Missing the Bus
The bus was already gone.
Ren stood there, panting, clutching her bag. Sweat trickled down from her belly, stinging her face despite the morning chill. From the distance, a few lingering laughs echoed.
"Hey, fatty! Run a little faster, maybe you'll catch it!"
The voices faded, and Ren clenched her teeth.
A moment later, a soft voice came from behind.
Mina said:
"Oh, you missed the bus too?"
Ren turned around.
A gray-haired girl stood there, hands tucked into her bag, smiling faintly. Her hair danced in the wind, and a lock fell over her eyes, hiding them completely. Ren squinted — she couldn't see the girl's gaze.
Ren said:
"I guess… yeah."
Mina smiled gently.
"Your hair's really pretty. I've never seen anyone with gray hair before. Looks cool. But… I can't see your eyes."
Ren lowered her head shyly.
"Thank you."
Mina reached out as if to lift the hair from Ren's face.
Ren stepped back, her voice slightly sharp.
"What are you doing?"
Mina blinked, startled.
"Oh… I just wanted to see your eyes. Sorry."
Ren stayed silent for a moment, then spoke quietly.
"You don't need to look. And… why are you even talking to me?"
Mina raised her eyebrows in surprise.
"Why not?"
Ren said:
"I'm ugly… fat… are you making fun of me?"
The smile faded from Mina's face.
For a moment, she was quiet, then spoke softly.
"I'm not joking with you. And… you're not ugly."
Ren looked at her, but still couldn't see her eyes.
Something deep inside her chest trembled for no reason.
When they finally reached school and walked through the gates, whispers filled the air.
"Look at that… came with the fat girl!"
"Damn, Ren moves fast!"
The class burst into laughter.
Ren's hands began to shake. Her face burned red, breath coming in gasps.
Mina glanced around, then placed her hand gently over Ren's.
Mina said:
"Hey, are they bullying you?"
Before Ren could answer, one of the boys stepped forward.
Wel — smirking like a snake.
Wel said:
"Ooh, Ren can talk to girls now? Let's have a little lesson, shall we?"
He placed his hand on Ren's shoulder — then punched her in the stomach.
Ren gasped.
"Ugh!"
Mina stepped forward angrily.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
She leaned down toward Ren.
"You okay?"
Ren turned her face away, muttering through clenched teeth.
"Don't get involved."
Mina didn't back down.
"If you don't stop, I'll call the teacher," she said, glaring at Wel.
Wel laughed.
"The teacher? Please. You think you scare me?"
He reached out, twining his fingers through Mina's hair.
"Nice hair you've got there, Mina."
Mina's hand shot up — slap!
The sound echoed across the classroom. Everyone froze.
Wel stared in shock, then his face twisted with rage.
"You little— how dare you hit me, bitch!"
He yanked her hair hard.
Mina cried out, "Ah!"
The door slammed open. The teacher's voice roared like thunder.
"What the hell is going on here?!"
The room went silent.
Wel let go and grumbled, "This isn't over," through clenched teeth.
Ren was still trembling. When she looked up, Mina's hand was still holding hers.
That small touch ignited something in the darkness of her heart — a tiny spark.
Ren whispered silently to herself:
"No one… touches her."
---
After the Silence
It was lunchtime.
The classroom buzzed with chatter and laughter, gossip flying between bites of food.
Ren sat quietly at the back, holding her bag tightly in her lap, eyes fixed on the desk.
The door opened.
Mina walked in.
But something was wrong.
Her hair was messy, her face pale. The light from that morning was gone from her eyes.
Ren's chest tightened. She wanted to stand but couldn't speak.
Wel was sitting at her desk, spinning a pen in his hand like he owned the place.
Mina said:
"Get up."
Wel didn't even look up. He smirked.
"Relax, sweetheart. I was just telling Ren a story. Maybe you'd like to hear it too."
Ren's breath caught in her throat.
The class had gone quiet — everyone was watching.
But no one stepped in.
Mina's voice shook.
"What… what story?"
Wel grinned wider.
"Oh, don't worry. She's probably crying somewhere right now."
The words echoed in Ren's ears.
Somewhere crying… crying… crying…
They rang like a bell in her skull.
Her fingers tightened around her pen until her knuckles went white.
Then came a hum.
A cold, metallic whisper from inside her chest.
"Why are they laughing?"
"Why won't anyone stop them?"
"No one touches her…"
For a moment, everything stopped.
Time, sound, breath — only Ren's heartbeat remained.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The classroom fell silent.
The pen slipped from her hand, clattering against the desk.
Ren looked up.
Her gray hair hung over her face, eyes hidden beneath the fringe.
But no one needed to see them — her expression said it all.
Cold.
Calm.
And strangely… peaceful.
Someone gasped.
A chair scraped.
Then silence again.
Mina's trembling voice broke it.
"Ren… what did you do?"
Ren lowered her head, letting the pen drop from her fingers.
"Nothing," she said, voice eerily calm. "No one will ever hurt you again."
And in that moment, the air in the room changed.
It would never be the same again.
---
The Silence Behind the Smile
No one in the class breathed.
Then, suddenly — a sound broke the stillness.
A sound no one expected.
Ren was laughing.
At first soft, muffled.
Then louder — echoing around the walls.
Her gray hair hid her face, but her laughter froze everyone in place.
Students shouted.
"She's gone crazy!"
"Someone call the teacher!"
But Ren didn't hear them.
There was only her — and Mina, the only one who could hear what was really behind that laugh.
When Mina turned, she finally saw Ren's eyes.
Beneath that gray curtain, two pale, piercing lights glowed.
A chill ran through her spine.
There was something in those eyes — not fear, but a cold kind of peace.
Ren took a step forward, toward Mina.
"I'll protect you," Ren said.
Her voice was so calm it sent shivers through the room.
She was smiling — but it wasn't warmth that smile carried, it was dread.
Mina stepped back.
"R-Ren… what are you saying?!"
Ren tilted her head slightly, as if she didn't understand.
"Why are you scared?"
Mina's heart pounded, breath ragged. Her eyes filled with tears — but she couldn't look away.
"Why… why are you so calm?!" she cried.
Ren fell silent.
Then, slowly, brushed the hair away from her eyes.
For the first time, Mina saw them clearly — hollow, empty.
Ren said:
"Because… nothing scares me anymore."
And in that instant, a strange wind seemed to sweep through the room.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Only Ren's laughter echoed — slow, trembling, and filled with madness.
---