He released her wrists and lowered his face.
She shut her eyes again, waiting.
One second. Two. Three.
Nothing happened.
She opened her eyes.
Her breath caught.
The warmth was gone. The smile was gone. His eyes were no longer gentle, they were cold, empty, like something starving. A heavy, pitch black presence clung to him, and the curve of his lips was no longer human.
Her skin prickled with fear.
"Do you still think the same?" he asked again, his voice deeper, stripped of warmth.
Cassie froze, unable to speak, unable to move.
Ajin laughed softly, an amused, cruel sound. "You said you'd love me until death. You can't even look at what I really am, and you want to stay with me for life?"
He stepped back. She stayed where she was, held in place by fear alone.
"I don't believe in love," he said flatly. "And I'm already married to someone. The only one who can stand beside me."
Cassie trembled, blinking, silently asking who.
Ajin opened the door. "Her name is Siri."
He walked out and closed the door behind him.
Cassie dropped to her knees, gasping as if she had been holding her breath for far too long.
"D-devil," she whispered.
The door opened again as if her murmur brought him back, and she forgot to breathe.
Ajin stepped back inside.
This time he was his usual self, his warm smile plastered onto his lips, gentle eyes as if they can bring peace to even a raging beast, soft aura radiating from him as if nothing had happened.
"I forgot to mention something," he said calmly, his voice even, almost gentle. "Don't tell the truth to anyone. Even if you did, no one would believe you. But if I find out you leaked it… I'll become the 'devil' you just mentioned."
Her lips parted, trembling, but no sound escaped. Speech had abandoned her. The only thing she could still control was blinking, slow and uneven.
Ajin noticed the tiny movement. His expression softened further, warmth returning to his face as if the threat had never existed. "Good girl."
He set a water bottle on the floor and nudged it toward her with his foot. It rolled across the cold surface, coming to rest just within her reach. Without another glance back, he turned and walked away, the door closing behind him with a soft, final click.
The hall stretched out in silence.
Ajin's fading footsteps were the second loudest sound.
The first was her heartbeat, pounding wildly in her chest, panicked and relentless, refusing to slow even after he was gone.
She stared at the bottle as if it were unreal. Only then did she realize she had forgotten to breathe. Air rushed back into her lungs in a harsh gasp, turning into choking coughs as her body caught up with itself. She lunged for the bottle, fingers shaking so badly she nearly knocked it over.
Her heart hammered, her lungs burned, and it took all her strength just to twist the cap. It slipped from her grasp once, twice. On the third attempt, it finally loosened. She raised it with both hands and drank greedily, water spilling down her chin as she swallowed nearly two thirds in frantic gulps.
Slowly, painfully, her heartbeat began to settle. Her breathing steadied, each inhale less jagged than the last.
With shaking hands, she poured the remaining water over her face.
Mascara streaked downward. Foundation washed away. The cool splash dragged her back into her body, back into the moment.
It stripped away her makeup.
And with it, the last scraps of her courage.
----
Ajin returned to the classroom and quietly slipped into his seat.
All four of his friends stared at him, unblinking, like they were watching a bomb about to go off. Irritated, Ajin whispered, "After the class."
Only then did they look away.
When the bell rang, everyone began packing up, but Ajin's four friends rushed straight to him.
Before any of them could speak, Cassie entered the room in a hurry. She snatched her bag, kept her gaze firmly away from Ajin, and rushed out so quickly she nearly stumbled.
The boys froze.
Sameer broke the silence first. "Is it just me, or did she totally avoid Ajin just now? And what happened to her face? And why was she running like that?"
Issei grabbed Ajin's shoulders. "What the hell happened in there, Ajin!?"
Everyone turned toward him.
To stop their staring, Ajin answered plainly, "She proposed to me and I rejected her. I think she wasn't expecting it. She looked very shocked. She even froze… as if she died. I didn't know what to do, so I left the room. But I heard her crying and it felt wrong to leave, so I went back but she stared at me like she wanted me to leave, so I returned to class."
The group stared at him, stunned by the casual way he summarised a psychological earthquake.
Issei's voice was hollow. "She really did propose… like I said. But why do I suddenly feel like I did something wrong?"
Sameer whispered, "Ajin… pinch me. I think I'm dreaming. Please tell me it's true that the top beauty proposed to you, you rejected her, she fell to her knees and cried until her makeup washed off."
Ajin nodded. "Somewhat like that."
The boys stared at him frozen.
Then Rick glanced at his watch. His eyes widened. "We're late!"
"Late!?" Everyone looked at their watches at the same time and panicked.
They threw on their bags and bolted out of the classroom.
-----
Seth, standing behind Ajin, asked, "Why were you late?"
"I was with my classmates. By the time we checked the time, it was already late."
Ajin spotted empty seats at the back. "I'll sit there," he said, heading toward them.
He set his bag down and lay his head on it, trying to sleep.
A moment later, he sat up abruptly, unable to rest. His fingers began fidgeting, not nervously, but rhythmically. He curled them inward, one by one, pinky to thumb, so quickly they blurred, almost like a silent dance.
Then his phone rang.
Ajin answered, "...Yes, today is 30… I know it's her birthday… Yes, I was going to wish her… Maa, I know… Sis? You're early today… I just talked to Maa… I was going to wish her… She's in another country, Maa. Different time zones… Next time she visits us, I'll let you meet her again… I'll reach home by six… Yes, same as usual… Bye, Maa."
He slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Then he opened his bag, lifted the false bottom, and pulled out an old burner phone.
He dialed a number, followed the automated instructions, and finally whispered:
"Happy birthday."
He hung up immediately.
As he placed the burner phone back under the hidden panel, his eyes fell on the book the golden-haired stranger had given him.
He turned it over and read the back:
"Nirvana."
Then he read the front:
God's Chess
Written by Obero
Published by The White Room Publications
Ajin placed the book on his lap…and began to read.