Uninvited Steps

The library hummed with quiet energy—a steady blend of whispered discussions, the soft flipping of pages, and the rhythmic clatter of keyboards. The warm scent of books mixed with the faint bitterness of coffee from a forgotten cup near Mika's laptop.

Kouko shifted in her seat, glancing at the clock. The group project had gone longer than she expected, and her focus had started to wane.

"I swear," Rina muttered, rubbing her temples, "if I have to look at another literary analysis, I'm going to throw my laptop out the window."

Mika snorted. "At least you can read it. My notes look like I wrote them while in a coma." She nudged Kouko's arm lightly. "How's your section coming along?"

Kouko glanced at her notebook, realizing she hadn't written anything for the past few minutes. Not since Tatsuya arrived.

"Oh, um…" She flipped a page, stalling. "Still working on it."

"Need help?"

She looked up—and there was Tatsuya.

Posture relaxed, confidence radiating off him like a second skin. He leaned slightly closer, one hand resting casually on the back of her chair as he scanned her notes.

"It's fine," Kouko said quickly, shifting slightly in her seat.

Tatsuya arched an eyebrow. "You sure? You've been staring at the same page for the last five minutes."

Kouko exhaled sharply, shaking her head with a small smile. He wasn't wrong.

"Just distracted, I guess."

Mika, who had been watching the exchange with vague amusement, smirked. "Distracted by what, exactly?"

Kouko shot her a warning glance, but before she could reply, Tatsuya chuckled.

"Not me, I hope," he said smoothly, leaning back just enough to give the impression he wasn't actually waiting for an answer—even though he clearly was.

Rina let out an exaggerated sigh. "Tatsuya, you're the most distracting person here. You can't just show up and act like you belong in a study session."

Tatsuya placed a hand over his chest in mock offense. "Wow. And here I thought we were all friends."

Kouko shook her head, trying to suppress a laugh. She wasn't sure if it was actual amusement or just secondhand embarrassment.

"You do realize we're actually trying to work, right?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

Tatsuya smirked. "That's exactly why I'm here. To keep things entertaining."

Mika rolled her eyes. "Right. Because academic suffering isn't entertaining enough."

The conversation flowed, but Kouko could feel something beneath it.

Tatsuya wasn't just chatting—he was paying attention.

To her.

Little things. The way she responded, the way she tilted her head when she spoke.

He was good at this. Effortless in the way he balanced confidence with just the right amount of teasing.

Kouko wasn't blind to it.

But she wasn't sure how much of it she wanted to acknowledge.

She had always been polite, friendly enough—but never leading him on.

At least, she thought so.

But maybe… maybe she had been too nice.

Because the way he was watching her now—expecting something, waiting for something—it made her uneasy.

"By the way," Mika said suddenly, stretching her arms above her head. "Has anyone seen Ili lately?"

Kouko's breath hitched—so slight, so fast she almost didn't notice it herself.

Rina frowned. "Yeah, I feel like he's been avoiding people. Haven't seen him around much."

Kouko reached for her pen, tapping it lightly against the edge of her notebook. "Maybe he's just busy," she said, too quickly.

Tatsuya scoffed lightly. "Or maybe he just doesn't want to be found."

His tone was casual. Dismissive.

But Kouko didn't miss the way his smirk twitched, just barely.

Or how his fingers drummed against the table—slow, measured, calculated.

Mika blinked, sitting up slightly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Tatsuya gave a small shrug, leaning back. "I mean, come on. You guys act like it's weird for someone to take some space." His gaze flickered toward Kouko—too quick, too knowing. "It's not like he owns the library or anything."

The air shifted.

It was subtle, but Kouko felt it immediately.

She had spent enough time around Ili to recognize what this was.

Tatsuya wasn't just making a passing remark.

He was testing her.

Waiting for a reaction.

Kouko set her pen down.

Carefully.

Too carefully.

"Tatsuya," she said lightly, but there was an edge to it now.

One that hadn't been there before.

He caught it.

The corner of his mouth lifted just slightly.

"Kidding, of course," he said smoothly, brushing it off.

But Kouko knew better.

That wasn't a joke.

That was a move.

And the fact that he had made it in front of everyone—so casually, so effortlessly—bothered her more than she wanted to admit.

The fact that Ili had been brought up at all and it had become something like this—bothered her even more.

She inhaled slowly, choosing not to push it.

Not here.

Not yet.

Rina, oblivious to the underlying shift in tone, sighed. "Well, wherever he is, he better not disappear too long. He still owes me notes."

Mika laughed. "Ili? Forget something? No way."

The conversation drifted, but Kouko wasn't listening anymore.

Her fingers curled slightly against the pages of her notebook, pressing into the paper.

Her mind was elsewhere.

She could feel it.

A strange, lingering weight in the air.

It wasn't anything obvious. Nothing anyone else would notice.

Just a subtle feeling. A quiet pull at the edge of her awareness.

Like something was slipping away.

Then—

The sound of footsteps.

Soft. Measured.

Leaving.

Kouko's fingers stilled against the pages of her notebook.

She didn't know why—but something about that sound made her lift her gaze.

Her eyes flickered toward the exit.

And there—

Just before the door fully swung shut—

She saw a figure walking away.

A familiar silhouette.

Ili.

His back turned, his steps steady.

Leaving.

Kouko's breath caught for just a second.

She didn't call out. Didn't move.

She just watched.

Watched as he walked away.