The next few days passed in a strange rhythm.
Alice and Shun didn't speak much at school—not in the hallways, not in class but something was different now.
Sometimes, when they passed each other, Alice would give him a tiny nod or a half-smile.
Sometimes, Shun would quietly leave a note inside the edge of her desk simple things like:
> "Lunch behind the building?"
"I sketched that tree you pointed at."
She always replied. Sometimes with a quick scribble. Sometimes just by showing up.
No one else seemed to notice.
But to Shun, the world felt like it had tilted slightly.
Like something was starting, but neither of them had words for it yet.
It was Thursday when it happened.
Alice had stayed after school to help clean up the art room. Shun had been sketching quietly in the corner.
He wasn't supposed to be there, but the teacher had gone already, and no one minded.
They didn't say much just shared the same space, comfortably.
As Alice reached to close the window, she lost her balance for a second.
Her foot slipped on a rag, and she stumbled backward.
Shun caught her without thinking.
They froze his arms around her, her hands clutching the front of his shirt.
It wasn't like the last time.
This time, they were really close.
Their eyes met. The air felt still.
Shun's breath caught in his throat. Alice's lips parted slightly.
Neither moved.
Then just before anything could happen Alice laughed nervously and pulled away.
"Okay, that was close... again," she said, brushing her hair behind her ear.
Shun's face was red. "You should be more careful."
She rolled her eyes, smiling. "Maybe you should stop catching me like that. You're making it harder to pretend we're just classmates."
He looked down, smiling shyly. "Sorry."
"Don't be," she said.
They finished cleaning up quietly.
As they walked down the hallway together, their shadows stretched side by side in the fading light.
At the end of the hall, Alice paused.
"Tomorrow," she said, "don't forget to say hi."
Shun nodded.
"I won't."
And for once, he meant it.
End of Chapter 11