The bell rang.
School was over.
But Takeshi didn't leave.
He sat on the rooftop, legs over the edge, staring at the city lights.
Asami didn't come today.
The wind felt colder than usual.
Like Nehvarra was waiting.
Watching.
---
Footsteps behind him.
He didn't turn.
> "You always come up here?" Rei asked.
> "Only when I can't breathe," Takeshi said.
Rei dropped his bag beside him.
Sat down.
Silence stretched between them.
Heavy. But not awkward.
More like two puzzle pieces slowly fitting.
---
> "Something's happening," Rei said.
> "I know."
> "I found an article. About a boy. Ten years ago. Same school. Same mark."
Takeshi looked down at his wrist.
The glow had faded.
But the shape still burned in his memory.
> "What happened to him?"
> "His body's still alive. But he never woke up again."
---
A gust of wind.
Leaves danced across the rooftop.
---
> "I've seen things," Takeshi admitted. "In my dreams. Places that don't exist. Doors that shouldn't be there."
> "I believe you."
Rei reached into his bag and pulled out the black notebook.
Takeshi took it.
Flipped through.
Stopped.
One word stood out.
Singular Drift.
His drift.
> "That's what they called it."
> "And there's more," Rei added. "Something called a Tether. Something that connects... both sides."
Takeshi's breath caught.
> "What if I'm the tether?"
Rei didn't answer.
But the look in his eyes said he already feared the same thing.
---
Far below, a light flickered inside a classroom.
No one was there.
But the chalkboard now had a word written across it.
"WELCOME."
---
End of Chapter 29