Since her first year of Senior High School, Daniella had harbored a crush on William. She always made an effort—pretending to casually walk through the hallway where he usually passed, sneaking glances into his classroom, or volunteering for events he participated in. And now, they were already in their final year… yet William had never shown even the slightest sign of feeling the same way.

The school day came and went, packed with classes, and Daniella was just about to head to home when William suddenly approached her.

“When you're done there, follow me,” he said curtly before turning around and walking away.

Though confused, Daniella followed him. She walked quietly behind him until William stopped at an empty bench near the basketball court. He turned to her, his face serious.

“About me tutoring you—there are a few rules to avoid any problems,” William began.

Daniella nodded silently.

“First, be on time. Don't be late. Second, if it’s not about tutoring, don’t talk to me. Got it?”

“Got it,” Daniella replied quickly.

“Third, I expect you to at least understand half of what I teach you. Focus on the lesson, not on me.”

Daniella winced and kicked the ground lightly with the tip of her shoe.

“Are you even listening?” William asked, brows slightly furrowed.

Daniella lifted her head and smiled. “Of course. I heard everything.”

“Then I’m leaving.” It looked like William was about to say more but decided not to. He turned and walked away.

Daniella watched him go, a smile forming on her lips.

“He hasn’t changed at all… still grumpy. But this might just be the best year for me. I’ll finally get to be with him. I won’t have to stalk him anymore just to find out where he is. And hey, he didn’t say I had to stop what I used to do, so I’m going to keep at it!”

She held both her cheeks with a dreamy smile, as if floating on air.

---

While Daniella was still in that dazed state, Bree finally found her after searching for a while.

“Dan! I’ve been looking all over for you! And what’s that look on your face? You look like you’re not even here.”

Startled, Daniella quickly turned to Bree.

“What happened to you?”

“Nothing. Come on, let’s go home,” she said, still smiling as she walked ahead.

“It’s just the first day of school and Dan’s already lost it. Unbelievable,” Bree muttered, following her out of the campus.

---

Bree’s house was closer, so she arrived home first. Daniella, on the other hand, had to cross one more street. She wasn’t used to riding a tricycle home—she thought it was a waste of money if the walk was manageable.

As she walked, that familiar feeling crept up on her again—the one she always got on the way home. Since first year, she’d often felt like someone was following her. But whenever she looked back, there was no one—no person, not even a stray animal. At first, it scared her. But over time, she got used to it. Maybe it was all in her head, she thought.

When she finally reached the front of their house, she saw her mother sitting in their little nipa hut, sipping coffee.

“Mom, I'm back!” she called out.

Maria, her mother, frowned. “You yell like you just came home from another country.”

“Didn’t you miss me?”

“No! Now go get changed before you infect me with your nonsense,” she replied before taking another sip of coffee.

Daniella just smiled and went inside.

“That’s my mom… she always goes along with my silly moods,” she said, shaking her head while looking for clothes to change into.

Ever since her father passed away, Daniella had made it her mission to keep her mom smiling. Even their daily banter helped distract her from the fact that it was just the two of them now. So even if her mother often scolded her, Daniella knew she was playing along—pretending not to, but playing along all the same.

---

After changing, Daniella sat at her mini table, opened a drawer, and pulled out a small box.

“I saved up for this for a long time…”

She opened it slowly. Inside was a necklace with a pendant shaped like the letter D, encased within a ring.

“You’re my final gift for him. Next year, we graduate. I don’t even know where he’ll go for college. So in case I can’t follow him, at least I’ll get to give this to him—and that’s enough.”

She stared at it for a while before closing the box and putting it back into the drawer.

“This is your last chance, Daniella. If nothing happens by graduation… it’s time to move on,” she whispered to herself, then smiled and left the room.

---

Meanwhile, William had just arrived home. Even though they had a car, he chose to walk. An elderly housekeeper—Lydia—greeted him at the door.

“Oh dear, why do you insist on walking when you have a car?”

