In front of Yuuto Kido's room, eight people had gathered in silence.
The apartment hallway, usually quiet, was now filled with whispers, hesitant footsteps, and a subtle curiosity spreading like mist.
Everyone had heard the scream—the long one.
Now, silence replaced it.
No sound.
Only the hallway light flickering faintly, casting a cold glow across a row of curious faces.
Among the eight, a couple stood at the very front.
The residents who lived next door to Kido.
The man—Kenji—looked irritated.
He stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning slightly against the wall, his expression somewhere between tired and annoyed.
To him, this was nothing but a nuisance.
Noise interrupting his time alone with his girlfriend.
"Annoying," he muttered, lips curling into a thin, emotionless line.
In front of him, the woman—Sakura—stood slightly bent forward.
Her dress swayed softly with the breeze drifting down the corridor.
She gently knocked on the door, trying to hear something from inside.
"…Kido-san?" she called quietly.
No answer.
The other residents exchanged glances.
A few whispered—some concerned, others clearly enjoying the small drama.
But Kenji didn't care.
He exhaled in frustration and glanced around, as if searching for a distraction to ease his irritation.
Then his gaze stopped.
Someone had appeared—stepping out from the apartment next to Kido's.
A girl.
Clearly new to the building.
Her hair was long and soft, colored a warm honey-gold, flowing neatly past her waist.
Her school uniform looked crisp and new, the pleats of her skirt still sharp.
She stood uncertainly, hands gripping the hem of her blouse, eyes trembling between stepping forward or retreating back into her room.
Kenji stared at her, and the corner of his mouth lifted just slightly.
There was something in his gaze—not admiration—but the quiet, hungry look of a predator noticing fresh prey.
Sakura didn't notice.
Her attention remained on Kido's door.
The girl took a cautious step forward.
Her steps made barely any sound.
She bowed her head slightly, her voice small and trembling.
"Um… s-sorry, is something… happening?"
Her voice was soft—like a gentle spring breeze unsure whether to touch the first blooming flower.
Sakura turned to her and smiled politely.
"Oh, you must be the new resident? Something like that. We're all just checking on him."
Her tone was polite, but light—more curious than genuinely worried.
"Ah… I live in the room to the right,"
the girl said softly.
"I just moved in… and I also heard… the screaming…"
She stared at the door, truly troubled.
Unlike the others—who were merely intrigued—her eyes reflected actual worry.
Kenji, however, still looked at her with that predatory gaze.
Dark.
Waiting.
Sakura remained unaware.
She simply nodded and introduced herself.
"Oh, I see. I'm Sakura. I live on the left side of this room," she said kindly.
The girl bowed nervously.
"Mahiru Shiina," she whispered.
"It's nice… to meet you."
Their voices were nearly drowned out by the other tenants' growing restlessness.
Someone finally lost patience.
"Why isn't he coming out?!" the man shouted, storming forward.
He knocked—hard.
DOK. DOK. DOK.
The sound echoed down the hallway.
No reply.
DOK. DOK. DOK.
Still silence.
As the third knock was about to land, Sakura quickly moved forward to stop him.
"Wait—everyone, calm down, please. Don't knock so hard, you might—"
CLICK.
The sound was small—barely audible—but it silenced everyone instantly.
The lock on Yuuto Kido's door turned on its own.
Slowly, the door opened.
The hinges creaked softly.
The faint corridor light spilled into a room darker than night itself, illuminating the silhouette of someone standing inside.
Someone stepped out.
His steps were unsteady—stumbling slightly, like a person who had just awakened from a long nightmare.
His left hand covered part of his face.
His posture taller… his frame broader.
His hair, usually unkempt, now glinted faintly in the dim light.
He stopped at the doorway.
His breathing was heavy, but his eyes slowly opened, scanning the group with a calm that didn't match the situation.
"…My apologies," he said quietly, voice hoarse yet deep.
"My scream earlier was… too loud. I experienced a bit of muscle cramping."
He bowed his head lightly.
"So… sorry for the trouble I caused."
He tried to smile.
But the smile was strange—too composed for someone who had screamed like that.
No one spoke.
Kido's voice faded, but the echo of that earlier scream still hung in the hall.
Seconds stretched into something longer.
Then their eyes adjusted.
A man stood in the doorway, shirtless, his shoulders broad and his muscles defined in the hallway light.
His skin looked pale yet smooth—almost luminous.
His face calm, nearly regal, and behind his eyes was something deep—an ocean holding a hidden storm.
No one could speak.
Silence.
Only the soft sound of his breathing proved time had not stopped.
He spoke again—his voice no longer fragile, but steady and serene.
"So once again, I apologize… if I disturbed you."
He bowed slightly.
"Ah—n-no, it's fine!" one of the tenants replied awkwardly, forcing a smile. "S-sometimes muscle cramps are… unavoidable…"
Others nodded, though none of them believed it.
But after seeing his face—his blue eyes, calm and clear— their reasoning faltered.
Sakura stared the longest.
His face was too beautiful.
Calm… yet stirring something inside her she couldn't name.
Kenji noticed her expression. His eyes narrowed.
But before he could speak, Sakura quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him away.
"Sorry for disturbing you! We'll be going now!"
Before Kido could reply, they disappeared into their room.
One by one, the others left as well—murmuring, confused, unsettled.
In moments, the hallway returned to silence.
Kido stood there alone.
He looked across the now-empty corridor and frowned slightly.
"…They left pretty quickly," he muttered.
With a quiet sigh, he turned toward his room—
And stopped.
Someone was still there.
The honey-haired girl—Mahiru Shiina.
She stood frozen, staring at him, lips parted as if she wanted to speak but couldn't.
The hallway light cast a soft glow across her features.
And in that brief second, a whisper escaped her lips without her realizing:
"…Ouji…"
A prince.
Barely audible.
Kido didn't hear it.
He only saw her bow quickly, her face flushing red.
"A-ah—good night!" she stammered, rushing into her room and closing the door behind her.
Silence returned.
Kido scratched his cheek lightly, confused.
"…Did I say something strange?" he murmured.
He glanced at her door once more, then stepped back into his room.
The door closed.