A few days had passed since that short walk, so unexpectedly interrupted by the appearance of the Rift.

  Seline tried to live as usual—getting up, washing her face, attending lectures, answering professors' questions, smiling in the right places, pretending everything was under control.

  But sometimes, right in the middle of the day—while flipping through her notes or waiting at a bus stop—the same sound would return to her mind: his calm, almost emotionless "Yes."

  "Yes… but when?" the girl thought, lying on her back, her gaze fixed on the ceiling light.

  "Could have at least texted… just vanished… again… what am I supposed to do?!" Seline muttered into the pillow pressed against her face.

  "Really, he could have written… he's so irresponsible…" the bewildered girl said, sitting on the edge of the bed.

  The words sounded convincing. But inside, they didn't take root.

  She looked at the clock. Seline began slowly getting ready for training. Taking the keikogi off the dryer, she neatly folded it into her backpack. Grabbed a water bottle and started putting on her shoes.

  She glanced out the window from the corner of her eye. The sun was shining brightly, and she could hear birdsong mixed with the laughter of children playing in the yard. Ready to leave, she looked at herself in the mirror.

  "Or maybe… I'm not worth it…" Seline thought, looking at herself.

  Her gaze slid lower—to the pendant hanging on a golden chain over her white t-shirt. The blue stone caught the light and for a moment seemed to come alive.

  She touched it carefully and smiled involuntarily.

  "No… then he wouldn't have given me something so beautiful." With that thought, she turned to the front door and pulled the handle.

  The entrance door slammed shut loudly behind the girl. Bright rays greeted her as she stepped outside.

  She squinted, trying to adjust to the light.

  A few people sat on a bench, animatedly discussing the recent Rift events.

  "Stop making things up! It's just another government experiment… where do our taxes go?! They should fix up the embankment instead…"

  "I'm telling you—it's not the government!"

  Catching snippets of conversation, Seline walked slowly past.

  "Experiment. Aliens. Show," the girl thought to herself, gripping her backpack straps tightly. "Whatever it was—it stole my date…"

  Anger suddenly washed over her, and she quickened her pace, as if trying to outrun her own thoughts.

  And before she knew it, she was standing in front of the wooden door of the training hall, not even noticing how she'd gotten there.

  Through the slightly open door, she could hear the ring of katanas, the dull thuds of bokken, and Jin's short commands.

  She took a deep breath and walked into the hall.

  The hall was warm.

  The smell of wood, sweat, and old mats—familiar, almost soothing.

  Seline changed quickly, tying her belt a little tighter than usual, as if hoping it would help keep her thoughts in check.

  Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  She fell into line with the others.

  Jin stood before them, surveying the attendees.

  "I see everyone's ready. Today we'll train outside," the sensei said.

  The line performed rei and headed for the door leading to the backyard.

  "Bokken in your belts," Jin commanded calmly. "Ten laps along the fence."

  Everyone followed the sensei's instructions.

  "See, I knew I shouldn't have tied it so tight…" the girl lamented, trying to loosen the tightly drawn belt to slip the wooden katana through.

  She caught up with the students running ahead, trying to match their pace.

  The concrete slabs paving the backyard floor were uneven; one slab was higher than another, weeds sticking out from cracks in the concrete. Seline ran, trying not to trip. Her breath hitched every time her foot landed on another uneven spot.

  Jin stood with his arms crossed, looking somewhere at the sky, his head tilted back. He wasn't watching the students, but he heard every step, every breath.

  "Keep the pace. Don't forget to breathe," the sensei's voice sounded calmly from the center of the yard.

  "He's not even looking, how does he…" Seline thought, and immediately stumbled and almost fell.

  "Watch where you're going," Jin said, as if answering her thought.

  The yard was much larger than the hall, so ten laps here were a different story. By the end of the run, many had indeed forgotten how to breathe.

  Jin tore his gaze from the sky and looked over his charges.

  "Rest a bit. Then we'll continue," the sensei said caringly, with an understanding look.

  Seline stood bent over, hands on her knees, trying to catch her breath.

  Voices came from behind the fence.

  "Look! Samurai!" laughed one of the guys standing behind the metal fence.

  "Huh? That's Seline!" one of the guys shouted, noticing a familiar face. "Hey, Seline, got nothing better to do?!"

  She looked up and saw her classmates in front of her. Seline felt blood rush to her cheeks. Anger and embarrassment mixed like watercolors on the girl's face.

  She didn't answer, pretending not to hear.

  The laughter grew louder.

  "Hey, don't pay attention to them," a quiet, calm voice came from her left.

  Seline turned her head and looked at the girl beside her.

  Mia wasn't tall—almost the same height as her. Not striking, but for some reason, your gaze lingered. Her reddish, almost red hair was gathered in two buns on top of her head, neatly tied with elastics. Two long strands fell onto her forehead. Her eyes—a russet brown, warm like autumn leaves—held no mockery or curiosity, only a calm, attentive presence. She almost always had a smile on her face—kind and caring.

  "Yeah, I'm… it's fine," Seline murmured quietly, forcing a light smile.

  Mia leaned toward her and whispered, barely audible.

  "How about after training we take our bokken and show them some samurai?"

  The girls laughed. The voices from behind the fence faded into the background, now just noise.

  "We never properly introduced ourselves. What's your name?" Mia asked.

  "Seline. And yours?"

  "I'm Mia. That's a very beautiful name!" the red-haired girl said with a wide smile.

  "Th… thank you," Seline said, embarrassed. "Yours is too."

  Their conversation was interrupted by Jin's command.

  "Suburi. Fifty strikes. Begin."

  Everyone instantly took their stance and began practicing their strikes.

  Someone behind the fence said something else, but now the sound seemed muffled. Seline was no longer pretending not to hear—she simply didn't. She was concentrated, and now all that interested her was the swing and the strike.

  The training ended.

  Bows, the sensei's short words, the noise of footsteps—the yard gradually emptied.

  Seline changed slowly.

  Her shoulders hummed, her palms ached, but inside she felt strangely empty—as if all her emotions had spilled out onto the concrete slabs and now there was simply no energy left.

  She carefully folded her keikogi, zipped up her backpack, and walked out into the corridor.

  Seline stepped outside. The sun no longer warmed as strongly, slowly sinking behind the concrete buildings. But a warm, gentle breeze hinted at the coming summer.

  "Home. Shower. Silence," she thought. "Sleep."

  "Seline!"

  The voice came from behind—not loud, not sharp.

  The girl turned around.

  Mia was running after her, waving her hand.

  "Phew, made it!" Mia said, stopping beside Seline.

  "Did I forget something?" Seline asked, confused.

  "Yes!" Mia looked at the slightly bewildered blonde, still smiling. "To wait for me!"

  Seline smiled back.

  "I'm really out of it today…" the tired girl said quietly. "All my thoughts are tangled…"

  "Are we friends already…?" Seline asked herself.

  "Me too! We definitely need to go unwind! Let me treat you to ice cream!" Mia said cheerfully and stepped forward. "Come on, let's go!"

  "Ice cream…" Seline remembered the failed walk with Dan. She swallowed with difficulty, feeling something bitter rise in her throat, but pulling herself together, she shook her head as if dispelling thoughts of the unsuccessful date and thought, "Why not?"

  Seline smiled and also took a step, falling into step beside Mia."Ice cream? Excellent!"