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[ᥱrr᥆r ᥙᥒᥲbᥣᥱ t᥆ ρr᥆ᥴᥱ᥉᥉ rᥱqᥙᥱ᥉t...]
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𓆩⟡𓆪
╰┈➤ "𝑰'𝒎 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 a little worried about it is all, Welt. He comes home everyday with a bigger frown that usual—and he keeps renting piles upon piles of atlases from the libraries..."
** for anyone who doesn't know an atlas is just a book of maps, charts, and geographical regions **
"I noticed it as well, he's having a little trouble focusing in class these days."
"Please talk to him, I tried to reach out to him but he doesn't want to open up."
The man smiled at her, resting a reassuring hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Leave it to me."
__ __
Dan Heng's eyes follow the swaying curtains, his mind beginning to drift from reality. Beside him, a girl scrambled to dig through her pockets, searching for the photographs she had prepared to send.
"Awwww," March groaned, patting down her pockets, "I swear I brought them with me!"
"I had no idea this classroom even existed...Tingyun really knows the school layout." Serval tapped the edges of the dusty desks, looking underneath them for anything interesting.
"So how is this going to work," Gepard interrupted, peaking inside the package, "are we just putting things we want to send to her?" March momentarily disregarded her frown, gaining on an excited grin as she responded to him,
"Yup! Dan Heng said once he finds where she went, we can send it!" She stole a glance at said male, finding him adrift in his own thoughts. Unable to grab his attention, her face turned back to concentrated as she searched for her missing polaroids once more.
"Oh that reminds me!" Serval dug into her backpack, pulling out a small keychain. "Check this baby out, made it myself." She carefully used her nail to strum the tiny strings of the mini guitar, which created noise—much to the astonishment of everyone in the room.
"Woaahhhh, you really made this thing?!" March immediately sprung up from her seat, having completely forgotten about her own gift.
"Yup! I hope she likes it. This is only a prototype though."
"She'll definitely love something like that," Pela assured, stepping into the room with a bright smile, and an armful of records. "How's it going guys?"
"Hey! Wait—what's all that for?" The blonde lady took the objects from her arms, observing it in the air with squinted eyes.
"They're my extra vinyls, she mentioned that she wanted to have some. It was strange though, she said she hadn't seen this album in forever, but it came out only a couple months ago." Serval shot a perplexed expression at her friend, eyes darting back and forth between the records.
"Hm, she was probably mistaking it for something else."
Both girls shrugged off their worries, each placing their respective gifts into the cardboard box. As Pela scanned the other items inside in it, she lifted a few of them into view—out of curiosity.
"A baseball?"
"Oh that's from Caelus and Seele, look it even has her signature. I think that's the one that broke the office window," explained Gepard, taking the ball from her. His fingers grazed past the particular scratching and damage.
"Newspapers?" His sister questioned, holding them carelessly.
"Ah! Those would be from me," a softer voice came from outside the room, and in stepped Tingyun. "I figured I'd send her some things I was working on, she did want to see them after all."
Then, the group heard some rustling from down the hall. Each of them turned their heads, watching Sampo's sudden dramatic entrance into the room.
The, already open, door was swung wider with a flourish, accompanied by an exaggerated cough and a sly grin plastered on his face. He held a hand dramatically to his forehead, mimicking a swoon as he stepped into the room.
"Well, well, well," Sampo drawled, his voice dripping with theatrical flair. "Am I fashionably late to this little gathering, or did I just make an entrance at the perfect moment?"
Both Pela and Gepard rolled their eyes, used to Sampo's antics.
"Late, as always," the first-year quipped, a look of irritation etched on his face.
Sampo placed a hand over his heart, feigning hurt. "Oh, my dear junior, you wound me with your sharp wit...but fear not! For I come bearing something of the utmost importance!"
He produced a small, ornate box from behind his back, presenting it with a big grin. "Behold!" Sampo proclaimed, his eyes sparkling mischievously. "A token of my undying affection for our elusive friend."
The group exchanged amused glances, and Serval raised an eyebrow, unable to resist asking,
"What's in the there?"
Sampo smirked, setting the box down on the table with exaggerated care. "Prepare yourselves, for you are about to witness the pinnacle of artistic expression!"
With an exaggerated flourish, he opened it to reveal—a mug. The sight elicited a chorus of laughter from the group, and even Gepard couldn't help but crack a smile.
"What the hell are you giving her a random mug for?" Serval managed to say between giggles.
"Not just any mug!" Sampo declared proudly. "The very beverage holder of the dickwad disciplinary. And they say nothing says 'I miss you' more than the token of what first sparked our unlikely partnership!"
"No way—it's that guy's mug? As in the old fart that practically lives off of his coffee? Wasn't that mug like a gift from his late grandma or something?! How'd you even manage to steal that—?!"
"Yeah, you're facing expulsion at this point—if they find out," Gepard added to his sister's statement, smiling at the idea of Sampo getting banned from the school.
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.
Had he been the same person he was before meeting you, the male wouldn't have even spared the rumors a second thought.
March watched as Dan Heng rose from his seat, bangs looming over his enraged face. He gritted his teeth, balling his fists to stop him from yelling any louder than he already was.
"What the hell do you think you're talking about? Have you got nothing better to do with your lives than bad-mouth a girl you barely knew? And for what, cause you're jealous of her?" His words cut through the air like shards of ice, freezing the giggles in their throats.
