As the group began to move down the path, Star lingered behind, her gaze fixed on the blonde boy. There was something about him—something she couldn’t quite put into words. A sense of recognition tugged at the edges of her mind, fleeting but insistent, like a melody she’d forgotten but couldn’t stop humming.

The boy noticed her hesitation and cocked his head to the side, a lazy smile spreading across his face. “What’s up? Something on your mind?”

Star hesitated, studying him more closely. His golden hair caught the sunlight in a way that seemed almost too perfect, and his eyes, deep as the blood, but with a strange depth, made her feel like she was standing on the precipice of some long-lost memory.

“Have we met before?” she asked at last, her voice quieter than she’d intended.

The boy’s grin widened, his expression shifting into something deliberately teasing. He placed a hand over his heart, feigning dramatic surprise. “Wow, that’s a new one. Usually, people ask me if I’m lost, not if they know me.”

“I’m serious,” Star pressed, her brow furrowing. “You look… familiar. Like I’ve seen you somewhere before.”

The boy’s smile didn’t waver, but there was a flicker of something else in his eyes—something guarded, something that almost looked like sorrow. He quickly masked it with a laugh, scratching the back of his neck in an exaggerated gesture.

“Nah,” he said lightly, waving off her question. “You probably just mistook me for someone else. I mean, there are tons of good-looking blonde guys out there, right?”

Before Star could respond, Klara sidled up beside her with a teasing grin. “Ohhh, Star, don’t tell me you’re developing a thing for mysterious boys with pretty faces? Should we be worried?”

Star shot her a glare. “Klara, that’s not what this is about.”

Klara ignored the protest, tilting her head as she looked the boy up and down. “Although… he does have that charming, ‘just wandered in from a painting’ look about him. Maybe you’re onto something.”

The boy burst out laughing, clearly enjoying the banter. “See? She gets it. It’s tough being this effortlessly handsome, I swear.”

“Klara, you’re not helping,” Star muttered, her cheeks reddening.

Klara giggled and gave Star a playful nudge. “Relax, Star. I’m just messing with you. It’s probably like he said—you mistook him for someone else. Let’s not spook ourselves before we even get to the creepy tower.”

But Star wasn’t convinced. She continued to study the boy, her instincts refusing to let the matter go. “I don’t think it’s that simple,” she murmured. “There’s something about you… something that feels—”

“Special?” the boy interrupted, raising an eyebrow with a playful smirk. “I get that a lot. What can I say? People are drawn to me. It’s a curse, really.”

Star frowned, feeling her cheeks heat with frustration. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Relax, I’m just messing with you.” His voice was as light as ever, but there was a subtle edge to it now, as if he were trying to steer the conversation away from dangerous ground. “Look, I just got here, okay? I don’t know anyone. Definitely not you guys. If I did, don’t you think I’d remember?”

Klara stepped in again, this time draping an arm around Star’s shoulder with exaggerated affection. “See, Star? Mystery solved! Now let’s keep moving before you start grilling this poor guy about his family tree.” She turned to the boy with a wink. “Sorry about her. She’s got a good heart but a sharp eye—sometimes too sharp.”

The boy chuckled and waved her off. “No problem. It’s not every day I meet someone so suspicious of me just for existing. Keeps things interesting.”

With Klara’s encouragement, Star reluctantly turned to follow her friends, but she glanced back one last time. The boy was already crouched down again, plucking more flowers as if the entire encounter had been nothing more than a brief distraction.

Just as she was about to look away, he glanced up and caught her gaze. For a split second, the playful glint in his eyes gave way to something deeper—something that made her heart skip a beat.

Then he smiled again, a small, knowing smile. “Take care out there,” he called after her. “That tower’s no joke.”

As Star walked away, her mind swirled with questions she couldn’t answer. Why did he feel so familiar? Why did that one look—so fleeting, so subtle—feel like it carried the weight of an entire lifetime?

Unbeknownst to her, the boy watched her retreating figure with a different expression now—soft, wistful, and tinged with a sadness he couldn’t quite hide.

“So you haven’t forgotten my appearance, Star,” he murmured to himself, his voice barely audible over the gentle rustle of the meadow’s wildflowers. “I thought you might have by now.”

He let out a sigh, his cheerfulness slipping away for just a moment before he shook it off with a shrug. “Well, it doesn’t matter. They’ve got bigger things to worry about. Beelzebul isn’t their problem yet… but if they run into that thing…”

His tone turned grim as his gaze shifted toward the distant tower. “...my clone.”

Then, as if flipping a switch, he stood up, tossed the flowers into the air with a laugh, and began to hum another carefree tune, skipping lightly down the path as if he had not a care in the world.