The afternoon sun was already shifting lower in the sky as Reiji made his way down the hallway, hands in his pockets. The incident from earlier still played in his mind—not because he cared about Sena, but because something about the way she stood her ground intrigued him.
She was harsh, no doubt about it. Sharp-tongued, confrontational, and far from approachable. Yet, despite her words, she hadn't looked entirely indifferent when he stepped in.
Annoyed? Definitely. But indifferent? No.
Reiji sighed. He didn't want to get involved in pointless drama. Whatever fight Sena had picked, it wasn't his problem. He had better things to focus on.
Like Aoi.
At that thought, his steps slowed as he spotted her further down the hall. She was standing near her locker, her soft brown hair illuminated by the afternoon light.
For a moment, Reiji simply watched. She was talking to someone—a classmate he didn't recognize—and smiling. That same gentle, effortless smile that made his chest tighten.
He had spent far too much time watching her from a distance, and it was starting to frustrate him. If he wanted to get closer, he had to do more than admire her from the sidelines.
Decision made, he straightened up and started toward her.
Before he could take more than a few steps, someone roughly brushed past him from the side.
Sena.
She didn't spare him a glance as she passed, her sharp ponytail swinging slightly with each step. It wasn't until she reached Aoi that Reiji realized where she was going.
Aoi turned at Sena's approach, her face lighting up. "Sena!"
The contrast between their expressions was striking. Aoi's warmth was met with Sena's usual cool demeanor, but there was something softer in the way Sena responded—something she didn't show to just anyone.
Reiji exhaled through his nose.
Of course.
Of course, the one time he finally built up the resolve to speak with Aoi, Sena had to appear.
He didn't stick around to watch them talk. Instead, he turned on his heel and walked in the opposite direction.
His chance had slipped away again.
—
That evening, Reiji sat on a bench outside a quiet convenience store, sipping from a canned coffee. The streets were mostly empty at this hour, the air carrying a slight chill as night settled in.
He wasn't in the mood to go home just yet. His thoughts were too tangled.
Footsteps approached.
He glanced up just in time to see Kaito drop down onto the bench beside him, holding a bag of snacks.
"Yo." Kaito ripped open a pack of potato chips and tossed a few into his mouth. "Man, I'm on a winning streak in *Revenant Code*. You gotta log in today. I need a proper challenge."
Reiji took another sip of coffee, giving him a dry look. "You only want me to play so you can brag about beating me."
Kaito grinned. "Damn right. Not my fault you suck at PvP."
"Tch." Reiji smirked slightly. "You're just more desperate to win."
Kaito nudged him with his elbow. "Hey, don't get salty. Unlike you, I have a girlfriend to impress."
Reiji sighed. "Here we go again."
"You should take notes, man. Yuna literally watches me play and cheers me on. Isn't that the best thing ever?"
Reiji shook his head. "You realize she's probably just pretending to care, right?"
Kaito placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "How dare you. Our love is real."
Reiji rolled his eyes but didn't argue. This was just Kaito being Kaito.
The conversation drifted to upcoming game releases, with Kaito ranting about how the latest patch had ruined his favorite character. It was a welcome distraction, and for a while, Reiji almost forgot about everything weighing on his mind.
But as the night grew later and the streets became quieter, the thoughts he had been trying to push away slowly crept back in.
He didn't know what annoyed him more—the fact that he hadn't talked to Aoi today, or the fact that Sena had once again ended up in his way.
One thing was certain.
If he really wanted to get closer to Aoi, he had no choice but to deal with Sena.
One way or another.
—