Chapter 19 : The Name I Wasn't Supposed to Hear
The next morning at school felt strange.
The air was warm, the hallways louder than usual but something in me had gone quiet.
Maybe it was the way Shinbou left last night.
Maybe it was that sentence he never finished.
Or maybe it was the feeling that something big was about to shift.
---
"Good morning, emotionally unstable human," Hinata chirped as she linked arms with me. "Did your study date result in love, chaos, or quiet sobbing?"
"None of the above."
"Lame."
"I think I broke him," I said.
Hinata's smile dropped. "Wait. Seriously?"
I shrugged. "He looked like he wanted to say something. Then didn't."
She sighed, "He's either in love with you or remembering a past life. Or both."
---
The first few classes passed like a blur.
I barely listened to the lectures.
Barely noticed lunch.
Barely even remembered to blink until…
"Hey," a voice said from behind me.
I turned. It was Shinbou.
And for the first time since he came to this school…
He looked nervous.
---
"Can we talk?" he asked.
I followed him out into the empty courtyard, where the wind played with fallen leaves and the world felt just quiet enough for hearts to misbehave.
We stood near the old fountain, silent for a moment.
Then he said, "Something's wrong with me."
I opened my mouth, but he kept going.
"I had a dream last night," he said. "And in the dream, I was running. There was a swing. A tree. And someone was laughing."
My heart dropped.
That dream. It was my dream.
"I couldn't see the person," he said, voice quieter now, "but I could hear them calling my name."
He looked up at me, confusion and fear flickering behind his eyes.
"They didn't say 'Shinbou.'"
He paused.
"They said… 'Ken-chan.'"
I froze.
Time froze.
He said it so naturally. So softly. Like it was pulled from a memory he shouldn't have.
---
"…What did you just say?" I whispered.
"Ken-chan," he repeated. "Do you know what that means?"
I didn't answer.
My chest tightened. My hands shook.
He looked at me, then looked away, like even he was afraid of what he'd just said.
"I don't know why I said it. I don't even remember learning that name," he said, frustrated. "It just… came out. Like it was mine. Or someone I cared about."
It was his.
And it was mine.
But I couldn't tell him.
Not yet.
---
Before I could speak, the bell rang, loud and final.
We both flinched.
"Forget it," he said quickly, stepping back. "It's probably nothing. Just another stupid dream."
He walked away before I could stop him.
But I stood there, breath caught in my throat.
Because Ken-chan wasn't just a random name.
It was what he used to call me.
Back then.
Before everything.