I cleared my throat. "Didn't mean to bother you."

"Didn't say you did." Her voice was flat, barely above a whisper, but somehow still sharp in the cold air.

There was an awkward pause.

I glanced at her again. "Aren't you cold sitting out here?"

"I am the cold..." she replied, her tone a bit more cryptic than I expected.

I stared at her for a moment, then swallowed my laugh, hiding it behind a cough. I looked back at the gym building before turning to her again. "Don't you have class?"

"...I forgot. Can you lead me there?" she asked, her voice still distant.

"Oh, um, okay?" I said, unsure of what I was getting myself into.

She gave a slow, nonchalant nod. "I was supposed to be in math class on the third floor."

I blinked, slightly thrown off by how casual she was about the whole situation. "Alright then," I muttered, before shrugging and offering a hand. "I'll walk you there."

She looked at my hand for a moment, as if contemplating it, before eventually taking it. Her hand was cold, but I couldn't quite figure out the expression on her face. She didn't seem bothered by the contact at all.

"Lead the way," she said quietly, her tone still indifferent.

I nodded and started walking, trying to ignore the weird feeling that lingered in the air between us. It felt odd, holding her hand like this, but she didn't seem to mind. The school hallway was fairly empty, and the soft sound of our footsteps echoed around us.

"You... what's your name?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"I'm Hikaru. First-year student..." I replied, glancing over at her.

"Oh, Hikaru? That Hikaru always with Riku?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You know Riku-san?"

"He's my childhood friend. How's he with you in the student council?" she inquired, her tone still a little distant, but there was a hint of curiosity in her voice.

"Riku-san? He's... kind of a handful. Always pushing me to get more involved with the council stuff. But he's solid, a good guy."

She gave a small, almost imperceptible smile. "Yeah, sounds like him. He's been like that forever."

We continued walking in silence for a moment, the only sound between us being the faint echo of our footsteps on the quiet hallway floor. I could tell she wasn't one for long conversations, but there was something about her that made it feel like I could talk without much effort.

After a minute, I glanced at her again, still holding her hand. "So, you don't seem like the type to wander around skipping class. What's up with that?"

She let out a breath that might have been a laugh if it wasn't so dry. "I don't care much for math. It's just numbers on paper. Doesn't make sense to me." She paused, then added with a slight shrug, "Why should I fix the X and Y problem when I can't even fix my own problems?"

Once again, I swallowed my laugh, not sure if I should say anything or just keep walking.

"You know, I just wish sometimes I could go somewhere and sleep..."

Somewhere... I thought.

"How about if there's another world where... no one's there, and time is like stopped... what would you do?" I asked her.

"Sleep," she replied simply.

I smiled and looked around, spotting a mirror typically used by the girls who walked around the hallway. "Then how about we go somewhere that's empty?" I said with a grin.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Where?"

With a sense of pride, eager to show her something magical, I led her to the mirror and stepped through, pulling her along. She hesitated, unsure, but as she followed me through, her voice filled with confusion. "I can go through the mirror?"

"As long as you keep holding onto me," I said, reassuring her as we crossed over to the quiet, mirrored side of the school hallway. The atmosphere felt different—more serene.

She looked around, her eyes widening in surprise as the hallway appeared almost identical, yet eerily silent. The usual sounds of chatter and footsteps were completely absent here. "This is... strange," she muttered, glancing back at me.

I nodded, relishing the novelty of it all. "It's the mirror world. Everything's the same, but it's like time stands still here."

She took another cautious step forward, her brow furrowed. "So... wait, is this real? Or am I dreaming?"

I pointed toward the stairs leading up to the third floor. "You said you were headed to math class earlier, right? How about we prove this is real? No one's here to stop us."

She hesitated for a moment, looking around the empty hallway, then shrugged. "Alright, let's see if you're telling the truth."

She reached for my arm again, gripping it lightly as if to reassure herself. It felt strange, but I didn't pull away.

