Lunch break.
The usual chaos was echoing in the classroom — Rika and Asuka were fake-laughing too loudly at opposite ends of the room, Yui was stabbing her lunch like it had betrayed her, Emi hadn't looked up once, and Mei was… gone again.
Ren stood, overwhelmed.
His eyes scanned the room.
Haruka wasn't there.
His feet moved before his thoughts did.
The rooftop was empty.
Except for her.
Haruka sat with her legs crossed, a can of warm green tea beside her, eyes closed, face tilted toward the sky.
The wind stirred her hair, quiet and delicate.
Ren didn't say anything.
He sat beside her.
Minutes passed.
Then—
"You've been running around," she said, still not opening her eyes."Yeah.""And being chased.""Feels like I'm in a dream I can't control.""It's not a dream," she murmured. "It's a storm. And you're standing in the center, pretending you're not soaked."
Ren turned to her.
She opened her eyes — calm, sharp, and a little sad.
"You want to make everyone happy. I get it. That's who you are."
She looked away, voice softer now.
"But when you stand in the middle too long… you forget how to walk toward anyone."
Ren blinked.
"Is that what you think I'm doing?"
"I know it is," she said. "Because I used to do the same thing."
He stared.
She sipped her tea.
"I had a friend in middle school. She liked the same boy I did. I stayed quiet. Smiled. Let her talk about him every day. Never said a word."
She looked at him now, expression unreadable.
"In the end, he chose someone else entirely."
"And I realized I didn't lose because I wasn't good enough."
"I lost because I never let myself want him out loud."
The wind picked up.
Ren felt his chest tighten.
Haruka stood.
"So here I am, Ren. Wanting you out loud."
She took a deep breath.
"I like you. I have for a long time."
"And I'm tired of watching from the edge while everyone else gets to be loud about it."
He stared at her.
Couldn't move.
Couldn't speak.
She leaned forward — not a kiss. Just a closeness. A moment.
Then stepped back.
"You don't have to say anything," she said. "But from now on… I'm not staying quiet."
And with that, she walked back toward the door, sunlight dancing behind her like a soft crown.
Ren sat alone for a long time.
The wind still whispering.