The rest of the school day passed… strangely.
Not dramatically.
No confrontations.
No dramatic accusations in the hallway.
But Eri could feel it.
Becca was watching.
Not constantly.
Not in an obvious way.
But every once in a while, Eri would feel that familiar gaze nd on her again, studying her like a puzzle someone had almost finished but not quite solved yet.
By the time the st bell rang, Eri was mentally exhausted.
She stepped out of the cssroom with Alex beside her, her ears drooping slightly and her tails dragging a little behind her.
“That was stressful,” she muttered.
Alex stretched his arms above his head.
“She didn’t actually do anything.”
“She looked at me.”
“Yes.”
“Like a scientist.”
“You did make a science teacher faint once.”
“That was one time!”
Alex chuckled.
They walked down the hall toward the exit, most of the other students already rushing out ahead of them.
Eri liked leaving slightly ter.
Fewer people.
Less chaos.
But today…
That may not have been the best idea.
Because when they turned the corner toward the front doors—
Becca was standing there.
Waiting.
Eri stopped walking immediately.
Alex sighed under his breath.
“Of course she is.”
Becca looked up from her phone the moment she saw them.
“There you are.”
Her tone was casual.
Too casual.
Eri’s ears twitched slightly.
“Were you waiting for us?” Alex asked.
“Maybe.”
Becca slipped her phone into her pocket and pushed herself off the wall.
“I had a question.”
Eri folded her arms instinctively.
“What kind of question.”
Becca looked directly at her.
“A memory question.”
Eri felt a tiny spike of dread.
“…What.”
Becca tilted her head.
“You transferred here recently, right?”
“Yes.”
“But you already know the campus pretty well.”
“…I’ve walked around.”
“Sure.”
Becca took a slow step closer.
“But you also knew how to get to the roof easily.”
Eri blinked.
“…It's not hidden.”
“No,” Becca admitted.
“But It is not the first pce most people think to go either.”
Alex crossed his arms.
“So?”
“So,” Becca continued calmly, “Ethan used to go there a lot.”
Eri felt her stomach tighten slightly.
Becca watched her carefully.
“Funny coincidence.”
Eri forced a small shrug.
“I like quiet pces.”
Becca nodded slowly.
“Same.”
For a moment, no one spoke.
Then Becca asked something that made Alex almost choke.
“So Alex,” she said casually, “did Ethan ever talk about Eri?”
Alex blinked.
“…What?”
“You were friends.”
“Yeah?”
“So did he ever mention her?”
Alex gnced at Eri for half a second.
Dangerous question.
“Not really,” he answered carefully.
Becca hummed.
“That’s interesting.”
“How.”
“Because Ethan definitely would've been around her since you two are friends.”
Eri’s ears twitched sharply.
Becca noticed instantly.
“See?” she said softly.
Alex frowned.
“Be around her?”
“Not in a creepy way,” Becca crified quickly.
“More like… just hanging out.”
That was uncomfortably accurate.
Eri’s tails shifted behind her.
Becca stepped a little closer now, her voice quieter.
"But then Ethan disappeared, and then suddenly…”
She gestured toward Eri.
“You show up at school.”
Eri swallowed slightly.
“Coincidences happen.”
Becca’s eyes sparkled with curiosity.
“They do.”
Then she asked it.
The question she had clearly been circling for days.
“Eri.”
“…Yes.”
“Have we met before?”
The world felt very quiet.
Alex didn’t move.
Eri’s ears slowly lowered.
She could lie.
It would be easy.
Simple.
Safe.
But something about Becca’s expression made that difficult.
She wasn’t accusing.
She wasn’t angry.
She was just… searching.
Trying to understand.
Eri tilted her head slightly.
“…Do you think that we have?”
Becca smiled faintly.
“Yes actually, because you react to things like you already know them.”
Eri stayed silent.
Becca gestured vaguely.
“The school yout.”
“The gardens.”
“The way you talk to Alex.”
Alex raised an eyebrow.
“What about that.”
“You two argue like you’ve known each other forever.”
Eri looked down briefly.
Then back up.
Becca took one more slow step closer.
Her voice dropped just a little.
“You feel familiar.”
Eri’s heart beat faster.
Becca studied her face carefully.
Then her ears.
Then her eyes again.
“…It’s weird,” she admitted quietly.
“But every time I look at you…”
She hesitated.
“…I feel like I’m looking at someone who was already here.”
The air between them felt tight.
Eri didn’t answer.
Couldn’t answer.
Because the truth wasn’t something you could just casually say in a hallway.
Becca exhaled softly.
“Anyway.”
She straightened.
“I’m still thinking about it.”
Alex groaned quietly.
“Of course you are.”
Becca smiled slightly.
“Don’t worry.”
She started walking toward the exit.
But before she stepped outside—
She paused.
Looking back at Eri one more time.
Her expression had changed.
Less suspicion now.
More realization slowly forming.
“…See you tomorrow,” she said.
Then she left.
The door closed behind her.
Eri stood frozen for a few seconds.
Alex finally broke the silence.
“…She’s terrifying.”
Eri exhaled slowly.
“Yeah.”
He rubbed the back of his neck.
“She’s like… ninety percent there.”
Eri nodded.
Her tails swayed slowly behind her.
Not nervous.
Not quite calm either.
“Eventually she’s going to ask the right question,” Alex said.
Eri looked toward the door Becca had just walked through.
“…Maybe.”
Her ears lifted slightly again.
“But she still doesn’t know the answer.”
Alex gnced at her.
“And that answer is?”
Eri smiled faintly.
“Ethan didn’t disappear.”
Her tails flicked softly behind her.
“He just became someone else.”
Alex smiled back.
“…Yeah.”
Then he nudged her shoulder lightly.
“Come on.”
“Where.”
“You look like you need ice cream.”
Eri’s ears perked up instantly.
“…I do need ice cream.”
“Thought so.”
And together they stepped out into the afternoon sun.
Behind them—
The mystery Becca was trying to solve had just gotten even closer to the truth.
She just didn’t know how close yet.
