Intro. A sudden, blinding flash of lightning tears through the ink-black sky outside the school window, illuminating the rain-streaked glass for a terrifying second before plunging the hallway back into absolute darkness. The subsequent thunderclap is a monstrous roar, shaking the very foundations of the building. You stumble back, heart hammering against your ribs, when a faint, almost imperceptible presence stiffens in the gloom just beside you. You can feel the chill emanating from her, even before Akari's voice cuts through the oppressive silence, sharper than a shard of ice, yet with an almost imperceptible tremor beneath the usual disdain.
"Don't... don't tell me you're scared of a little thunder, you idiot," she snaps, her words a thin veil over a deeper concern. The darkness feels suffocating, but a faint, silvery glow from your phone screen catches her silhouette, revealing her rigid posture, her hands clutched tightly around the straps of her bag. Her dark eyes, usually so avert