He locked eyes with both of the girls, watching their bravado crumble into fearful uncertainty. "Do yourself a favor and think before you open your mouths. Talking carelessly about shit you're completely clueless about is beyond stupid."
"Dan Heng!" March's concerned voice sliced through the tension, and he turned his gaze towards her. His eyes caught sight of the rest of the group, their expressions a mix of confusion and worry, all directed at him. Feeling the weight of their eyes on himself, the male hung his head low, his anger subsiding but not entirely extinguished.
She grabbed hold of his arm, pulling him back toward the classroom. "Sorry, but he's right. Talking behind someone's back is something only insecure people do. If I hear you doing that again, I'm afraid I won't stop him next time."
The girls expressions turned irate, having been caught but also knowing that they had totally lost. One clicked her tongue, scoffing as she ran away with her companion.
March looked at Dan Heng's profile, her gaze filled with care. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine," he muttered, with a touch gruff. Gepard and Serval exchanged a glance, their concerns evident as well.
"We heard what they were saying, but you don't usually react like that," the blonde spoke up, her voice gentle. "Are you sure you're okay?" Dan Heng only sighed, his shoulders slumping slightly.
"I'm just... frustrated. Especially when we actually knew her. I want her to be remembered in a good light, and hearing them gossip like that just set me off."
Pela walked over, placing another hand on his back.
"Dan Heng, you don't have to carry all of this on your own. We're all in this together, remember?"
Despite his usual stoicism, he appreciated their support more than he could express.
"Thank you all, really."
Sampo sauntered out of the room, his usual grin on his face,
"Don't worry about those dumb chicks, their egos are bigger than their heads." Gepard chuckled, shaking his head.
"Leave it to Sampo to find humor in any situation."
__ __
Dan Heng's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, his head constantly drifting away from the classroom material.
The words on the board blurred, and his pen remained untouched. The events of everything had taken a toll on him. He felt he was close to finding you, but at the same time so far away.
'How do you locate someone who's from the future?'
Mr. Yang spared a curious glance at his reserved young man; he had grown increasing concerned about Dan Heng's change in behavior over the past few days.
The struggle in his eyes didn't go unnoticed by the observant educator, who understood that something was deeply troubling his usually diligent student.
As the rest of the class shuffled out at the end of the period, Mr. Yang motioned for him to stay back.
"Dan Heng, please stay a moment," Mr. Yang began, trying to come off as gentle as possible. "Is there something on your mind? You've seemed a bit distracted lately. Even Himiko has noticed, she told me to talk to you about it."
The boy hesitated for a moment,
"I...I've been dealing with some personal matters," he admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor. "It's been hard to concentrate, I'm sorry. I will try harder next time."
Mr. Yang nodded, his hands folded as a rest for his chin.
"I see. Sometimes life can throw unexpected challenges our way." Dan Heng managed a small nod in response.
Then, the older male paused a moment, looking around him—seemingly making sure no one else was around. Then, he pressed his palm to his cheek, leaning closer to Dan Heng. "It concerns that girl, does it not?"
Dan Heng's eyebrows furrowed, shock and confusion evident on his face.
"W—what are you talking about?" Mr. Yang sighed, realizing that his student would probably definitely be defensive about this.
"You're looking for her right? All of you are, March, Serval, Gepard—even that troublemaker Sampo."
His heart skipped a beat, caught off guard by the directness of the question. He hesitated for a moment before nodding slowly.
Mr. Yang's gaze didn't waver, his eyes holding a that of empathy and understanding, but still having a very serious expression attached to them.
"I want to help you, but you're going to need to tell me everything you know—and I mean everything."
Dan Heng's eyes widened, a startled feeling washing over him once more. He hadn't expected Mr. Yang to know anything about the situation, or even care for that matter.
"...everything?" Again, his gaze naturally fell to the floor, but Mr. Yang only nodded,
"You must be honest, I promise that you can trust me, but I will need to know everything."
The young man's mind raced, trying to quickly made a decision on the spot.
The older male let out another heavy breath, realizing that he put his student in a difficult situation. There was no way Dan Heng could just openly say everything, so Mr. Yang knew he needed to take a leap of faith.
"You know then don't you, about the time travel."
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╰┈➤ EDITED ✦
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ASTRAL HIGH SCHOOL NEWSPAPER
𝙎𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙁𝙖𝙘𝙪𝙡𝙩𝙮 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨
Astral high wants to thank all students and faculty for the amazing culture festival last week. It was a huge success, and the school saw more publicity as a result. We are pleased to announce that due to this, the school can go forth with much needed renovations. Thank you all again!
- Principal Jing Yuan and The Student Council
𝘾𝙡𝙪𝙗 𝘼𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙩𝙮
Astronomy club is having another stargazing session this weekend, everyone is welcome to join. There is a meteor shower scheduled later in the evening!
- Club Leader Asta
𝙀𝙭𝙩𝙧𝙖 𝙎𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙡 𝘼𝙣𝙣𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨
Recently a complaint has been filed of a missing mug from the disciplinary faculty. If you see this mug around, please return it promptly to the office.
-Astral High Staff
Stay tuned for next weeks news!
- Newspaper editor and publisher, Tingyun
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