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‧₊ ᵎᵎ 🦋 ⋅ ˚✮

The morning sun slanted through the windows of the academy halls, casting long beams of light across the polished floor.

Shinobu walked quietly down the corridor, her bag slung over her shoulder, freshly returned from the hospital.

The soft tap of her shoes echoed against the walls, but it wasn't the sound that bothered her.

It was the whispers.

They clung to the air like smoke, curling through the gaps between lockers and slipping through half-closed classroom doors.

“Is that Kocho-san?”

“I heard she overdosed last week...”

“No way, but she looks fine now..”

“She’s probably just pretending again...”

Each word pressed against her skin like cold rain.

She didn’t stop walking, didn’t even flinch, but her grip on her bag strap tightened.

Her footsteps eventually led her to the chemistry hall.

Inside, rows of students had already taken their seats, flipping through last-minute notes, calculators out, pencils tapping nervously on the desk.

Tamayo-sensei stood near the board, scribbling the words

Chemistry Finals – Unit 6-10.

She turned when Shinobu entered and gave her a soft, knowing nod.

Shinobu returned it with a small smile and quietly took her seat near the middle.

Across the room, Giyuu entered next, calm and composed, slipping into the seat beside her with a quiet glance.

He didn’t say anything, but the look in his eyes told her what she needed to hear You’ve got this.

As Tamayo began handing out the papers, the air stiffened with tension.

“Your exam begins now. You have one hour”

She announced.

Shinobu’s pen met paper. Equations, reactions, and analysis.

Her mind dove into the familiar terrain, her heartbeat syncing with every solved problem.

Even with the whispers crawling in the back of her mind, her focus didn’t waver.

One hour later, the chemistry final ended. A collective breath released from the class.

But there was no time to rest.

“Calculus next”

Giyuu murmured as they walked out the classroom together.

Shinobu nodded.

“Just another mountain”

She replied, her voice steady.

As they entered the math room, the atmosphere was just as thick. Calculators, rough sheets, formulas hastily reviewed.

Giyuu and Shinobu sat next to each other again, like always.

A few students still dared to glance and murmur.

Shinobu noticed. But for once, she didn't shrink under their words.

Let them whisper.

She had a test to finish, and someone to outrank.