William simply smiled and headed to the living room, sitting down on the sofa.

“What kind of answer is that? A smile?” Lydia grumbled as she followed him.

“Are you hungry? I made some snacks. Want to eat?”

“Just coffee, Lydia. That’s enough.”

“You sure?”

William nodded, so Lydia went off to prepare a cup.

While waiting, William leaned back into the couch. The house was quiet… but his thoughts were loud. He stared at the ceiling, and then suddenly smiled to himself.

When Lydia returned with the coffee, she noticed the smile on his face.

“William, are you okay? Why are you smiling like that? Did something good happen?”

William sat up properly. “Nothing much, Lydia. I just remembered something funny.”

“I see. Alright, I’ll leave you for now. I’ve still got things to do in the kitchen. Your mom and dad will be home in a few hours.”

Lydia walked off, while William quietly sipped his coffee.

William’s parents owned a company, so they lived comfortably. But despite their status, they weren’t arrogant. They were humble and taught William the same values.

He was naturally quiet. Most people assumed he was cold or unfriendly because of his serious expression. He didn’t talk much—and if no one asked, he rarely spoke.

Once he finished his coffee, he stood up and went to his room. It was time to change and rest. But in his mind, a new chapter of his final year in high school was beginning—and someone unexpected was about to become a part of it.

---

Daniella woke up early the next day. She didn’t want to be late again, so even before the sun had fully risen, she was already walking to school by 5:30 a.m.

As she neared the school gate, she noticed that William was arriving at the same time. Her eyes practically sparkled with excitement.

“Good morning, William!” she greeted cheerfully, her smile stretching from ear to ear.

William glanced at her briefly but walked straight through the gate without responding.

Daniella’s smile faded instantly.

“Maybe it’s just too early… maybe he’s not in the mood yet,” she whispered to herself, forcing a smile again as she headed inside the school.

When she got to the classroom, she quickly took her seat. Only a few students were there—William among them—and Bree hadn’t arrived yet. Since it was still early, Daniella rested her head on her arms while secretly watching William, who was busy reading a book.

It was as if William sensed her stare. He turned and caught her looking—but instead of looking away, Daniella smiled at him.

“Do you need something?” William asked lazily.

Daniella shook her head, still smiling.

William was about to go back to reading when he suddenly spoke again. “By the way, our tutoring starts during break later. We’ll do it in the garden—there are tables and benches there.”

Daniella nodded in agreement, her smile never fading.

---

Moments later, the bell rang. Students began pouring into the classroom. When their teacher entered, Daniella’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Second day of school and it’s already Sir Salvador?” she muttered, quickly grabbing a book and pretending to read, covering her face.

“Good morning, class!” the teacher greeted, scanning the room. He paused when he saw a student hiding behind a book.

“Excuse me! Can you put that book down? I haven’t even instructed you to use it yet,” he said sternly.

Daniella closed her eyes and sighed. She had no choice—she slowly lowered the book. The teacher squinted, recognizing her.

“So it’s you, Ms. Daniella Sanchez. I didn’t expect to be teaching you again in your final year.”

Daniella forced an awkward smile. She glanced at William, who was also looking at her.

“Nice seeing you again, sir,” she greeted with a strained smile.

“I thought you’d forgotten about me. There’ll be a quiz next week. I want to see if you still remember last year’s formulas. For now, pass your index cards with your name and section.”

He took his seat while the class murmured among themselves. Daniella frowned as she wrote on her card, sneaking a glance at William.

---

The class with Sir Salvador ended after introductions.

“Alright class, wait here for your next teacher. And Daniella, don’t forget about that quiz next week,” he reminded, looking directly at her before leaving the room.

Bree immediately rushed to Daniella’s side.

“Looks like you’ll be grilled by Sir Salvador again, Dan! You couldn’t escape him—he followed you all the way to senior year.”

