Chapter 23 — Morning After the Static
Morning sunlight spilled across the campus like nothing had happened.
Students laughed, teachers yelled from open doors, and the world went on pretending last night hadn't almost cracked open.
Aira could still feel the phantom chill of that distortion, but here, surrounded by noise and color, it felt almost unreal.
Almost.
Rimuru, on the other hand, walked beside her looking as casual as ever — if you ignored the faint burn marks on her sleeve and the way her eyes glowed slightly whenever the sun hit them.
"You're smiling too much," Aira muttered, glancing at her.
"That's suspicious."
Rimuru gasped dramatically. "You wound me! I'm a model student now. Smiling spreads positive energy."
"It spreads anxiety when you do it."
"Good," Rimuru said cheerfully.
Aira sighed, but couldn't stop her small smile. "You didn't sleep, did you?"
"Technically, I powered down for thirty minutes," Rimuru replied, stretching her arms behind her head. "That counts."
"Powered—Rimuru, you're not a robot."
"I am when coffee hasn't loaded."
---
They reached the courtyard just as the bell rang. Students began filing in through the tall glass doors, and Rimuru paused, watching them with quiet curiosity.
The laughter, the chatter, the shuffle of shoes — all of it felt too alive, too bright for someone who'd fought shadows only hours before.
Her gaze drifted toward the tall cherry tree by the stairs. Its petals were late this year — one of those small, stubborn blooms clinging to the branch.
She stared at it for a long time before Aira nudged her.
"Earth to Rimuru?"
She blinked. "Hm? Sorry. Got distracted by nature's lag."
"Lag?"
"The way the petals fall slower here," Rimuru murmured. "Like this world's still catching up to itself."
Aira frowned, opening her mouth to ask — but then a familiar voice called out.
---
"Aira!"
Mina and Tessa ran up, waving, their bags bouncing behind them.
"Aira! You've been so weird lately," Mina said immediately. "You vanish during lunch, come back at sunset looking like you saw a ghost—"
"I didn't see a ghost," Aira said quickly. "I just—"
"—and you hang out with her," Tessa cut in, jerking her thumb toward Rimuru, who smiled sweetly.
"Hi! I'm the mysterious bad influence."
Tessa blinked. "You admit it?"
"Publicly, yes. Spiritually, I'm an overachiever."
Mina laughed. "She's weird, but I like her."
Rimuru gave an exaggerated bow. "Flattery accepted."
Aira groaned softly. "You're not helping."
"I wasn't trying to," Rimuru said innocently, her eyes glinting with amusement.
---
As the group headed to class, Rimuru walked slightly behind, letting Aira chatter with her friends.
She liked hearing Aira's laugh — it was the kind of sound that reminded her why she fought at all.
Still, every smile around her made her chest ache a little.
It was too normal.
Ren was leaning against the railing up ahead, watching them.
He caught Rimuru's eye, and for a split second, his expression tightened — as if he could see through her calm.
Rimuru just gave him a lazy wave and mouthed, "Morning, sunshine."
He rolled his eyes, but didn't look away.
---
Inside the classroom, things almost felt ordinary again.
Almost.
Aira took her seat between Mina and Tessa, already being pulled into gossip about a rumor spreading online — something about students hearing "static laughter" over their phones last night.
Aira froze.
Mina noticed. "What's wrong?"
"N-Nothing," she said quickly. "Just a… weird coincidence."
At the back of the class, Rimuru tilted her head.
She'd already felt it too — a faint echo crawling along the Wi-Fi signals. Not dangerous yet, but watching.
She scribbled something in her notebook:
> "The correction is adapting."
Then drew a tiny doodle of a smiley face next to it.
"Rimuru," said the teacher from the front. "Are you paying attention?"
"Always," Rimuru said sweetly.
Her notebook closed itself with a soft click.
---
Lunch break came faster than expected. The sun was high, and laughter filled the courtyard again.
Rimuru sat under the cherry tree, leaning against the trunk with her eyes closed. Her phone buzzed beside her — a message from an unknown sender.
> "You laugh too loudly for a ghost."
Her smile didn't fade.
She typed back:
> "And you whisper too softly for someone who wants to live."
No reply came — but the air around her shimmered faintly, like something had just listened.
Rimuru sighed, leaning her head back.
"Guess nap time's over," she whispered.
Aira's voice called from a distance, cheerful and real.
"Rimuru! Come eat with us!"
Rimuru stood, brushing cherry petals off her hair. "Coming," she said softly.
Her smile brightened — that same unpredictable one that never quite reached her eyes.
> Because laughter, after all, was her best armor.