The rehearsal room felt unusually crowded that day. Not because of the number of people—but because of the tension that lingered just beneath the surface.
Yuki stood in front of the mirror wall, stretching her arms behind her back. Her reflection stared back—calm, focused, unreadable. But she wasn't calm. Not really.
Ami was early again.
And she was already seated beside Leo, chatting quietly about the emotional context of Scene 7. Their heads were close. Too close.
Rin entered with her usual clipboard and sharp gaze, but even she seemed to pause for a moment at the sight.
"Let's begin," she said, clapping once. "Scene 7. Leo, Yuki, take your positions."
Ami gracefully stood and stepped away without a word.
Leo took his place on stage. Yuki joined him, flipping through her annotated script.
The scene was intense: their characters confronted each other after a series of misunderstandings. Confession teetered on the edge of eruption. It was the emotional climax of Act II.
"Lights," Rin said.
The stage dimmed. A single spotlight.
Leo started first.
"I kept calling your name."
Yuki paused, lips parted.
"I waited at the station," Leo continued, voice low. "I waited until the trains stopped running."
Yuki's turn.
"I couldn't come," she said. "I—"
But she hesitated. Just for a second. Her voice faltered.
Leo waited.
Rin frowned.
Yuki forced herself forward.
"I was scared you wouldn't be there."
The rest of the scene finished, technically perfect. The beats were hit, the dialogue delivered, the blocking executed.
But the room was silent when it ended.
Not stunned silence. Uncomfortable silence.
Rin slowly rose. "…That was technically acceptable. But hollow. Try again after break."
Leo looked at Yuki. She didn't meet his eyes.
---
In the hallway, Kai leaned against a vending machine, sipping canned coffee like a war correspondent observing from afar.
"I'm calling it," he said as Leo walked past. "You've officially stepped into a love rhombus."
Leo sighed. "Is that even a thing?"
"Yuki. Ami. Rin. Hana. Possibly the tea club president if you keep being polite to everyone. You're cursed."
Leo rubbed his eyes. "I didn't do anything."
Kai nodded. "Exactly. And yet…"
---
After rehearsal, Leo caught up with Yuki as she was packing her bag.
"Hey," he said. "You okay?"
She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Of course. Just tired."
"…You seemed distracted."
"I'm fine," she said quickly. Too quickly.
Leo didn't push.
They walked together toward the dorms, but the usual banter wasn't there.
Instead, there was a gap.
And from a nearby hallway, Ami watched them walk side by side in silence, her fingers lightly clutching a copy of the same script.
---
That weekend, the cast had their first full read-through at the auditorium.
Stage lights. Full tech. Everyone in place.
Ami sat in the front row this time. Not as a passive observer, but now officially announced as a supporting cast member—playing the antagonist.
Her role would put her on stage opposite Leo for several key scenes.
During one, her character was meant to tear down the illusion between the two leads, forcing them to confront their feelings.
And she delivered the scene with icy clarity.
"You don't love her," Ami's character said, voice sharp. "You love the idea of being saved."
Leo's heart skipped a beat—not because of the line, but the way she looked at him when she said it. Like she meant it.
Backstage, Rin watched everything unfold with narrowed eyes.
---
After rehearsal, Leo sat alone in the empty music room again. He wasn't playing anything—just staring at the keys.
He didn't hear the door open.
"You looked like you needed quiet," Yuki said softly.
Leo turned. She was holding another can of melon soda. He took it.
"I miss when it was simple," he admitted.
"Like when?"
"When it was just you, me, and curry bread."
Yuki laughed, and this time it was genuine.
"I'm sorry," she said after a beat. "I've been… weird lately."
Leo shook his head. "You don't have to apologize."
"I just…" She hesitated. "I don't like not knowing what we are."
Leo froze.
Yuki smiled faintly. "I don't want a confession or anything. I just want to know if… this matters to you too."
He looked at her.
"It does," he said.
And for the first time in days, the air between them softened.
---
But outside the room, Ami stood quietly.
She didn't look angry.
She looked… resigned.
She slowly turned away and walked down the hall.