Chapter Text
chapter one - first lie, first fall
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The atmosphere in the Ultimate Academy for Gifted Juveniles was thick—like fog that never lifted. Kaede Akamatsu sat alone in the music room, fingers gliding over the piano keys with barely a whisper. It was late, and the silence beyond the walls was heavier than usual. No one wanted to talk. Not after finding the body of Rantaro Amami.
Her hands faltered. The notes didn’t sound right. Nothing did.
She stared at the keys, then down at her trembling fingers.
You said you wanted to end this killing game... but someone’s already dead. What did I even do?
Before the thought could dig any deeper, the door flew open with an obnoxious creak and a familiar voice shattered the silence.
“Ughhh! Seriously, what kind of lame-ass funeral dirge is that, Piano Skank?”
Kaede flinched. “Miu…”
Miu Iruma stood in the doorway, striking a dramatic pose like she’d just invented oxygen. Her usual flair was on full display—tight outfit, wild hair, and those damn goggles she almost never wore properly. But her swagger seemed a little... forced.
“You here to insult me, or...?” Kaede turned back to the piano, voice soft but tired.
“Insult? Pfft. As if I care what you play,” Miu muttered, stepping into the room. She kicked the door closed with her boot and sauntered in, but her gaze flicked toward the piano, then the floor, then back to Kaede. “But, y'know... you looked like someone drowned your cat.”
Kaede gave her a flat look. “Someone was murdered, Miu. This isn’t exactly a great time.”
Miu scratched the back of her neck. “Yeah, well… duh. You think I don’t know that?”
For once, she didn’t fill the silence with crude jokes. No innuendo, no raunchy quips. She just... hovered near the piano, like she didn’t know whether to sit or leave.
Kaede turned to her. “Why did you come here?”
Miu glanced at the door. “I dunno. My lab creeped me out, okay? I kept thinking I’d turn around and someone’d be right there with a screw driver to the throat or some shit. So I walked around. Heard you playing.”
Kaede blinked. “And you didn’t run the other way?”
“Pfft. Like I’d ever run from you, Chopsticks.”
Kaede rolled her eyes. “Still going with that?”
“Better than Piano Skank?” Miu smirked. It faded just as fast. “...I just didn’t wanna be alone.”
There it was. Honest. Unguarded. And somehow, more intimate than any flirtatious joke she’d thrown her way.
Kaede slid over on the bench. “Sit.”
Miu hesitated—then dropped beside her with a sigh.
Kaede began to play again. This time slower. Lower. A gentle piece, improvised from half-finished thoughts and the ache in her chest. She didn’t know if it was hopeful or mournful. Maybe both.
When the final note faded, Miu didn’t say anything. She just stared at the keys.
Then, without looking up, she mumbled, “...You’re not that bad, y’know.”
Kaede smiled faintly. “Thanks, I guess.”
Miu tapped her fingers against her thigh. “Just don’t go dying or whatever. I’ve had enough of that crap already.”
Kaede turned toward her. For a split second, she saw Miu without the filters—no goggles, no bravado. Just a scared girl trying to outrun her own mind.
“I’ll stay alive,” Kaede said quietly, “if you do too.”
It wasn’t a promise either of them could keep. But in that moment—under flickering lights and fading music—it was enough.