Reiji sat on his bed with his laptop open, earbuds in, and Whisper of the Heart queued up. He didn't usually watch movies—especially not animation—but he'd promised. More than that, he was curious. About her. About what this story meant to her.
Halfway through, he found himself absorbed. The film was quiet. Tender. About dreams, self-doubt, and two people trying to find meaning through each other. There was a boy who made violins and a girl chasing words. It didn't feel childish. It felt real.
And it reminded him of her.
The next time they met, he handed her a can of melon soda.
"You were right," he said. "It is chaos in a can."
Miko grinned. "And the movie?"
He gave a slow nod. "I watched it. Twice."
She blinked. "You serious?"
"I liked it," he admitted. "It was about wanting to be seen."
Her smile faded into something softer. More vulnerable.
"That's exactly it," she said. "Everyone's chasing something. Some people don't even know what it is yet."
Their eyes met across the café table, the usual wall of performance beginning to thin. Reiji wanted to say something more. He could feel it, hovering at the edge of his throat.
But before he could speak, her phone vibrated.
She checked the message quickly. Her expression didn't change, but something in her posture shifted. She was alert again. Guarded.
"Sorry," she said, standing. "I have to cut this one a little short."
He frowned slightly but nodded. "Right."
As she walked away, he caught a glimpse of her screen—just for a second. A name flashed across it.
KAITO YUKISHIRO.
Reiji's chest tightened. He knew that name.
He just didn't know how close the three of them were about to become.