The next morning started quiet.
Too quiet.
Luca noticed it immediately when he stepped into homeroom.
Hana was already at her desk, but today she wasn't kicking her foot or humming or tapping her pencil like usual.
She just sat there, staring at her phone screen like it was showing her a memory she didn't want to see.
Luca walked over slowly.
"…Hey."
Hana flinched like she didn't expect him to talk first.
"Oh—hey."
She forced a smile, but it didn't reach her eyes.
Luca sat down next to her desk.
"You good?"
"Yeah," she lied instantly.
He didn't let it slide.
"Hana."
Her eyes flicked up.
She knew he knew.
"…I'm fine," she said softer. "Just thinking."
"About yesterday?"
Her mouth twitched.
"…Maybe."
Marc dropped his bag onto his desk and glanced over, reading the whole situation in two seconds.
He didn't approach — just gave Luca a small nod like:
You got this.
Luca took a quiet breath.
"Can I sit with you at lunch?"
Hana blinked at him.
"I mean—yeah," she said, face warming. "You don't have to ask though."
"I want to," he said.
Her ears went a little red.
Lunch came faster than expected.
Luca found Hana sitting under the same tree from the festival, picking at her food instead of eating.
He sat beside her.
"Wanna talk about it?" he asked.
Hana sighed.
"You're really… persistent."
"That bad?"
"No," she said softly.
"It's kind of… nice."
She put her food down.
"I was thinking about my old team," she admitted. "The people who stopped talking to me after my ankle got messed up."
Luca listened.
Hana continued quietly:
"They didn't even mean to drop me. I think they just… didn't know how to act around me anymore. I was the girl who ran the fastest, who pushed the team, who always kept energy high."
Her voice cracked just a little.
"But when I couldn't be that girl anymore… I guess they didn't know what I was."
Luca swallowed.
"Hana—"
"I'm not blaming them," she said quickly.
"I really am over it. It's just…"
She curled her fingers together.
"…Sometimes I wonder what would've happened if I never got hurt."
Her eyes softened.
"Would they still be my friends? Would I still be that girl?"
Luca shook his head gently.
"You're still her."
Hana froze.
"You didn't lose anything," he said. "You just got stuck. That's not the same."
Hana stared at him — long, deep, searching.
"…You talk like you know me better than I know myself."
Luca looked down.
"Maybe I just see things other people don't."
This time, she didn't run away.
She didn't panic.
She just breathed out slowly, like a weight left her chest.
"…Thanks," she whispered.
She picked a small leaf off the ground, twirling it between her fingers.
"I still have my old gear," she said suddenly.
"Shoes… clothes… even my ankle brace."
Luca raised a brow.
"You kept it all?"
"Yeah. I thought I'd throw it out eventually. But I couldn't."
"That means something."
Hana laughed, embarrassed.
"You're reading too much into it."
"No," Luca said softly. "I think you miss it."
Hana looked like she wanted to deny it—
But she didn't.
Instead she asked quietly:
"…What if I can't do it anymore?"
Luca didn't hesitate.
"Then I'll help you find a way."
Hana's breath hitched.
She stared at him like he said something nobody in her life ever bothered saying.
"…You'd do that?"
"Of course," he said. "You deserve to get that part of yourself back."
Hana looked away fast, wiping her eye with her sleeve.
"I'm not crying," she muttered.
"You literally are."
"Shut up."
But she was smiling.
Across the yard, Aiden stood frozen in place, holding a drink he'd stopped sipping.
He watched the way Hana leaned closer to Luca.
The way she laughed — softly, shyly.
He'd never seen her laugh like that for anyone else.
Aiden's grip on the can tightened.
"…Why him?" he muttered.
Ryo approached quietly beside him.
"You're staring again," Ryo observed.
Aiden didn't answer.
Ryo followed his gaze to the pair under the tree.
"Is this jealousy?" Ryo asked casually.
Aiden shot him a glare.
"No."
Ryo lifted an eyebrow.
"Then what is it?"
Aiden looked back at them, jaw clenched.
"…Something's off about him."
Later, near the hallway, Ryo opened his notebook.
He wrote:
Hana emotional pattern:
— Rapid increase around Luca
— Confidence spike + insecurity flare
— Attachment forming
Luca influence:
— Encourages behavioral change
— Unpredictable dialogue choices
He paused.
Possible external factor?
Possible anomaly?
Possible disruptor of predetermined routes?
Ryo touched his pen to his chin.
"…What are you?" he whispered.
Back in the dorm, Luca sprawled on his bed, staring up at the ceiling.
Marc tossed a snack packet at him.
"So?" Marc asked. "How'd it go?"
Luca smiled faintly.
"She opened up. A lot."
Marc nodded.
"And?"
"I think she wants to try again. Not today… but soon."
Marc grinned.
"Then tomorrow, we take it one step further."
Luca exhaled.
"I just want her to feel like she can try without being scared."
Marc leaned back.
"That's exactly why she trusts you."
Luca didn't respond.
He just let those words settle.
Across campus, Hana opened her closet quietly.
She reached into a storage box and pulled out…
Her old ankle brace.
She held it in both hands, staring at it for a long time.
And for the first time in years—
She didn't feel ashamed.
She whispered:
"…Maybe tomorrow."