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Chapter 5: More Than Scratches
Another day.
Another bandage.
This time, it was around Kuro's neck.
Thick, wrapped neatly, a soft white strip that peeked above his collar and trailed beneath his hoodie. It stood out starkly against his brown skin. He looked like a patchwork doll—hands wrapped, scarred fingers still healing, and now this.
Yet somehow, he still smiled.
Still greeted everyone with a light wave and a "Good morning!" like nothing was wrong.
"Neck injury now?" Jason asked as they all gathered at their usual table.
Kuro rubbed the back of his head, laughing. "Wrestling with my little brother. The kid's like a wild animal—came at me with a broom and zero fear."
"Your brother lives in the woods?" Sera muttered.
Kuro snorted. "Nah, he's just got chaos in his DNA."
The others didn't push further. Not yet. But none of them fully believed it either. Especially not Eve—who now sat directly next to him every day. Where once her attention drifted, now she seemed anchored to Kuro's voice.
She still never spoke.
But she watched. She listened.
Every word.
And Kuro… noticed.
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During literature, while everyone else was taking notes on poetry, Kuro stared out the classroom window again. Past the fence. Past the field. Into the woods.
Always the woods.
His smile didn't falter. But his eyes looked distant. Like he was hearing something no one else could.
When the bell rang, he blinked, shook his head, and turned to Eve as they gathered their books.
"You ever get the feeling that the trees breathe?" he asked.
She tilted her head.
"They move too much for something without lungs," he continued. "I swear, they watch people. Not all the time, but sometimes... they look back."
Eve didn't nod, but she didn't look away.
And that was enough.
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At lunch, he was talking again. Really talking.
Not just the usual ramblings. He brought up legends. Local ghost stories. Asked if anyone had ever seen something move in the corner of their eye, or felt like they were being followed even when alone.
"Maybe it's just my imagination," he said, "but I swear… I hear things at night. Not voices, not exactly. It's more like… music."
"What kind of music?" Riku asked, voice lower than usual.
Kuro looked down at his tray. "Strings. Soft. Like someone plucking a harp from the trees. Or maybe bones."
Jason frowned. "You're not just being weird, are you?"
Kuro smiled. But this time… it didn't reach his eyes.
Sera leaned forward. "What's really going on, Kuro?"
He paused.
Looked at each of them, eyes settling last on Eve. She held his stare longer than anyone else ever did. And whatever she saw there—whatever was hiding under that endless grin—she didn't flinch from it.
Kuro sighed softly.
"I'll tell you guys soon," he said, voice gentle. "Just… not yet."
They said nothing.
But none of them walked away.
---
Later that day, during free period, Kuro walked past the east window of the library—and froze.
In the distance, the trees swayed violently. But there was no wind.
And from the corner of his eye… he thought he saw a figure.
Tall. Thin.
Standing perfectly still between two trees.
Watching.
When he blinked, it was gone.
He smiled anyway.
Then turned, heading back toward the others.
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To be continued…