Yaaawn...
Tears welled up at the corners of Rain's eyes as he raised a hand to stifle a quiet yawn. He slumped back in his chair, utterly drained.
"Hey... is it over yet...?"
he muttered to Eliza beside him, his voice sluggish and hollow, as if his brain had long since surrendered.
Eliza glanced up from her book, pausing briefly before raising an eyebrow.
"It's only been half an hour, you know."
Rain let out a dramatic sigh and dropped his head onto the table. He pulled the book up to cover his face, then raised his chin slightly to rest it on the table's edge. One hand traced lazily across the printed words, mimicking reading—though his eyes were clearly elsewhere.
He flipped through the pages—front, back, front again—fidgeting constantly like someone who had completely given up on focusing.
Driiing~
The chime rang out loud and clear through the library, its echo reverberating through every corner.
: "It is now time for the afternoon supplementary session. All students, please return to your assigned classrooms immediately."
"Finally!"
Rain practically sprang from his chair, dropping the book in his hands as though it had suddenly turned scorching hot.
The look on his face shifted visibly—from weary resignation to palpable relief, like a prisoner being granted freedom after a long sentence in the prison of text.
Eliza and Zyn stood up shortly after. Eliza gently patted down her skirt to shake off any dust, then nodded to Zyn before the two of them began returning their books to the shelves in neat order.
Gaia stood slowly, wordless as ever. One hand was stuffed in his pocket, the other holding a book loosely by his side.
Rain stretched with a soft groan and glanced at each of his friends in turn before saying:
"Let's go."
The four of them exited the library together, joining the growing murmur of students streaming out in all directions as they returned to their classrooms…
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In the Classroom — Supplementary Session
Rain slumped forward onto his desk, utterly drained. His vacant eyes stared into nothingness, as though his soul had slipped quietly out of his body.
"This is worse than studying with Eliza…"
He lay there like a corpse, his energy flatlined. There wasn't a single spark of will left to move—but he endured it, just to avoid getting points docked for misconduct.
Rain squirmed slightly, shifting in place out of sheer boredom, but the strange, sluggish movement caught the attention of a nearby student.
Glancing slowly around the room, Rain suddenly tensed up, a flash of seriousness overtaking his expression.
He reached out and picked up what looked like a pen on his desk—looks like "Note Stylus", a digital pen that allowed writing or drawing directly onto the classroom desk's interactive surface.
With a heavy hand, he began aimlessly doodling across the screen—just random lines and squiggles, like a bored preschooler waiting for recess.
Minutes ticked by...
Until eventually, his head slid down again, and he passed out cold on the desk.
Soft, rhythmic breathing escaped him—just audible enough to be heard nearby.
"Hey, bud."
A quiet, even voice spoke next to his ear.
Gaia stood beside Rain's desk, leaning down and gently nudging his shoulder.
"Still with us…?"
Rain didn't respond.
Gaia paused for a moment, letting out a faint sigh.
Then, wordlessly, he bent down and carefully lifted Rain onto his back, cradling him with practiced ease.
He didn't say another word—just adjusted the sleeping boy's position securely… and walked out of the classroom through the door.
"Yo, I'm here."
Gaia raised a hand in greeting to Zyn and Eliza, who were waiting outside the classroom door.
"Whoa… Out cold, huh?"
Zyn arched an eyebrow with a small amused smile.
The three of them—plus one unconscious boy slung over Gaia's back—began making their way toward the dorms.
Gaia brought up the rear with Rain still motionless across his back. Ahead, Zyn and Eliza walked side by side, chatting in low, relaxed voices.
But Gaia wasn't listening.
He was focused on something else entirely…
His footsteps stayed steady, yet something in him tensed. A creeping unease had begun to spread in his chest—something subtle had pierced through the the hallway.
A tremor.
So faint it was almost imperceptible. But not imagined. Definitely not imagined.
He froze in place.
His eyes widened slightly, and a chill ran down his spine.
"What was that..."
He glanced toward his friends up ahead and the others nearby, but neither showed any sign of noticing. No change in posture. No hesitation in their action. No one seems to know it.
"No one... felt it?"
It was like—something moving.
Underground..,?
Or maybe an earthquake.
Or maybe… some kind of machine.
But just as he sharpened his attention, trying to catch it again—
It vanished.
It was gone, like a whisper lost to the wind.
Fleeting, like a dream slipping away the moment you reach for it.
But Gaia had felt it.
Felt it clearly enough that his heartbeat had skipped out of rhythm for a moment.
He furrowed his brow slightly, then adjusted Rain's position and continued walking—quietly, steadily… and more alert than ever.
As Gaia was still focused on that strange tremor, a faint whisper suddenly brushed against his ear...
"What was that… Just now…?"
It was said in a groggy, muffled voice — from Rain, still with his eyes shut, Laid across Gaia's back.
Gaia froze.
His body stiffened instinctively, then he replied in a low voice.
"What do you mean?"
Rain let out a soft yawn, still not opening his eyes.
"Just now…"
He sounded like someone caught halfway between sleep and wakefulness — and yet, his words spoke up almost perfectly with what Gaia had just felt.
Too perfectly.
Gaia fell silent for a moment, his expression unreadable.
Then he responded simply, almost dismissively:
"Probably just… an earthquake."
He dipped his head slightly, brows furrowed in thought.
Then, without another word, he quickened his pace — footsteps now just a little heavier — hurrying to catch up with Zyn and Eliza, who had already walked on ahead.
The four of them finally arrived at their dorm.
Gaia gently carried Rain — still deeply asleep — straight to the bed.
With careful hands, he laid him down, adjusted the blanket neatly over his body, then straightened up with a quiet sigh before turning toward his own bed.
The soft footsteps of Eliza and Zyn settling in for rest blended into the low hum of chatter around the room — students murmuring, moving around.
But no one mentioned the tremor.
No one even brought up that strange sensation from earlier.
Not a single word about it.
Gaia thought to himself:
…Did no one else really feel it…?
He lay down on his own bed, staring up at the ceiling in silence for a moment before slowly closing his eyes.
Maybe it really was just in my head...
But Rain… he said something about it too…
Or maybe he was dreaming? Just mumbling nonsense?
…Am I just overthinking this…?
He let out a quiet breath again, the distant buzz of voices slowly surrounding the room once more as he drifting off to sleep.
And then he let himself drift — slowly, quietly — into that hazy atmosphere.