Eternal Beauty | Chapter 5

Hey RatHat 😊
See I rolled the dice and they said it’s time for the next chapter of Eternal Beauty! (Chapter 5. Chapter 5. Chapter 5)
By the way, every time I read the title of this, I have a Within Temptation song stuck in my head @.@ And I don’t even know if that is actually what I heard. It’s just a vibe…

In any case, to the actual story. I was wondering… Is this the same school Sugei went to? Or at least the same city? I don’t think it has been mentioned… [Maybe intentionally so, huh? :>]
Also maybe a reminder of how many students attend Ujui? 😊

This time, the Marin mention is much more welcome. We’re settled in school and Marin is a central figure in school leadership. It makes sense for Yuki to go further into depth here on what makes her so special. I really like this. I also really like how I’m immediately in the scene now :3 It’s just a very easy but still so beautiful read!

With what you told me abt the inspiration, I now am wondering if there are some supernatural elements in the story. Not fullblown more like the Magical Realism genre? Whatever it is magic or mundane, it is always intriguing!
It’s especially this line that makes me wonder: “It’s like she’s…I don’t know, at peace with everything.“
Hm considering how everything is centred around Marin and how Marin is the central figure in Kei’s life… Maybe this is more about him than her. Maybe it’s him that died and this is his last dream? <-- let me throw some out-there theories at the wall. Maybe something sticks =D

Oh what a beautiful phrase: “or if she drifted through Ujui as quietly as a shadow, letting others fill in the gaps.“

Is melancholy the right word here? Not melancholic? “ Her expression was distant, almost melancholy, “

I really like that Kukuui and Kei are such good friends and that he doesn’t hesitate to tell her abt the strange experience he’s just had. I also hope that with him communicating so openly with her, the whole Marin thing wont drive a wedge between them later. It kinda feels like the wisps of a love triangle manifesting…

I really like that he went out at night when sleep evades him and that the school allows the students to wander about like this. I liked the atmosphere you setup and I especially like that he saw this figure that might have been Marin, is almost certainly Marin, through the window. It’s just a nice image :3 Good chapter!

Hello! It's CATS here to do a review, this time with a different method, because it is just too good to just state a few things. Okay, okay, I'll use it on Chapter Six! So let's dive in, shall we??

“Mysteries are not to be solved. They eye us like the moon, visible but forever distant.”

— Michael Ondaatje

The bell sounded, echoing through the hall with a metallic hum that reverberated long after the sound faded. As his classmates gathered their things, Kei moved slowly, watching the others as they filtered out in small groups. Even after several days, he couldn’t shake the feeling of being an outsider here, like he was drifting through some strange dream where everyone else knew the script.

He lingered in the doorway, adjusting his bag over his shoulder, gazing down the quiet hall. It had been years since he’d last spoken to Sugei, and his absence was starting to feel like a faint, dull ache. Kei couldn’t help but wonder what Sugei was up to, if he had adapted to life here in the city, or if he was just as out of place as Kei felt himself.

He thought of their days together back home—their quiet moments by the creek, the way Sugei would kick up rocks on their walks, making small, idle comments that only Kei could understand. There was a steadiness in Sugei that Kei had come to rely on. Now, he was here, surrounded by marble floors and cold, echoing corridors, without that constant, grounding presence at his side.

As he entered the student lounge, he spotted Yuki Agustyn sprawled comfortably on the back of a leather armchair, her legs swinging idly as she waved him over.

“Kei!” she called, her voice warm and lively in the quiet room. “Come take a break. You look like you’re ready to pass out.”

Kei managed a faint smile and took the seat beside her, feeling a strange comfort in her casual friendliness. “Guess I wasn’t ready for the intensity of city life.”

Yuki laughed, nodding. “The place does have a way of making you feel like you’re in some kind of grand, old-world maze. You know, you get used to it. The cold floors, the statues watching you from every corner.” She grinned, catching his eye. “But it’s not so bad once you know who’s who around here.”

Kei raised an eyebrow, trying to sound casual. “I’ve been hearing things about the student council. Seems like they’re pretty…established.”

“Oh, you mean the Marin effect?” she replied, smirking as if this was a running joke. “You wouldn’t be the first to be curious, you know. Marin’s sort of a…phenomenon around here. People are drawn to her, but it’s not like she tries to make herself the center of attention.”