"Alright, let's go to the third floor," I said, trying to keep my voice steady despite the odd tension hanging between us.

We made our way toward the stairs, her hand still holding onto my arm. I could feel her presence close, her grip warm, but it didn't feel uncomfortable—just oddly familiar, like we had been doing this for years. As we ascended, the quietness of the mirror world wrapped around us, amplifying the silence.

"Here we are," I said, stopping at the top of the stairs and glancing at her. "The third floor, just like you wanted."

"Hahhh... hahhh... I'm tired," she panted, taking heavy breaths.

"We just... went to the third floor... are you that easily tired?" I asked, raising an eyebrow, a little surprised by her sudden exhaustion.

She paused for a moment, glancing at me with a slight frown. "Hah... usually, my friends carry me."

That's what good friends do... I thought to myself.

"Well, we're just a bit further, to the math class," I said.

"Okay... I just want to see if there's no one there," she replied.

We continued up the stairs in silence, the only sound being the soft crunch of our footsteps on the cold floor. As we reached the third floor, the atmosphere here felt even more surreal—everything was still, not a single voice or footstep to be heard.

I led her to the math classroom door, carefully pushing it open. Inside, the desks were neatly arranged, but the room was completely empty, as if time itself had frozen everything in place. The lights flickered slightly, casting an eerie glow over the quiet space.

She looked around in surprise, stepping inside slowly. "This is... definitely not normal."

I shrugged, feeling a sense of satisfaction. "Welcome to the mirror world. Everything looks the same, but no one's here. Time just doesn't move."

Her eyes widened as she glanced back at me. "So... we really are in a different world right now, aren't we?"

"Yep. Pretty much," I replied with a small grin, enjoying the feeling of being the one with the knowledge for once.

"That's... actually kind of amazing."

I watched her for a moment as she effortlessly laid her head on the desk, her body relaxing into sleep almost instantly. Her breathing slowed, and her expression softened.

She really is tired, I thought, a bit surprised at how quickly she'd passed out. It seemed like she wasn't exaggerating about being carried by her friends usually.

I glanced around the empty classroom, the stillness of the world outside almost comforting. Everything here felt so quiet, like we were in a little pocket of time. I could tell she was exhausted, but I wasn't sure if I should wake her up or let her rest.

With a sigh, I leaned against the wall, crossing my arms. Well, at least she's not worrying about anything right now.

After a while in the mirror world, I gently pulled her out through the mirror, stepping back into the familiar hallway of the first floor. I poked my head out first, checking to make sure no one was around. Seeing that the coast was clear, I stepped out fully and helped her follow me.

"Hmm... it's been a while since I've been in there, sleeping," she mumbled, her voice still drowsy as she blinked at the change in surroundings.

"Yeah..." I replied, still processing how much time had passed while she slept.

Just then, a guy walked toward us, his eyes landing on Kaori. "Kaori, where are you going?"

Kaori? I realized I'd spent all that time with her and never asked her name. I glanced at the guy, wondering if he was one of her friends.

Kaori looked up at him, her expression still a bit groggy. "Junta... hey, I just took a long nap."

Junta's eyes then shifted to where she was still holding my hand, a slight frown forming on his face. "Um... I think Kaori needs to go to class now, thank you, junior."

I nodded quickly. "Oh, yeah, you're welcome."

Junta walked over to Kaori, gently taking her hand and placing his other hand on her shoulder. "Come on, the math class is about to start."

"Hmm... I just took a long nap... isn't it over by now?" Kaori murmured, still a little dazed from her nap.

Junta shook his head with a soft laugh. "You're dreaming again..."

They turned and walked away, leaving me standing there. A strange, heavy feeling settled in my chest. It was kind of sad, watching him care so much for her, especially when I knew she just know him as friends. He seemed genuinely concerned and even a little jealous when I held her hand. But I couldn't help but feel like he was more than just a friend to her, and I wasn't sure where I stood in all of this.

To Be Continue.