Urano realized what he had just said.
He turned his face away almost immediately, his ears turning red as he muttered under his breath, "…forget what I said."
Renka shook her head quickly, her eyes wide as if she was refusing the idea. Forget it? She clearly didn't want to.
She lifted both hands and covered her burning face, holding them there for a second. Then she slowly peeked through her fingers, her cheeks still deeply flushed.
Her hands trembled slightly as she lowered them and signed, slow and careful.
"Thank you…"
A soft, shy smile appeared on her face.
After that, neither of them spoke.
They stood side by side, staring at the metal fence, at the sky tinted with the colors of evening, anywhere except at each other. The wind passed gently through the rooftop, brushing their hair and uniforms.
Neither of them moved to leave.
It was as if breaking the quiet would shatter something fragile that had just formed.
After a while, Renka took a deep breath. She straightened her posture, clearly gathering her courage. Her cheeks were still pink, but her expression became more serious as she raised her hands again.
She signed slowly, making sure he followed every movement.
She explained that the reason she had called him here was actually a selfish one.
She told him she had created a short silent performance for the school festival. A performance told entirely through sign language, meant for an audience that included people who understood it.
Her hands moved smoothly as she explained the story.
It was about someone who felt invisible in a loud world. Someone surrounded by noise, yet never truly seen. Little by little, that person finds someone who notices them, not because they speak loudly, but because they exist.
Renka admitted she had planned to perform it alone.
But when the time came to rehearse, she grew too nervous. Standing alone felt harder than she expected. She needed someone to practice with, somewhere private, away from curious eyes. That was why she chose the rooftop.
She looked at him as she signed again.
She told him his signing felt real and natural. Not forced or stiff.
She explained that because of that, he was the only one she felt comfortable asking.
Her hands slowed near the end, hesitation clear in her movements.
Then she added one last thing.
"If you say no… it's really okay."
Urano didn't answer right away.
He stayed quiet, his eyes fixed on her hands as they lowered, then drifting down to the ground beneath their feet.
Inside, Urano listened without interrupting. The story she described felt uncomfortably close to his own life. It left him feeling exposed in a strange way, yet it wasn't unpleasant. There was no pressure in it, no demand to explain himself.
After a long pause, he finally spoke. His voice was low.
"…Just a few times. Only here when no one else watches."
Renka's expression changed immediately. Relief washed over her face, soft and clear. She smiled warmly and nodded several times, her pink eyes shining with a quiet kind of happiness.
She raised her hands and signed that they would only practice the opening part today.
Then she walked toward the center of the rooftop.
Urano followed more slowly, stopping a short distance away from her and standing opposite her. The space between them felt deliberate.
They began with a simple sequence.
Renka signed first, her movements gentle but lonely, acting as the isolated figure reaching into empty space. Her hands moved forward searching for something that wasn't there. Urano waited, watching closely, then stepped in at the right moment and responded, his signs careful, steady, and open.
Their hands moved together with a surprising natural flow. There was no need to think too hard about timing or positioning. It felt instinctive, almost like they had practiced before, even though they hadn't.
There was a small mistake in timing once. Both of them paused at the same moment. Renka's shoulders shook as she laughed silently, bringing a hand to her mouth, while Urano looked at her with a faint pink creeping into his cheeks.
They adjusted and continued.
During one transition, their hands brushed by accident.
Both of them froze for half a second.
Their eyes met briefly, then almost immediately they looked away, pretending nothing had happened. Neither mentioned it, but the air felt warmer after that.
They kept going.
The sun dipped lower, painting the rooftop in soft shades of orange and gold. Long shadows stretched across the concrete, and the noise from below faded into something distant and dull.
Eventually, Renka signed a simple question.
"Enough for today?"
Urano nodded and answered quietly.
"I'm tired."
They packed their bags at an unhurried pace, taking their time, neither of them were in a rush to leave.
Before they headed out, Renka looked at him and signed again, her movements careful but hopeful.
"Same time tomorrow?"
