Chapter 19 — Fragile Boundaries
For a week after the festival, the school seemed to bask in a lighter, more open air. The performance of Winterglass had left a deep impression, not only because of the story's emotional resonance but also due to the quiet power with which Elena and Elira had delivered it.
Even students who once kept their distance now approached the twins with smiles and compliments.
Elira, especially, found herself in unfamiliar territory. A lot of people said hello to her. They really remembered her name.
They asked her questions—not just about comics or illustrations, but about her. And although her responses remained shy, her heart felt lighter. She wasn't invisible anymore.
But that was only part of the reason her days had taken on a golden tint.
Kaito.
Ever since that night at the temple, everything had changed. Not loudly. Not dramatically.
It was in the way his fingers brushed hers when they walked to class together. In the way he glanced at her during meetings, eyes filled with quiet fondness. In the texts he sent her just to say good morning. It was subtle, but it was real.
And it was terrifying. Because for the first time, she was happy. And happiness felt so fragile.
...
"Stop spacing out like an idiot." Elena flicked Elira's forehead with a rolled-up manga page. "You haven't touched your bento. I thought that was your favorite"
Elira blinked with a surprised face. "A-Ahh, sorry. I was just thinking."
Elena smirk, she knows what Elira always thinks when she have a face of an innocent girl, "It's probably about Kaito again, huh?"
Her sister smirked even more when Elira turned red.
"You've been acting like a shoujo heroine all week. You even walked into the teacher's desk this morning."
"I wasn't paying attention…"
"You were staring at his back like he was drawn in glitter ink."
Elira pouted. "You're mean."
"I'm honest."
They both laughed. It felt good—simple and cleamo Elira looked out the window. "Do you ever feel like… something might ruin this?"
Elena tilted her head. "This? You mean Kaito?"
"Not just him. Us. Everything. Like if I'm too happy, something will come and take it away."
There was a pause.
Elena reached over and gently took her hand.
"We've been broken before. But that doesn't mean we're not allowed to be whole."
Elira nodded, eyes misty.
"You deserve this," Elena said. "So don't push it away."
Meanwhile, Kaito was having his own conversation.
"You've been smiling like an idiot lately," Rintaro said, munching on Pocky during lunch break. "Is this about a certain twin with glasses and trust issues?"
Kaito chuckled. "Maybe."
"Good for you, man. But also, be careful."
"Of what?"
"You've always been the guy who protects others. But who protects you?"
Kaito paused.
"You're good at making sure everyone else feels safe. Just don't forget that you're allowed to lean on people too."
Kaito smiled, quietly grateful.
"I'll keep that in mind."
On Thursday, the class was assigned a group project that involved field interviews around the neighborhood.
Students were split into groups of three. By chance—or perhaps luck—Elira, Elena, and Kaito ended up in the same group.
Their topic: Community Bonds and Modern Youth.
"Sounds boring," Elena groaned.
"It's not too bad," Kaito said. "We get to leave school early to walk around town."
"True. And I can bring my camera."
Elira smiled faintly. "Maybe we can stop by the bookstore on the way back."
"You and that bookstore," Kaito said fondly.
"It's my sanctuary."
They visited the neighborhood center first, speaking with an elderly couple who ran a community garden.
Elira quietly jotted notes while Kaito asked thoughtful questions. Elena took candid photos of the couple tending their plants.
Afterward, they headed toward the local coffee shop, which offered free workshops for teens.
The sun was beginning to set when they finished their interviews.
"Let's rest a bit," Kaito said, pointing to a bench near the riverbank.
Elira and Elena sat down, stretching their legs. The city lights shimmered in the water, and the sky was streaked with hues of peach and rose.
"This view is perfect," Elena said, raising her camera.
Elira leaned against Kaito without thinking.
He didn't flinch.
Instead, he rested his arm behind her.
For a while, none of them spoke. The air was crisp but not too cold. The quiet of the evening felt like a pause between heartbeats.
Elira turned to him. "Thank you for today."
"You worked just as hard."
"That's not what I mean. I mean… for this. For being here."
He met her gaze. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be."
She smiled. "You're dangerous when you say things like that."
"Why?"
"Because it makes me fall harder."
He laughed softly. "Then I'll keep saying them."
They kissed again. A little braver this time.
And Elena, watching through her camera lens, quietly captured the moment—smiling as she did.
Later that night, Elira stared at her reflection.
Not because she was admiring herself, but because she barely recognized the girl in the mirror.
The timid, hunched child who once flinched from every voice was now a young woman who dared to want things—who dared to feel.
Was this what growing meant?
"Maybe," she whispered to herself.
But not all change came with kisses and warm hands.
Because on Friday morning, a shadow returned.
...
Her name was Satsuki Aihara.
She had once been the queen of the middle school hierarchy. Sharp-tongued, confident, and cruel in ways that left no visible scars.
She had transferred away before the twins entered their third year of middle school, but everyone remembered her.
Now she stood in the classroom doorway, her expression unreadable.
"I'm back," she said. "Nice to see familiar faces."
Her eyes landed on Elira.
And smiled.
But it wasn't a kind smile.
It was a smile that remembered everything.
Kaito stood up, ready to speak—but Elira gently touched his arm.
"I'll be okay," she said, voice steady.
But inside, her heart shook.
Because happiness may bloom in winter—but shadows still move beneath the snow.
To be continued...