The rain had long stopped when school ended that day.
Ren slung his bag over his shoulder, feeling strangely restless.
Without thinking much, he glanced toward the school garden — just in time to catch sight of Hikaru quietly picking up his things under the fading gray sky.
He looked... different.
Softer. Smaller somehow.
That simple smile was gone from Hikaru's face, replaced by something distant and lonely.
Ren's chest squeezed without warning.
Why do you look like someone just stole your favorite toy?
He scowled at his own thoughts, shaking them off roughly.
It's not like he cared.
At least, that's what he told himself.
Across the open ground, Daiki spotted Hikaru alone and wasted no time.
With his usual wide, annoying grin, Daiki marched toward Hikaru and grabbed his hand before the boy could even react.
"Done already?" Daiki teased, pulling Hikaru to sit back down.
"You look way too gloomy. Come on, let's have lunch together."
Hikaru flinched slightly, his eyes darting toward Ren's direction —
but seeing Ren talking to Miyu, he lowered his gaze and quietly nodded.
"I'm sorry for... earlier," Hikaru said, his voice small.
Daiki chuckled. "I'll forgive you if you agree to come out with me this weekend."
Hikaru hesitated.
But Daiki leaned close, whispering playfully near his ear, "I'll be waiting."
The words felt suffocating.
Hikaru gave a small, reluctant nod.
All of this — Ren saw from where he stood.
Miyu was saying something beside him, but he wasn't listening anymore.
His eyes were fixed on Hikaru's slumped shoulders and Daiki's hand gripping Hikaru's wrist too tightly.
Something ugly twisted inside him.
Something he didn't recognize.
Later, when the lunch bell rang and class resumed, Daiki casually approached Ren's desk, hands stuffed in his pockets.
"Curious about what I said to your little admirer?" Daiki teased with a knowing smirk.
Ren scoffed and looked away.
"Why would I care about that boring kid?"
"Oho," Daiki laughed, leaning closer, "then why do you keep looking at him like that?"
Ren glared at him.
"Get lost, Daiki. I don't have time for your nonsense."
Daiki only laughed harder, ruffling Ren's hair like he was teasing a younger brother.
Ren slapped his hand away, scowling —
but his heart was restless the entire day.
And no matter how many times he told himself to stop,
his eyes kept drifting —
to the boy sitting by the window,
quiet, small, and heartbreakingly beautiful in the afternoon light.
Hikaru had a secret.
Whenever things felt too heavy, he would sneak to the old empty music room at the back of the school — a place no one visited anymore — and sing.
It wasn't for anyone else.
It was just for himself.
His soft voice, full of pure emotion, filled the dusty air with a fragile beauty.
---
Meanwhile, in the school garden, Ren sat under a tree, lost in his thoughts.
Miyu found him there — and without warning, she hugged him from behind.
Ren stiffened, surprised, but said nothing as she slid onto his lap, trying to flirt with him, caressing his cheek and smiling seductively.
Usually, Miyu had the whole school at her feet.
Everyone wanted to date her.
But Ren...
He barely reacted.
Her touch felt empty.
Frustrated, Miyu pulled his face toward her and snapped, "Babe, what are you doing? Why are you ignoring me lately? Are you dating someone else? Are you cheating on me?!"
Ren sighed heavily, dragging a hand through his hair.
"No, baby... it's not that. I just need some space."
"Space?!" Miyu's voice rose sharply, catching the attention of a few nearby students.
"Fine! If you need space, I'll give you all the space you want. Don't come near me again, Ren!"
Before he could explain, she stormed off, leaving him alone under the gray sky.
---
Restless and irritated, Ren walked to the back of the school building, lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves.
The first drag burned his throat, but he didn't care.
That's when he heard it —
a voice.
Soft, clear, and aching with raw emotion.
Someone was singing.
Curious despite himself, Ren followed the sound.
Peeking through a cracked door, he froze.
There he was.
Hikaru.
Alone, eyes closed, pouring his heart into the song.
He looked... different.
Free. Happy. Alive.
For the first time in a long while, Ren felt his lips curl into a small, helpless smile.
He quickly shook his head and turned away.
It's not like I care, he thought stubbornly.
He's just... pathetic. That's all. Pity. Whatever.
But for the rest of the day, that voice haunted him.
During class, he found himself stealing glances at the boy sitting quietly by the window, lost in his own world.
---
After school, the hallways were crowded with students rushing to leave.
Ren walked lazily with Miyu clinging to his arm, her anger from earlier seemingly forgotten.
Behind them, Hikaru trailed silently, trying not to look.
He wanted to escape, to erase the scene burning into his eyes.
But in the chaos, someone bumped into Hikaru hard —
and he stumbled forward, losing balance.
"Ah—!"
He fell — directly onto Ren.
In an instant, Hikaru landed on top of him, faces inches apart.
For a second, the world stopped.
Hikaru's cheeks flamed red, his heart hammering so loud he thought Ren could hear it.
Being this close to him, seeing his sharp, beautiful eyes up close... it was almost too much.
Ren pushed him off roughly, standing up and brushing off his clothes.
He hesitated for a moment, glancing down at Hikaru still sitting stunned on the floor.
Part of him — a very small, very stupid part — wanted to reach out.
But then Miyu grabbed his hand, pulling him away.
Without looking back, Ren let himself be dragged out of the building, leaving Hikaru alone in the middle of the hallway.
Hikaru's walk home:
The sky was darkening when Hikaru finally left the school gates.
His clothes were still damp from the rain earlier, and the heavy bag on his back felt like nothing compared to the weight inside his chest.
Why... why does it always hurt so much?
Just seeing him like that... with her...
He dragged his feet along the sidewalk, the puddles reflecting the streetlights like tiny broken mirrors.
He clutched the strap of his bag tighter.
No matter how much he told himself he shouldn't care —
No matter how invisible he tried to become —
his heart always betrayed him.
The moment their eyes met earlier —
the brief, soft gaze before Ren turned away —
it was enough to make his heart soar and shatter all at once.
He kicked a pebble across the road and smiled bitterly.
I'm so pathetic... aren't I?
But still, he whispered into the cold night air:
"Ren..."
The name felt warm on his tongue, even as the cold seeped into his bones.
He walked home slowly, not wanting the night to end, not wanting to let go of the tiny fragments of Ren he'd managed to gather.
---
Ren's restless night:
Ren lay sprawled across his bed, one arm covering his eyes.
The ceiling fan spun lazily above him, but his mind was racing too fast to find any peace.
That voice...
That stupid voice...
He could still hear Hikaru's singing — soft, beautiful, vulnerable — echoing inside him like a stubborn ghost.
It wasn't just the voice.
It was the way Hikaru's whole face lit up when he sang, as if nothing else in the world mattered.
It was so raw.
So real.
Ren shifted restlessly, running a hand through his messy hair.
Why did it bother him so much?
Why did he feel... guilty for leaving him on the floor earlier?
Why did Hikaru's disappointed gaze cling to his heart like a thorn?
Tch. Whatever.
He closed his eyes tightly, willing himself to forget.
But the more he fought it, the clearer it became:
Hikaru's flushed cheeks, wide brown eyes, trembling lips...
The feeling of his hand brushing against Ren's chest when he fell...
The stupidly fast beating of his own heart.
Ren let out a frustrated groan and buried his face in the pillow.
I don't care.
I don't care.
I don't care.
But no matter how many times he repeated it...
he knew he was lying.