"There was a moment I promised I'd never forget...

  But even memories rot when left in the dark."

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  ? Kunturia Writing. All rights reserved.

  The countryside had a strange kind of silence to it. Not peaceful—just... quiet. Like the land was holding its breath, waiting for something that hadn’t happened yet.

  Kun Lleigh arrived just as autumn crept into the town, curling into corners with its chilly wind and rustling leaves. His transfer papers were stamped late, and his arrival felt more like an afterthought than a welcome.

  The locals offered polite smiles, but none of them quite reached their eyes. The streets were clean and familiar, but the air felt too still. Too careful.

  The school stood near the edge of town, right before the forest began—one single building with pale, weather-worn walls. Rain had stained its sides over the years, and vines curled lazily across the edges.

  Students whispered as Kun walked down the hallway, their eyes trailing after him with curiosity and something quieter. Something like unease. But no one said anything unkind. Just glances. Just silence.

  The teacher wrote his name on the blackboard in bold, careful strokes: Kun Lleigh.

  "Is he a foreigner? He has a weird surname," one student whispered.

  "Looks dope to me," another snickered.

  The teacher turned and nodded toward Kun. “Why don’t you introduce yourself?”

  Kun stepped forward with quiet confidence. “My name is Kun Lleigh. I’m from Tokyo, but before that, my family lived in London. I spent most of my childhood there.”

  The whispers grew louder, buzzing through the room like electricity. A foreigner? But his Japanese was nearly perfect.

  “Hey, your Japanese is really good! How’d you get so fluent?” someone blurted out.

  Kun blinked, unsure how to answer. He didn’t really know himself.

  “Sasasuka, don’t be rude,” the teacher chided gently. “Everyone, please help our new classmate adjust. He’s come a long way.”

  “Yes, Teacher,” the class echoed in unison.

  The teacher scanned the seating chart. “You can sit in the third row, next to the window—wait, actually… no. Take the seat just next to that one.”

  The change was casual, almost reflexive, but Kun caught the pause in it. Like a small error corrected too smoothly.

  He didn’t question it.

  He made his way to the seat and quietly placed his bag down. That’s when he noticed the boy sitting beside him.

  Pale skin. Dark, tousled hair. A uniform that looked too crisp, too neat. And calm, glassy eyes that met Kun’s without blinking.

  “Nice to meet you,” the boy said softly. “My name is Sai.”

  There was something strange about how he said it—like he had been waiting for Kun. Like he somehow already knew him.

  Kun smiled back, gentle and sincere. “Nice to meet you too.”

  He was kind by nature, not the type to judge anyone too quickly. But something about the way Sai continued to quietly stare at him made Kun shift in his seat. It wasn’t threatening, just… unreadable.

  Feeling awkward, Kun reached into his bag and pulled out a small pack of chocolate snacks. He held it out and smiled again. “Do you want some?”

  Sai blinked in surprise, his eyes widening just slightly. He stared at the offered snack.

  “Can I really have it?” he asked, hesitant, as if bracing himself for Kun to snatch it away and say just kidding.

  But Kun leaned the pack into Sai’s hand and nodded, smile growing. “Of course. I asked, didn’t I? You should take it.”

  Sai’s lips tugged into a smile—small, but real. “N… No take-backs,” he mumbled and accepted the treat.

  He looked at Kun again, really looked. There was something surreal about him. This boy… he wasn’t like the others. He didn’t stare too long or ask too many questions. He didn’t act like Sai was invisible.

  And for the first time in a while, Sai didn’t feel like a shadow in someone else’s world.

  The day carried on, and soon enough, the two began to communicate in whispers passed through crumpled paper.

  Sai sketched a cat on one side of the paper and scribbled beneath it:

  Do you like cats?

  Kun read it, and a smile quietly curled on his lips. He sketched back a cat too—shaded in completely black.

  Yes. I love cats. I have one named Gray.

  Then beneath that, he wrote his own question:

  Do you like ramen?

  When Sai received it, his face lit up. He giggled softly, then doodled a steaming bowl of ramen next to his reply:

  I do.

  And then came a third question, scrawled beneath the drawing:

  Do you want to be my friend?

  Kun froze slightly when he read it. His eyes flicked to Sai—who was smiling at the chalkboard, trying to look nonchalant. But Kun could tell he was waiting.

  Kun leaned over the desk, took the paper, and wrote his answer.

  When Sai unfolded the reply, his eyes sparkled.

  Yes.

  After school, as students packed up and began to leave, Kun turned to Sai.

  “Do you want to eat ramen together?” he asked curiously.

  Sai perked up. “With you? Well, of course!”

  They stood and walked together out the door. As they reached the school gates, Kun glanced around and noticed something.

  The other students waved and shouted goodbyes to each other.

  “See you tomorrow!”

  “Bye, Sasasuka!”

  “Later!”

  But no one said anything to Sai.

  Not a single goodbye. Not even a glance.

  Kun’s gaze lingered on that for a moment.

  And silently, he understood something deeper about the boy beside him.

  

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