Chapter 2 —
Those Who Smiled Too Easily
Ren sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the cracked phone in his palm.
It buzzed faintly as it powered on—flickering like an old memory dragged from the depths.
March 5th.
The same cursed date.
The beginning of it all.
A grim smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
So I really came back.
The phone loaded slowly. No calls. No texts. Just the familiar blood-red moon wallpaper—a relic from the boy he used to be.
Back then, he had friends. Trust. A future.
Now? Just a sharpened mind and a list of debts to collect.
Midterms were today. In another life, he'd been worried about scores. Now?
He was preparing for a different kind of test.
Ren dressed in silence. Each movement deliberate.
Button by button. Thread by thread. His aura gathering with each breath.
Aura farming wasn't about power alone.
It was about control.
Control of self. Control of the room. Control of others.
And as he fastened the black tie, something ancient seemed to awaken beneath the calm.
The hallway was alive with noise.
Laughter. Chatter. Footsteps echoing against faded tiles.
Ren walked through it like a ghost among the living.
His aura subtle but cold. Students glanced his way, unsure why their hearts beat faster.
Good.
Let the prey feel the predator's presence.
Homeroom.
The scent of chalk dust and perfume hung in the air.
Eyes flicked to him, conversations paused, then resumed in lower tones.
Except for one voice—bright and achingly familiar.
"Ren-kun!"
He turned slowly.
Ayaka Nishimura.
The girl who would one day give her life to save him.
Now smiling, untouched by the shadows that would soon claim them all.
"You okay?" she asked softly. "You didn't reply this morning."
His heart twisted for half a breath. Then the mask slid on.
"I'm fine," he said. "Just… a bad dream."
Relief lit her face. "Well, math first. Let's survive it together."
If only you knew what storm was coming, he thought.
Ren moved to his seat, gaze scanning the room.
There.
Kaito Renji.
Grinning. Laughing. Surrounded by pawns who'd one day help destroy him.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
He remembered the betrayal in brutal detail.
The fake smiles. The warm words that cloaked poisoned daggers.
Smile while you can, Kaito.
Because the first domino… has already begun to fall.
Ren leaned back in his chair, aura settling like a coil ready to strike.
And beneath the surface of this ordinary school day, a new game began.