The world slowed down for a moment as Lily nearly fell, her legs weak from gym class.
She didn't even have time to react.
Two arms caught her — firm, steady — and she was pulled gently upright before she hit the ground.
"Careful!" Riku's voice came out breathless.
His face hovered close to hers, brown eyes wide, filled with concern. For a moment, neither of them said a word. The warmth of his hands lingered on her arms, the closeness making the air between them feel heavier.
Then his cheeks flushed deep red. He stepped back quickly, almost stumbling himself.
"I-I didn't mean to grab you like that. You just looked like you were about to—"
"I was," Lily cut in, steadying herself with a soft smile. "Thank you."
Riku gave a sheepish chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck. "You've got to stop making people worry, y'know."
Before Lily could respond, a voice echoed down the hallway.
"Well, well. Is that how it is?"
They both turned to see Mira, arms crossed, eyebrow raised in amused judgment. Her lips curled in a knowing smirk.
"I leave for one second and now there's romantic drama?"
"It's not like that," Lily said quickly, but Mira just waved her off with a teasing hum.
"I didn't see anything~" she said, and turned the corner, vanishing down the hall.
Riku groaned softly. "She's gonna tease us for weeks now…"
Lily gave a small, knowing laugh. "Probably."
But while the two stood there — caught between tension and awkward laughter — they didn't notice the figure further down the corridor.
Leaning slightly behind a pillar near the end of the hallway, hidden between the edge of a vending machine and a row of shoe lockers, stood a boy.
He was small, slim, with slightly messy black hair that dipped over one eye. His uniform was tidy, but he wore it with an invisible shield — shoulders hunched, sleeves long, eyes always lowered.
Aki.
He had seen everything.
Not just the stumble, not just the way Riku had moved to catch Lily. But the way Lily had smiled after. How gently she had spoken. Her presence, even tired and sore, somehow pulled the air around her.
Aki gripped the strap of his backpack tightly.
No one really noticed him. Most people never did. He was quiet, not because he didn't want to speak — but because the words never came out right. He'd spent most of his school life at the edges of things.
But Lily… she was different.
Ever since she arrived, Aki had found his eyes drawn to her. Not just because she was beautiful — though she was — but because she moved through the world as if she had carried pain. Like someone who had fought something silent. Someone who didn't take her steps for granted.
He could feel that in her. Somehow.
And watching her smile at Riku — watching someone else stand that close — stirred something inside him.
Not jealousy.
Just a quiet ache.
He turned before they could see him, slipping away down the opposite stairwell, the shuffle of his shoes barely audible.
Back at the shoe lockers, Riku walked Lily to the entrance gate.
"You sure you're okay to walk home?" he asked, eyes full of worry.
"I'll be fine," Lily said gently. "My legs hurt, but I'm used to pain."
That last part slipped out before she could catch herself.
Riku paused. "Used to it…?"
Lily's lips twitched into something between a smile and a memory. "It's a long story."
Riku nodded, not pressing. "Then I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
As she walked off, the weight of the day settled in her muscles — but her heart felt lighter than it had in years.
She didn't notice the eyes that had been on her from the shadows.
But Aki remembered every second of it.