“Speak.”

Lily took a slow breath as she walked.

One foot in front of the other.

That was all she had to do. Walk forward. Keep moving. Act normal.

But her fingers were curled too tightly around her bento box, and her skin still tingled where Hayato had touched her. The feeling wouldn't go away, no matter how much she tried to shake it off.

She hated that.

Hated that she was still thinking about it. Hated that it had happened at all.

She reached the familiar outdoor spot where she and Koji always ate lunch and spotted him right away. He was sitting on the bench, stretching with a satisfied sigh, his bento already empty beside him.

The second he saw her, he perked up—then blinked in mild confusion.

"Oi, Lily! Took you long enough," he called. "Thought you got lost or something."

Her grip on the bento tightened for half a second before she forced herself to loosen up.

Casual. Act casual.

She let out a small laugh, adjusting the strap of her bag. "Bathroom break. Got held up."

Koji scrunched his nose. "Gross!"

She rolled her eyes, finally sitting down beside him. "You're so dramatic."

Koji huffed, nudging his empty bento box. "Well, excuse me for not waiting, but I was starving. You took forever."

"Shocking."

"Shut up."

For a brief moment, Lily felt herself exhale.

This was good. This was normal.

If she just focused on this, if she just kept talking like usual, maybe she could pretend the rest of it didn't happen.

She flipped open her bento and picked up her chopsticks. One bite. Then another. She didn't have much of an appetite, but forcing herself to eat was better than thinking.

Koji stretched his arms above his head. "Oh yeah! I forgot to tell you—I found this insane manga the other day. It's got everything. Time travel, samurai, aliens—"

"Aliens?"

"Listen, it works, okay?"

Lily hummed, chewing slowly.

This was good.

Normal.

Safe.

Then Koji hesitated, rubbing the back of his head.

"You know…" His tone softened, like he was trying not to pry. "That thing you mentioned the other day? About weird stuff happening?"

Lily's stomach tensed.

For a second—just a second—her brain panicked.

It was the last thing she wanted to talk about!

She quickly shoved another bite of food into her mouth. "Mmm, Koji, I'm starving. Let's talk after I eat, yeah?"

Koji frowned, but after a pause, he sighed dramatically. "Fiiine. But I expect full details later."

"Noted" she said, swallowing.

He grumbled something under his breath but let it go, shifting the conversation back to the manga he was obsessed with.

And Lily?

Lily focused on eating.

Because as long as she was eating, she wasn't thinking.

And as long as she wasn't thinking, she could pretend everything was fine.

( ˶°ㅁ°) !!

The cold breeze swept across the rooftop, ruffling their uniforms as Shun and Tsubasa leaned lazily against the railing, their conversation bouncing back and forth about something stupid—probably a new arcade game or some drama about a girl they didn't actually care about.

But Rika?

Rika wasn't listening.

She was too busy staring at her phone.

Her freshly manicured nails tapped impatiently against the screen, her leg bouncing in irritation. Where the hell was he?

She had spent time on her hair today. Put on just the right amount of makeup—not too much, not too little, just enough to look effortlessly pretty. And for what?

For Arata.

Who, apparently, had better things to do than acknowledge her existence.

Her messages, still left on read, burned at the back of her mind as she scrolled through them.

(SMS)

Rika:

Morning~! Wanna skip last period? ♡

Rika:

You at school today?

Rika:

Heyyyy, Arata-kun. (✿◕‿◕) Don't ignore meee.

Rika:

Where are you??

Rika:

Come on, you can't be that busy.

Rika:

Helloooo??

Rika:

Arata.

Rika:

Are you serious right now?

Rika:

It's been TWO HOURS.

Rika:

I know you're reading these.

Rika:

I swear to god if you're skipping just to sleep again—

Rika:

Are you with someone??

Rika:

…you better not be with someone.

Rika:

Arataaaaaa. (╥﹏╥)

Rika:

Seriously, where the hell are you?!

The screen remained agonizingly empty. No typing indicator. No read receipts.

She clenched her jaw, inhaling sharply through her nose.

He was ignoring her.

Again.

Tsubasa sat nearby, leaning back on his hands, staring at the sky in that calm, detached way he always did. He hadn't said much since they got up here, but Rika knew he was watching.

He always did.

"Oi."

Rika blinked, tilting her head slightly but not looking up. "What?"

Tsubasa exhaled through his nose, his voice carrying no judgment, just an observation. "You've been texting him all morning."

She hated that he noticed.

She let out a dry laugh, tucking her hair behind her ear. "So?"

"So" he said, finally turning his gaze toward her, "you look kind of stupid right now."

Her nails dug into her phone case, but she forced a smile. A perfect, unbothered smile.

"Shut up, Tsubasa."

She wasn't stupid.

She was Rika. The queen of their group. The girl everyone wanted to be.

And Arata?

He was hers.

He just didn't know it yet.

The rooftop was peaceful now. Too peaceful.

Rika hated it.

She hated the silence, the slight breeze that did nothing to cool the irritation boiling under her skin, the goddamn emptiness of her notifications.

Arata hadn't answered.

Not a single fucking message.

She locked her phone and exhaled slowly, willing herself not to let it show, not in front of them.

Tsubasa was still watching her, though his expression was unreadable as always. But it was Shun who finally broke the silence.

"Well, well" he drawled, stretching his arms above his head before casually dropping them behind his head. "What do you think, Tsubasa? Should we send out a missing person report for our dear Arata-kun?"

Tsubasa didn't respond, but Rika could see the faintest twitch of irritation in his jaw.

Shun smirked. "Or maybe… he's just busy. You know, with someone more interesting?"

That got her attention.

Rika's head snapped toward him, eyes narrowing.

Shun's smirk widened like he had been waiting for that reaction.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she demanded.

