The morning after the festival dawned grey. A thin mist hung over the rooftops, and the distant sound of school chimes was muffled, like the world had wrapped itself in silence.
Leo sat at his desk, staring at his phone.
Three unread messages from Yuki. One meme from Kai.
And…
Nothing from Rin.
Not that he expected one. Not after what happened last night.
He pressed his phone to his forehead and sighed.
---
Across campus, Rin sat on the edge of her futon, already in uniform though homeroom was an hour away. Her bag was packed. Her books neatly arranged.
She hadn't slept.
Her roommate, Mari, peeked in, toothbrush still in her mouth.
"You're up early. You okay?"
"I'm fine," Rin said quickly. Too quickly.
Mari paused. "You're sure?"
Rin nodded without turning.
"Okay," Mari said, unconvinced.
When the door clicked shut, Rin's fingers tightened around her skirt hem.
I'm not okay.
But saying it out loud would break the dam. And she couldn't afford that. Not today.
She grabbed her phone and opened the group chat with Yuki, Hana, and Leo.
Three messages from Yuki:
> [Yuki] last night was crazy lol 😭🔥 [Yuki] we should go to the convenience store after class again [Yuki] Rin?? you there??
And Hana:
> [Hana] hey… everything okay?
Rin's thumb hovered over the screen.
Then she pressed the menu button.
Mute notifications. Leave group.
She hesitated.
Then tapped it.
The group vanished.
She breathed out, long and slow. It didn't help.
---
Yuki stared at her phone in confusion.
"She… left the chat?"
Kai peeked over her shoulder. "Oof. That's never a good sign."
"Did I do something wrong?" she asked, brows furrowing.
Kai shook his head. "If anyone messed up, it's Leo."
Leo, who had just walked into the room, froze. "Excuse me?"
Kai turned. "You ghosted Rin after the festival. That's cold, bro."
"I didn't ghost her!"
"Then what would you call it?"
Leo didn't answer. Because technically, he hadn't messaged her. He'd wanted to. Typed out half a dozen different versions. Deleted them all.
"Maybe she just needs space," he said weakly.
Yuki looked troubled. "She didn't even sit with us this morning."
"Give her time," Hana said, entering the classroom with her usual energy but quieter eyes. "Rin doesn't open up easily. When she does, and it hurts, she retreats. It's how she's always been."
Yuki looked at her. "You've known her longest."
Hana nodded. "Yeah. We used to fight a lot when we were younger, but… we also understood each other. I'll try talking to her after school."
Leo looked at Hana. "Would that help?"
She gave a half-smile. "Might. Or she might throw a math textbook at me. We'll see."
---
Meanwhile, Rin sat alone under the big zelkova tree behind the library, her bento unopened beside her.
She watched the sky.
Someone passed by. She didn't move.
A sparrow landed on the branch above her. She looked at it, and for a moment, it felt like the only creature who didn't expect her to be okay.
She closed her eyes.
Just a few days, she told herself. Just until it stops hurting.
But she knew. Some things didn't stop hurting. You just got better at hiding them.