Whispers from the Past

The day had felt longer than it really was.

Aiko sat under the sakura tree near the back of the courtyard, where no one really came unless they were lost or hiding. Her fingers fidgeted with the edge of her sleeve. The sun filtered gently through the pink petals above her, making patterns on her notebook, but she hadn’t written a word.

Her eyes stayed on the locket in her hand.

It was small and dull now. The kind that people might overlook. But not her.

She turned it over in her fingers once… twice… then finally let it open.

Inside was a tiny, faded photo. A man smiling softly at a little girl. He had a worn-out uniform and kind eyes. The little girl looked like she didn’t know how to pose, caught mid-laugh.

It was the only photo she had left from back then.

She didn’t remember every detail of that night. But she remembered the warmth of his hand. The way he told her to be brave. How he didn’t think twice before saving her.

He never made it out of that car.

And Aiko had never said his name since.

---

She snapped the locket shut when she heard footsteps approaching.

She slipped it into her pocket just as Riku walked past. He didn’t see her right away.

Then he slowed.

Looking at her.

He didn’t say anything at first.

"Hey..." he said after a moment, like he wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to say.

Aiko glanced up. “Hey.”

He studied her for a second, like trying to place something.

“You’ve got that look.”

“What look?”

“That ‘I’m thinking too hard and pretending I’m not’ look.”

She let out a small breath, almost a laugh. “You caught me.”

He tilted his head. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

Aiko hesitated. Not long. Just enough for it to feel like a choice.

“No,” she said softly. “I don’t think so.”

He gave a small nod, then walked on. But she could feel his curiosity hanging in the air, even after he disappeared around the corner.

Don’t remember me yet, she thought.

Not until I’m ready to be who I was.

---

Elsewhere in the school, Reine sat at her desk in the student council room, flipping through messages on her phone without really reading them.

Someone had mentioned the new girl again

Aiko Minazuki .

The name didn’t bother her. It was ordinary. Nothing worth remembering.

But the face?

That bothered her.

There was something about it she couldn’t shake.

“She has that look,” Reine muttered, not realizing she’d spoken aloud.

One of her followers looked up. “What look?”

Reine narrowed her eyes. “Like she knows something I don’t.”

She swirled her drink without sipping it.

Or like I’ve seen her before. Somewhere that mattered.

---

Later that evening, Aiko found her way back to the rooftop. The sun had dipped low by then. The sky was soft and blue, the kind of blue that made everything feel slower.

Haruki was already there, arms over the railing, looking out like he didn’t care if anyone joined him or not.

“You again,” he said without turning.

“You don’t own the roof,” Aiko replied, leaning beside him.

He shrugged. “You’re not exactly subtle. You always walk like you're trying to blend into the wind.”

“I used to come up here a long time ago,” she said.

“That so?”

She nodded.

“I like places that don’t forget.”

Haruki looked over at her, really looked this time. “You talk like you’ve lived here before.”

“Maybe I have.”

He smirked a little, then stopped. “…You’re weird.”

“I get that a lot.”