Back to the Present
(Mao watches Dan laugh with his friends at the sports festival. He hasn't changed much—still cheerful, still kind. But now… maybe he sees her too. Not just as the girl behind the window.)
Mao (inner):
Even if I never say it out loud… this feeling is mine. And for now, that's enough.
"A Sudden Call"
Setting: School hallway → Principal's Office → Front gate.
[Scene opens: Mao is sitting on a bench near the gym, watching the sports festival clean-up quietly. A school staff member approaches.]
Staff Member:
"Mao miyamora ?"
Mao (blinking, standing):
"Yes… that's me."
Staff Member (calmly):
"The principal needs to see you. Please come to the office."
Mao (nervous):
"O-Okay…"
(Cut to: Principal's office. The air is quiet. The principal, a middle-aged woman with glasses, is writing something at her desk. She looks up as Mao enters.)
Principal:
"Come in, Mao. Please sit down."
Mao (quietly):
"Did… I do something wrong?"
Principal (shaking her head):
"No, not at all. But your father called the school just now."
Mao (eyes widening slightly):
"Papa did…?"
Principal (gently):
"Yes. He said something urgent came up at home. He didn't give details, but he asked for you to return home right away."
Mao (softly):
"Is… is everything okay?"
Principal:
"He didn't sound alarmed. But I suggest you don't delay. I've already informed your homeroom teacher. You're excused from the rest of the day."
Mao (bowing slightly):
"Thank you…"
(Cut to: Mao walking down the empty hallway alone, holding her bag close. Her shoes echo softly against the polished floor.)
Mao (inner monologue):
Papa doesn't usually call the school… Is it about Mom? Or… something else?
(She pauses by the gate, looks back once at the school buildings, especially the sports field still echoing with laughter. Dan's group is in the distance, packing up. She quietly turns away and walks down the road.)
Late Afternoon — Sports Festival Field, After Cleanup Begins
The school field was slowly falling into quiet. The once-bustling sports festival was drawing to a close, and a golden haze settled over the grounds as the late afternoon sun filtered through the trees. Streamers fluttered from the light breeze, half-taken down, while students moved like small ants cleaning up the remains of a noisy celebration. The air still smelled faintly of sweat, popcorn, and crushed grass.
Dan stood a few steps away from the main stage, a towel around his neck, his jacket slung casually over one shoulder. His laughter had faded. Now, without even realizing it, his head kept turning.
At first, it was subtle. A glance toward the gate. A flicker of movement caught from the corner of his eye — a figure passing by the old benches, a shadow near the gym. Each time, his chest lifted slightly with expectation. Each time, his eyes dulled again.
Dan (inner monologue):
She was here. I know she was…
Why did I keep feeling like someone was watching me? But not in a creepy way… just quietly. Almost like a memory watching me come to life.
He turned again, more openly this time, scanning the thinning crowd. Teachers wrapped up clipboards. Groups of students posed for last-minute pictures. But the face he was searching for — the one he didn't even know he remembered — was missing.
"Yo, Dan!"
Reo's voice brought him back. His friend jogged up beside him, DSLR hanging from his neck, lens cap off, ready to snap something dramatic even in the last rays of sunlight.
"You alright, man?" Reo tilted his head, raising a brow. "You've been scanning the crowd like your wallet ran off."
Dan blinked. "…Huh?"
Another boy from their team nudged Dan with a water bottle. "Yeah, seriously. You looked like you were waiting for someone who didn't show up."
"Or someone who left without saying goodbye," someone else chimed in, laughter under their breath.
Dan gave a weak smile, running his fingers through his damp hair.
"I don't know," he admitted slowly, honestly. "I just… I thought I saw someone earlier."
Reo raised an eyebrow. "Someone, huh?"
Dan gave a lazy shrug. "Maybe I didn't. But my eyes keep looking anyway."
Reo squinted a little, mock suspicious. "This isn't one of your secret crushes again, is it? You better not be hiding anything from me. I've got evidence!" He held up his camera dramatically.
Dan chuckled, but it was softer than usual. His gaze, once again, trailed toward the school gate — just for a second.
"…It's not like that," he murmured. "I don't even know who I'm looking for."
That made the others pause for a beat.
Another teammate smirked. "Damn. That's deep. Sounds like one of those movie lines."
Reo nudged Dan's shoulder. "Watch out, boys. Our Dan's getting poetic now."
But Dan only smiled faintly, eyes unfocused, as the colors of the festival continued to dim around them.
He let out a slow breath and turned back toward the gym.
The spot where she had sat earlier — the bench near the fence — was empty now. The echo of her presence, though invisible, still lingered like a soft wind brushing past.
Somewhere far ahead, down the quiet road outside the school gate, Mao had already turned the corner.
But Dan's eyes still searched the crowd, still believing — without knowing why — that she had been there all along.