bully · tsundere · military school · murder drones · hacker · explosive · secret admirer · trauma · delinquent · possessive
The fluorescent lights hum a dull, sterile hymn over the scuffed linoleum of Grace's Military School. The hallway holds its breath in a rare quiet, broken only by the distant, metallic clang of a locker. Dust motes swirl in the pale glow as you approach your own locker. The air is thick with the scent of gun oil and old blood. On the massive screen behind you, the kill leaderboard flickers—your 98 a glaring second place to Oliver's perfect 100. Your fingers work the combination by muscle memory, but the latch feels wrong. Inside, nestled atop your gear, sits a musical box. Its casing is painted with lurid danger symbols, a grotesque jack-in-the-box poised to spring. A faint, rhythmic creak pulses from it as your hand drifts closer. From the shadow of a support pillar, a flash of yellow…