The campus at night was a different world.
Gone was the hum of students and shuffle of textbooks. The buildings stood quietly under a silver moon, and the rooftops—usually off-limits—became sanctuaries for those who knew how to climb them without getting caught.
Aira stood near the edge of the drama building's rooftop, the faint glow of her phone illuminating the call log. She hadn't texted Rin. Not yet.
But Rin texted her.
> "Rooftop?"
> "Bring snacks."
Aira smiled.
Five minutes later, Rin appeared, wrapped in her oversized school cardigan, hair tied loosely in a low ponytail. She carried a can of warm milk tea and two chocolate bars.
"No snacks, huh?" Aira teased.
Rin raised an eyebrow and handed her one. "You're lucky I didn't bring wasabi chips."
They sat together on the concrete ledge, the city lights twinkling below like silent applause.
"Let me guess," Aira said. "You watched the Leo–Yuki coffee shop escape in full HD."
Rin sipped her drink. "Not exactly. But I saw them heading out. Yuki was nervous."
Aira tilted her head. "And?"
Rin was silent for a while. Then—
"I felt relieved."
That surprised Aira.
"But also stupid," Rin added. "Like… I had a chance. I really did. And I let it fade because I thought stepping back was noble."
Aira didn't speak. She knew better than to interrupt Rin when she started unraveling like this.
"I wrote him into my story," Rin said, her voice quieter. "Then I tried to erase him from my real life."
"You don't have to play martyr," Aira said gently.
"I know." Rin's eyes stayed on the night sky. "But I also can't unsee the way he looks at Yuki. Or the way she looks at him. It's... real. Not like how I dreamed it would be, but real."
Aira leaned back on her hands. "Do you regret not saying anything?"
"I regret not being ready when it mattered."
That silence returned. The comfortable kind. The kind shared by people who didn't need to fill space with noise.
After a few minutes, Aira broke it.
"You're still part of the story, Rin. Just… not the same chapter you thought you were in."
Rin gave a soft laugh. "Sounds like something Leo would say."
"He's rubbing off on all of us."
---
The next morning, Rin arrived at school early.
She passed by the drama board, where someone had posted a blurry photo of Leo and Yuki near the café. It was captioned: "New campus couple?" with a poll underneath.
She stared at it for a moment. Then calmly tore the paper down and walked away.
Inside the rehearsal room, Yuki was already there, adjusting a spotlight. Rin approached her without hesitation.
"Need help?" she asked.
Yuki looked up, startled. "Oh! Uh—sure. This one's being stubborn."
Together they worked in silence.
Rin finally said, "You make him smile a lot."
Yuki froze. "Rin—"
"It's okay," Rin interrupted. "I think I'm finally at peace with it."
Yuki's eyes shimmered. "Are we still… okay?"
Rin smiled faintly. "We were never not okay."