Chapter 21: Threads

The next morning arrived with an unsettling stillness.

Rei woke up feeling as if something had pressed against his chest all night. His body felt heavy, his mind sluggish. He sat up, rubbing his temples as the memory of last night resurfaced.

The knocking.

The empty hallway.

Had it really happened?

He exhaled through his nose, shaking off the lingering unease. Overthinking wouldn't change anything. If there was no proof, there was no point in dwelling on it.

His morning routine was quiet, as always. The sound of running water, the clink of a glass—these small noises filled the silence of his otherwise empty home. Yet, as he stepped out the door and locked it behind him, a strange thought lingered at the edge of his mind.

Had he truly been alone last night?

—

At school, everything felt the same. The dull hum of morning chatter, students passing by without giving him a second glance. The routine he was used to. The one he preferred.

But then, something broke the pattern.

"Morning, Rei."

He halted mid-step.

Hana.

She stood near his desk, her usual calm expression meeting his. Unlike before, there was no hesitation in her greeting. No awkwardness. As if speaking to him was something natural.

It wasn't.

He didn't reply immediately. Instead, his gaze flickered to Yuuto, who was at his own desk, seemingly engaged in a conversation with another student. Rei expected him to be watching, waiting for an opening to drag him into something.

But Yuuto wasn't looking his way.

Rei's fingers twitched slightly.

Then why?

Why did Hana greet him on her own?

"...Morning," he replied eventually, his voice neutral.

She didn't linger. She simply gave a small nod before returning to her seat.

Rei sat down, feeling the weight of the interaction settle over him. He had assumed their previous conversation was a one-time thing. That she had spoken to him out of curiosity or boredom.

But now, it was different.

It wasn't curiosity. It was familiarity.

As if they had already crossed some invisible line.

Rei's fingers curled against the desk. He needed to be careful.

—

The day passed without incident—until lunch.

Rei had planned to eat alone, as usual. But before he could leave the classroom, Yuuto appeared at his side, grinning.

"Come eat with me."

Rei frowned slightly. "Why?"

"Because eating alone is depressing," Yuuto said simply. "Besides, I already told you—I'm persistent."

Rei considered rejecting him outright. But then, his eyes caught something in Yuuto's expression.

He was being casual, as always, but there was something else beneath it. A flicker of something deeper.

Rei had learned to recognize these things. The emotions people didn't say out loud. And right now, Yuuto's persistence wasn't just about friendliness.

It was about something else.

Rei didn't know what.

But he needed to find out.

"...Fine," he said.

Yuuto blinked, as if he hadn't expected Rei to agree so easily. But then he grinned, leading the way.

As Rei followed, he remained quiet. Observing. Calculating.

Because people never approached him without a reason.

And he was going to figure out Yuuto's.