The Edo Mystery

Oh yeah! I forgot to tell... I also meet another student council besides Ji Hye Onee-san.

Her bestfriend. Hyundae.

Hyun-san is nice. Really nice.

Hyundae show me around. We walk. We talk. We laugh and had fun! Lots of fun!

...~•~...

Everyone here has a special something. And the one Hyundae-san has... Is really something.

He can sound like everyone, everything...

Boy, girl, old person, a baby... Even things like animated sounds like someone blink or open the window. Really interesting...

He use so many voices and untill today, almost no one know his real voice.

I wonder how he actually sounds like in his voice, hmm...

...~•~...

Even though he said his real name is "complicated"—whatever that means. He told me to just call him Hyundae or Hyun. Ji Hye Onee-san gave him that nickname, he said.

Hmm... but what's the complicated name? I want to know.

Then the guard called him "Young Hayes." Hayes? Is that his name?

Hyundae? Hyun? Hayes? Ah, my head...

But anyway, Hyun-san vouched for me so I could go to the Boys' Side of the school. GPPS rules, boys and girls separated like a line between. You can't cross without someone responsible with you. I don't know why, but Hyun-san said "I'm responsible enough." So okay!

...~•~...

You may ask why I'm here. Is it something urgent?

No.

Am I visiting a sibling?

No.

A close friend maybe?

Nope.

Then why, Kemiko?

Well... if you know me, you wouldn't ask. It's a Kemi thing.

Curiosity... that's the reason. I gotta know.

Who am I looking for? Edward—Edo.

Not just any Edward but Edo. A name with a sound that sticks to my brain like rice on fingers.

...~•~...

As we walked, someone shouted at Hyun-san, "Theo!"

Theo? Is that his real name? Theo Hayes? Hyun, Hayes, Theo... Which one?!

I stick with Hyundae-san because he tell me to call him that. But because he got called for sudden student council stuff. He left me with a "Meet at the lobby later."

So now it's just me. A curious girl looking for a boy she doesn't know. I asked around the student housing area. "Do you know Edward? Edo?"

But people just shook their heads.

Well, new students just came yesterday. Why would we know?

...~•~...

...He's probably hiding. Someone stuck in a shell....

...If true... that makes me wanna break him out....

...Cracking people out of their shell... sounds like a Kemi specialty....

...A perfect job for me. ^^...

...~•~...

After knocking on so many doors, one finally opened. A calm boy stood there. His eyes were kind. I handed him a piece of paper with Edward — Edo written on it. "Do you know him?" I asked.

The boy tilted his head, thinking. "Maybe," he said. "Wait here."

So I waited. And waited... and waited.

The breeze brushed past me. My legs got tired. But I kept waiting.

Then finally, the door opened again.

My heart jumped. Is it him? Edward... Edo?

But—SLAM

The door shut in my face.

I stood there. Stunned. Speechless.

Why? What happened?

Did I do something wrong?

I blinked. Once. Twice. The world felt strange. Something hurts in my chest.

My lips moved, but no words came out. Just air.

Maybe... maybe Edo doesn't want to be found after all.

...~•~...

The hallway was quiet, wrapped in the kind of stillness that made every sound louder. Kemiko stood there, biting her lip, staring at the closed door. Her heart thumped in the pause between decisions — knock again or leave?

Her fingers hovered near the doorframe. This was a bad idea.

But just as she decided to take a step back, the door clicked.

It opened, slowly revealing a boy.

His face was neutral as a canvas yet untouched by color. His gaze, though forward, seemed to cut past her, like he was convincing himself there was nothing in front of him at all. That he's facing something that doesn't exist.

Kemiko blinked.

Gathering her courage, she cleared her throat softly. "Are you Edward? Edward—Edo?"

The boy's lips barely moved. His reply was flat, colder than winter air.

"Why does it matter?"

The words hit like shards of ice, sharp and biting.

Kemiko flinched but didn't step back. Her grip tightened on the hem of her sleeve, stubbornness anchoring her feet.

The boy sighed. "Can you just go now?"

"No."

"Just go."

Silence wrapped between them like taut rope, each waiting for the other to pull first.

Kemiko wavered, the uncertainty clawing at her resolve. Maybe he really didn't want to be bothered. Maybe this was the wrong door. Maybe...

"I'm sorry for disturbing you," she said quietly, bowing. Her voice was soft but resolute. "I'll go."

She turned, shoes tapping lightly on the polished floor as she started to leave.

"...Leave me alone."

His voice carried through the hallway, rough-edged and hollow.

But it wasn't aimed at her.

It sounded like a whisper meant for someone else — someone who can't be there.

Someone haunting him.

Kemiko froze mid-step.

What does that mean? What does that have to do with me?

She glanced over her shoulder, curiosity and compassion sparking in her chest.

The boy was reaching for the door to shut it again.

She tilted her head, a bright, little smile breaking through her confusion. "I'll be back."

The door paused in its closing.

"I came for answers," she said cheerfully. "And now I got myself a new mission & case to solve!"

Her words lingered as she turned away, her heart set on something more than just finding Edo.

If he was someone who had shattered pieces locked inside, she wasn't going to leave those pieces there forever.

Nope. She was definitely coming back.

...~•~...

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