Shun let out a hum, tapping his chin like he was deep in thought. "Well, it's not really my business… but now that I think about it…" He glanced at Tsubasa, a mocking glint in his eyes. "Didn't I see Arata the other night? With a woman?"

Tsubasa shot him a sharp look.

Rika froze.

"…What?"

Shun pretended not to notice the sudden ice in her tone, dragging it out as if he were recalling some distant memory. "Mmm… yeah, yeah. A woman. Definitely older, definitely not from school." He let the words hang in the air for a moment before giving her a lazy grin. "Interesting, huh?"

Rika's grip on her phone tightened.

Her mind tightened.

"…Who?" Her voice was dangerously calm.

Shun lifted his hands in a mock gesture of surrender. "Oh, I would tell you, Rika-chan" he said, voice light, playful. "But you know me." He placed a finger to his lips. "I'd never betray a friend's privacy."

The way he said it, the mockery in his tone—he was enjoying this. Too much.

Rika felt something ugly coil in her stomach.

Her phone screen remained dark.

Arata still hadn't answered.

And now, this?

Her jaw clenched, and she shot a glare at Tsubasa. "You knew about this?"

Tsubasa, for his part, just sighed, running a hand through his hair. "…Shun, you really don't know when to shut up."

Shun just laughed. "What? I'm just saying our Arata-kun has been awfully secretive lately, don't you think? What's a guy like him doing with an older woman at night, anyway?"

A sharp crack echoed through the rooftop.

Rika had slammed her phone down onto the concrete beside her.

Her nails dug into her palm, her breath was even, but her entire body was tense.

Shun watched her reaction with undisguised amusement. "Ooh. That struck a nerve, huh?"

She didn't answer.

Her nails scraped against the back of her phone case, and she inhaled sharply through her nose.

"Speak."

Her voice was like a knife against the silence. Sharp. Cold. Demanding.

Tsubasa exhaled through his nose, rubbing his temple as if this entire conversation was already a headache. "Rika—"

"Shut up, Tsubasa. I'm not talking to you."

Shun chuckled, leaning back against the fence, his lazy smirk widening. "Rika-chan, I can't tal—"

"I said speak."

The finality in her tone left no room for argument.

Her fingers curled into the fabric of her skirt, pressing down hard enough to leave creases. Her heart was hammering, but her face remained impassive, perfectly composed, like a queen demanding answers from her subjects.

Shun tilted his head, watching her like a cat watching a caged bird. He knew exactly what he was doing. Dragging it out. Letting her boil in it.

Tsubasa let out a slow sigh, shifting uncomfortably from where he sat. He had known Rika for years—longer than Shun, longer than Arata—but even he didn't want to touch this right now.

Rika folded her arms, her nails digging into her sleeves. "We're friends, right?" Her voice softened, but there was nothing gentle in it. "Maybe he's in danger. We could help him. Speak."

Shun's smirk stretched into something mocking.

"Well," he said, drawing out the word, enjoying every second of this, "if you insist…"

He leaned forward slightly, his dark eyes gleaming with amusement. "I saw him."

Rika didn't blink.

Shun licked his lips, dragging it out like he had all the time in the world. "At the Seon Station."

Her fingers twitched.

"With a woman."

The air stilled.

Shun didn't stop. "Older. Classy. Dressed to kill. You know the type."

Rika's nails bit into her sleeves.

"High heels, sleek black hair, expensive clothes—"

"That's enough."

The words ripped out of her like a blade.

Too fast. Too sharp.

Shun grinned.

"Oh?" He tilted his head, eyes alight with something dangerous. "What's wrong, Rika-chan? Feeling jealous?"

Tsubasa stiffened.

The air was thick, charged.

Rika's lips parted, but no words came out.

For the first time, she felt hot. A heat she hated. A heat that humiliated her.

Shun chuckled, running a lazy hand through his hair. "Relax, Rika-chan." He leaned in just a little, dropping his voice to something almost soothing. "She's not as beautiful as you."

The words felt like mockery.

Like pity.

Like a joke meant for him.

Not for her.

Her fists clenched, but she forced her body to stay composed.

Shun leaned back, stretching. "But yeah, that's all I saw. Just him and some mystery woman, talking like they knew each other. Like old friends."

He shrugged.

"But hey," he added, eyes flicking to her, knowing. "I'm sure it's nothing, right?"

Rika inhaled slowly, evenly.

And then, with the calmness of someone drowning, she reached for her phone.

Arata still hadn't answered.

Rika's fingers tightened around her phone. Her knuckles turned white. Her heart was hammering in her chest, but her voice—her voice was steady. Controlled. Dangerous.

"Is it true?"

Shun tilted his head, amused. "Would I ever lie to you, Rika-chan?"

She hated that nickname coming from him.

She hated that lazy, smug tone.

She hated that he was enjoying this.

Her nails dug into the side of her phone, but she didn't let the irritation show. Not yet.

Rika turned to Tsubasa instead.

"And you know it?" Her voice was softer this time. Quieter.

Tsubasa didn't answer.

Didn't blink.

Didn't move.

Rika didn't need him to. His silence said everything.

Her stomach twisted.

Arata.

With another woman.

Older. Dressed well. Like they knew each other. Like they were familiar.

Like they were… something.

The thought made her skin burn.

Shun watched her, eyes gleaming, and for a moment—just a moment—he looked like he was waiting. Testing.

Waiting for her to break.

But Rika never broke.

Instead, she exhaled slowly, adjusting her posture like the weight of the conversation didn't even touch her.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, tilting her head in something almost bored.

"Oh" she said smoothly, forcing a smile. "That's interesting."

She wouldn't let them see it.

She wouldn't let them have it.

Not here. Not now.

But deep inside, something in her was boiling.

Arata.

Who the fuck was he with?