The rooftop was quiet as ever.
Yuuto sat against the chain-link fence, his lunchbox on his lap, a breeze gently rustling his bangs. Up here, the world felt distant - no buzzing classmates, no games, no pressure. Just blue sky and silence.
He bit into a rice ball and let out a small sigh.
Finally... peace.
Or so he thought.
A cold, wet touch suddenly pressed against the back of his neck.
"Ahh!" he flinched, nearly dropping his food. He twisted around, eyes wide.
"A-Amamiya-san?!"
Behind him stood Hikari, grinning mischievously as she held out a bottle of chilled yuzu soda.
"You scare easily," she said, sitting down beside him like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Here. I brought your favorite."
He stared at the bottle, blinking. "How do you even know I like this?"
"You always buy it from the vending machine near the nurse's office. Duh."
Yuuto looked away, ears slightly pink. "You were watching me...?"
Hikari smirked, opening her bento box. "Don't act so scandalized. I just noticed, that's all."
They sat in silence for a moment, eating. The wind blew softly, carrying the sounds of distant birds and traffic far below.
Hikari took a bite, then looked around. "Isn't this against school rules? Being up here?"
Yuuto shrugged. "I don't come here all the time. But no one notices me, so I don't get caught."
She raised an eyebrow. "That's kind of sad."
"Not really. I like the quiet." He paused, then said, "But you... You're popular. You don't have to eat lunch here."
She smiled lightly. "Don't worry. Nobody comes up here. It's our secret spot now."
Yuuto blinked. Our spot...?
They ate for a while in silence, the atmosphere gradually softening. Hikari leaned back on her hands and looked up at the sky.
"You don't talk much, huh?" she asked.
"I talk when I have something to say."
"So mysterious," she teased.
"I'm not."
"You are."
As they finished lunch, Hikari stood up and stretched, arms rising over her head.
"That hit the spot," she said, facing the wind.
Then, suddenly, a strong gust blew past.
"Wah--!" Hikari yelped as the wind swept up the hem of her skirt. She quickly pressed it down with both hands, her face flaring red.
"Geez!"
Yuuto's eyes widened, and he snapped his head to the side, looking anywhere but at her. "I-I didn't see anything! I swear!"
"You did," Hikari shot back, her voice teasing now.
She suddenly leaned in, closing the space between them.
Yuuto stiffened. Her face was just inches from his - closer than it had ever been. He could see the gleam in her golden eyes, the slight flush on her cheeks, and the playful smirk tugging at her lips.
His heart pounded like a drum in his chest.
Too close... way too close.
"I-I didn't..." he tried to defend himself, but his voice cracked halfway through.
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing just a little. "You're way too honest, Kurokawa-kun."
Her gaze dropped slightly, then rose again to meet his.
"Your face says the truth."
Yuuto's entire face flushed crimson.
He turned his head away again, nearly knocking over his lunchbox this time.
"I-I didn't mean to..." he muttered, flustered beyond repair.
Hikari giggled, a light, breezy laugh--and then added with a smirk, "Haha, you're so adorable to tease."
Yuuto covered part of his face with one hand, groaning internally.
He couldn't tell what was worse--being embarrassed, or how much he didn't hate this.
Ding-dong, ding-dong.
The rooftop bell rang out across the school, signaling the end of lunch.
"Oh no," Hikari said, snapping upright. "The bell rang - we have to rush back before anyone sees us!"
Yuuto quickly packed up his things. "R-right."
They hurried down the stairwell, footsteps light and quick, merging into the stream of students heading back to class.
When they stepped into Class 2-B, Hikari returned to her seat like nothing had happened. She tossed her hair, joked with her friends, and opened her notebook like any other day.
Yuuto... wasn't so lucky.
As he stepped into the room, he felt it immediately - eyes boring into him from every corner. He barely took two steps before the whispers began.
"Why's the goddess of our school hanging out with him?"
"Seriously. Kurokawa's a total loner."
"She's way out of his league. Is this some romcom prank?"
"What does she even see in that guy?"
Yuuto's grip tightened on his bag strap. He didn't look at anyone. Just walked straight to his desk and sat down.
But the whispers didn't stop.
Now the girls were talking.
"She must be playing some kind of game."
"Maybe she lost a bet?"
"He's not even cute. Ugh."
"Total mismatch."
Hikari didn't seem to react.
But Yuuto caught it. Just for a moment, when one girl's voice got a little louder, saying, "Why would she go for someone like him?"—Hikari's smile faltered.
Then she turned slightly.
Their eyes met.
She winked.
Yuuto froze, then quickly looked down, his heart thudding again. This girl... she doesn't care what people say, huh?
To be continued....