The rooftop was almost empty now.The sun had begun its slow descent, painting the clouds in shades of tangerine and violet. The city below buzzed faintly — cars, laughter, distant music — but up here, everything felt distant, softened, as if the world itself was catching its breath.
Suki, Kenji, and Miyako had already headed downstairs, still arguing about who would bring snacks tomorrow. Ryuzí followed last, muttering something about locking the art room before they got detention for loitering again.
That left just Aoi and Haruto.
Aoi leaned against the railing, her arms folded loosely, her hair swaying with the breeze. Haruto stood beside her, keeping a careful distance — the kind that said I want to be close, but I don't know how to yet.
Neither spoke at first. The quiet stretched comfortably between them, filled with the hum of cicadas and the faint metallic scent of rain that still lingered in the air.
Finally, Aoi said, "You keep looking at the sky like it's got the answers."
Haruto startled slightly. "...Maybe it does."
"Does it?" she asked, glancing sideways at him.
He smiled faintly. "Not yet."
Aoi's lips curved. "Then maybe you're just waiting for it to talk back."
Haruto chuckled under his breath — small, quiet, but real. "You sound like Suki."
She raised a brow. "I'll take that as an insult."
He shook his head. "No. Just… unexpected. You're usually the serious one."
Her gaze softened. "Maybe I'm serious because someone has to be. But I'm not made of glass, Haruto."
He looked at her properly now — really looked — and realized how much had changed. The girl who once hid behind her precision, her plans, her calm exterior… now stood steady and fearless, even after everything she'd seen.
He exhaled slowly. "You were brave yesterday."
"I wasn't brave," she said quietly. "I was furious."
"You still saved me."
Aoi turned to him fully this time. "You didn't need saving. You needed someone to stand beside you."
He hesitated, his voice smaller now. "I… didn't want you to see me like that."
"Why not?"
"Because I looked weak."
"You looked human."
Her answer was simple, immediate — and it left him speechless.
Aoi stepped closer, tilting her head slightly to meet his gaze. "You always hide when you're hurting, don't you?"
Haruto tried to look away. "It's easier."
"For who?"
The question caught him off guard. His mouth opened, but no words came out.
Aoi smiled faintly. "You're so quiet all the time. But your silence is loud, you know that?"
He blinked, confused. "Loud?"
"You don't say things, but you feel them. And people like me—" she leaned in slightly "—can hear every word you don't say."
Haruto's breath hitched. "You're really straightforward, aren't you?"
"I could lie," she said lightly, "but it'd just waste time."
He laughed softly, flustered. "You're—" He stopped, rubbing the back of his neck. "You're too much sometimes."
"Too much for you?" she teased.
He hesitated — and that half-second pause was enough to make her grin widen.
His ears turned pink. "I didn't mean—"
"You did," she interrupted gently. "And that's okay."
A gust of wind swept past them, carrying the faint scent of wet pavement.Aoi reached up without thinking, brushing a stray lock of hair from his forehead. "You're blushing again."
"I—" He looked away quickly, muttering, "You make it sound like a crime."
"Not a crime," she said softly. "Just proof."
"Of what?"
"That you're starting to let someone in."
He froze at that. The words hit deeper than he expected. He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until she smiled again, gentle and patient.
"I don't know how to do that," he admitted quietly.
"Then I'll go slow," she replied.
He met her eyes then — nervous, unsure, but warm. "You're… really something."
"I know," she said with a small laugh. "Took you long enough to notice."
He laughed too — soft, shaky, but genuine. The tension between them loosened, replaced by something tender and unspoken.
As the sun dipped below the horizon, Aoi leaned slightly against the railing, her shoulder brushing his. Neither of them moved away.
Haruto could feel the heat creeping up his neck again, and Aoi caught it instantly.
"You're blushing again," she whispered, almost teasing.
"You keep noticing," he said, smiling despite himself.
"Because it's cute."
That single word — cute — made his heartbeat trip.
He looked away, covering his face with one hand. "You really don't hold back, do you?"
"Never," she said softly, then added, "and you shouldn't either."
He turned toward her again, hesitant. "What if I say something wrong?"
"Then I'll correct you," she said with a small grin. "But you won't."
A comfortable silence fell again — the kind that didn't need filling.The first stars began to flicker through the clouds. Haruto leaned forward slightly, his voice a whisper lost in the wind.
"You make me feel... safe."
Aoi smiled — not wide, not proud, just deeply content. "Good," she said. "Because that's all I wanted."
Later that night — Haruto's Room
The memory of the rooftop replayed in his mind long after he got home.He sat by his desk, the glow of his tablet illuminating his face as he doodled without focus. Each stroke turned into fragments of her — the curve of her hair, the tilt of her head, the faint smile that always made his chest feel too tight.
He leaned back in his chair and covered his face with one hand. "She's impossible," he murmured into the quiet.
From the living room came the faint sound of Hana's laughter as she watched a cartoon.For once, that sound didn't feel distant.