the Clasroom buzzed quietly in the background as the world seemed to blur around Kazama Rei. His body was still facing forward, but his mind had long abandoned any sense of structure or focus. Because the moment Aira Vellione confessed… something broke inside him.
Or maybe—something finally opened.
That wall he'd built over the years? She didn't even try to break it. She just… walked right in.
Now they sat beside each other, sharing a single pair of earphones, pretending the world didn't exist beyond that melody. The song was almost over, but the silence between them felt louder than any music.
She looked up at him.
He looked back.
For the first time, Rei didn't avert his gaze. And Aira… she didn't tease, didn't laugh—she just held that look, letting her eyes speak.
It was messy. Unspoken. Loud in its quiet.
Like saying: I want to understand you.
Like replying: I'm scared, but I'll try.
"Hey..." Aira finally said, her voice soft, "do you always look this serious when someone tells you they like you?"
Kazama blinked.
"…I've never had someone tell me that before."
Aira's expression softened.
"Then I'm honored to be your first," she smiled. "I hope I won't be your last."
"…You planning to leave?"
"I meant I hope I'll keep saying it over and over until it annoys you."
He sighed. "Too late."
She laughed again—and he liked that sound more than any melody she could've played.
They stood up as the bell rang, signaling the start of the next period. Aira stretched with a small groan. "Alright, serious boy, time to face math together."
He gave her a look. "You failed the last quiz."
"You were the one distracting me with your mysterious aura!"
"…That makes no sense."
"It does in the romcom playbook I read last night."
Kazama almost smiled. Almost.
As they walked down the hallway side by side, their shoulders brushed. Not by accident—but not by plan, either. Aira didn't pull away. Neither did Rei.
And for a fleeting second, he looked sideways and caught her stealing another glance.
This time, he didn't ignore it.
He returned it.
Their eyes met again—quiet, intense, tender.
And somehow… that glance said it all.
No confessions.
No fireworks.
---
– The Language We Never Learned, But Always Understood
After school, the world always seemed quieter.
The hallway noise had died down. The sunset spilled orange light through the windows. Students trickled out of the building, one by one, like the credits after a long movie.
But Kazama Rei… stayed behind.
So did Aira Vellione.
They weren't sure why. Maybe they didn't need a reason. Maybe sometimes, just being there was enough.
Rei sat on the bench just outside the music room, backpack untouched, fingers nervously tapping the bench's edge. Aira stood beside the window, her face lit by that last golden glow of sunlight, eyes closed, as if listening to something beyond the world.
They hadn't said much since lunch. And yet… everything felt louder between them now.
"Aira," Rei said, suddenly breaking the silence.
She turned. "Yeah?"
"…Why me?"
It wasn't a romantic question.
It was a real one.
A question that came from years of isolation, from scars no one saw.
Aira didn't answer immediately. She walked over, sat beside him, and rested her chin on her palm. Then she said, "Because you were the only one who never looked at me like a fantasy."
Rei blinked.
"You didn't try to charm me, or flatter me, or act like I was some kind of prize. You just… existed. Like a storm cloud. Or a sad poem. Honest."
He looked away.
"That doesn't sound very flattering."
Aira grinned. "It wasn't meant to be. It was meant to be real."
Silence again.
But this time, it wasn't awkward.
It was the kind of silence that made room for two hearts to beat just a little closer.
Aira pulled out her phone. "Wanna go somewhere tomorrow after school?"
Rei raised a brow. "Like a… date?"
She pretended to gasp. "Wow. Kazama Rei said the D-word."
He sighed. "That's not an answer."
"Then yes. Like a date."
"…Why so sudden?"
"Because if I wait too long, you'll run away into your edgy shell again. I gotta keep catching you while you're still open."
He smirked faintly.
She nudged his shoulder.
"Come on. One date won't kill you."
"…It might."
"I'll bring snacks."
"…Fine."
She beamed.
Just as she stood up to leave, she turned around one last time and said, "Oh—and wear something cool. I want to brag about my mysterious boyfriend."
Rei froze. "We're not—"
But she was already gone, skipping down the hallway like she hadn't just dropped a casual bomb.
He stared after her, sighing.
"Boyfriend, huh…"
Then, without realizing it, he smiled.
Just a little.
And the setting sun, as if recognizing that rare expression, dipped below the horizon—soft, slow, and gol