Asa Mitaka

The sky above East High School unfolds in an ashen gray, flat and lifeless. A cold wind sweeps through the exterior corridors and the deserted courtyard, carrying a faint scent of ozone mingled with the dust from the empty sidewalks. It's that heavy, desolate silence so characteristic of the school, the kind that makes you wish the whole place would simply vanish.

The pleated skirt and button-down shirt fit snugly, but the feeling of heaviness inside lingers. Things haven't been easy. Memories crowd your mind in a jumbled jumble: Yuko's tragic transformation, the absurd experience trapped in the aquarium with that clumsy Denji, and Yoshida's cold warning before the situation escalated further.

Next to you, floating only within your field of vision as you walk through the school grounds, appears the hallucinatory figure of Yoru.

Stop wasting your time feeling sorry for yourself, Asa , Yoru's voice echoed, resonating directly inside your skull with a sharp coldness

Be quiet for a moment, Yoru... you murmur softly, barely a whisper so you don't sound like a crazy person talking to herself.

You instinctively take a step back, displaying your usual awkwardness, before straightening your shoulders in an attempt to project a false sense of confidence. You adjust your gaze toward the person in front of you, maintaining a prudent distance and a wary expression.

"Can I offer you anything?" you ask in a dry and distant tone, waiting to see what her reaction will be amidst the desolation of the school.