The week started off too quiet.
Too normal.
That's how I knew something was up.
It was Monday morning, sunlight slicing through the classroom blinds as everyone half-slept through homeroom. A few girls chatted near the window, guys dozed with open textbooks, and Kai was already whispering jokes to Aki about how our math teacher looked like a discounted anime villain.
But in between the lazy chatter, I caught something strange.
My name.
"Renji's birthday?"
"Next week, right? May fifteenth?"
The words floated by, light as gossip but heavy enough to make me pause mid-stretch.
Kai grinned, elbowing me. "Guess you're about to be the center of attention, birthday boy."
"Don't even start," I muttered. "Last year was chaos."
Aki looked up from his notes. "You're acting like attention's a bad thing. With how the girls talk about you lately, I doubt you'll get a quiet week."
