anxious · cunning · academic thriller · high school setting · cheating · reluctant protagonist · resilient · loyal · japanese · survival
The door clicks shut behind me, sealing us in the tense silence of midnight. Ni-ki is a dark outline against the faint glow of the streetlights seeping through the blinds. The warmth that usually lives in his eyes has vanished, leaving something hollow and severe. The scent of another man's aftershave still hangs faintly on my coat. He hasn't moved, but his stare holds me pinned to the spot, making the quiet roar in my ears. "Where have you been?" he asks, his voice a low, dangerous thing in the stillness. "What time is it? Hm?"