After class ended, Rei was casually packing his bag like always, his expression unreadable. Aira, meanwhile, kept glancing at him from the corner of her eye, cheeks slightly puffed in frustration.
"Rei…"
He looked up, eyebrow slightly raised. "What?"
"You didn't say anything about my new hairstyle today."
Rei blinked. "You changed your hair?"
She looked like she got shot. "Rei!! You're literally the worst romantic lead ever!"
"I thought I wasn't your romantic lead."
Her face turned a dangerous shade of red. "Y-You're not!! But you could at least pretend to notice, baka!"
Rei stared at her for a second. "It looks good. The curls suit your annoying personality."
"THAT'S NOT A COMPLIMENT!!"
Students nearby turned their heads, but at this point, everyone was used to whatever weird romantic sitcom these two were stuck in.
Still, Aira huffed and stormed out of class—but not before muttering:
"Meet me on the rooftop. After school."
Rei stared at her disappearing figure. "...Why the rooftop? Is this an anime now?"
Still, he showed up. Because for some reason, despite all logic and common sense, his feet always followed her voice.
—
The wind on the rooftop was gentle, as if the setting sun itself wanted to witness the chaos about to unfold.
Aira stood near the railing, arms crossed, cheeks still tinted pink. She didn't even look back when she heard Rei's footsteps.
"Took you long enough."
"You ran away dramatically, what was I supposed to do?"
She spun around. "Okay, listen. I'm only going to say this once."
Rei blinked. "...Are you about to confess your undying love or something?"
"NO! I mean—MAYBE! Ugh!! Shut up and let me talk!"
She took a deep breath. Her fingers were trembling slightly, but she clenched them into fists.
"I like you, okay? You're annoying, blunt, emotionally constipated—but I like you. I don't know when it started. Maybe after the school trip. Or maybe when you shared your umbrella without saying anything. But it's there. This stupid, fluttery, heart-thumping mess inside me. So yeah. There."
Silence.
Aira stared at Rei, heart pounding in her chest like a runaway drumline.
Rei blinked slowly. "...You done?"
"YES! Now reject me so I can go cry into a tub of ice cream like a normal teenage girl!"
"...I like you too, you know."
She froze. "...Wait, what?"
"I said I like you too. But I thought you were going to punch me if I ever admitted it."
"...WHY WOULD I PUNCH YOU FOR THAT?!"
"Because you're emotionally unstable and have violent tendencies."
"REI!!"
But before she could launch into a rant, Rei reached out and ruffled her hair—his usual calm demeanor softening ever so slightly.
"You look good today, Aira. Not just the hair. All of it."
"...You're such a loser."
"And you're an unstable marshmallow. Guess we're even."
Their eyes met. And for the first time, both of them were completely quiet. Not awkward, not flustered—just quiet.
It was the calm between two storms.
And somewhere, down below, their classmates were probably placing bets on whether they'd kiss or kill each other next.
Oke bro, ini Chapter 30 versi panjang dan makin romcom vibes-nya:
The courtyard was quiet.
The sky was dyed in the color of sunset, with gentle golden hues brushing the clouds above the school rooftop.
Rei Kazama sat on the bench under the sakura tree. The wind brushed through his hair softly as he checked his phone, pretending he wasn't waiting.
But he was.
He had been for the past fifteen minutes.
"...She's late."
Right when he muttered that, a voice—cheerful and slightly breathless—cut through the silence.
"Sorry, sorry! I ran here as fast as I could!"
Aira Vellione, her short hair a bit messy and her ribbon slightly crooked, came rushing over with a lopsided smile.
Rei looked up. "You're ten minutes late."
She sat next to him, panting a bit. "I know, but it's not like this is a date, right?"
Rei's gaze flickered to the side. "Obviously not."
"Obviously," she echoed, pulling her knees up to the bench as she peeked at him. "...So why do you look so disappointed?"
"I'm not."
"You are."
"..."
They sat in silence for a moment, the air filled with awkward tension and the rustling of leaves.
Aira leaned back on the bench and sighed dramatically. "You know, you could at least try to pretend you're happy to see me."
"I'm not good at pretending."
"Then be honest."
"I am."
"Then say it."
Rei turned to her, brows slightly furrowed. "Say what?"
"That you're happy I came."
"No."
"Come on!"
"I'd rather die."
Aira groaned and slapped her hands on her lap. "You're hopeless."
But despite her complaints, she smiled.
And Rei… He didn't smile, but his eyes softened just slightly.
Aira turned away, her cheeks a bit red. "...So, uh, why did you ask me to meet you here, anyway?"
Rei paused.
He looked up at the sky, then back at her.
"There's something I need to say."
Aira blinked. "Hm?"
"I figured… if I don't say it now, I might never say it."
Her heart skipped.
Rei Kazama—the guy who always kept everything bottled up—was suddenly acting… nervous?
Aira straightened up. "Okay. Go on."
Rei inhaled quietly. "Back during the festival… when you got lost in the crowd. I realized something."
"What?"
"I kept looking for you. I couldn't focus on anything else."
"...Oh."
He didn't meet her eyes. "And when I saw you again… I felt relieved. Like... everything else just faded away."
Her face turned completely red.
Rei's voice was quiet now. "I don't know what this is yet. But I think... I like being around you. I like arguing with you. I like walking home with you. I like the way you make things feel... lighter."
Aira didn't move. Her brain had short-circuited.
"And maybe that means I like you," he added, like it was just a casual fact he was stating.
Aira stared.
Then she squeaked out—
"Waitwaitwait—WHAAAT!?"
Rei finally looked at her.
And despite how flustered she was, her eyes sparkled.
"Y-you're confessing to me?"
Rei scratched the back of his head, looking away. "Kind of… Maybe… I guess..."
Aira bit her lip, trying not to grin too hard.
Then she stood up, hands on her hips.
"Then listen up, Kazama!"
He blinked. "What?"
"You're really bad at confessions."
"I know."
"But…"
She bent forward slightly, her face now level with his.
"I'll accept it anyway."
His eyes widened.
Then she turned and started walking away, waving over her shoulder.
"See ya tomorrow~! And maybe next time, try sounding a bit more romantic!"
Rei stared after her.
And slowly… just a little...
He smiled.