"Can I take this seat?"
Hisui looked up.
Yamamura Kou stood beside her, holding his packed lunch, motioning toward the empty spot across from her.
They were in the open park inside the campus. Lunch break.
She had chosen this place for a reason.
Quiet.
Undisturbed.
Her reaction paper lay half-finished in front of her.
…
Kou didn't fit well with the other boys.
Too quiet.
Too small.
Too careful.
They treated him like he might break if handled wrong.
Hisui remembered that.
"Sure," she said.
He sat down, a little too carefully, as if afraid of making noise.
"Have you eaten?" he asked.
"Yes."
Her answer was short.
Her eyes had already returned to the paper.
The scratching of her pen resumed.
Kou opened his lunch.
He ate quietly.
No complaints.
No attempts to fill the silence.
…
Time passed.
Hisui sank deeper into her thoughts, words forming and reshaping on the page.
Focused.
Controlled.
Until—
She felt it.
A gaze.
Lingering.
Her pen paused.
Slowly, she turned her head.
Kou.
Staring.
The moment their eyes met, he flinched slightly, looking away.
Color rose faintly to his ears.
"Yes?" Hisui asked. "Do you want to say something?"
"…Not really."
His voice was soft.
Almost reluctant.
A pause.
Then—
"I'm just… thankful."
Hisui blinked once.
Kou kept his eyes lowered.
"You're at least kind to me," he continued. "You don't avoid me. You don't push me away."
Another pause.
"You don't ignore me either."
His fingers tightened slightly around his lunch box.
"So… thank you."
…
Hisui stared at him.
Then, slowly, she set her pen down.
The paper forgotten—for now.
She turned her body slightly to face him.
"Is that important to you?"
Kou hesitated.
His lips parted, then closed.
Then, quietly—
"…Of course it is."
There was no hesitation that time.
Just simple truth.
…
Hisui held his gaze for a moment longer.
Then she nodded.
"I see."
A brief pause.
"Rest assured," she said, her voice calm and even, "I can remain like this—as long as it's important to you."
No warmth.
No smile.
Just a statement.
Clear.
Measured.
…
Something in Kou's expression shifted.
Subtle.
Hard to name.
He exhaled softly.
"…I understand."
He stood up, gathering his things.
"Thank you. Again."
Hisui didn't stop him.
Didn't call him back.
She simply watched as he walked away.
Small.
Quiet.
Alone.
…
After a moment, she picked up her pen again.
But the words didn't come as easily.
...
Not far from the open park—hidden behind a line of trees—
Two students stood facing each other.
Awkward.
Still.
The boy shifted his weight, running a hand through his slicked-back dark hair before forcing the words out.
"I like you," he said. "Would you… go out with me, Komukura Kumi?"
The name lingered between them.
The girl—long, silky waves of light brown hair falling over her shoulders—let out a quiet breath.
Her sky-blue eyes softened, but not enough.
"Sorry, Tomoki," she said gently. "I can't."
A pause.
"I'm not really interested in dating."
Silence followed.
Expected.
Prepared for.
Tomoki lowered his gaze, the faintest hint of disappointment crossing his face before he bowed slightly.
"…Thank you for listening."
Simple.
Respectful.
He turned and walked away, his steps steady despite the weight he carried.
Kumi watched him go.
Her expression didn't change much—but when he disappeared from view, her shoulders relaxed.
Relief.
He was kind.
She knew that.
But there had been nothing there.
No pull.
No connection.
And she wasn't the type to pretend otherwise.
…
With no real destination in mind, she began to walk.
Past the trees.
Toward the open park.
Voices drifted through the air.
Faint.
Unintentional.
She wasn't trying to listen—
But she heard them anyway.
"…I'm just thankful."
Kumi slowed.
Her steps grew quieter.
"…You don't avoid me. You don't push me away."
She stopped completely.
Through the gap between the trees, she saw them.
A boy.
Small.
Reserved.
And across from him—
A girl with long black hair, seated at a bench, a notebook resting on her lap.
"…I can remain like this—as long as it's important to you."
Kumi's eyes narrowed slightly.
That voice.
Flat.
Controlled.
Almost… distant.
The boy stood shortly after.
Left.
Leaving the girl alone.
…
Kumi didn't move.
Her gaze lingered.
Something about the scene—
Felt wrong.
Or maybe—
Familiar.
A faint crease formed between her brows.
Why…?
She couldn't explain it.
Did she know her?
No.
That shouldn't be possible.
And yet—
Her chest tightened slightly.
As if she had seen this before.
Or felt something like it.
…
The girl on the bench shifted.
Just slightly.
Kumi's breath caught.
For a split second—
It felt like those dark green eyes might turn and meet hers.
Instinct took over.
She stepped back quickly, slipping behind the cover of the trees.
Then—
She turned.
And ran.
Not fast enough to draw attention.
But enough to escape.
…
When she finally stopped, her heart was beating just a little faster than it should have.
Kumi pressed a hand lightly against her chest.
"…What was that?"
No answer came.
Only that strange, lingering feeling—
That something had just brushed against her world.
Something she wasn't supposed to notice.
...
Hisui's pen slowed.
Then stopped.
A faint sensation crept up her spine—
Subtle.
Unsettling.
Like being watched.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the pen as her thoughts slipped away from the paper.
…
She could feel it.
Eyes.
On her.
Quietly.
Intently.
Hisui lifted her gaze.
Slow.
Measured.
She turned her head toward the direction the feeling came from.
Nothing.
Just trees.
Shadows shifting gently with the wind.
Empty.
…
Her brows knit together faintly.
Weird.
I don't remember this happening before.
The thought lingered longer than she expected.
Then—
A small, almost dry thought followed.
Do I get superpowers now or something?
…
She exhaled softly.
Ridiculous.
Hisui lowered her gaze back to the paper.
Focus.
There were still tasks to complete.
A schedule to follow.
No time to get distracted over something so vague.
She finished the last few lines, her pen moving with quiet precision before finally setting it down.
Done.
Without wasting another second, she stood.
The bench creaked softly beneath the shift of her weight.
Her bag hung neatly over her shoulder as she turned to leave—
And then—
A flicker.
At the edge of her vision.
Movement.
Hisui's eyes shifted instinctively.
Near the back entrance—
A girl.
Long, silky brown hair.
Just for a second.
Just long enough to be seen—
Before she disappeared.
Gone.
…
Hisui stilled.
Her gaze remained fixed on the empty space.
Something about that—
Felt wrong.
No.
Not wrong.
Familiar.
A faint chill brushed against her skin.
Goosebumps rose along her arms.
…
Why?
She couldn't place it.
Did she know her?
No.
She would remember.
Wouldn't she?
…
The feeling lingered.
Uncomfortable.
Unfinished.
Hisui narrowed her eyes slightly, as if trying to force the answer out of nothing.
But nothing came.
Only silence.
And that strange, lingering sense of being just a step behind something she couldn't see.
…
A quiet breath left her lips.
"Must be the wind…"
The words felt hollow even as she said them.
Still—
She turned away.
And began to walk.