Aika pressed herself against the cold iron utility pole, her heart hammering against her ribs so loudly she feared Renji might actually hear it. The sharp pain from the collision was still throbbing in her forehead, making her vision slightly blurry. She squeezed her eyes shut, whispering a frantic prayer to the universe, "Please... please don't look back... just keep walking!"
A few feet away, Renji finished tying his shoelaces. He paused for a heartbeat, his head turning slightly to scan the quiet alleyway. His expression remained as flat and unreadable as ever. His eyes lingered on the pole for a second—where a suspicious shadow was tucked away—but he simply let out a long, weary sigh. Without a word, he turned back around and continued his rhythmic, steady walk.
Aika let out a massive breath she didn't know she was holding. "Hhhhh... That was too close! You idiot, Aika, focus!" She hurriedly adjusted her crooked mask and shoved her glasses back up. Her embarrassment was quickly replaced by a renewed sense of obsession. Like a shadow, she slipped out from behind the pole and resumed her pursuit.
A few minutes later, she watched as Renji turned into a large, slightly rustic building with a sign that read: 'Town Library & Bookstore.' The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the Tokyo sky in hues of deep orange and violet. Aika ducked behind a brick wall, her mind racing. "A bookstore? Right after school? This is it! This has to be the place!" She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "He must be coming here to read advanced textbooks that aren't available to regular students. That's how he gets those perfect scores! Once he leaves, I'll go inside and buy every single book he touched!"
Aika settled in for the long haul. Fifteen minutes passed... then thirty... then a full hour. Her legs were beginning to cramp, and the evening breeze was getting chilly.
"What is he doing in there? Is he memorizing the entire library?" She fumed. A sudden fear gripped her—what if he had left through a back exit? Deciding she couldn't wait any longer, she adjusted her 'detective' gear one last time. Hat down, mask up, glasses tight. She took a deep breath and pushed open the heavy glass doors.
The interior was silent, filled with the comforting, earthy scent of old paper and fresh ink. Aika scanned the aisles, but there was no sign of Renji. She crept toward the main counter, but as she got closer, she froze dead in her tracks.
There, behind the wooden counter, stood Renji.
He wasn't in his school uniform anymore. Instead, he was wearing the bookstore's official dark blue apron with a silver name-tag pinned to his chest. He was focused, efficiently scanning a stack of newly arrived novels and organizing them onto a rolling cart.
Aika's jaw nearly hit the floor. "He... he isn't here to study. He's working?" She was stunned. The top-ranked student in the most prestigious high school in the area was spending his afternoons as a Sales Clerk?
"Excuse me, miss? Can I help you find something?" a female staff member asked, appearing suddenly beside her.
Aika nearly jumped out of her skin. She couldn't get caught now. She grabbed a random book from the nearest shelf and mumbled in a muffled voice, "N-No, just buying this."
"Oh, 'Advanced Quantum Physics'? A very intellectual choice! Please, you can head to the counter for billing," the staff member said with a polite smile.
Aika felt like she was walking toward her own execution. Renji was right there at the counter! If she turned back now, she'd look even more suspicious. With her head bowed low so her hat would hide her face, she shuffled toward the register and placed the book down.
Renji picked up the book, scanned the barcode, and spoke in his usual mechanical, detached tone. "1,200 Yen, please."
With trembling hands, Aika fished the coins out of her pocket and slid them across the counter. As Renji reached for the money, his eyes caught something on Aika's left wrist—a unique silver bracelet with a small, distinctive star charm. Renji's gaze lingered on the bracelet for a split second, but he said nothing. Aika grabbed the book and bolted out of the store without looking back.
Once outside, she leaned against a wall, gasping for air. "I made it! That was way too close!" She started walking away, her mind a whirlwind of confusion. "Renji works there... how strange. Straight to a job after school? Is he... struggling financially?" The thought crossed her mind, but she realized she actually knew nothing about his life outside of their rankings.
Suddenly, a flat, familiar voice rang out from behind her:
"Tachibana..."
Aika froze. A chill ran down her spine. She turned around slowly, her eyes wide, and let out a sudden shriek. "Aaahhh! Renji?! How did you— What are you doing here?!"
Renji was back in his school uniform, bag slung over his shoulder. He looked at her with his usual cold, bored expression. "Stop screaming. You just saw me inside, didn't you?"
Aika immediately went into 'panic-acting' mode. "I-Inside? What are you talking about? I was just... heading home!"
Without a word, Renji reached out and swiftly pulled the hat and sunglasses off her head. Aika's bright red face and panicked eyes were now fully exposed to the evening light.
"Look, I don't have time for games," Renji said, pulling a few coins from his pocket. "You forgot your change at the counter. Here." He pressed the coins into her hand.
Aika was dying of embarrassment, but her ego refused to back down. "How... how did you know it was me?"
Renji pointed toward her wrist. "The bracelet. Everyone in school knows you wear that specific one."
Aika instinctively covered the bracelet with her hand. "Y-You actually noticed what kind of bracelet I wear?"
Renji turned to walk away, giving a small shrug. "Things just stick in my head naturally. It's not a big deal."
Aika chased after him, her irritation returning. "Yeah, yeah, Mr. Genius! But hey... why do you work there? I thought you went to some top-secret tuition to get those grades!"
Renji stopped and looked back at her over his shoulder. "I don't go to tuition. I just come here to work. Are you satisfied now?" He didn't offer any further explanation, leaving his reasons a mystery.
Aika was about to retort when a voice called out from the sidewalk. Sato-sensei, their math teacher, was walking toward them, carrying several heavy grocery bags.
"Oh? Aika? And Renji?!" Sato-sensei looked surprised, stopping in her tracks. "What are you two still doing out? And... are you two hanging out together after school?"
Aika's face turned an even deeper shade of crimson. "N-No, Ma'am! It's not like that! I would never hang out with him! I was just... at the bookstore!"
Renji gave a polite, stiff bow. "Good evening, Sensei. I work at that bookstore."
Sato-sensei looked between the two of them with a mischievous, playful glint in her eyes. She stepped closer to Aika and teased, "Is that so? You two seemed to be having quite an intense conversation just now. Is something blooming between Rank 1 and Rank 2?"
Aika practically exploded with embarrassment. "No, Ma'am! It's absolutely not what you think! I... I was just leaving! Goodbye!"
Renji turned to leave as well, but Sato-sensei quickly stopped them both. "Wait, wait! Since you're both here... these bags are actually quite heavy and my apartment is just around the corner. Would you two mind helping your poor teacher carry these? Please?"
Renji looked at the heavy bags, then back at Aika with his typical 'cold' gaze. Aika looked back at him, her face still flushed, caught between irritation and the impossibility of saying no to a teacher.
They were trapped.