The Portal's Math

The classroom buzzed with half-hearted morning chatter, the scraping of chairs, and the occasional yawn from a student who definitely didn’t finish their homework. Emi sat at her desk, chin resting on her arms, eyes glazed over as she stared at absolutely nothing.

She had been like that since she walked in.

It wasn’t that her mind was blank, far from it. If anything, it was overcrowded. She kept replaying last night in her head: the weight of Orion’s arm slung over her shoulder, his head on her futon pillow, the way his question was still whispering inside her mind:

Would we still be friends?

And then the kiss. Her kiss. On his cheek. What was she thinking? Thinking back to the whole thing just made her mind go completely blank, replaying the emptiness over and over again.

“Hey girl!” Kana’s voice pierced the fog in her brain, too chipper and smug.

Emi blinked, straightening in her seat. Only now noticing her friends sliding into the chairs beside her.

“What are you thinking about?” Kana grinned. “Daydreaming about something cool, perhaps? With silver-haired princely vibes, I’m sure.”

“I think he said he was a king actually,” Misaki joined in with a quieter chuckle as she took the seat on Emi’s other side. “You’ve been spacing out since homeroom. Is Orion still at your place?”

“It’s not like he has anywhere else to go,” Emi said. “And some stuff happened, he’s not really in good condition to travel super far anyway.”

“Oh? You’re taking care of him then?”

“Uh… y… I guess.”

“Sounds awfully romantic to me,” Kana smirked. “Ah, can you imagine it? It’s just like in our shoujo manga.”

Emi leaned away with a scowl.

“It’s not like that. And you guys are way too nosy.”

Kana, not buying any of it, lifted a finger and pointed slyly toward the classroom window.

“Then explain this then, girl,” she said.

“Explain wha…”

Outside, in the hallway, stood Orion – composed as always, arms folded. He looked every bit like a misplaced prince from another story. And, of course, two second-year girls were already making their way up to him, giggling behind their hands.

Emi’s jaw tightened. She blinked, trying very hard to not react.

“Huh…” she muttered, feigning nonchalance. “Didn’t know they were into aliens.”

“Ohoho?” Kana wiggled her eyebrows. “Not jealous, are we?”

“I’m not jealous.” Emi crossed her arms.

“If I didn’t know any better,” Misaki leaned in close, “I’d say Orion’s rubbing off on you. You’re trying super hard to look calm, just like him.”

“I am calm. Why wouldn’t I be?” Emi said, pouting.

“Sure thing, princess,” Kana laughed.

“Oh, shut up.”

“Come on,” Kana leaned in like a detective closing in on a suspect. “It’s so obvious you like him.”

“You guys are crazy,” Emi snapped back.

Misaki rested her chin in her hand, voice gentler but no less persistent. “Emi… he follows you around like a puppy, you’re the only one he ever listens to, you guys always walk home together. You’re practically glued at the hip.”

“You’re inseparable,” Kana added.

“Oh, come on. I was being nice, okay?”

“Yeah, but you’re not that nice to just anyone,” Kana grinned.

“All we’re saying is,” Misaki continued, “we’ve never really seen you like this before. Especially when it comes to boys.”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about. Point is, I’m not into him. End of story.”

Just then, the classroom door slid open, catching the girls’ attention as Orion stepped in. Still the same stoic face as ever. He looked straight at Emi. His eyes didn't even hesitate.

“Maiden,” he called out, approaching her, “have you eaten today?”

Emi blinked, now flustered.

“Uh… y-yeah… yeah.”

“Our leftover sandwich doesn’t count,” he said. “Let’s go buy something after school today. I’ll cook. You just get some rest.”

“Oh, okay…” Emi stared on.

Then, just like that, he turned and walked out, his footsteps light and measured.

A pause lingered in the air.

Which felt like ages to Kana’s impatience, bursting out, unable to be contained:

“You see? See? I told you!”

“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Misaki pushed up her glasses, “that’s not just a friend checking in. That’s a ‘you’re important to me’ check-in.”

“No it’s not,” Emi mumbled, trying not to smile. “He just… worries a lot. He’s like that with everyone.”

“He doesn’t even talk to everyone,” Kana countered. “Half the class is scared of him.”

“And he always finds you first,” Misaki added.

“Face the music, girl. It’s so over for you,” Kana laughed.

Emi turned her eyes back to the window, suddenly quiet, her sleeve still tangled in her fingers.

“He… he’s just weird is all…”

And here, neither Kana nor Misaki missed the faint color that had returned to her cheeks.

The school library was quiet, but not silent. Pages turned in the corners, whispers drifted across tables, and distant footsteps came and went. Emi padded through the aisles, scanning one row after the other until – she found him in the distance.

Orion sat tucked in a far window seat, the soft glow of afternoon sun catching faint strands of his silver hair. His eyes were fixed on a notebook, the pen in his hand moving with precise, almost impatient strokes. He didn’t notice her at first, or maybe he did and just didn’t react.

Emi approached quietly, sliding into the seat beside him.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

He glanced up, then returned to scribbling.

“Well…”

He paused. Then, without a word, turned the notebook toward her.

Lines of numbers, diagrams, strange symbols, and spiraling equations filled the page. Emi blinked, struggling to make sense of any of it. If she had to guess, this was something college professors would be hesitant to even touch.

“I believe…” he set the pen down, “I have found a way home.”

Emi stared at him. Letting the words linger in the air around her ears for a moment before it could even sink in. She then asked:

“Home? You mean… Gigas?”

He nodded.

“Vizio arrived here by tunneling through the Starheart… through me. That’s dangerous, but it means there’s a connection between Earth and Gigas, somehow. If I trace it properly, shrink down to the subatomic plane of the strings, I can open a stable passage.”

She went quiet. Her fingers curled against the table. Thinking about the elephant in the room.

“So… does that mean… you’re leaving?”

Orion looked at her then, his expression unreadable for a moment, but soon became reassuring when he said:

“It’s a two-way portal. I can return. And so can you. If you want. You could visit. See the sky of giants. Our churches. The mountains.”

Her heart beat faster, though she tried not to show it. Now barely able to even process these new possibilities. Thinking back to when she first met him, it all felt like he was some kind of fake, a cosplayer who was way into his character. But the realism slowly crept in, even during the first moments she saw him – this short young man, who could somehow break planets.

And now – the planes of giants were here.

“Visit,” she then repeated. “Right.”

He gave a single nod. But a warning suddenly surfaced:

“Do not tell Terran.”

Emi blinked. Asking:

“Why?”

He met her eyes, steady and cold.

“Because if the two of us get back… and if… no – when we regain our powers…” he let his breath linger in the air, frozen with a drumbeat of prophecy, “we will fight.”