Jay's POV
Ci-n's question lingered in the air.
For a moment, nobody moved.
Nobody interrupted.
Because despite everything that had happened that night, it was the first question that actually felt important.
Not what happened.
Not who was responsible.
Not why we forgot.
Just...
What was he like?
David lowered his gaze for a second before looking back at us.
The small smile on his face hadn't disappeared.
If anything, it looked sadder now.
"He was annoying," he said quietly.
A few confused glances were exchanged around the room.
David let out a short laugh.
The first genuine laugh we'd heard from him all night.
"He talked too much."
That earned the faintest reaction from Ci-n.
Almost as if he was offended someone else had once held that title.
The corner of David's mouth lifted slightly.
"He always had something to say. Even when nobody asked."
For the first time, the tension in the auditorium eased.
Just a little.
Not enough to erase the questions.
But enough to remind us that Stein had been more than a mystery.
More than a forgotten name.
He had been a person.
A classmate.
A friend.
Someone who had once sat beside us and laughed with us.
And as David continued speaking, I noticed something strange.
The fragments in my head felt closer.
Not complete.
Not clear.
But closer.
Like hearing about Stein was slowly bringing him back.
Piece by piece.
Memory by memory.
And for the first time since this all began, I found myself wanting to remember.
Not because I needed answers.
But because Stein deserved to be remembered.