"When silence listens, secrets speak."
[Scene: School hallway, early morning. Naizaka walks in with his usual unbothered face. He notices Mio standing alone by the windows.]
Naizaka: "You're early."
Mio: "You notice small things."
Naizaka: "And you keep showing up."
Mio: [softly] "Maybe because I don't like noise either."
Naizaka: "...Then why drag yourself into it yesterday?"
Mio: "Because sometimes… silence needs protection."
[Mio walks beside him, steps calm. Students whisper as they pass.]
Random Student: "That's the girl who dropped that senior…"
Another: "And the guy who always walks like the world annoys him."
Mio: "You're becoming famous."
Naizaka: "Fantastic. Just what I didn't want."
[Scene: Classroom. Yuki waves at Naizaka. Toma gives a thumbs up from behind her.]
Yuki: "Good morning! I brought snacks!"
Toma: "Strawberry mochi! Don't ignore your fan club!"
Naizaka: "I wasn't ignoring. I was calculating the escape route."
Yuki: "He says that but still takes the seat next to me."
Toma: "Classic tsundere behavior."
Riko (class rep): [walking by with clipboard] "Weirder every day…"
[Scene: Lunch break – rooftop again. Yuki and Naizaka eat quietly. Then Mio arrives, standing at the doorway.]
Mio: "Mind if I sit?"
Yuki: [smiling, but a bit tense] "Sure. The more the merrier."
Naizaka: [looking up] "I guess this rooftop is public now."
Mio: "Don't worry. I don't plan to stay long."
Yuki: "You always say something mysterious."
Mio: [looking straight at Naizaka] "Only when I know someone's hiding more."
Naizaka: [pause] "Do you always talk in riddles?"
[Tension builds. A gust of wind blows across the rooftop. Suddenly, a bird crashes into the safety railing, startling everyone.]
Yuki: "Whoa—what was that?"
Naizaka: [instantly alert] "Something's off."
Mio: [watching the bird fly off] "See? You sense it too."
[Flashback to Episode 1 – Naizaka sensing things before they happen. Quick cuts of him stepping away from crowds, dodging small accidents, reacting a second too early.]
Mio (voiceover): "I've met someone like you before. But they were afraid of what they could do."
Naizaka (voiceover): "It's not fear. It's exhaustion. People don't want truth. They want noise."
[Scene: After school. Naizaka walks past the empty drama club room. He hears whispers—then silence.]
Sena (from inside): "Wait, did you hear that?"
Sora: "It felt… like someone just walked over my grave."
Naizaka (thinking): That feeling again...
[He turns sharply. Mio is behind him.]
Naizaka: "You keep appearing."
Mio: "You keep pretending not to want answers."
[They walk outside, beneath the trees. The wind is still. Too still.]
Naizaka: "You're not just some girl who does taekwondo."
Mio: "And you're not just some boy who wants peace."
Naizaka: "Then what do you think I am?"
Mio: [softly] "Someone who's afraid of what comes next."
[Suddenly, a rustle behind them. A figure darts through the bushes. A student stumbles forward—his eyes glassy, face pale.]
Mio: "Step back!"
Naizaka: [grabbing her arm] "Wait. He's not attacking."
[The boy collapses. He mutters something:]
Student: "S-she… she knew I was going to fall…"
Mio: [kneeling beside him] "He was pushed—mentally. Like his mind cracked before his body did."
Naizaka: "That's impossible."
Mio: [looking up] "No. It's not."
[Scene shifts to Yuki watching them from a distance. Her fingers grip the juice box tightly.]
Yuki (thinking): Why do I feel like I'm being left behind?
[Toma appears beside her, holding another box.]
Toma: "Hey, juice buddy. You okay?"
Yuki: "...Do you think Naizaka likes mysterious girls?"
Toma: "He likes quiet. But I think he notices who listens."
Yuki: [softly] "Then I need to start listening better."
[Evening. Naizaka sits by the vending machine, alone. He stares at the second juice box in his hand.]
Naizaka (thinking): I don't know what Mio wants. But she sees too much.And I don't know what I want anymore, either.
[He stands and looks toward the trees, where Mio vanished earlier.]
Naizaka (thinking): I always wanted silence. But now... I think it's hiding something louder than noise.
To Be Continued...