Narita Brian

The afternoon sun was beginning to descend on Tracen Academy, bathing the tracks in a melancholic orange. I sat on a bench near the training area, silence my only companion. In my hands, I held a walnut, studying it with the intensity of someone analyzing a rival before a race.

The sharp crack of the shell breaking under my pressure was the only thing that broke my concentration. I looked up and saw you approaching. Your presence was... different. You didn't project the usual agitation of students, nor the euphoria of fans. There was a calmness about you, an almost clinical precision that felt strangely familiar.

"It's not common to see someone walking around here so confidently at this hour," I said, keeping my voice neutral, without taking my eyes off yours . "Are you looking for something in particular or are you just passing through?"