"I was told I was normal".
"So I lived like I was".
I don't remember when it started.
Or maybe… I just didn't notice it.
There were small things. Things that didn't feel important at the time. Things that were easy to ignore if you didn't look too closely.
Like the day a glass slipped from the table.
It should have shattered the moment it hit the ground.
But it didn't.
For a second—just one—it stopped.
Suspended in the air like something invisible had caught it.
Then it dropped. Softly. Quietly.
As if nothing had happened.
I stared at it longer than I should have.
"…Huh?"
My mom's voice came from behind me.
"Be careful."
I turned to look at her.
She was already watching me.
Smiling.
Like everything was normal.
So I nodded.
And I let it go.
Life continued the way it always did.
School was just… school.
People talked. Laughed. Complained about things that didn't really matter.
And I sat there, listening.
Watching.
I liked observing people. The way they spoke. The way they reacted. The small things they didn't realize they showed.
"…Hinata."
I blinked and looked up.
My teacher was staring at me.
"…Are you paying attention?"
"…Yes."
It was easier to say that.
Even when it wasn't true.
Nothing about me stood out.
At least… that's what I thought.
When I got home, everything felt the same as always.
Warm.
Safe.
Like a place where nothing bad could happen.
"Welcome back," my mom said.
"I'm home," I replied quietly.
My dad was there too, sitting like he always did, calm and relaxed.
"Did anything happen today?" he asked.
I paused for a moment.
"…No."
The answer came too quickly.
I don't know why.
But for a second, both of them looked at me.
Not confused.
Not surprised.
Just… aware.
Then it passed.
And everything went back to normal.
Later, I was alone in my room.
It was quiet.
Too quiet.
I sat at my desk, staring at nothing in particular.
A pencil rolled off the edge.
I didn't move.
I didn't even react.
But before it hit the floor—
It stopped.
I froze.
It hovered there.
Just slightly.
Then slowly… it moved back.
Back onto the desk.
Like something had placed it there.
I stared at it.
My heart beat a little faster.
"…That's not normal."
My voice was barely above a whisper.
This time…
I didn't ignore it.
That night, I stood by the window.
Looking outside.
The world was calm.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Just like it always was.
But something didn't feel the same anymore.
Something small.
Something I couldn't explain.
"Back then… I thought I was just living a normal life."
"I didn't know…"
"…that normal was the lie."