"Sis, when is Shin coming home?"

Serena smiled gently at her. "Miss him already, Nora?"

"...Yes. It's been almost a month, and he still hasn't come back."

Marcus responded with a surprised tone. "Why does that surprise you? There were times he didn't come home for three or four months."

"Yeah, we know, but..." Noah replied softly.

Serena looked kindly at the twins, still smiling. "I understand why you're worried. Your birthday is coming up, and you're afraid Shin won't be here, right?"

The twins lowered their heads, a bit embarrassed. Marcus chuckled lightly. "Are you really worried about that? Shin never misses any of our birthdays. You know that."

"Don't worry. He'll be here by then," Serena reassured them.

This seemed to lift their spirits. The children always eagerly awaited Shin's return. None of them truly knew what he did for a living—not even Serena or Marcus. Despite asking him multiple times, they could never get a clear answer. But they trusted him; after all, he was the one who had saved them from the darkness and brought them together as a family, accomplishing all this at a young age.

Evelyn met up with Alice and Kate, and they went to class together. During the break, Kate spoke up.

"Hey, our school's football team has a game today. Want to go watch? It's after class."

"Actually, I'm not really interested in that stuff. I'd rather study," Alice replied in a disinterested tone.

"Oh, come on, Alice, you should do things other than study once in a while. Plus, it's our school's first game. I heard this team isn't particularly strong. What do you say, Evelyn?"

Evelyn thought about it. She had seen American football on TV a few times, but she wasn't a fan. "I'm not sure, but if you want, we can go watch. Those players are pretty huge, aren't they?"

Kate laughed lightly. "The professionals are usually big, but high school players aren't as bulky."

"Alright, then, let's go watch after class."

As they walked down the hallway, a poster on the wall caught their attention. It was a notice for new cheerleading team members. With the third-years gone, many clubs had started looking for new members. Kate looked at the poster with interest.

"Want to join?"

"No, definitely not interested," Alice replied with a firm tone. Evelyn, however, seemed hesitant.

"I don't know. I'm not really into that kind of thing."

"Evelyn, have you joined any club yet?"

"No, I haven't. Why?"

"Joining school clubs is one of the best things we can do in high school. It makes the experience more fun."

"Really? Alice, you told me you were joining the chess club, right?"

Alice nodded. "That's right. I'll be going to the club room after school on certain days."

"Evelyn, if you're not sure which club to join, I suggest trying out for the cheerleading team. I was in it at my old school, and it was a lot of fun."

"So you're planning to join the cheerleading team?"

"Of course. You should join too! You look like you'd be a good fit."

"...Alright then, I'll give it a try."

"Great! Let's go sign up after school."

When class ended, Alice headed to the chess club while Evelyn and Kate went to sign up for cheerleading. When they arrived at the club room, they saw it was packed with people. Kate smiled in satisfaction.

"I told you, everyone wants to join this club. It's where all the fun and cool stuff happens."

"So, you're saying we'll be cheering and dancing for the school's sports teams?"

"Yep, exactly. It might not sound cool when you say it like that, but once you're in, you'll see how amazing it is."

Due to the number of students, tryouts were split over two days. Evelyn and Kate would be participating in the tryouts tomorrow.

"Ah, what a shame. Oh well, we'll definitely get selected tomorrow," Kate said.

"What exactly do we have to do to get selected?"

"They'll play some music, and you'll just have to dance. See you tomorrow!"

After saying goodbye to Kate, Evelyn started heading home. She still wasn't sure about joining the club. She didn't particularly enjoy dancing, and the thought of others watching her while she danced made her nervous.

As she approached the wooded area, she noticed a boy about her age standing on the path. She panicked. Nobody ever used this path. The rumors Jane and the girls had mentioned crossed her mind. Could he be here to check if those rumors were true?

As she turned to leave before he could see her, she suddenly heard him call out. It was too late; he had already spotted her. Evelyn froze, unsure of what to do. Should she just run? Had he seen her face?

While Evelyn was considering her options, the boy spoke again.

"Hey, are you here to take photos too? You're going the wrong way; the best view is over here."

"...Huh?"

Photos? Evelyn thought about it for a moment, realizing it might look suspicious if she ran away, so she decided to approach him.

"Oh...yeah, I came to take photos too."

"In that case, you must be in the photography club, right? Are you taking nature shots for the competition?"

"...Competition?"

They stared at each other in confusion for a few seconds before the boy spoke again, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Oh...I haven't even introduced myself, have I? Sorry, I got a bit excited. I'm Daniel."

"I'm Evelyn."

"So, Evelyn, what brings you here? You said you're taking photos, but where's your camera?"

"I...uh, meant I was using my phone."

"What? But you can't enter the competition with phone photos."

"I'm not entering any competition, and I'm not in the photography club either."

Realizing what she meant, Daniel spoke sheepishly. "Got it...sorry for jumping to conclusions. I do enjoy taking photos of different places myself. I used to use my phone too, but trust me, a camera makes all the difference. Want to see?"

"Sure, I'd like that."

Daniel focused on some flowers in front of him, capturing them from different perspectives. Evelyn watched him in awe. He looked so peaceful and absorbed, genuinely enjoying himself as he took each shot. When he showed her the photos, Evelyn's eyes widened. The pictures looked stunning, radiating a sense of calm. She enjoyed taking nature photos too, but her phone's shots had never looked this good.

Daniel packed up his things, ready to leave. As he turned to go, he looked back at her with a smile.

"You're interested in photography, aren't you? I can tell from your eyes. You should join the photography club—you won't regret it, I promise."

With those words, Daniel turned and walked away, leaving Evelyn alone with her thoughts.