Urano shrugged the way he always did, casual and noncommittal, but he didn't say no.
He walked toward the gate first.
As he stepped through it, he noticed something unusual.
"The world didn't feel as silent as it usually did."
The thought surprised him enough that he almost stopped walking.
A faint, small smile formed on his face.
Early evening settled quietly over the Student Council Room.
The space was lit by the warm yellow glow of a single desk lamp, its light spreading softly across the large brown desk at the center. Papers were scattered everywhere, festival schedules, budget sheets, sponsorship request forms, evidence of hours spent planning without much rest. Sugato was slumped forward in his chair, chin resting on his folded arms, his posture loose and exhausted, as if he had finally run out of energy. Across the room, Kehea sat on the sofa with her legs crossed, calmly sorting through a neat stack of sponsorship forms. Her movements were precise and unhurried, the same as always.
The doors pushed opened with a soft sound.
Renka stepped inside.
Her bag hung from one shoulder, and her hair was slightly tousled. There was the faintest hint of pink left on her cheeks, not obvious enough to draw attention at first glance, but unmistakably there. More than that, her steps felt lighter than usual, almost buoyant, like she hadn't quite come back down to the ground yet.
Sugato's head snapped up instantly.
"Renka! There you are!" he exclaimed, sitting straight in his chair, fatigue vanishing from his face.
"We were about to send out a search party. Where've you been hiding?"
Kehea glanced over from the sofa. Her sharp black eyes took in everything in one smooth look, the relaxed way Renka stood, the small smile she was clearly trying to keep under control, and the way she held her notebook a little closer to her chest than usual.
Renka gave a small wave in greeting and walked over to the sofa, sitting down beside Kehea. For a moment, she didn't write anything. She just sat there quietly, eyes unfocused, hugging her notebook.
Sugato leaned forward over the desk, curiosity written plainly on his face.
"Hold on…" he said slowly, a grin spreading across his face.
"Vice President, you're practically glowing."
He tilted his head, studying her.
"Something good happened, didn't it?"
Kehea nudged Renka lightly with her elbow. It was a small casual gesture for her. A faint teasing smirk appeared on her lips.
"You've been disappearing a lot lately," Kehea said calmly. Then her voice softened just a little.
"And now you come back looking like that. Did you… finally talk to Urano?"
Renka's cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink almost instantly. She nodded once.
Sugato stared at her for a second, then his jaw dropped.
"No way!" he burst out.
"Did he actually show up?! And talked to you?!"
Renka finally opened her notebook. Her pencil moved faster than usual, the strokes confident and energetic. She turned the page toward them.
"He agreed to help me rehearse the silent skit."
Sugato read it, then slammed his fist lightly into the air.
"That's huge!" he said excitedly. "If he's helping you with the skit, maybe he'll warm up to the rest of the fes—"
"President. Don't."
Kehea's voice was quiet, but firm enough to stop him instantly.
Sugato froze mid celebration, his hand still raised awkwardly. After a second, he scratched the back of his head with an embarrassed laugh.
"Right… sorry. No pushing. Got it."
Kehea turned back to Renka, her expression softening in a way that didn't happen often.
"I'm glad," she said simply. "You look… really happy."
Renka's smile widened, unguarded and warm. She nodded again, her eyes shining.
Then she wrote one more line and tilted the notebook so only Kehea could see it.
"Thank you for not asking more.
I'll tell you both properly later."
Kehea read the words, gave a small nod of understanding, and gently patted Renka's arm once.
Sugato cleared his throat, clearly trying to act normal again.
"S-so! About the festival budget…" he said, forcing a businesslike tone.
"We're still a bit short, but I'm sure we'll figure something out!"
Kehea sighed softly, though there was no real annoyance in it.
"We will," she replied. "Soon."
The three of them settled back into the warm, quiet rhythm of the council room.
Renka leaned against the sofa, still hugging her notebook. The soft light reflected in her eyes, and that quiet happiness stayed with her.