Chapter 18: A step too close

The hallway buzzed with students hurrying to their next destination, but Rei remained motionless for a moment, his eyes tracking the girl as she walked away. Her presence lingered in the air, like an unfinished sentence. He couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more to her, something she hadn't told him yet.

He couldn't afford to ignore it.

It wasn't long before he heard footsteps behind him again, this time more deliberate, more confident. He didn't turn around immediately, his focus still on the fading noise of the hallway. But then, the voice came again, cutting through the chaos of the hallway like a whisper just for him.

"Rei."

It was her again. He didn't even have to look to know.

This time, he allowed himself to glance over his shoulder. The girl was standing a few feet behind him, her posture relaxed, her hands casually tucked into her pockets. She was smiling again, but this time there was a sense of purpose behind it—an edge of sincerity.

She wasn't leaving, and neither was he.

"I think it's time I properly introduce myself," she said, her tone light and friendly. "You can call me Hana."

Rei raised an eyebrow. Hana. Another name, another face, but the same game. She wasn't like Mei, and yet there was something eerily familiar about how she was trying to worm her way into his life.

He stayed silent for a moment, gauging her. He wasn't going to give anything away—not yet. But he did nod, just a slight acknowledgment.

"Hana," he repeated, the name sitting on his tongue, weighing a bit heavier than it should have. "Nice to meet you."

There was a flicker of something in her eyes, as if she had been expecting that answer. She smiled again, this time with a little more warmth.

"You don't talk much, do you?" she asked, tilting her head, as though trying to read him. "It's fine, I don't mind. But I'm guessing you're the type who likes to observe more than speak."

Rei's lips twitched, but he didn't respond immediately. It wasn't that he was trying to be rude, it was just that words had always felt like they carried weight, and he preferred not to waste them.

Hana seemed to understand that, or perhaps she was just more used to people like him. She shifted slightly, still standing a bit too close for his comfort, though her posture was open and unthreatening.

"I don't bite, you know," she said with a soft chuckle. "I just thought we could have a normal conversation. No strings attached."

Rei's eyes narrowed ever so slightly. "Normal," he repeated, though his voice had a hint of skepticism.

"Well, maybe not normal," Hana said, a soft laugh escaping her lips. "But I'm not here to play games. Not with you, at least. You're not the type for that."

That's what they always said.

Rei didn't answer right away, instead choosing to take in her words, weigh them in his mind. She wasn't lying—he could tell that much—but that didn't mean she wasn't hiding something. People always did. There was always something hidden beneath the surface.

He finally shrugged, though his mind was already running through possible scenarios. "If you say so."

"Yeah, I do," Hana said with a bright smile, stepping back a little. "Anyway, I should get going. Just thought you'd like to know who I am. No strings, no pressure."

And with that, she turned, walking away, leaving Rei to stand there, caught between curiosity and caution.

As he continued down the hallway, the weight of her presence slowly began to fade, but not entirely. There was something about the way she interacted with him, so casual and yet so deliberate. It felt... off. Too calculated, perhaps. She wasn't just a random person trying to strike up a conversation.

---

Later that day, after his classes had ended, Rei found himself walking alone toward the school gates when he spotted Yuuto in the distance. The boy was chatting with a couple of other students, laughing, but his gaze seemed to snap to Rei almost instinctively.

Rei didn't know why he did it, but he found himself walking toward Yuuto. It wasn't that he felt comfortable around him—no, far from it—but there was something about Yuuto's presence that felt... steady. Predictable. Not like Mei. Not like Hana.

As he neared, Yuuto waved and jogged over to him, grinning. "Hey, Rei! You heading home?"

Rei nodded, his face still expressionless. He wasn't sure what it was about Yuuto, but he didn't get the same vibe from him that he got from others. Yuuto wasn't like Mei or Hana, at least not in the same way.

"I am," Rei said, his voice flat.

"Cool," Yuuto said, falling into step beside him. "Mind if I walk with you?"

Rei hesitated for a moment, but then shrugged. "Sure."

They walked in silence for a bit, the sound of their footsteps filling the quiet air between them. Rei kept his eyes straight ahead, his mind working, assessing.

Yuuto wasn't the kind of person who immediately screamed manipulation or hidden agendas, but Rei knew better than to jump to conclusions. People always had a reason for what they did.

"So," Yuuto said, breaking the silence after a while. "I was thinking we could grab something to eat after school sometime. You know, just chill."

Rei glanced at him. He was smiling, carefree, but there was something about the invitation that felt... off. Like an open door with a subtle trap inside.

"I don't know," Rei replied, his voice distant. "I'm not much of a socializer."

Yuuto chuckled. "That's alright. But it doesn't hurt to have a friend, right?"

Rei said nothing. A friend. The word lingered in the air like a challenge. He didn't know what to think about it. The old part of him—the part that still yearned for connection—wanted to reach out. But the newer, more guarded version of him kept that part locked away.

Yuuto didn't press. He just let the offer hang in the air, as if he understood the hesitation. Rei couldn't quite place what was different about Yuuto—was it that he wasn't trying to manipulate Rei, or was it just that Rei was too wary to see it?

Either way, Yuuto's presence didn't seem entirely threatening. Not yet, at least.