After breakfast, most of the class scattered across the forest lodge area some cleaning up, others tossing frisbees or pretending to help organize the teacher's gear.
I sat under a pine tree, sipping from a bottle of water, pretending not to be staring in the direction of Shinbou.
He was by the fire pit, rolling up some mats with the usual blank expression.
But something felt… off.
His shoulders were tense.
His movements slower.
And he kept touching the side of his head like something was pounding behind his eyes.
---
Hinata flopped beside me, chewing gum she definitely wasn't supposed to have.
"Okay," she whispered, "I'm starting to think he's not just mysterious hot boy™, he's actually in a drama arc."
I blinked. "What?"
"Look at him," she said, nodding subtly. "That's not brooding. That's internal crisis. Like he's on the verge of remembering something tragic or discovering he's the lost prince of a forgotten kingdom."
I gave her a look. "It's probably just a headache."
"Or destiny," she whispered dramatically.
---
But... she wasn't entirely wrong.
Because a moment later, Shinbou dropped the mat he was holding just completely lost grip and staggered slightly.
His hand went straight to his head, clutching it tightly. His breathing hitched. I saw him lean forward like he couldn't stay balanced.
I was already on my feet.
"Shinbou?!"
He didn't answer.
I rushed to him, my heart hammering like a war drum. "Hey! Are you okay? What's wrong?"
He blinked hard. "I… I don't know. My head"
"Sit down." I grabbed his arm without thinking, guiding him toward the stone bench nearby. He didn't resist.
Hinata was right behind me. "Should we call a teacher?!"
"No," Shinbou said sharply. Then softer, "No. I'll be fine. It's just… it keeps happening."
He looked at me then, eyes clouded not cold like usual, but confused. Afraid.
Like a glass wall in his mind had cracked… and something was starting to bleed through.
---
I sat next to him, carefully.
"You've had these headaches before?"
"Yeah," he said, voice barely audible. "Since I moved here."
I swallowed. "Have you seen a doctor?"
"They say it's stress. Or trauma. But they don't know."
Silence stretched between us.
Then he said, "It always gets worse… when I'm near this forest. And when I look at you."
I froze.
"I don't know why," he continued. "But when I hear your voice, or when you laugh… it feels like something I forgot a long time ago is trying to crawl back."
My throat went dry.
"I don't know you, Kuroyuki," he said, staring at the trees. "But at the same time, I feel like I… already did."
---
Behind us, students were laughing.
Birds chirped.
The teachers called out activity instructions.
But all I could hear…
was that one sentence.
"I feel like I already did."
---
Hinata gently whispered, "I'll cover for you guys," and slipped away with a wink.
I turned back to Shinbou.
And for the first time, I saw him ,really saw him.
Not as the mysterious transfer student.
Not as the boy with no memory.
But as Shinbou Ryusei, the one I met years ago. The one I thought I lost.
And maybe…
Just maybe…
He wasn't entirely lost.
Not anymore.