The doorbell rang.
Once.
Twice.
Again.
Jin stared at the door like it had personally offended him.
"…Persistent," he muttered.
He slid the door open and went towards the gate where Momo waited.
Momo stood outside, slightly out of breath, school bag clutched to her chest like a shield. Her hair was messy, and her eyes wide—not panicked. Like she'd decided something and wouldn't un-decide it.
"Oh," Jin said flatly. "You're still here."
Momo blinked. "YOU LEFT ME HERE!"
"You rang the bell already," Jin said. "Why?"
She hesitated, fingers tightening around the strap of her bag.
"I'm worried about Yozora."
Jin's smile dropped a little
Not sharply.
Just… confused.
"…Why?"
The question slipped out before he could stop it.
Momo stiffened. "Because I'm worr—"
Jin tilted his head.
"No," he said slowly. "I mean—why you?"
She stared at him.
Jin continued, genuinely puzzled. "You complain all the time. About him. About dating. About how annoying relationships are. You said he was 'too much.' You said he scared you."
Momo whisper-shouted, "how do you even know that?!"
He leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, completely ignoring her question.
"So why are you here?"
Momo opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Jin watched her carefully. Studied the way her brows knit together, the way her eyes wandered off—not to him, but past him.
"…I just am," she said.
That didn't satisfy Jin.
He squinted at her, lips pursed.
"…Is this a woman thing?" he asked.
Momo choked. "What?"
"You say you don't want something," Jin went on thoughtfully, "and then you want it very badly. You say someone scares you, then you come running when they're hurt."
He tapped his chin.
"…Or maybe you're just not right in the head."
The words weren't cruel.
They were curious.
Momo laughed softly.
It surprised both of them.
"…Yeah," she admitted. "I'm not."
Jin blinked.
That wasn't the response he expected.
Momo looked down at her hands. Her voice lowered.
"I know I shouldn't like him. I know he's scary. I know he's… wrong sometimes." Her fingers trembled. "But when he's quiet. When he's tired. When he stops pretending…"
She swallowed.
"He looks lonely."
Jin didn't smile this time.
"That's stupid," he said.
Momo nodded. "I know."
Silence stretched between them.
Somewhere deeper in the house, a cough echoed. Rough. Painful.
Momo flinched.
Jin stared at her.
Slowly, something unreadable passed through his eyes.
"…You and Riku-senpai really are alike," he murmured.
Momo looked up. "Riku?"
"Always poking things you shouldn't," Jin said. "Always feeling things that don't belong to you."
He stepped aside.
Just a little.
The door slid open wider.
Momo froze.
"…Can I see him?" she whispered.
Jin studied her one last time.
Then, faintly—almost fondly—he smiled.
"…You really don't value your life," he said.
But he didn't close the door.
---
If you want, next we can:
* switch POV to **Momo seeing sick Yozora**
* have **Yozora half-delirious reacting to her voice**
* or bring **Osano's presence** into the scene and flip the tension completely
Just tell me where you want to go.