As the office door opens, a subtle shift ripples through the gym. Ryohei freezes mid-motion while Okabe stiffens beside him, both of them still carrying the residue of laughter in their bellies but forcing it down as their instincts warn them to behave.
Maria steps out first with a controlled expression that looks polished but brittle. Reika follows just behind her, posture straight and restrained in a way that makes it painfully clear she is not in the mood to endure anyone's joke.
The tension stretches until coincidence intervenes with cruel timing. The locker room door slides open just as Reika nears the front. She stops instinctively, turning her head as if pulled by a thread she never meant to hold.
Ryoma stands in the doorway, sweat still clinging to his skin, his expression flat and detached, offering neither acknowledgment nor rejection, only the impression that her presence is irrelevant at best.
