Morning sunlight drifted lazily across the classroom windows, casting a golden warmth over the students settling into their seats. From the outside, everything seemed ordinary. Mundane.
I sat in my usual seat, eyes trained on the open textbook before me. But I wasn't reading. My attention, as it had increasingly been lately, was on the girl beside me.
Airi.
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and glanced over at me. Her lips curved into a subtle smile—the kind that seemed to catch me off guard no matter how prepared I thought I was. She leaned closer.
"Ren," she whispered under her breath, voice barely louder than the rustle of notebook pages, "Can I ask you something?"
I blinked, startled, but nodded with a small smile. "Of course."
She hesitated for a second, then—like a diver stepping off the edge—said it.
"Do you want to go on a date this weekend?"
Her voice was calm, casual even, but I saw the slight tension in her shoulders. The way her fingers played with the edge of her sleeve. She was nervous.
So was I.
My mind scrambled for the proper response, and yet the answer was simple. I wanted to say yes. I did. More than I should.
Still, I let my expression flinch slightly, as though I were surprised. I gave a gentle laugh, rubbing the back of my neck. "A… a date?"
"Mhm," she nodded, cheeks flushed slightly. "There's that café near the station—Seirēn. It's quiet. I thought we could try it together. Just you and me."
Her words were soft, but they pressed on something deeper. Not just the surface attraction. A kind of… closeness she was seeking. And as always, I answered with the mask the world expected.
"I'd like that," I said, gently. "It sounds nice."
Her relief was immediate—shoulders relaxing, eyes lighting up with excitement.
"Okay! Saturday then. I'll send you the details."
The rest of the school day passed in slow, glowing moments. In the classroom, our elbows would brush when she leaned close. At lunch, we shared quiet bites under the sakura trees in the courtyard, watching the petals fall. She laughed easily. I smiled softly. The act never faltered.
She didn't know, of course.
That the smile she adored was as practiced as the calm I kept in chaos.
That while she giggled about matching outfits or wondered aloud what dessert they served at the café, I was keeping myself from remembering the goddesses, the empires, the world I'd built in silence.
I didn't want to think about any of that. Not right now.
Not with her hand in mine.
When classes ended, we stood outside the school gates, the breeze catching her hair. She reached out, adjusting my collar like she always did when no one was looking.
"I'm really glad you said yes," she said.
I nodded. "So am I."
"I'll message you later," she added, stepping back with a grin.
I gave her a small wave and watched her walk away, the sun setting behind her, the sky streaked with gold.
And as I turned, the weight of the day returned in quiet footsteps. My secrets waited at home, as always.
But for now, the boy she saw was enough.
End of Chapter 10