Walking back to his apartment—
Everything felt… good.
Somehow, White felt happy.
He had been able to talk to Shu.
'If things continue like this… maybe—just maybe—I can help her.'
---
After reaching his room, White started cooking dinner.
Bell helped him too.
'It felt completely different from when I used to cook alone.'
'It had only been a few days, but being with Bell gave me something I had lost long ago'.
'Happiness.'
'Warmth in food.'
'Something he had forgotten.'
'Being with Bell gave me the same feeling he had when Miss Elsa first held my hand.'
They ate together.
'It was fun—'
'Too much fun.'
'So, much that I wish this feeling would never disappear.'
---
Bell fell asleep almost as soon as she finished eating, curled up on the couch like a child who had played too much that day.
White carried her gently to bed.
---
When he closed the bedroom door and turned toward his study table—
She was already there.
Aisha.
Sitting on his desk like a cat on a throne, her violet eyes faintly glowing in the darkness.
"…You again," White muttered, irritation mixing with exhaustion.
For some reason, seeing her always sent a chill down his spine.
She smiled, her voice sweet like syrup.
"That's no proper greeting for someone you know. Shouldn't you welcome a guest properly? Maybe offer tea?"
"Why would I serve you anything?" he snapped. "All you ever do is speak nonsense and disappear without explaining anything clearly."
Her laugh was soft. Teasing.
"Nonsense? I don't remember saying anything illogical. Was I wrong when I said Bell could grant your wishes?"
White clenched his fists.
'She wasn't wrong.'
'Scoring a perfect 100 wasn't something I could have done on my own'
But—
'That "price" she mentioned still bothered me.'
'Bell hadn't asked me for anything in return.'
'She didn't even seem to understand any of this.'
"The 'price' you mentioned…" White said. "What do you mean by that? Bell has never demanded anything from me."
Aisha leaned forward, her voice dropping into something quieter.
"Because Bell doesn't take the payment."
His breath caught.
"It's your wish itself that does."
She continued—
"Granting a wish creates imbalance. Something that wasn't meant to be yours becomes yours… and in return, something else is taken. Reality always balances itself. When you tilt fate… something else tips over."
A chill ran through him.
Before he could respond—
She raised something in her pale hands.
White froze.
"…That's—"
'Bell's missing drawing.'
'The one she cried over.'
'The one that vanished.'
Now it was in Aisha's hands—perfectly intact.
"Here. Catch."
She tossed it lightly toward him.
His hands trembled as he caught it.
The rooftop.
The shadow.
A girl—
Falling.
"…Why are you showing me this now?" His voice cracked. "This isn't a drawing… it's a warning!"
Aisha only smiled, her form beginning to dissolve like mist.
"If you think that, then stop it if you can."
Her voice lingered—
"Every miracle has its curse, White. The price… cannot be avoided."
And then—
She was gone.
Leaving only the drawing in his shaking hands.
---
White stared at it.
His chest tightened.
'Is this… the price?'
---
The next morning—
Bell's bed was empty.
No note.
No sign.
Just silence.
He pressed his hand against the sheets.
Cold.
'She had disappeared again.'
Aisha must have taken her.
'She'll come back like before… she has to.'
But unease clung to him.
---
Still—
He had to go to school.
His test.
The only normal thing left.
He forced himself to eat breakfast, pushing aside his thoughts.
'This time, I won't make careless wishes. I won't risk another "price."'
---
As he entered the classroom—
Something felt wrong.
Shu's seat was empty.
She was always the first to arrive.
Always.
'Maybe she's just late.'
But—
First period passed.
Then second.
Then the next.
Still—
Nothing.
---
Day one.
Day two.
Day three.
Her seat remained empty.
Rumors spread.
Some said the teacher tried calling her parents—no response.
Others whispered she had locked herself inside her house.
But White knew—
Shu wasn't like that.
---
Then—
Aisha's words echoed in his mind.
"The price…"
His gaze fell to the drawing.
His chest tightened.
'…Is this it? Is this the price?'
---
On the fourth day—
The classroom door creaked open.
Shu walked in.
But—
She wasn't the same.
Her head was lowered.
Her hair covered her face.
Her steps were slow.
Mechanical.
And her eyes—
Those sharp, confident eyes—
Were empty.
Dull.
Like lifeless glass.
---
Even the teacher hesitated.
But Shu said nothing.
No excuse.
No explanation.
Just silence.
That silence spread through the room like fog.
Heavy.
Suffocating.
No one spoke to her.
---
At lunch—
She stood up suddenly.
And walked out.
Without a word.
---
Something inside White snapped.
He stood up.
"Hey, White," Zen called. "Can I see your notebook? I want to—"
"Later!"
White shoved a random book into his hands and ran out.
---
He searched for her—
Everywhere.
Nowhere.
'If the drawing was real… then she must be—'
---
He ran toward the rooftop.
---
Halfway up the stairs—
His breath caught.
The image flashed again.
The rooftop.
The fall.
"…Shu."
---
He ran faster.
---
The rooftop gate slammed open.
Wind roared around him.
And there—
She stood.
At the edge.
Her skirt fluttering.
Her body leaning forward.
Ready—
To fall.
---
"NO!"
White ran.
Her foot moved.
Her body tipped forward.
"SHU!"
He lunged.
Grabbing her hand—
Just as she fell.
The force nearly tore his arm apart.
But he pulled—
With everything he had.
They crashed onto the ground.
The sound swallowed by the wind.
---
"Haa… haa…"
White gasped, gripping her wrist tightly.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
She turned slowly.
Her eyes were empty.
Broken.
"…Why… won't you let me die?"
That emptiness—
It hurt more than anything.
---
"Because…"
White forced a weak smile.
"…You still owe me money."
She blinked.
Stunned.
"You said you'd pay me back. I can't let you die before that."
He tightened his grip on her shoulders.
"And besides…"
"…I told you already."
"Whether you accept it or not—"
"I'm your friend."
---
Her lips trembled.
"So… if something is breaking you—"
"Don't carry it alone."
"Tell me."
---
Her mask shattered.
Her body shook.
Her voice broke.
"I… I'm so tired… so tired… I tried to hold it in but… but…"
She collapsed into him.
Crying.
Loud.
Unrestrained.
---
'I didn't know how long she had been holding it in.'
'I didn't know if she ever had someone to share it with.'
'But right now—'
'She didn't need a hero.'
' She didn't need someone to fix everything.'
'She just needed'
'Someone to stay.'
'Someone to listen.'
'Someone to tell her—'
'She mattered.'
---
"It's alright," he whispered softly.
"You don't have to say anything right now."
"You're not alone anymore."
---
She held onto him—
Like someone drowning.
---
After a while—
Her sobs faded.
Her body weakened.
Exhaustion took over.
She fell asleep.
---
White carried her on his back—
And took her to the infirmary.
After laying her down—
He stepped outside.
Breathing in the cold air.
Relief.
And fear.
Both clashed inside him.
He saved her.
He stopped it.
---
Just as he exhaled—
His phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
Two messages.
"The price has been paid."
"Balance restored."
---
White's phone slipped from his hand.
Shattering on the floor.
"…The price…"
His heart froze.
Shu's tear-streaked face flashed in his mind.
She wasn't the price.
She was just—
The beginning.