Morning came with soft sunlight spilling through the windows.
Shun arrived at school early, as always. He liked the silence before the crowd filled the halls. It gave him time to breathe.
He walked to his classroom and sat by the window. His sketchbook rested on his lap.
A few minutes later, someone quietly approached.
Alice.
She didn't say anything at first just placed a small folded note on his desk.
Then she walked past him, acting like nothing had happened.
Shun opened the note under the desk.
> "Meet me at the back of the library at lunch."
He folded it carefully and slipped it into his notebook.
---
At lunch, the school was its usual chaos—students laughing, shouting, trading snacks.
But Shun walked calmly through the back hallway, where fewer people went.
Behind the library, under a tree, Alice was already waiting.
"Hey," she said, her voice soft.
"Hi," Shun replied.
They sat down on the low wall together, side by side, not touching, but close.
She handed him a rice ball she'd made. "You always forget lunch, don't you?"
He took it with a quiet thanks.
For a while, they just sat and ate, watching the leaves sway above them.
Then Alice asked, "Do you think people would care if we talked more at school?"
Shun thought about it. "Maybe. But… I don't really care."
Alice smiled, surprised. "That's bold."
He shrugged. "I just like talking to you."
Her face turned a little pink, but she didn't look away.
Then, without warning, she leaned her head gently on his shoulder.
Shun stiffened for a second, then relaxed.
The world felt very still. The breeze. The far-off sounds. Everything slowed down.
"I like talking to you too," she whispered.
They stayed like that until the bell rang.
As they stood, Alice looked at him with a quiet smile.
"Tomorrow, same place?"
Shun nodded. "Yeah."
End of Chapter 12