed.
It was a guy thinking that.
*Why are they not including me…*
A girl stood with her friends, laughing.
Pretending.
People are really good at pretending.
*I hope mom doesn't check my chats…-*
Looks like someone's getting exposed.
The more people I passed…
the louder it got.
The thoughts.
The noise.
My head started buzzing again.
It was exhausting.
Then—
I heard a voice.
Familiar… yet unfamiliar.
I looked around.
And then I saw her.
She was wearing a cafe attendent's uniform.
She looked tired… weak even.
But she was still smiling at the children around her.
*It would have been so good if I had seen him… I might have felt a little better…-*
That thought made me look at her again.
At that exact moment—
she looked at me.
Our eyes met.
And suddenly—
everything went silent.
All the thoughts.
Gone.
Even hers.
Her steps slowed.
I noticed a faint red tint near her ears.
She was…
actually…
looking good.
Wait—what?
No.
Nothing.
I'm not thinking that.
We both looked away at the same time.
She walked faster… almost rushing away.
And I went back home.
I washed my face and checked my phone.
The school portal.
After a moment of hesitation…
I clicked the vote button under one name.
Iris.
As for the rest…
I don't care.