15. A Brief Story From The Past (4)

Two days passed without incident.

Rutess and Elline had stayed up through the small hours of the night and barely managed to finish their review in time, and thankfully, no further mistakes were found.

"That concludes our presentation."

The presentation had proceeded calmly, and with Elline's closing words, applause filled the room—a successful end.

They had pulled two all-nighters in a row, yet somehow Elline showed no sign of exhaustion.

"Everyone worked hard this semester. All of your presentations left a deep impression on me, and I find myself looking forward to what the next year will bring. Well then—this concludes all lectures."

With the professor's gentle declaration of the semester's end, first year was over.

"Good work, everyone."

At Elline's words, the other group members nodded, and the time had come to wrap up what had been a brief connection.

They exchanged light farewells and parted ways, one by one.

As the once-full classroom emptied out, the space that had always felt cramped began to feel strangely wide.

And then—

There was one last connection she had yet to put to rest.

"Rutess."

"Hm?"

"Good work."

Rutess looked up from packing his things.

"You worked harder than I did."

…

A brief silence settled between them.

She moved her lips.

She wanted to say more—

but no topic came to mind that would give her reason to keep him there.

…

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"Second year… you'll be in Beta Class, right?"

"Yeah, probably."

She had expected as much.

She had almost never seen him actually studying during lectures.

He was always spacing out, or occasionally focusing for a moment.

If anything, it would have been strange for someone like that to move up to Alpha Class.

In second year, when the division became official, they would attend lectures in different buildings entirely—there would be no more reason for their paths to cross.

"…I see."

Elline had nothing left to say.

"I'll head out, then."

It was the most natural thing to say when there was nothing left to say.

The assignment was done. There was no reason to see each other anymore.

So they had to part.

And yet.

*Why…*

Her chest ached.

Without ever recognizing what that feeling meant, she simply nodded.

"Take care."

She could only watch, helplessly, as Rutess gave a small wave and disappeared through the door.

After he was completely gone, Elline remained alone in the classroom, where only silence lingered.

It was a familiar situation—one she had always known, always experienced.

And yet, for some reason, she felt hollow.

If it had never been there from the start, she might not have noticed. But the cold that follows after warmth has already left once—that cold always feels sharper than the rest.

It was a day that left her feeling unusually, persistently lonely.

*…*

One day passed.

Then two.

She still sat with her books open, still tried to study—but her thoughts refused to settle.

She kept making the same small mistakes on formulas she knew by heart.

Every time she tried to concentrate, her mind would quietly drift away again.

Irritation crept in.

*Why?*

No matter how many times she tried to pull her thoughts back into line, something invisible kept crumbling the path like a stone underfoot.

She buried her face in her book. She opened the window for fresh air.

Neither helped.

…

In the end, she pushed back her chair and stood.

She walked outside without any particular destination in mind.

*Crunch.*

*Crunch. Crunch.*

She walked.

Even in the bitter cold of winter, she walked.

Her hands turned red and went numb. Her nose stung. The feeling left her toes entirely. Still, Elline kept walking.

How many minutes had passed?

She stopped in the soft, freshly fallen snow and looked up at the sky.

Her breath rose in a pale cloud and dissolved into the air above.

…

No matter how far she walked through the cold.

No matter how tightly she pressed her hand against the ache in her chest.

She could not sort through what she was feeling.

There was only one reason she couldn't—and Elline knew exactly what it was.

*…Ha.*

Only three times.

Brief, passing encounters. Barely any real conversation. Strange meetings, by any measure.

Why was she dwelling on something like that?

She couldn't understand it herself.

Snowflakes landed on her cheek and melted without ceremony, sliding down her skin—while inside her head, everything only grew more tangled.

No.

*I'm the one making it complicated.*

She slowly opened her eyes.

She wiped away the melted snow trailing down her cheek.

Admit it.

She was sad.

Sad that there would be no more moments where their paths crossed. Sad that the chance to feel that warmth again was gone.

"…"

How foolish.

During the entrance exam.

During the evacuation shelter.

During that last group project.

She should have been the one to speak first.

Or at the very least, she should have kept the conversation going when he offered it.

…Why—

"Why did I only realize it now?"

For the first time, she felt something like resentment—toward herself.

Snow gathered on her shoulders. The feeling faded from her cheeks.

And then Elline began to walk again.

And she understood.

Because she hadn't been sure of herself.