Her tone was lighthearted, but Kei sensed the slightest hint of awe, a respect that went beyond the usual talk about school leadership. “So what’s she like?” he asked, feeling that unexplainable pull again, that sense of déjà vu that had been following him since the moment he’d arrived.

Yuki tilted her head thoughtfully. “Focused. Composed. Always a few steps ahead. It’s like she’s…I don’t know, at peace with everything. She’s not all mystery, but she has this way of making you wonder.” She gave him a mischievous look. “Bet you’ll see soon enough. She’s always around somewhere.”

Kei nodded, her words settling into him with an odd familiarity. There was something about the image Yuki was painting that struck him—a memory he couldn’t quite place.

As Yuki left to meet up with another friend, Kei lingered in the lounge, her words still echoing in his mind. It wasn’t just the casual mentions or the whispers he’d heard about Marin—it was the way everyone seemed captivated by her, like she was more than just a person. He had seen students huddled in corners, talking about her in low voices, their expressions both reverent and intrigued.

Kei made his way down the hall, weaving through groups of students lost in their own conversations. He heard snatches of phrases, little pieces of stories about Marin—how she was the most beautiful girl at Ujui, how her eyes seemed to see straight through you, how she could charm anyone with just a look.

It felt like a myth playing out around him, an invisible thread connecting Marin to everyone here. He wondered if she knew the effect she had on people, or if she drifted through Ujui as quietly as a shadow, letting others fill in the gaps.

That evening, sleep slipped away from him, as it had every night since he’d arrived. The school was steeped in shadows, its grand, echoing halls almost too still, as though holding its breath. Kei threw on his jacket and wandered outside, the air cool and sweet with the faint scent of cherry blossoms.

He walked beneath rows of trees, their blossoms soft and pale in the darkness, casting ghostly shapes over the gravel paths. Above him, the sky was clear, stars scattered like small, distant fires. The statues along the paths watched him with quiet eyes, their faces turned toward the moonlight as if keeping vigil.

As he neared the main hall, a light flickered from a window on the second floor—the student council room. He felt his breath catch as he looked up, his gaze drawn to that single, glowing window in the darkened building. A faint, graceful silhouette appeared behind the glass.

Kei took a step forward, feeling an inexplicable pull toward the light, toward her. His heartbeat quickened, the world around him narrowing to that single point of light in the vast, shadowed building. But as quickly as she had appeared, the light went out, leaving the window dark and empty.

The next morning, Kei found Kukui under the cherry blossom trees near the edge of campus. She was waiting for him, a small, knowing smile on her face as she patted the spot beside her. The blossoms drifted down in lazy clusters, gathering around them like snow.

“Tell me what’s got you looking so tired,” she teased, though her tone held a note of concern.

Kei hesitated, then told her about his strange night—the light in the window, the silhouette that had felt both real and surreal. He spoke softly, his words catching like whispered secrets in the stillness between them.

Kukui listened, her brow furrowing. When he finished, she sighed, giving him a steady look. “Kei, this girl, Marin…Maybe you’re getting too wrapped up in it. I know this place is strange, but not everything has to be a mystery.”

He glanced away, his eyes drifting to the petals gathering at their feet. “Maybe,” he said quietly. “But something about her…it’s like I know her from somewhere. Like I’m supposed to remember something I’ve forgotten.”

Kukui’s gaze softened, and she gave his shoulder a gentle nudge. “Hey, I get it. Ujui’s atmosphere could make anyone feel a little lost. But try to keep a grip on reality, okay? You’ve got me here, and that’s real enough. She’s not our Marin, Kei.”

Kei managed a faint smile, her words grounding him, even if only for a moment. They sat together under the cherry blossoms, watching the petals drift through the air in soft, pale waves.

haha looks like I beat CatsRule this time. Here we go again

a memory he couldn’t quite place, like a forgotten chord.

the light flickered and went out

“Tell me what’s got you looking like you’ve seen a ghost,” she teased, though her tone held a note of concern.

“Hey, I get it. Ujui’s atmosphere could make anyone feel a little lost. But try to keep a grip on reality, okay? You’ve got me here, and that’s real enough. She’s not our Marin, Kei.”

“But something about her…it’s like I know her from somewhere. Like I’m supposed to remember something I’ve forgotten.”