Leo stared at his phone.
It was Werren calling.
"…Oh no," Leo whispered.
"What am I supposed to say?"
He hesitated for a moment.
"Father told me not to tell Werren… but…"
The phone kept ringing.
Leo took a deep breath and answered.
"Hello…"
"Leo," Werren's voice came. "I'm fine, but where are you today? I wanted to discuss something important with you."
Leo paused for a second.
"…I'm at the place where we used to live before."
Werren sounded surprised.
"What? But why? You should be here, Leo. It's important."
"I know," Leo said quietly.
"But… something important came up here too."
Just then, Werren's assistant spoke in the background.
"Sir, Mr. Fred is here to meet you."
Werren sighed.
"…Alright."
Then he spoke again.
"Leo, I have to go now. I'll meet Mr. Fred. But tell me when you're coming back, okay?"
"…Yeah," Leo replied. "Take care."
"You too."
The call ended.
Leo lowered his phone.
"…It's really hard to hide this from him," he said softly.
That evening—
Leo went out for a walk.
The sky was painted with soft shades of orange and pink.
"It's been a long time since I've been here…" he murmured.
He walked along the familiar streets, eventually stopping at a small café.
He sat down for a while.
"It feels peaceful here," he thought.
"But Werren needs me there…"
He sighed.
"…And Father needs me here."
After a while, Leo stepped outside again.
The cool breeze brushed against his face.
"This place… is where I spent my childhood."
His eyes softened.
Without realizing it, his feet led him toward his old high school.
Leo stood outside the school gate.
Memories began to flood back.
Flashback
It was his first day at the school.
Leo walked into the campus, uninterested in everything around him.
Then—
He saw her.
A girl standing under a cherry blossom tree.
She was quietly watching the falling petals.
"…Who is she?" Leo thought.
He didn't know her name.
He didn't even try to find out.
He simply looked away.
Later, in the classroom—
Leo entered and paused for a second.
It's her…
Claire was sitting by the window.
She looked outside, lost in her own world.
Leo sat down silently.
During lunch break—
Everyone went outside.
Everyone… except her.
Claire stayed in the classroom, quietly looking out the window.
Leo noticed.
"That girl…" he thought.
"She didn't go out."
He glanced at her again.
"…I guess she likes being alone too."
The next day—
Their eyes met for a brief moment.
Claire quickly looked away.
Leo did the same.
After class—
Leo was walking toward the school ground when he saw Claire again.
She was reading a book.
A gentle wind blew, and her hair fell across her face.
She tried to move it away, still focused on her book.
Leo stopped for a moment.
"…What am I doing?" he thought.
"Why am I even looking at her?"
He shook his head.
"I should go."
That evening—
Leo saw her again on the way home.
She was walking ahead of him.
He walked past her, then glanced back secretly.
"…She's just my classmate," he told himself.
"I shouldn't think about her."
But something felt different.
"…Maybe she's not like the others."
The next day—
Three girls approached Leo in class.
"Hey Leo, want to have lunch with us?" they asked.
Leo looked at them briefly.
"No, thank you. Excuse me."
He walked out.
After school—
Rain started pouring.
"Oh no… I didn't bring an umbrella," Leo muttered.
He stood there, unsure of what to do.
Then—
"Hey… here."
Leo turned around.
It was Claire.
"You can take mine," she said softly.
Leo was surprised.
"…Her?"
"No, it's okay," he replied.
"What about you?"
"I have my car," Claire said.
"So you can take it."
Leo hesitated… then nodded.
"…Okay. Thank you."
"I'll return it tomorrow."
Claire gave a small nod.
"Okay."
That night—
At home, Leo placed the umbrella carefully in the stand.
"…She's actually nice," he thought.
Just then, Werren came home.
He noticed the umbrella.
"Did someone come over?" Werren asked.
Leo hesitated.
"…It's my friend's umbrella."
Werren smirked slightly.
"I see… your friend."
Leo frowned.
"What?"
"I've never seen you talk to anyone at school," Werren said, smiling before walking away.
Leo stood there.
"…He's right."
The next day—
At school—
Leo walked into the classroom and saw Claire.
He walked up to her and held out the umbrella.
"Here… your umbrella," he said.
"…And thank you for yesterday."
Claire looked at him, slightly surprised.
"…You're welcome."
For a brief moment—
They both stood there quietly.
And for the first time—
A small connection began.