By mid-morning, Ethan’s exhaustion had become impossible to hide.

  He was slumped halfway off his chair in history css, forehead pressed against the desk, pencil rolling across his notebook like a tiny, ignored life raft. His silver eyes — barely open — tracked nothing, and every muscle in his body ached as if gravity itself were conspiring against him.

  That’s when Alex, one of his closer friends, finally reached the end of his patience.

  “Dude. Stand up. Now.”

  Ethan tried. He really did.His legs wobbled. His head drooped. And for a moment, the world tilted sideways again.

  “Okay,” Alex muttered, grabbing Ethan by the arm and shoulder. “You are not walking back to your desk. You’re going to the nurse. Right. Now.”

  Ethan tried to protest. Tried to speak. Only a weak, croaky, “I’m fine…” escaped.

  Alex rolled his eyes. “Nope. You’re not. You are a danger to yourself and anyone within five feet of you right now.”

  He hoisted Ethan over his shoulder like a sack of undry.

  “Ah! Wait! Alex! Put me down!” Ethan gasped, filing weakly.

  “Too te!” Alex shot back. “We’re going. You’ll thank me ter.”

  Nurse’s OfficeThe moment they entered the quiet, mint-scented nurse’s office, Ethan sagged into the nearest chair. His head lolled forward onto the desk. His body wanted nothing more than sleep.

  The nurse, Mrs. Hartley, looked up from her paperwork. Her eyes widened slightly.

  “Oh my. Ethan… you look even worse than the note your teacher sent me said.”

  “I… I’m fine,” he mumbled.

  “Nope,” she said firmly. “You’re not fine. You’re clearly sleep-deprived, and if you don’t rest now, you could—”

  Ethan’s eyelids drooped. He tried to keep his head up. Tried. Failed.

  He blinked, vision swimming, and felt that familiar phantom tug — the urge to become Eri. His chest tingled. His ears itched. Something warm and soft seemed to surge along his back.

  “Oh no,” he whispered.

  Mrs. Hartley’s eyes narrowed slightly, sensing something odd in the subtle, restless movements of his body. “Ethan?”

  He shook his head weakly. “N-no… just… sleepy.”

  Alex, standing nearby, gave him a warning look: don’t even think about it.

  Ethan tried desperately to focus, to remain human, to keep the neckce hidden under his shirt.

  But the pull was strong.The memory of being Eri.The sensation of tails curling, fur brushing, warmth, softness, all beckoning.

  He shivered. His ears twitched slightly — just a phantom memory — but enough to make Mrs. Hartley frown.

  “Ethan, if you feel faint, lie back. I’ll get you some water.”

  He swallowed, forcing himself upright, heartbeat racing. Sweat prickled along his neck. He could feel Eri wanting to come forward, wanting to take over — and he had to fight it.

  “Okay,” he muttered, voice trembling. “I… I just need… a minute.”

  Alex gave him a supportive pat on the shoulder. “You’re doing fine, man. Just breathe.”

  Ethan nodded, fingers clutching the neckce under his shirt.A reminder.A lifeline.

  He wasn’t Eri right now.He had to stay human.He had to make it through the day.

  But he knew — deep down, in the way his body tingled and yearned —tonight, Eri would return.

  And nothing in the world would stop him from becoming her again.