“Exactly! And there’s already a quiz next week. And of all subjects, it had to be Math—the one I suck at. How am I supposed to pass?” Daniella groaned, clutching her head.

Bree leaned in and whispered, “Girl, are you serious? You have a tutor now—William! You should be thankful he drew your name. If he didn’t, graduation might be the last time you’d see him.”

Daniella smiled. “You’re right… Thank goodness. I forgot.”

Bree shook her head. “Dan, that was just yesterday! How could you forget so quickly? I seriously can’t deal with you.”

“Is it my fault I thought it was just a dream?” Daniella muttered.

---

When break time came, William headed to the garden first. Daniella followed quietly and sat across from him. She didn’t say anything as William was still focused on his book.

Suddenly, William shut his book loudly, making Daniella flinch.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, startled.

“What were your grades in Sir Salvador’s class?”

Daniella bit her lip and forced a laugh. “Why do you even need to know?”

“Because I’m your tutor. And based on what Sir said earlier, you barely passed his class.”

Daniella scowled.

“Excuse me? And you? What did you get in Math?”

Arms crossed, William stared at her seriously. “Ninety-nine.”

“What?!” Daniella almost yelled. “That’s insanely high—just one point shy of perfect!”

“You?”

Daniella fell silent. She fidgeted with her fingers before whispering,

“Seventy-five…”

“Can’t hear you.”

“I said seventy-five!” Daniella snapped in frustration.

William shook his head. “Good thing we have a tutoring program. Otherwise, you might not even graduate.”

“You really don’t hold back, do you?” she mumbled to herself.

“Did you say something?” William asked.

“Nope!” she answered with a forced smile.

Of all subjects, Math was the one Daniella feared the most. She did fine in others—not great, but passing.

William started organizing his materials. “Since Math is your weakness, we’ll focus on that first. Tomorrow, I’ll give you some sample problems from last year’s lessons. Try to understand them. I’ll prepare a short quiz afterward.”

Daniella’s eyes widened.

“A quiz? Are you serious? Maybe you should rethink that. Don’t rush into things.”

William shook his head, clearly disappointed.

“If you want to pass, you need to take this seriously. This isn’t for me—it’s for you. If I’d known you were like this, I wouldn’t have agreed to be your tutor.”

He stood and walked away, leaving Daniella speechless.

His words hit her hard. She just sat there, silently watching him walk off.

---

The next scene was just about to unfold when Lexie, Alexa’s best friend, suddenly appeared.

“Hey, Alexa! Are you even planning to eat today? You’re always locked up in your room, writing non-stop. You’re always late for meals!” Lexie scolded her, hands firmly planted on her hips.

Alexa set down her pen and stretched. “Sorry! The scene I’m writing is just too exciting—I couldn’t stop myself,” she replied with a smile, noticing Lexie’s gaze now fixed on the book she had been writing in.

“Why are you writing in that thing? You usually write in a notebook or on bond paper. Where’d you get it? It looks... old,” Lexie remarked, studying the book, though she didn’t touch it.

“I found it outside the church. It looked like someone had dropped it, so I picked it up. It’s too good to just leave lying around—it’s perfect for writing.”

Lexie frowned slightly. Something about the book didn’t sit right with her. It gave off a strange energy—something magical she couldn’t explain.

“Really? What if the owner came back for it and just missed you?”

“I checked the area before I left. No one was there. I don’t think anyone came back for it,” Alexa replied.

Lexie simply nodded, casting one last look at the book. “Come on, let’s eat. You can go back to writing after.”

She walked out, and Alexa followed, already eager to return to her story once she was done eating.

---

Meanwhile, in old house, an older man was in distress—they still hadn’t found the magical book.

“We’re going to be punished for this, Lucas. Why didn’t you check what you were grabbing?” the older man scolded, voice tense.

“I’m sorry, Grandpa,” Lucas said, guilt heavy in his voice. “I was in a rush—I didn’t realize I grabbed the wrong book.”

The old man was about to say more when he felt a strange shift in the atmosphere. His eyes narrowed.

