Luca walked into school the next morning with a knot in his stomach.
Not fear…
Just uncertainty.
He replayed yesterday's rooftop moment over and over.
Hana opening up.
Hana breaking.
Hana pulling away the moment she felt seen.
Marc nudged him with his elbow.
"Bro. You look like you slept in emotional hell."
"I'm fine," Luca muttered.
"You're lying."
"Yeah," Luca sighed. "I am."
Marc clapped his shoulder once — firm but quick.
"Just talk to her. But slow. Don't make it a big deal."
Luca nodded.
"I know."
Hana was already in the classroom when they entered.
She wasn't talking to anyone.
Just staring at her notebook, tapping her pencil.
Nervous tapping.
When she noticed Luca walk in, she froze — not dramatically, just stiff enough for him to catch it.
Their eyes met for half a second.
Hana looked away.
Luca exhaled quietly.
"Yeah… she's embarrassed," he whispered.
Marc whispered back:
"Don't force it. Let her come to you."
Luca nodded and went to his desk.
But a few seconds later—
A soft voice spoke from behind him.
"…Morning."
Luca turned.
Hana stood there, looking everywhere except his eyes.
"Morning," he said gently.
Hana bit her lip.
"I—uh… about yesterday—"
"You don't have to explain," Luca said quickly.
"I kinda do," she said, cheeks warming. "I wasn't mad at you. I just… I suck at talking about that stuff."
Luca shook his head.
"You don't suck. You were honest."
Hana blinked. "But I panicked—"
"People panic," Luca said softly. "It doesn't make what you said any less real."
Something in Hana's expression softened — a tiny, grateful shift that she didn't bother hiding this time.
"…Thanks," she whispered.
Before they could say anything else, Aiden stepped into the classroom.
He stopped for a moment, watching them talk.
His jaw tightened just slightly — not anger, but something close to jealousy or insecurity.
He walked over to his seat, not saying a word.
But his eyes stayed on them longer than normal.
Marc whispered without looking up:
"Aiden's noticing."
"I know," Luca murmured.
"Careful," Marc added. "Rival routes trigger early."
After class, Hana approached Luca again — this time without hesitation.
"Hey," she said.
"Do you… wanna walk with me for a minute?"
Luca nodded. "Sure."
They walked out behind the school where the breeze was calm and the noise didn't follow.
Hana folded her arms nervously.
"So… uh… yesterday, you said something."
"What part?"
"That you pay attention," she said softly. "Nobody really does that with me anymore."
Luca shrugged. "They should."
Hana stared at him for a long moment.
"You know… before my injury, everyone wanted me on their team. Everyone wanted to hang out. And after? It was like… I became invisible."
She kicked a small pebble.
"Sometimes I feel like if I disappeared… no one would really notice."
"That's not true," Luca said immediately.
Hana looked up.
He wasn't trying to be smooth.
He wasn't being dramatic.
He just said it because he meant it.
"You're not invisible," he added. "Not to me."
Her breath caught for a second.
"…Why?" she whispered.
"Because you're someone worth seeing."
Hana didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Just stood there, staring at him like those words hit a place she didn't let anyone touch.
Finally—
She whispered, "Thank you."
And for the first time since they met, she didn't look away.
From the corner of the courtyard, partly hidden behind a vending machine, Ryo watched the entire conversation.
He opened his notebook.
Hana → Luca emotional sync: extremely high.
Patterns shifting strongly toward attachment.
This is abnormal.
Emotion values rising quickly.
He wrote slower this time.
Luca influence on timeline stability: increasing.
Possible disruptor?
Ryo tapped the pen against the page.
"…But why only him?" he whispered.
Back in their dorm, Marc sat cross-legged on his bed.
"So?" Marc asked. "How'd it go?"
Luca sat down across from him.
"Hana opened up more."
Marc smiled. "Good. You're helping her."
Luca looked down at his hands.
"I wanna help her get back into sports someday," he said quietly.
"But I don't wanna push her."
Marc nodded with the seriousness of someone who understood.
"We'll take it step by step. She'll trust you more each day."
Luca exhaled slowly.
"Yeah," he said. "Step by step."
Marc leaned back.
"Besides… helping someone find themselves again? That's real route progression right there."
Luca chuckled softly.
"Guess so."
Hana, sitting at her window across campus, held her old sports ankle brace in her hand — something she hadn't touched in years.
She stared at it.
Then whispered:
"…Maybe…"
A tiny spark.
But a real one.
And it started because Luca didn't walk away.