The week rolled on. Fast. Unforgiving.
Sakuragi Renji had fallen back into silence, his eyes colder than ever. But around him… everything was shifting.
The storm had started.
In the student council room, Touka sat alone, legs crossed, twirling a pen between her fingers. A list of first-year names glowed on her tablet screen.
"Sakuragi Renji," she whispered, tapping his name again.
No club activities. No known friends. Average grades—on the surface.But underneath? A perfect ghost.
She smirked. "You're not boring at all."
Behind her, a knock. "Asahina-senpai, are you ready for—"
"Leave it outside," she said sweetly without turning around.
The girl outside stammered, "O-Okay…!"
Touka hummed softly, opened her phone, and pulled up the rooftop security cam.
There he was.
Renji. Eating lunch alone.
Just like every day.
Her boy.
Meanwhile, Renji sat quietly, biting into a dry sandwich. The city skyline stretched out before him.
"Do you… always eat up here?"
He didn't turn. He already knew the voice.
Satou Hina stood a few feet away, holding a small bento in both hands. Her smile was nervous.
"I brought extra today," she said, gently stepping closer. "Just like before… remember? In middle school?"
He didn't look up. "I don't."
She flinched—but didn't leave.
"I… I know you hate me. I know I ruined everything."
Silence.
"But… I didn't lie because I hated you."
Still nothing.
"I—I liked you."
Renji froze.
Hina's voice shook. "I liked you, Renji. I didn't know how to handle it. I saw you talking to another girl and I panicked. I… made the biggest mistake of my life."
She looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"I wanted you to notice me. Not avoid me. Not smile at someone else…"
He finally turned his head.
His eyes were empty.
"You destroyed me."
Her breath caught.
"I didn't have anyone. Not even my family. I was called a monster. I wanted to disappear."
She stepped back, tears falling freely.
"I'm sorry… I—I just wanted to tell you the truth. Even if you never forgive me."
Renji stood.
"You're right. I won't."
He walked past her.
She dropped to her knees, clutching the bento she made just for him.
On the rooftop security cam, Touka zoomed in on the scene.
She tilted her head with interest. "Ah… that's the one who made him like this."
A soft laugh slipped from her lips.
"So that's your story, Renji-kun…"
She stared at the screen, pupils dilated, breath shallow.
"She tried to steal your heart. But you don't give it away, do you…? You wait. You hide. Until someone deserves it."
She turned off the screen and stood, her steps slow and graceful.
"I'll earn it. I'll break you open and fill you with me."
She walked to her bag and pulled out a small silver notebook.
Inside were printed photos.
Renji walking to school.Renji sitting on the train.Renji eating lunch alone.
On the last page, in sharp red ink:
"He doesn't belong to the past.He belongs to me."
That evening, Renji left school late after helping clean the classroom.
The halls were empty. Shadows stretched long under the dimming lights.
As he stepped outside, a voice called out from the gate.
"Sakuragi-kun~"
He paused.
Touka stood there, leaning against a black luxury car. Her driver waited silently nearby.
Her expression? Calm, collected—but her eyes sparkled like a predator's.
"I heard about that little rooftop visit," she said casually. "Poor girl. Did she cry?"
Renji narrowed his eyes. "How do you know?"
Touka tilted her head. "I know a lot of things."
She stepped closer, heels clicking against the pavement.
"I know you're alone. I know you walk home every day even though your house is far. And I know… that you're not nearly as empty as you pretend to be."
Renji tensed.
Touka's voice softened. "You're not broken. You're wounded. Deep down… you still want someone to see you."
She leaned in.
"Let me be the one."
He stepped back.
"I don't need anything from you."
She smiled.
"Then why haven't you told me to leave you alone?"
He didn't answer.
Touka laughed quietly. "You're cute when you pretend not to care. But I see the way your hands twitch when you're angry. I see the look in your eyes when people talk about your past."
She brushed his sleeve lightly.
"I can read you, Renji-kun. Better than anyone."
He shoved her hand away and walked off.
But Touka didn't follow.She just whispered into the night:
"You'll come to me. Not because I force you…But because I'll be the only one who understands you."
That night, Renji sat in bed, eyes blank, notebook open.
Two names scrawled across the page:
"Hina – The one who destroyed me.""Touka – The one watching me."
He closed the book and muttered:
"…I don't need either of you."
But the page stayed open.And the names… remained.
End of Chapter 5