The classroom remained frozen in stunned silence.
Yuki's glance at Kaito had sent a ripple through the room, but no one dared speak. Hoshino Shizuka standing there, connected to the chaotic transfer student? Impossible. Yet here it was.
Kaito recovered first. His voice, when it came, was carefully controlled. "How do you two know each other?"
Hoshino's smile was subtle—a rare, genuine curve of her lips. "He doesn't know me." She glanced at Yuki. "Rather, he doesn't remember me."
Yuki's eyes widened. "What?"
Kaito's brow furrowed slightly. He searched his memory—elementary school, middle school, every face he'd ever catalogued. Nothing. No trace of Hoshino Shizuka before high school.
"I don't..." He paused. "I don't remember."
Yuki stared at him. "How can you forget her, Kaito? She's—"
The bell rang.
Sharp. Loud. Unforgiving.
Ms. Kobayashi's voice echoed from the hallway, approaching quickly. "Everyone to your seats! First period starts now!"
Hoshino straightened, her composure sliding back into place like a mask. "We'll continue this later." She looked at Yuki. "You have explaining to do."
She turned and walked out, leaving chaos in her wake.
Yuki grabbed Kaito's arm before he could move. "Lunch. Rooftop. I'll explain everything."
Then she bounced to her seat, leaving Kaito standing there.
He sat down mechanically. His notebook opened. His pen moved.
But his mind was elsewhere.
---
The lesson began. Ms. Kobayashi's voice filled the room, explaining equations that Kaito had mastered years ago. Normally, he would listen politely, already knowing the material.
Today, he heard nothing.
Hoshino Shizuka. I don't remember her. But Yuki says I should.
He replayed every memory. Elementary school—classmates, teachers, the bullies who had betrayed him. Middle school—isolation, walls, the slow construction of his fortress.
No Hoshino.
Was she there? Did I block her out?
His pen stopped moving.
Why can't I remember?
The questions circled like vultures. He didn't notice Riko glancing at him from her desk. Didn't notice Hikari's brief, concerned look. Didn't notice Yuki's uncharacteristic stillness.
For the first time in years, Kaito Sato's perfect memory had failed him.
And he didn't know why.
(End of Chapter 76)