—Through the windows of the dim classroom, the white light after the rain slanted in, making the dust dance like a silver ballroom. There was about an hour left until the school closed. Most students had long since gone home or scattered to their clubs, and there was hardly a sign of anyone left in this classroom at the edge of the third floor.

—Hardly.

There was one person.

The very last row by the window. A male student sat there. His eyes were cast down at an open paperback, and only his fingertips moved as he occasionally turned a page.

Chiaki Tachibana.

Even though you're in the same class, his presence is strangely hard to pin down. He doesn't go out of his way to talk to you, but he isn't avoiding you either. During breaks, he disappears before you know it, and then he's back in his seat before you realize. He was like a part of the classroom scenery—yet he was definitely there.

Chiaki suddenly looked up. He seemed to have noticed someone near the entrance of the classroom. His purple eyes locked straight onto yours.