Yokosaki High buzzed louder than usual — whispers bouncing off every cracked tile and flickering hallway light. Word of yesterday's courtyard fight had spread like wildfire, and Nikki walked right through the smoke of it.
She popped a piece of gum, twirling it with her tongue as she let a small crowd gather around her locker.
"Wanna see something cool?" she asked, already palming a wallet she'd pickpocketed from a senior two minutes ago.
A quick smirk, a flick of her wrist.
The wallet vanished.
The crowd oohed. Nikki bowed dramatically, then tossed the wallet into a nearby trash can without even looking.
"Magic," she said, winking as she pushed past them.
Her smile stayed bright until she reached the bathroom mirror — then faded. She stared at her reflection, eyes tired beneath the playful spark.
"You're fine," she whispered to herself.
But even she didn't sound convinced.
AftershocksAt lunch, the courtyard hummed with rumors. First-years pointed. Seniors glared. Someone even had a blurry photo of Kenji punching a guy so hard his shoe flew off.
Nikki sat on a bench chewing gum, watching Akira from across the courtyard. He ate alone, calm, cold, quiet — like a storm that hadn't decided where to hit yet.
Kenji strutted around like a champion. Vincent watched everything like a bored wolf.
Nikki blew a bubble.
"You keep staring at him," she said out loud to no one,
"people gon' think you like him."
Akira didn't hear her. Or maybe he did — he just didn't care.
That made him even more interesting.
Nikki's WorldHer apartment was dim when she got home. The TV flickered in the living room, her mother half-asleep on the couch with a cigarette burning low.
Nikki tiptoed past — she didn't want another conversation about "responsibility," not from someone who barely remembered her own.
In her room, she peeled off her hoodie and stared at the bruise on her shoulder — a gift from a girl she'd scammed earlier.
"Worth it," she mumbled, flopping onto her bed.
Her fingers grazed a small wooden box under the frame. Inside were old magic tricks, a worn deck of cards, and a photo of her dad performing a trick for her when she was six.
"When you learn the trick," he used to say,
"the magic dies."
Maybe that's why he left.
Nikki shut the box and shoved it back under the bed.
The Rooftop ScamThe next day, Nikki stood on the rooftop holding three playing cards.
"Pick one," she told the two delinquents in front of her.
They took the bait.
She didn't cheat — she outsmarted them. And when she won, she laughed loud enough for the whole rooftop to hear.
One of them lunged for her.
Kenji appeared from behind the AC unit, stretching casually.
"She beat you fair," he said. "Try not to be sore losers."
Nikki winked at him.
"Thanks, pretty boy."
Kenji grinned.
"Pretty and deadly. Don't forget that part."
They walked away together, laughing like old friends even though they'd barely spoken before.
Ghost and TricksterLater that evening, Nikki spotted Akira outside the small cluster of mechanic shops near the pier. He was fixing something under the hood of an old coupe, sleeves rolled up, eyes focused.
She walked up, leaning on the hood.
"So you really do have a life outside beating people up," she teased.
Akira didn't even look at her.
"People who talk too much usually lie," he said quietly.
Nikki laughed once — not offended, but… hit.
"Guess I'm the biggest liar here, then."
Akira didn't respond, but the silence between them stretched deeper than any conversation she'd had all week.
The ConfrontationThe boys she scammed the day before caught her in the hallway that afternoon.
"Where's our money?" one growled.
Nikki backed up, still smiling — but her eyes darted around.
Four of them. Tight space. No teachers.
She elbowed one in the jaw. Another grabbed her wrist. Before she could react — Kenji's voice:
"You idiots really don't learn."
And from the other end — Akira, hands in pockets, eyes like frost.
It wasn't teamwork. It wasn't coordinated. It was chaos.
But Nikki ended it — smashing the fire alarm with her elbow. Water exploded from the sprinklers and everyone scattered.
She stood in the soaked hallway, mascara running, hair plastered to her face — laughing.
"You guys really need hobbies," she said as she walked past the two boys who just saved her.
Kenji shook his head.
Akira didn't say a word.
Quiet MagicThat night, Nikki sat on the rooftop of the school, flipping a coin between her fingers.
Vincent appeared out of nowhere like a ghost.
"You act like it's all a game," he said.
Nikki looked at the city lights, eyes soft for once.
"Maybe it is," she whispered.
"Only difference is… I keep losing."
Vincent didn't give advice. Didn't try to fix her.
He just stood there. Quiet.
And somehow, that made the rooftop feel less cold.
Nikki smiled — a real one, small and tired.
The coin rolled across her knuckles.
Still spinning.
Still trying.