She paused, looking uneasy and nervous, her eyes darting anywhere but mine. Then she opened her mouth.
"W-we should head off... break time's almost over..."
I blinked, still half dazed from what just happened — the shared spoon, the taste of her cooking, the way she smiled like nothing weird just occurred.
"Ah.. yeah, right," I replied, scratching the back of my neck. "Let's go before the bell rang."
She gave a small nod, quickly packing her things, moving so fast it almost felt like she was escaping. I helped her close the bento box and stood up, brushing the bits of grass off my pants.
As we stepped out of the old janitor room, the sunlight hit us again — bright, too bright. Maybe it's just me, but the air suddenly felt heavier between us. Neither of us spoke. The only sound was the faint crunch of our shoes against the gravel.
When we finally reached the hallway, she turned slightly toward me.
"U-uhm… thanks for eating with me, Reui-san." she murmured, eyes low.
"yeah... Thanks for the food too, it's good." We split ways after that, pretending like nothing happened. But man… no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop replaying that moment — that one spoon — over and over again.
I arrived at the classroom, and everyone was already there — except one. The special one. Fritz. Weird… I thought he'd be sulking in here, refusing to eat for the rest of the day after what I did to him.
Well, whatever. I headed to my seat when a bunch of boys suddenly rushed past me. I turned to see what the commotion was about—oh, of course. Faye Pioneer just walked in. She hadn't even made it to her desk yet, and she was already surrounded by a swarm of simps.
I ignored the commotion and let them fool over themselves for Faye Pioneer. Typical. I just sat down, minding my own business, letting their loud voices fade into background noise as my thoughts drifted back to Aranami.
That quiet room… the soft light slipping through the cracked window… and the way she smiled—shy, gentle, almost like she wasn't used to having someone there. I could still taste the food she fed me, and honestly, that memory lingered more than I expected.
The bell rang, snapping me back to reality. Guess I zoned out longer than I thought—because when I looked up, the teacher was already standing in front, chalk in hand, and everyone was suddenly acting like model students. Even Faye had taken her seat, perfectly composed, like the chaos from a minute ago never happened.
Wait—where's Fritz?
My eyes drifted to his new seat by the window… empty. No bag, no books, not even his usual crumpled jacket hanging on the backrest. Just an untouched desk gleaming under the sunlight.
A small pang of unease hit me. Did he actually skip class? That's not like him. Even when he's sulking, he never misses a class.
Another day of school ended. The final bell rang, echoing through the hallway like a signal of freedom.
Fritz never showed up. Not a single glimpse of him after break time It shouldn't bother me this much, but… it did. The thought stuck to me like gum on my shoe.
Meanwhile, the boys—what's new—were already flocking around Faye again, trying to one-up each other with their fake charm. Laughing too loud, carrying her bag like it's some kind of trophy. I sighed. Same scene, different day.
I stood up from my desk, shoving my books into my bag. The thought kept circling in my head—should I look for Fritz? He's probably just skipping,... Right? Still, something about today felt off.
Just as I slung my bag over my shoulder, movement outside caught my eye.
Aranami.
She was walking down the hallway, her steps small and hesitant like she wasn't sure if she should even be here. Then she stopped—right in front of my classroom door.
Our eyes met for a split second through the doorway. Her hands were clutching the strap of her bag tightly, her expression unreadable, caught somewhere between nervous and… expectant.
I walked past Faye and her pack of admirers—still barking compliments and fighting for her attention—and slipped out into the hallway.
But then I froze.
Aranami wasn't alone.
Some guy was standing in front of her, leaning slightly forward as he talked. I couldn't hear what he was saying, but I could see the way Aranami's posture changed—shoulders pulled in, eyes darting away, that shy nervousness written all over her face.
Huh.
Who the hell is that?
It's definitely not Fritz.
This guy's taller—broad shoulders, athletic build, and yeah, glasses too. The kind of "model student who plays basketball after class" type.
He's talking to Aranami, and she's listening, nervously tugging on her bag strap while nodding.
A strange pang hit me in the chest—uneasy, sharp, like something tugged at the edge of my nerves.
Why do I feel this way? It's not like I'm dating Aranami. We just had lunch together. Shared a spoon. Shared… a moment.
Still, that doesn't mean anything, right?
…Right?
I shook my head, pushing the thought away before it could dig deeper. "Nvm," I muttered under my breath, exhaling through my nose. "I should just go to her and find out who he is."
With that, I started walking toward them.
But just as I reached them, the guy turned and walked off—no goodbye, no wave, just left like whatever he came for was finished.
Aranami's gaze immediately shifted to me. The moment her eyes met mine, she froze a little, her hands gripping the strap of her bag tighter. She looked… nervous. Then again, when is she not?
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out at first. Her eyes darted between me and the direction the guy left, then back to me again—uneasy, like she'd been caught doing something she shouldn't, even though I knew that probably wasn't the case.
Still, something about her expression felt off.
"Aranami," I said finally, breaking the silence.
"W-who was—" I cut myself off mid-sentence, scratching the back of my neck like that'd somehow smooth over the awkward slip. "I mean… do you wanna, uh, walk together?"
Her eyes widened, clearly not expecting that. For a second, she just blinked at me—then her shoulders relaxed, a tiny breath escaping her.
"W-wait… how did you know I was here to ask that?" she murmured, her voice soft and a little shaky.
I gave a small shrug, trying to sound casual. "Well, the bell just rang, and you're here… so it's either you wanted to talk, or you needed me for something."
Her lips curved into a small, flustered smile, and she looked away, cheeks faintly pink.
I can't just ask who that guy was, right? That'd make it look like I was jealous or something—and I'm not. I mean, why would I be?
…Yeah, no. Better to just let it slide. For now.
So instead, I forced a small grin and shoved my hands into my pockets, trying to play it cool. "Anyway, let's go before the hallway gets crowded," I said, starting to walk beside her.
She nodded quietly, falling into step with me. For a while, neither of us spoke. The air between us was calm, but… weirdly heavy. Her bag brushed against her leg with each step, and the faint sound of our shoes on the floor filled the silence.
I glanced at her from the corner of my eye. She looked deep in thought—eyes lowered, lips pressed together like she was holding something back. Maybe it was about that guy earlier… or maybe I was just overthinking again.
"Uh… so," I started, trying to break the silence. "How was the rest of your day?"
She blinked, almost like I'd pulled her out of a trance. "O-oh, uhm… it was fine. Just… normal."
Her tone said otherwise. But I didn't push. Not yet.
(Aizi's Perspective — Reui's School Entrance, 4 PM)
"Finally." I let out an exaggerated sigh, hands on my hips as I stared at the school gates. "Gosh, I should've enrolled here instead of that boring all-girls prison. At least then I could guard him myself."
She adjusts her uniform ribbon, peering through the crowd like a secret agent.