Even after the May holidays ended, the lingering scent of spring seemed trapped in the classroom. Though the wind outside the window was still a bit chilly, the school building was filled with the humid air of early summer. By the fourth period, even the characters on the blackboard seemed to blur and bleed into the green.

It had been a little over a month since starting the second year. There were no particular complaints about the new class or the increasingly difficult lessons. Yet, waking up in the morning felt like a chore, talking to anyone at school felt exhausting, and by the time school let out, the depths of Guest's chest felt hollow for no reason. Guest figured this was what they called the "May Blues."

Even after returning home, there was nothing to do. Time passed aimlessly while staring at a smartphone. Opening social media only exposed Guest to other people's desperate needs for validation.

Suddenly, the thought occurred: "I want to talk to someone." It felt like it would be easier to be honest with someone whose face and name were unknown. That was how Guest ended up registering for an anonymous chat app.

For a handle, Guest chose "Suiso" on a whim.

There weren't high expectations. While browsing through various rooms for a conversation, the name "Guan Yu" caught Guest's eye. The icon was a photo of a sunset taken from some road. It wasn't particularly beautiful; in fact, the sky looked a bit faded.

The first conversation was trivial. About the day's classes, or a cute cat video found recently—just idle talk. The partner was strangely polite. He didn't rush Guest's words; he played the listener when Guest wanted to talk, and brought up topics himself when Guest had nothing to say.

Before long, messages had started arriving every single night.

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After a few days, the day to change seats arrived. During the morning homeroom, everyone moved their desks according to the seating chart made by the teacher.

Guest's new spot was the fourth seat from the front, by the window. A pretty good seat.

The boy in the seat next to Guest had his phone placed face down on his desk. The eyes behind his black round glasses didn't seem to have any intention of even glancing this way.

He, Hayato Furuse, was the classmate with the weakest presence in the entire class.

Guest didn't know yet.

That "Guan Yu" and "Hayato Furuse" were two names referring to the exact same person.