“It seems... today is the day, Lucas. He’s here.”

Lucas quickly ducked behind a bookshelf as a blinding figure appeared before the old man.

A figure shaped like a person emerged from radiant light. Its face was unseeable to ordinary humans—just pure, blinding brilliance. But not to the older man name Victor. As the guardian of the magical book, he could see the figure’s face and form clearly. The true owner of the book now stood before him.

“You’re facing a problem, Victor. Am I right?” the mysterious creature asked calmly.

Victor’s eyes gleamed with regret. “I’m sorry. I know you’re already aware of what’s happening.”

“Do you understand that some fates are about to be rewritten because of this mistake?” the mysterious creature continued in a soft but serious tone.

“I do. But I’m already doing everything I can to find the book.”

The mysterious creature turned its gaze around the room, eyes scanning the shelves. “I’m afraid it may take you a while. You should know—the person who found the book has already started using it.”

Victor’s worry deepened. No one was supposed to be able to write in the book—not unless they were chosen. Every word written inside manifests in real life.

“If that’s the case, then I need to find the book immediately. But… if you know where it is, can’t you tell me?”

The figure shook its head slowly. “I can’t, not now. The writer has already begun a story. You cannot take the book now—doing so would disrupt the destinies of the characters she’s created. Claiming the book now would put those people in danger.”

“But what about the people I wrote into the book? They’re supposed to meet. It’s already written.”

The mysterious creature turned to Victor and looked straight into his eyes.

“That’s your responsibility. The fated pair you’ve written about has already been delayed because of this. And now, the one who picked up the book is writing a story of her own—with characters who aren’t even certain if they’re meant to be together. So you must find her before she finishes her story. Make her understand how important the book truly is. If not, we could face serious consequences. She might bring together people who were never meant to cross paths—and that could destroy the relationships meant to form in the future.”

Victor sighed heavily, unsure where to even begin. “I’ll do everything I can to find the book... even if I don’t know where to start.”

The mysterious creature turned again. “You’re not going to like what I’m about to tell you. You wrote in the magical book—but you didn’t finish. And because you left the last page incomplete, the book may interpret those unfinished words incorrectly. The woman you wrote into your story—she’s in danger because of your negligence. And the one destined for her... he will be the very reason for her suffering.”

Victor’s eyes widened in fear at the being’s words.

“You must find the book before it’s too late,” the being warned. “If you don’t, both your story—and the one written by the new author—will spiral into disaster.” With that, the creature vanished.

Victor stood frozen, haunted by what he had just heard. He clasped his hands tightly and paced back and forth, his mind overwhelmed by everything that could go wrong.

Lucas peeked out from his hiding spot and saw the troubled expression on his grandfather’s face. He hadn’t heard the conversation, but he knew—it was about the book he lost. Guilt washed over him. He looked away and quietly returned to his room.

---

Meanwhile, Alexa had returned to her seat, ready to dive back into writing in the magical book. She paused for a few moments, trying to recall where she left off so she could continue seamlessly.

What Alexa didn’t know was that everything she wrote in the book vanished from the page as soon as she finished—and came true in real life. She never reread what she wrote. She simply reopened the book at the page where she last stopped and continued from there.

Today, she had stopped on a blank page—no writing, no markings. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her pen again, ready to write the next chapter of her story… unaware that every word was already becoming real.

---

The next day, Daniella went to school early again because she didn’t want William to say anything more to her. What she had already heard from him had slightly hurt her feelings, and she would rather stop there than let things escalate to the point where she couldn’t recover.

Their class went smoothly and there wasn’t much to do, since the first week was just introductions and none of their subject teachers had started lessons yet.

William and Daniella had agreed to meet again in the school garden, where William would give her a sample quiz and formulas from their Math lessons back in third year.

They were both already in the garden, seated at the same spot where they had spoken yesterday. William silently placed a rather thick stack of papers on the table, directly in front of Daniella.