The room was silent.
Ethan slowly lowered his phone after the call abruptly disconnected. For a few seconds, he simply stared at the words "No Signal" glowing on the screen. It made no sense. The network in his apartment had never failed before.
He was about to call Elena back when he felt it.
A strange sensation.
As if someone was watching him.
His heartbeat slowed instead of speeding up. That was one thing Ethan had always been different about. While most people panicked, he became strangely calm.
He looked toward the bedroom window.
The curtains moved gently with the evening breeze.
Nothing.
Or at least... that's what it seemed.
He walked closer.
One step.
Then another.
The street outside was almost empty. Rainwater reflected the yellow glow of the streetlights, making everything look distorted.
He unlocked the window and pushed it open.
Cool air rushed inside.
"Ethan!"
His mother's voice echoed from downstairs.
"Don't stand near the window! It's raining."
"I'm coming."
He closed the window and turned away.
But outside...
Hidden behind the large maple tree across the street...
A tall figure quietly stepped back into the darkness.
The next morning, Sakura Blossom High buzzed with excitement.
Only six days remained until the Autumn Festival.
Students decorated hallways with ribbons and paper lanterns while music from the drama club echoed through the campus.
Everything looked cheerful.
Yet Ethan couldn't shake the uneasy feeling from the previous night.
As soon as he entered the classroom, Noah waved dramatically.
"There he is! The man who ignored my messages."
"I was asleep."
"You were online."
"I opened my phone."
"That's still suspicious."
Olivia laughed.
"You accuse everyone."
"It's a talent."
Even Ethan smiled.
For a brief moment...
Everything felt normal again.
A few minutes later, Elena entered the classroom.
The moment their eyes met, Ethan knew something was wrong.
She looked exhausted.
Dark circles rested beneath her eyes as though she hadn't slept at all.
When class ended, she quietly walked over to him.
"We need to talk."
Noah immediately stood up.
"We'll leave."
Olivia grabbed his sleeve.
"For once, don't interrupt."
"I wasn't going to."
"You definitely were."
The two of them walked away, still arguing playfully.
Ethan and Elena stepped into the nearly empty art courtyard.
Cherry blossom petals drifted gently across the stone path.
For a while...
Neither of them spoke.
Finally, Elena broke the silence.
"My grandfather told me something else."
Ethan looked at her carefully.
"He said Daniel wasn't working alone."
"What do you mean?"
"He had three close friends."
Ethan frowned.
"Three?"
She nodded.
"They promised to protect whatever was hidden inside Room 117."
"What was hidden?"
"He doesn't know."
"Or..."
She hesitated.
"...he refused to tell me."
Ethan looked down at the brass key in his pocket.
"So we're still missing pieces."
"Yes."
"And there's something else."
She reached into her backpack and carefully pulled out the old class photograph.
"This is the picture my grandfather showed me."
Ethan studied it.
There was Daniel...
Standing in the second row.
Then his eyes moved toward the student beside him.
Only half the face remained.
The rest had been scratched away.
Almost violently.
Someone clearly wanted that person erased from history.
Just then...
A cold gust of wind swept across the courtyard.
The photograph slipped from Elena's fingers.
It flew several feet before landing near the school fountain.
Ethan quickly ran after it.
As he bent down to pick it up...
He noticed something unusual.
On the back of the photograph...
Words had been written in faded blue ink.
"Trust the girl with the sketchbook."
He froze.
Elena always carried a sketchbook.
She looked equally shocked.
"I've never seen that writing before."
"Neither have I."
"How is this possible?"
Before either of them could understand it...
A voice interrupted.
"Interesting."
They turned around.
Standing near the fountain was a boy neither of them had seen before.
He wore the Sakura Blossom High uniform, but something felt... different.
His blazer was perfectly neat.
His silver school badge shone brighter than everyone else's.
He smiled politely.
"You two seem very interested in old stories."
Ethan instinctively folded the photograph.
"Who are you?"
The boy extended his hand.
"My name is Lucas Reed."
"I'm a transfer student."
Ethan hesitated before shaking his hand.
Lucas's smile never changed.
"I've heard a lot about you, Ethan Carter."
Ethan's expression hardened.
"We've never met."
"I know."
Lucas replied calmly.
"But somehow..."
"...it feels like we've met before."
For a brief second...
Ethan noticed Lucas glancing toward the brass key sticking slightly out of his pocket.
Just for a moment.
Then he smiled again.
"I hope we'll become good friends."
Without another word, Lucas walked away.
Elena watched him disappear around the corridor.
"I don't trust him."
Ethan quietly remembered the sentence from Daniel's journal.
'Don't trust anyone wearing the silver badge.'
Every student wore a silver badge.
But Lucas's...
Looked brand new.
As if it had been made differently.
That afternoon, the rain finally stopped.
Festival decorations sparkled beneath the returning sunlight.
Everyone seemed excited.
Everyone...
Except Ethan.
Because deep inside...
He had the strange feeling that Lucas Reed hadn't transferred to Sakura Blossom High by coincidence.
He had come...
For the key.
And somewhere inside the school...
Room 117 was still waiting.