The rooftop was the only place where I could breathe.
No crowded hallways, no forced conversations. Just sky, wind, and silence. I sat in the far corner, away from the door, my lunch unopened beside me. I wasn't hungry. I was thinking.
The melody from last night still echoed in my mind. Soft, low, a little fragile. I hummed it, just to feel it in the air.
It was stupid. I never sang where anyone could hear me. But I thought I was alone.
Then I heard it.
A clatter—metal scraping against concrete.
I froze.
Someone was there.
My head snapped toward the door, and that's when I saw her.
A girl with dark brown hair tied loosely behind her, wearing the standard uniform without any of those flashy accessories the others liked to show off. She looked… normal. But not in a bad way. Just... real.
"I-I'm sorry!" she said, too loud for how quiet it was up here. "I didn't mean to scare you!"
She stepped into view, flustered, waving her hands like she was erasing something invisible.
"I heard someone singing," she continued, laughing awkwardly. "I thought I was imagining it. But it was you, right?"
I didn't answer.
Of course I didn't. What was I supposed to say?
Yeah, sorry, I hum songs to the sky like a ghost.
She looked at me for a second longer. "You're Noki, right? I've seen you before. You're always... quiet."
I said nothing. Waiting. Expecting her to leave.
But she didn't.
"That song," she said, stepping closer, "did you write it?"
I nodded. Just a little.
Her eyes lit up, and I hated how my chest felt tight when she smiled.
"It's really good," she said. "Like... really, really good."
No. She's just being polite. People say stuff like that to be nice. It doesn't mean anything.
But I didn't want her to go.
She sat down a short distance from me and opened her lunch. "Don't worry, I won't talk anymore. I just like the wind up here."
I didn't nod. I didn't look at her. But I didn't leave either.
We stayed like that. Quiet.
When the bell rang, she stood and dusted off her skirt.
"See you tomorrow, Music Ghost~"
Music Ghost?
She was already gone before I could react.
I stared at the space where she'd been. It felt warmer now, somehow.
I didn't know her name.
But I kind of wanted to.