Chapter 10: A Moment of Peace?

The blue sky went on forever over the park, colored in soft pastels of orange and blue as the sun set. The leaves rustled softly in the breeze, and with it came the faint laughter of children at a distance and the stray bark of a wandering dog. It was the sort of tranquil afternoon Haruto Kirigami generally shunned.

And here he stood.

Haruto sat on a wooden bench, his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he observed his classmates chatting and joking around. He wasn't really sure why he had agreed to go. Perhaps it was the way Nasaki had invited him—relaxed, easy, like she wasn't inviting him but not commanding him either.

"Come with me."

He still remembered her words. He hated crowded places. He hated being around people. And yet, somehow, he was here.

"Enjoying the fresh air?" Nasaki's teasing voice broke through his thoughts.

Haruto turned to look at her. She stood beside him, holding two cups of canned coffee she had bought from a vending machine. Without waiting for his response, she handed him one.

"I don't recall asking for this," Haruto grumbled, looking at the hot can in his hand.

Nasaki plopped down next to him, crossing her legs and taking a tiny sip. "You didn't. But you look like you could use it."

Haruto let out a sigh, but he didn't say no. He opened the can and took a sip, the bitter flavor anchoring him.

For a while, they simply sat there, observing their classmates playing around. Some played frisbee, others were just talking near the picnic tables. It was ordinary. Normal.

And for the first time in a long time, Haruto didn't mind it.

Somehow, his friends had succeeded in drawing Haruto into their play. It began when someone threw the frisbee too hard. The disk soared over Haruto and landed beside his feet. He had exhaled, retrieved it, and before he could return it, someone had already asked him to play.

He had declined initially. But then Nasaki had intervened.

"Oh, come on, Kirigami," she said, grinning. "I know you're bad at sports, but this isn't that hard."

Haruto raised an eyebrow. "Who said I'm bad at sports?"

"Oh? So you're good at it?" Nasaki smirked. "Then prove it."

The challenge was subtle, but it worked.

Before he knew it, he stood in the middle of the field, holding onto the frisbee. His classmates were already cheering him, although he could not tell whether they were doing so in order to mock him or encourage him. Either one, it was too late for him to step back.

Haruto took a deep breath, aimed, and threw the frisbee. It cut across the air with a smooth, clean curve before settling neatly in the hands of a teammate.

The crowd cheered.

"Oh, so he can actually play?" a person laughed.

Nasaki pushed him. "Not bad, Kirigami. Not bad at all."

Haruto glared at her. She was smiling—something not a teasing smirk, but a real, warm smile. And it made something in him feel lighter for some reason.

Before he knew it, he was. smiling.

Not a big one. But it was there.

Nasaki blinked, a bit taken aback. Did. did Haruto just smile?

Her heart fluttered a bit. But before she could wrap her head around it, someone shouted and the game resumed.

No one suspected a thing.

Unbeknownst to them, someone observed from afar.

Hyuka Ayomi stood in front of the vending machines, clutching an unopened bottle of water. Her gaze was on Haruto.

He looked. different.

The last she had actually seen him, he had been cold, distant, and unreadable. A boy who put up so many walls that no one could climb them.

But here, in the park, surrounded by classmates, he appeared—

At peace.

And Nasaki Kitta stood beside him. Always beside him.

Hyuka tightened her fist around the bottle. She wasn't sure what was causing this. Regret? Guilt? Something else?

Then, when Haruto had confessed to her, she had spurned him immediately. She had convinced herself that it was best. She had convinced herself that it was just another momentary high school infatuation.

But gazing at him now, she wasn't so sure anymore.

After the game, Haruto and Nasaki sat by the edge of the park, watching the others continue playing. The sun was lower now, casting golden streaks across the sky.

Nasaki stretched her arms, letting out a satisfied sigh. "See? Coming here wasn't so bad, right?"

Haruto shrugged. "It was tolerable."

Nasaki smirked. "That's the closest thing to a compliment I'll ever get from you, huh?"

Haruto looked at her, and then back up at the sky. "I guess."

There was a silence for a moment.

Nasaki caught herself observing him more intently. The way the sunlight highlighted his face, the way his dark eyes mirrored the sky… it caused her chest to feel oddly constricted.

She shook her head slightly. What am I doing?

It was when she caught sight of something.

A small distance away, by the vending machines, stood Hyuka Ayomi.

Their gazes crossed for one fleeting moment before Hyuka hastily looked elsewhere.

Nasaki's grip on her coffee can tightened.

She didn't know why, but she didn't like it.

She didn't like it that Hyuka was gazing at Haruto in such a manner.

And she didn't like, especially, the possibility of Hyuka approaching him again.

Why do I feel this way?

It was the first time Nasaki Kitta had felt a feeling she couldn't quite put her finger on.

And it was all about one individual—Haruto Kirigami.

There was no music. No crowd.

As the outing drew to a close, students began going home in clusters. Some departed ahead of schedule, while others tarried.

Haruto and Nasaki wound up walking together. It wasn't intentional, but it felt organic.

The roads were more subdued, with streetlights that hummed to life as night descended.

Haruto walked with his hands in his pockets, his expression unreadable. But somehow, Nasaki could tell he was calmer than before.

She glanced at him. "So? Any regrets?"

"About what?"

"Coming today."

Haruto thought for a moment before shaking his head. "Not really."

Nasaki grinned. "I'll take that as a win."

They continued walking in comfortable silence.

Then, out of nowhere, Haruto spoke.

"…Thanks."

Nasaki blinked. "Huh?"

Haruto kept his gaze ahead. "For… dragging me into this."

She looked at him, then smiled. "Anytime."

And it was as if something between them had shifted.

Neither said a word about it. Neither of them mentioned it.

But they both knew.

Something was different now.

And neither of them yet understood what it meant.