The iron gate creaked as I stepped onto the rooftop. The wind whipped at my uniform as I noticed her, standing near the edge. Shu. Her long black hair fluttered like a banner against the pale sky, her posture stiff, proud, trembling.
She didn't turn toward me until I spoke. "What do you want from me?"
When she did, her glare cut sharper than a knife.
"Why did you cheat?" Her voice trembled—but with fury, not fear.
"…What?"
"You heard me." She stepped closer. Her eyes locked onto mine, sharp, accusing. "You cheated on the test. Didn't you?"
My heart stilled. "That's ridiculous. I didn't cheat."
"Liar!" she hissed. "There's no way every question you reviewed came out on the exam. No one's that lucky."
Her words pierced me. But she wasn't wrong. If I were her, I'd think the same. How could I explain what I myself barely believed? That I wished for it. That Bell made it real. That a mysterious woman who shouldn't exist was turning my life upside down? No one in their right mind would accept that.
"It was just coincidence," I muttered, forcing my voice steady. "I reviewed the right questions. Nothing more."
Shu's lips wavered, her face paler than usual. "Coincidence? You want me to believe that?!"
Feeling Frustrated
"Or… maybe it's just that you're upset you didn't get the top score this time?" I shot back, too frustrated to think. "Because honestly… it's not something worth getting this angry about." I said
Silence.
The words echoed between us as if the rooftop itself held its breath.
Then her expression shattered.
"…Not worth it?" Her eyes widened, glistening with tears she fought to contain. Her voice cracked. "For you… maybe. But for me—"
She stopped. Her voice broke off like a snapped thread. Her whole body tightened, and when I glanced at her hands, I froze.
Red marks. Fresh ones. Dark against her pale skin, as though someone had gripped her wrists far too hard.
Concern overrode my frustration. "Those marks… Shu, what happened to you?"
She recoiled as if I had struck her. Her lips trembled before she screamed back, "It's none of your business!"
I shut my mouth instantly, the harshness of her pain silencing any response.
Minutes passed in heavy air. Finally, she wiped her eyes and straightened, forcing her trembling voice back into something cold.
"…I'll let this go. But listen to me, White. If you 'cheat' again tomorrow, I'll expose you. Everyone will know."
"I said I never cheated!" I snapped. But she ignored me, storming toward the stairs.
The metal gate slammed shut behind her.
I stood there alone, fists clenched, breathing hard, mind reeling—not just from her accusation, but from those marks.
Her hands… those weren't mistakes from studying too much. They were scars. Someone left them there.
And that someone was most likely her parents.
When school ended, Zen was leaning against the gate, waving casually. "Yo! Took you long enough. Thought you ran off with Shu or something."
"…Don't joke like that," I muttered.
"So about Shu do know anything about her " I asked
"Eh? Don't tell me—you really do like her?" He grinned.
"Shut up. I just needed to know more about her."
"Oho? Getting interested in girls at last?" he teased, pretending to wipe fake tears. "My boy's growing up…"
"Goodbye, Zen."
"H-hey! Fine, fine! Chill." He ran a hand through his hair, finally getting serious. "Look, I don't know much about Shu either. Just that she's… well, strict with herself. Studies all the time. Doesn't really talk to anyone. Honestly, she feels a bit… off, y'know?"
"What about her family?" I pressed.
Zen frowned, thinking hard. "Never saw her parents. But I heard they're super strict. Controlling types."
My chest tightened. "…I see."
It all made too much sense. Her obsession to top every test. The marks on her wrists. The desperation buried in her tears.
"…Thanks, Zen. I'll see you later."
When I got home, Bell was sitting on the floor with crayons scattered around her. She lit up when I entered.
"Papa! You're back!" She bounced up and dashed over, holding a paper triumphantly. "Look at my drawing!"
I smiled tiredly, taking it from her. At first, I couldn't make sense of the messy lines and colors. A building. A figure midair. Then my blood ran cold.
The building looked eerily like our school. And the figure… it was falling.
A girl.
My breath caught. "…Bell. What is this supposed to be?"
Bell's grin sparkled. "Oh, that's—" She stopped mid-sentence. Her crayons fell from her little hands as her body swayed. Then she collapsed.
"Bell!" I knelt down fast, panic seizing my chest.
And then the voice. That cursed honey-sweet voice echoing in my skull.
"Ah. Welcome home, White."
A familiar chill swept through me. I turned sharply—
Aisha. Again. Standing casually in the corner, arms folded, her wicked smile too calm for the storm she always brought.
My teeth clenched. "…Why are you here?"
"Mm? Nothing serious." She waved her hand lazily. "I simply forgot to mention… an important detail."
"What now?" My voice came out sharper than I intended.
Her smile stretched. "Every wish has a price."
Chills darted through my body. "…A price?"
"Consequences, White. That's the rule."
"What do you mean?"
Her eyes glittered. "Remember yesterday? You wished to top your exams." She gestured toward me with a flourish. "Congratulations. I granted it. And now… it's time for you to pay."
"Pay…?" My mouth went dry.
Her smile curved crueler. "Or, perhaps more accurately… suffer. Are you prepared for the consequence of your wish?"
Her laughter faded into smoke as her body dissolved into nothingness.
Leaving me alone. Bell unconscious in my arms. My heart pounding.
"Consequences…?" My voice cracked.
What price? What did she mean? And… what does Bell's drawing have to do with it?
The image burned into my brain. A figure leaping—or falling—from the rooftop of our school.
And for the first time since the accident, I was more terrified than ever. Not of dying.
But of what my "wish" had just set into motion.