Chapter 9: Unraveling the Past

The silence hung in the air. It was not the type of silence Haruto Kirigami liked—the quiet emptiness of an unused classroom or the soft murmur of a library. No, this was another kind. This one wrapped itself around him, heavy and smothering, like a darkness from his own past that wouldn't release its hold.

It was broken by the silence itself. That night, as he fell asleep.

The dream started off familiar. A hallway of a school lit with gold afternoon light. A younger self stood there, clutching at the straps of his backpack, hands wet with sweat. Behind him was Hyuka Ayomi, the girl he foolishly confessed to a while ago.

"I like you. Please go out with me."

The words sounded unfamiliar, as though said by another. But his voice. His heart was racing as he observed Hyuka's face change—initially surprised, then unsettled.

"I. I can't."

She turned and took off.

Haruto yearned to shift, to shout to her, but his legs remained rooted. Rather, whispers inched their way, slinking through the chinks of his mind.

"You actually thought she'd like you?"

"Pathetic."

"You should just vanish."

Then, he saw them—his former classmates, their faces contorted in sadistic delight.

A boy chuckled. "Damn, he actually thought he had a chance."

A girl whispered to another, "I heard she turned him down because it was too humiliating."

The laughter increased. His younger self remained motionless, shaking. Then, a dark figure came out of the group. It had his face but was bathed in shadows, its eyes empty.

"You have not changed a bit," it murmured. "You remain weak."

Haruto tensed, his body twitching from sleep. His breaths came out shaky, his chest-clinging sweat trickling cold across his belly. He clenched a fist in his hair.

"Tch. Another one, huh?"

The nightmares weren't uncommon to him. But why then? Why, all this later on, was the past coming at him with a frenzy?

Morning came, and the tension persisted. Haruto strode along the corridors, his hands stuck deep in pockets, his standard detached look disguising the turbulence inside.

During class, he hardly spoke a word. When the teacher actually called on him, he spoke briefly and robotically.

Nasaki Kitta picked up right away.

During lunch, she sat across from him, silently observing as he absentmindedly poked at his food. Normally, he would make at least one sarcastic remark about school or the people around them. Today, nothing.

She placed her chopsticks down. "You look like someone who just lost a fight against sleep and lost badly."

Haruto didn't respond.

She sighed. "You okay?"

".I'm fine."

A lie. She could see it in his eyes.

Rather than pushing him further, she leaned her chin on her hand, observing him. She knew that pushing him to speak would only cause him to pull further into himself.

So, she did what she did best—she stayed.

As the afternoon wore on, Haruto kept his head down, making minimal contact. But fate, it seemed, had other ideas.

As he turned a corner, Hyuka Ayomi was waiting.

His muscles locked for a moment before he compelled himself to move on.

But she moved toward him. "Haruto."

He stopped. His name on her lips sounded strange, nearly intrusive.

"I…" She fumbled with her weight. "Can we please talk?"

Haruto's face didn't change. "No need. There is nothing to discuss."

She nibbled her lip. "Please. Just… just hear me out for a second."

For the first time, he looked at her. There was apology there—true apology. But he didn't care.

"I don't need an apology," he said bluntly.

Hyuka winced. "It's not an apology. I—"

Before she could continue, Nasaki showed up.

"Oh, there you are, Haruto," she said nonchalantly, grabbing his wrist as if that were the most normal thing ever. Then she looked at Hyuka and smiled. "Sorry, we're kinda busy right now."

Hyuka blinked in shock. "I—"

Nasaki didn't let her protest. Without a word, she dragged Haruto down the corridor.

When they were far enough, Nasaki released him. She stood with her arms crossed and against a vending machine. "You can pretend it doesn't matter, but I see how much this is getting to you."

Haruto let out a slow breath. He leaned against the wall, hands still shoved in his pockets.

For a moment, he considered lying. Saying it didn't bother him. But after everything, what was the point?

Instead, he stayed silent.

Nasaki watched him carefully before sighing. "You don't have to tell me what's wrong. But at least stop pretending you're okay when you're not."

He let out a sharp breath, rubbing the nape of his neck. ".It's stupid."

"Try me."

There was something in her voice—soft but firm.

So, he talked.

"Sometimes… my history won't remain buried," he confessed. "Even when I don't want to remember it, it surfaces. And it's infuriating."

Nasaki's face softened. "Nightmares?"

One moment of pause. Then, he nodded.

Nasaki thought for a moment before smiling. "I used to have nightmares too, you know."

Haruto arched an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She shrugged. "Mine were different, probably. But that sense of haunting by something you can't escape? Yeah, I understand."

Haruto looked at her, the lump in his chest feeling just a little less heavy.

And then, for the first time in a long time, he smiled.

It wasn't a sneer or a fake one—it was tiny, but real.

"Thanks," he whispered.

Nasaki blinked, caught off guard.

And then, with a smile, she teased, "You should smile more. It becomes you."

Haruto sighed softly. "That is too much effort."

She giggled, and for the first time that day, Haruto sensed perhaps—just perhaps—the past did not need to determine him.

Perhaps, with someone like Nasaki as his ally, he wouldn't have to meet it head-on.