The day began like any other — morning chatter, squeaky shoes, the faint hum of a classroom fan fighting the heat.
But by third period, chaos had quietly arrived in Class 2-B.
"My notebook's gone!"
Haruto looked up from his textbook just in time to see Aoi Nakamura rifling frantically through her bag, panic written all over her face.
"Again?" he asked dryly.
"It's not my fault this time!" she insisted, flipping open every pocket like she might magically find it in a hidden dimension. "I swear I had it this morning!"
"What color was it?"
"Light pink! It has a little cat sticker on the corner. I write all my notes there! If I lose it, Ms. Kanda's gonna think I don't study at all!"
Haruto gave her a look. "Do you?"
She froze. "…That's not the point!"
He sighed, closing his math book. "Alright, let's retrace your steps."
Aoi blinked. "You'll help me?"
"You'll never find it on your own," he said, standing up.
"Wow, you say that like I should be offended."
"You should," he muttered — but his tone was gentle.
---
They searched through the classroom, checked under desks, in lockers, even by the vending machines near the courtyard. No luck.
Aoi crouched by a row of shoe lockers, sighing dramatically. "It's hopeless. Maybe the universe just doesn't want me to do homework."
Haruto leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "The universe doesn't care about your homework, Nakamura."
"Rude," she pouted, then suddenly gasped. "Wait! I might've left it in the library yesterday!"
She sprang to her feet, grabbing his sleeve before he could reply. "Come on!"
"Wha—hey—!"
But she was already dragging him down the hallway, their footsteps echoing through the quiet corridor.
---
The library was empty, save for the soft hum of the air conditioner and the smell of old paper.
Aoi dashed toward the table they'd studied at the day before. "Please, please, please—!"
And then—
"Found it!"
She held the pink notebook triumphantly above her head, beaming.
Haruto let out a slow breath. "Finally."
"See? I told you the universe likes me sometimes."
"Sure," he said, lips curving faintly.
Aoi hugged the notebook to her chest, then frowned when she noticed something sticking out of it. "Wait… what's this?"
She flipped it open—and froze.
Haruto blinked. "What's wrong?"
Her eyes widened. "Uh—nothing! Nothing at all! Haha!"
Which, of course, meant it was definitely something.
Before she could react, Haruto tilted his head and caught a glimpse of the open page.
And there it was.
A small, simple doodle of a boy with glasses, holding an umbrella. Beside it, another of him smiling faintly while eating a cookie.
Above it, written in neat handwriting:
> "Tanaka-kun actually smiled today. It looked nice."
Aoi froze, clutching the notebook to her chest like it might catch fire. "Y-you weren't supposed to see that!"
Haruto blinked, feeling his face heat up. "I—I didn't mean to—"
"It's just doodles! Silly doodles! Totally meaningless!" she babbled, waving her hands frantically.
He stared at her for a moment, then quietly said, "It's not meaningless."
Aoi stopped mid-sentence. "Huh?"
"It's… nice," he said, voice soft but sincere. "That you notice things like that."
For once, Aoi was speechless. Her cheeks turned a light pink as she fidgeted with her notebook. "…You're really bad at this whole 'being embarrassed' thing, you know that?"
"I could say the same about you," he replied, adjusting his glasses to hide his expression.
She laughed nervously, then smiled. "Still… thanks for helping me find it. I'd be lost without this."
"Just try not to lose it again."
"No promises," she said cheerfully, tucking the notebook carefully into her bag this time.
They walked back together through the quiet hallway, the sound of their footsteps echoing softly.
Haruto glanced at her — still smiling, humming quietly to herself — and thought about the doodle.
Aoi really draws like she sees the world through sunlight, he mused.
He didn't realize he was smiling until she caught him.
"Hey, there it is again!" she said, grinning. "You smiled!"
He sighed, looking away. "You notice everything, don't you?"
"Of course," she said lightly. "Someone has to remind you that you're human."
Haruto chuckled under his breath. "Right."
And for the rest of the walk back, the air between them felt just a little warmer — even without words.