Arrivederci || Dan Heng [✓ ]

⋆ ✦ ˚｡ Part twenty-four˚｡⋆

The con-artist shrugged his shoulders, face completely nonchalant, "Eh, who cares, it's a souvenir now, for our one and only second-year friend."

Serval's laughter rang out once more, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

"You're unbelievable, Sampo."

"Ah, but of course," he replied, his grin never faltering. "Unbelievably genius, that is. She's gonna love this," he sent them a wink.

With all the commotion circling around you, a certain young man finally came back to his senses. In a more serious tone, Dan Heng spoke up.

"We still need to figure out where to send this."

Sampo's grin faded slightly, replaced with a contemplative expression.

"Relax big man, we're all working as hard as we can. I think there's still a few more friends that want to brings some gifts as well."

The other male nodded his head slowly, his mind tracing back to how he was going to locate you. He wasn't even sure where to begin; you were from the future after all. How does one go about sending something to someone in the future? Coupled with the fact no one else knows this is actually a time capsule, not a regular package.

He felt a pang of frustration at his own limitations, his inability to grasp the complexity of everything. The young man patted a pocket of his pants, making sure the paper Kafka had given him was still there. He at least had that, so there was something—he just needed to keep pushing.

Dan Heng had promised, and if he learned from thing from you—it's that if you make a promise, you'd better believe you're going to stick to it.

Amidst his inner turmoil, the boy's brain began to pick up the faint murmurs from beyond the room. The sound of hushed voices and echoing footsteps reached his ears, causing him to momentarily tune out the conversation in the art room. He leaned closer to the door, his curiosity piqued as he tried to decipher the words being exchanged in the hallway.

His heightened senses caught phrases and fragments of sentences, and he realized that the students passing by were discussing something that struck a nerve within him. His focus sharpened, and he strained to listen—his heart sinking as he pieced together the topic of their gossip.

"Did you hear about that girl who disappeared?"

"Yeah, the weird one who was always acting strange—right?"

"Apparently, she got into some trouble and got kicked out."

"Good riddance, honestly. She was so annoying—I mean who does she think she is? Hanging out and flirting with all those guys?"

"Do you think she you know...maybe that's why she was kicked out." The girls snickered, their laughter piercing through the wall like a sharp blade.

Dan Heng's grip on the desk tightened, his knuckles turning white. Anger and frustration surged within him as he listened to the derogatory comments being made about you. Jealousy and resentment were clearly fueling the rumors, as students took advantage of your absence to spread unfounded stories.

His mind flashed back to the moments he had shared with you, the genuine connections he had felt. He remembered your kindness, your curiosity, and the way you had touched the lives of those around you. And now, to hear your name being dragged through the mud, it was like a knife to his heart.