In Classroom 1st Year C, the atmosphere was quiet.
The history lesson dragged on at a sluggish pace. The teacher scribbled dates on the board with heavy strokes. No student seemed to pay real attention—but they all pretended well.
Megumi Katō sat in the third row, by the window.
Her posture was as usual: spine straight, notebook open, eyes lowered. But that day, her notes were nearly blank. Her pen moved slowly, more to disguise than to record.
Inside her bag rested a lunchbox.
Insulated, discreet, with the name of a sweets shop embossed in gold on the side. The food still warm. Packed with care.
'Just a gesture. No need to say anything.'
The teacher continued the lesson. Voice monotone. Few glances strayed.
Across the room, four seats back, Tomoya Aki wasn't paying attention either.
His eyes were fixed on the bottom of his open pencil case. Inside, a blue USB drive gleamed among the pencils. His hand trembled slightly on the desk.
'Today changes everything.'
He looked forward. Saw only Megumi's back.
Her dark hair tied up. Her shoulder nearly still. The way she held herself steady, even distracted. It was almost cinematic. As if she knew she was being watched.
'Utaha will accept. Megumi will understand. Everything will align.'
The clock read 10:07.
The teacher was still talking about 20th-century conflicts.
Tomoya no longer heard her.
Megumi lifted her eyes slowly. Then lowered them again.
'It's almost time.'
When the bell rang at 10:10, both were already packing their things. Too quick for people in no hurry.
Tomoya grabbed the USB drive. Slipped it into the inner pocket of his uniform, close to his chest.
Megumi stood with the lunchbox in her hands. Held firmly. No frills. Just intent.
They exited through opposite doors.
But in that break, their destination was the same.
---
The hallway buzzed.
Doors slammed in haste. Shoes scuffed the waxed floor. A group of students laughed loudly near the stairs, mingling with the muffled hum of vending machines and old fans. Sunlight poured strongly through the upper windows, casting warm rectangles of light on the smooth floor.
Tomoya Aki crossed the hallway like someone carrying a secret that needed to burst.
His bag hung crooked on his shoulder, the USB drive pressed in his jacket's inner pocket. His face showed faint dark circles, and his held breath betrayed anxiety. But his eyes shone with anticipation.
'She'll understand. And she'll accept.'
He climbed the last flight of stairs without stopping. He'd rehearsed his pitch three times since class began. It wasn't just about the script. It was about everything. Vision. Destiny. Shared genius.
'Eriri already gets it. Now it's your turn, Utaha.'
As he turned into the second-floor hallway, the sound of chatter grew louder. Groups lingered by doorways, trading snacks or gossip. None of them mattered. Only one classroom on that floor did.
2nd Year B.
His heart raced.
Tomoya adjusted his uniform collar, hiding the sweat at the back of his neck.
'She'll say something sarcastic. But she'll accept.'
His hand slid over his pocket, checking the USB drive's outline once more.
At the hallway's other end, Megumi Katō's steps were short and steady.
The lunchbox was firm in her hands. A faint smell of rice and miso sauce escaped the lid's edge. A second scent, sweeter—perhaps sliced apple—mingled with the subtle steam.
Megumi's eyes were fixed ahead. Her face serene. But her chest rose and fell at a subtly quicker pace than usual.
The cherry blossom path. The grandfather's farewell. The touch of Yuta's hands.
It was all still inside her.
'He deserves a moment of peace.'
She turned the corner.
Her bag tapped lightly against her back. The sunlight warmed her shoulders, but she didn't slow. There was noise, but the world felt distant.
The door to 2nd Year B appeared ahead.
And, at the same time, so did he.
Tomoya stopped too.
A meter separated them. Both facing the same door.
Megumi didn't hide her surprise. But she didn't look away either.
Tomoya furrowed his brow for half a second. Then forced a faint smile.
"…Katō?"
She didn't respond.
Just gripped the lunchbox tighter and turned her face slowly to the door.
Tomoya looked too.
2nd Year B. Where Yuta and Utaha were.
Two visitors.
Different objectives.
A destination about to collide.
___
Aika sat in the second row, close to Yuta's desk.
The hallway's lingering noise didn't reach strongly inside. The classroom felt suspended in time for a few seconds.
Yuta pulled a chair beside her.
"Eating lunch with me?"
Aika hesitated but nodded. Her eyes still carried the morning's shock, but her body was starting to relax. She adjusted her bangs and pulled a small insulated lunchbox from her bag. Nothing fancy. Practical.
"There's someone else coming," Yuta added, resting his hand on his desk. "A friend who understands… these things."
He didn't use the word. Didn't need to.
Aika just glanced sideways. "Okay."
Utaha Kasumigaoka stood before the bell.
Normally, she'd join the group spending the break under the central tree—listening to music, feigning disinterest in everything. But that day, she held her phone, eyes locked on the clock's second hand.
'He'll be here.'
She hadn't told anyone she was expecting the mysterious editor.
The guy who read her drafts. Who corrected with infuriating precision. Who suggested cuts that stung but improved everything.
And now… he wanted to meet her?
Utaha bit the corner of her lip. Her foot tapped the floor lightly.
When she heard the noise at the door, she didn't turn immediately. But then…
Yuta looked at the door and nodded.
Megumi entered.
Calm. Lunchbox between her fingers. Posture straight. A faint smile on her face.
Nothing forced.
Yuta returned the smile with a short nod.
Aika watched from the corner of her eye. Said nothing.
Utaha saw too.
And furrowed her brows slightly.
But it was Tomoya who felt the strangest jolt.
He was still at the door.
Frozen.
The smile Megumi gave… wasn't the kind she gave anyone. He knew that. He'd watched her long enough to recognize her nuances. This was different. Warm. Intimate.
And it was for that boy.
'That must be Yuta…'
For a moment, Tomoya forgot the USB drive. Forgot Utaha.
Just stood there. Still.
Watching Megumi cross the aisle between desks—and head straight to him.
To Yuta.
Yuta pulled a chair naturally, as if it was already planned.
Megumi sat.
Before opening the lunchbox, she glanced aside and nodded discreetly at Aika.
The gesture was calm, restrained, polite. She didn't know the girl—but she was too close to Yuta to ignore.
Aika returned a quick nod. Short. Expressionless.
Megumi looked away, slightly confused. 'She seems close… but didn't say anything.' Still, she kept the faint smile.
She set the lunchbox on the desk.
Smiled again. Now at Yuta.
Tomoya's fingers tightened against the fabric of his inner jacket pocket. His heart beat faster than it should. But his face stayed locked. Motionless.
'She shouldn't smile like that…'
Not for him.
Not so easily.
Not in a way he'd never managed.
He was still at the door.
And no one had noticed him.
Yet.
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