The library garden behind the school was Rin's favorite place. It was quiet, shaded, and mostly forgotten. Students passed by occasionally, but no one ever stopped long.
Except today.
A pair of loafers scuffed against the stone path.
Rin didn't look up.
"Mind if I sit?"
The voice was familiar. Calm, straightforward.
Hana.
Rin shrugged, her gaze fixed on the koi pond. "It's a public bench."
Hana sat, brushing her hair over her shoulder. The silence stretched.
"You missed lunch," Hana said gently.
"I wasn't hungry."
Hana glanced at the untouched bento box beside Rin. "You packed food."
Rin said nothing.
More silence.
Finally, Hana sighed. "You left the group chat."
"I didn't want to see messages I couldn't answer."
"That's fair."
That surprised Rin. She looked at Hana.
"I mean it," Hana said. "I get it. Sometimes silence is the only thing that keeps you from breaking."
Rin blinked. She hadn't expected sympathy.
She expected confrontation. Accusation. A forced cheerfulness that would only make her feel worse.
But Hana just sat beside her. Calm. Solid.
"I wasn't going to talk to anyone today," Rin said, voice barely a whisper.
"And yet, here I am," Hana said. "Sorry to ruin your plans."
Rin let out a breath that was almost—almost—a laugh.
The koi swam in lazy arcs beneath the surface.
"Why are you here?" Rin finally asked.
Hana leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. "Because you matter. And not just to Leo. To me. To Yuki. Even to Kai, though he's too dense to say it properly."
Rin said nothing.
Hana glanced sideways. "You think you lost. That Leo chose Yuki. That there's no point anymore."
Rin flinched.
"I'm not saying you're wrong," Hana continued. "But giving up doesn't mean you're weak. It just means you need to breathe."
Rin looked at her hands. "I thought I could handle it. I told myself… if he's happy, that's enough. But then I saw him smile at her. And it hurt."
Hana didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, "You ever think maybe Yuki's hurting too? She saw you and Leo together a hundred times. She always smiled. But I could tell it wasn't easy."
Rin stayed quiet.
"You're both trying so hard to be the 'better' person, you're cutting yourselves apart," Hana said. "And Leo? That idiot doesn't know which way's north emotionally."
That did get a laugh.
A real one.
Rin covered her mouth quickly, but Hana grinned. "There she is."
"…I'm scared, Hana," Rin admitted.
"Of what?"
"If I go back… if I talk to them again… what if nothing's the same?"
"It won't be," Hana said simply. "But that doesn't mean it can't still be good."
Rin finally looked up. The clouds had thinned slightly. A single ray of sunlight pierced the canopy above.
Hana stood and stretched. "I'll walk you to class?"
Rin hesitated.
Then nodded.
They walked together, not saying much more, but step by step, something began to thaw.
---
Later that evening, Leo's phone buzzed.
New message.
[Rin] Hey. Can we talk sometime soon?
He stared at the screen, heart suddenly thudding.
Yuki peeked over his shoulder.
"…She's coming back?"
Leo swallowed. "I hope so."