The room fell silent for a few seconds after the door closed. Utaha didn't move.
His footsteps had faded in the corridor, but Yuta's presence still lingered, as if the air refused to let go of him.
She glanced around.
Completely alone.
The muffled sounds of other rooms filled the background. But here, among empty desks and closed windows, only cold and absence remained.
Her breathing quickened.
"Wait for me, Yuta… don't leave me alone."
The words slipped out softly, almost a whisper. But they carried urgency—more than fear, it was the weight of having seen too much and understood too little.
Utaha moved.
She opened the door quickly, her palm still damp. The corridor stretched out in gray and white lines, with windows casting strips of light across the polished floor.
And there, ahead… him.
Yuta heard the approaching footsteps before he even turned his head.
"Yuta!"
Her voice echoed louder than she intended.
When she finally reached him, breathless and eyes locked on his, he remained calm.
"Your courage lasted longer than I expected."
His tone was neutral. Neither cold nor warm. Just true.
Utaha didn't respond. She was too busy catching her breath and trying to hold herself together.
Yuta turned his face forward and started walking again.
But the pace changed.
Slower. Measured.
It gave enough time for them to walk side by side without needing to say anything.
They continued down the silent corridor. Utaha's heart still raced, but now she felt an odd sense of security in his presence.
———
Outside the school, the sky was beginning to change color. The late afternoon painted the walls in orange hues, and long shadows spread across the quiet courtyard.
Yuta stepped out first.
Utaha stayed beside him, her steps slower than usual.
A few meters from the gate, Megumi Katō waited.
Alone. Her hands clasped in front of her, her gaze fixed on the path where he would appear.
When Yuta saw her, his shoulders relaxed slightly. His eyes softened. And for the first time that day, something in his expression resembled peace.
Utaha noticed.
The girl ahead… she didn't know who she was, but it was clear there was something between them.
Yuta stopped.
He turned slightly toward Utaha.
"You're okay now."
She nodded, hesitating. Her voice came out softer than she wanted.
"Thanks for not leaving me… and for not running from all that."
Yuta studied her for a moment, then simply nodded.
"It was the right thing to do."
He took a step forward.
But Utaha moved quickly and lightly touched his arm.
"Even so… thank you."
Yuta looked at her hand, then her eyes.
"Take care."
He turned away for good.
He left Utaha standing on the path and walked toward Megumi.
When he reached her, he said nothing.
He just looked at her, directly, as if everything that needed saying was already in his eyes.
Megumi held his gaze.
And smiled.
Effortlessly, as if his mere presence was enough.
Yuta took another step closer.
He leaned in.
And kissed her.
A brief, gentle kiss.
Calm.
But full of presence.
Megumi didn't pull back. She accepted it naturally, as if it were the logical conclusion of everything they'd been feeling, even without words.
Yuta stepped back slightly, and they began walking together.
Without looking back.
Utaha watched it all.
She saw the kiss.
She saw Megumi walk beside Yuta as if she were already part of his quiet routine.
The moment was simple, but something in her froze. It was as if the scene existed outside of time, and she was just an unwelcome witness.
When Yuta and Megumi disappeared around the corner, the sounds of the courtyard returned to normal.
Footsteps, distant voices, a horn blaring across the street.
Tomoya approached from behind with measured steps. His voice was controlled, but the tone didn't hide his discomfort.
"You okay?"
Utaha took a second to respond. She took a deep breath and straightened her posture before turning to him.
"Yeah, I'm fine."
He studied her closely. His eyes searched for anything out of place, but she kept her composure.
"He… didn't do anything to you?"
"No. He just… was there when it mattered."
Her response was clean, almost automatic.
Tomoya clenched his jaw for a moment but avoided pressing further. Yuta's name seemed to hang heavily in the air, even without being mentioned again.
"Let's go?"
She nodded lightly.
They walked together toward the exit, unhurried, each lost in their own thoughts.
Utaha's fingers were still curled into the fabric of her coat.
The silence between her and Tomoya grew heavier as they moved away from the school. They walked side by side, but their rhythm felt off—she was thinking too much, and he was watching too closely.
"I don't know what he did that was so important…"
Tomoya's voice cut through the air calmly, but the weight lay in the subtext.
"…but you'd better be careful. That Yuta doesn't seem like a good person."
Utaha didn't respond right away. She just lowered her eyes to the ground, as if his comment deserved more thought than reaction.
She understood what Tomoya was doing. And though it seemed like concern, there was something defensive in his tone. As if he were trying to reclaim a space he thought he was losing.
"You don't even know him that well."
Her words came out softly, almost like a test. Tomoya didn't bite back. But the silence that followed was full of unspoken opinions.
They kept walking side by side, passing the school's walls. The sun was starting to set, casting long shadows across the ground.
Tomoya glanced at her sideways. His jaw tightened again.
"Seriously, Utaha. That Yuta… he seems like the type who keeps things hidden. A lot of things."
Her expression didn't change, but something stirred inside.
'If he only knew how true that is…'
She gripped her coat tighter. She could still feel the faint tension from before, as if the object had left an echo in her hands.
Tomoya ran a hand through his hair, frustrated with his own tone.
"Look… I'm just saying this because you matter to me. Just be careful, okay? He might've helped you today, but that doesn't mean he's trustworthy."
Utaha's breathing slowed.
She remembered exactly how Yuta had acted. The blade appearing without hesitation. The eyes that didn't seem scared but accustomed to that kind of threat.
And, more than anything, she remembered the pendrive.
It was in her hands.
Tomoya had given it to her.
Out of impulse? Out of innocence?
She still didn't know.
But since that moment, everything felt wrong.
'He was there for my writing… but why did he give me that?'
Utaha still had no answers. And she wasn't ready to seek them yet. She just glanced at Tomoya.
"I'm fine. Really."
Tomoya forced a smile. But inside, the question gnawed at him.
'Why is she defending him so much?'
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