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Chapter 13: Weekend Smiles
Saturday came, and for once, things felt normal.
No missing teachers.
No flickering lights.
No cold glances from school staff or lingering accusations.
Just the weekend, and Kuro had planned it out perfectly.
He handed out a handwritten schedule to each of them on folded notebook paper. It was doodled with stars, dumb stick figures, and his signature messy handwriting that always trailed off at the ends.
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KURO'S WEEKEND SURVIVAL PLAN:
☑ 11AM — Meet at the hideout
☑ 12PM — Get food (Pizza or ramen? Vote!)
☑ 2PM — Hang out at the park
☑ 4PM — Chill + sketch + nap + be weird
☑ 6PM — Sunset walk (because ✨vibes✨)
☑ 7PM — Pick someone's house to invade
☑ 9PM — Scary stories… maybe 👀
☑ Sleepover? Yes? No? Too awkward?
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The others raised eyebrows.
"Did you seriously plan this?" Jason asked.
"With stickers," Riku added, pointing at a corner where Kuro had stuck a crooked smiley face next to the words 'No bullies allowed.'
Kuro grinned. "Of course I did. I'm the brains of the group. You're welcome."
They didn't laugh, but they didn't reject the plan either. Somehow, they followed it exactly.
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They got pizza from the corner shop that always messed up their order.
Jason yelled at a pigeon.
Sera pretended not to know them.
Riku got sauce on his black hoodie and swore dramatically.
Kuro, though—he was radiant.
He laughed with his whole chest, spun around on the sidewalk like an idiot, and even got the others to take a group selfie under a giant oak tree at the park.
In the photo, everyone looked mildly uncomfortable…
Except him.
He smiled like they were perfect.
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At 4PM, they were back at the hangout spot.
Kuro laid on the rug with his sketchbook, feet in the air, humming some broken tune. The others lounged around, phones in hand or talking quietly. Sera was picking at her nails. Jason played something soft on a speaker. Riku was pretending not to fall asleep.
Eve sat next to Kuro.
As always, he reached for her hand beneath the table.
No one noticed.
But she let him hold it.
His thumb ran over her knuckles in slow, rhythmic motions—almost like he was keeping time with something only he could hear.
She looked at him. His smile was still there.
But his eyes?
Somewhere else.
She followed his gaze.
The window.
The woods.
Always, always the woods.
The trees seemed darker than usual… even under the sunlight.
And the strange part?
Kuro hadn't drawn a single thing all day.
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That night, as the sun dipped low, Kuro gathered them for the last part of the plan: the walk.
But before they left, Eve whispered:
"Why do you always hold my hand under the table?"
Kuro looked at her.
The smile didn't fade, but for the first time—it felt real and exhausted all at once.
"Because I need to remember I'm still here," he said quietly.
"Sometimes… I forget."
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To be continued…