Morning sun broke across the school courtyard, lighting the rooftops in a hazy golden hue. Students passed in clumps, their laughter distant, as Narumi wandered alone near the side gate.
He hadn't seen Hanabi since the night at the park. Not until now.
She was sitting quietly on a bench beneath the trees, notebook in her lap, eyes distant. When he spotted her, he hesitated—but then raised a hand and waved.
She looked up. Her eyes met his. There was no smile, not yet. But she didn't look away either.
Narumi stepped closer.
"Hanabi... about what I said last night."
She waited.
"There's something I didn't tell you." Narumi said
He lowered his voice, gaze heavy with hesitation.
"I said my heart belongs to someone else." A pause. "That was a lie."
Her brows lifted slightly, surprise flickering behind her guarded expression.
"I told myself that because... I didn't think I could reject you. Because some part of me is still—still messed up over Akane. But it's not love anymore"
She didn't speak. But she listened.
Narumi looked at her, eyes aching.
"I've been attached, not in love. And when I said my heart wasn't yours... that wasn't the truth. I just didn't want to ruin you."
He stepped closer, voice softening.
"But now I think I already have, by lying."
The breeze stirred between them, gentle, like the silence that followed.
Hanabi looked down, then closed her notebook slowly.
"You're not the only one who's messed up, Narumi."
Her voice was quiet—but not cold.
"I just didn't think you'd ever admit it."
Their eyes met again. And this time, there was no distance in them. Only a truth that was finally out in the open.
A truth they would have to walk through—together.