Hina pushed the door open, the hinges creaking softly.
Yuji stepped up beside her, his embarrassed smile lingering as though he had been caught off guard.
They started down the road toward the middle school. Yuji's little sister trotted ahead at first, then fell into step beside Yukino. Her voice rang out in cheerful chatter, spilling questions and stories without pause, as if she had known Yukino for years.
Yuji trailed slightly behind, watching the two of them—his sister's bright laughter, Hina's patient replies—and felt a strange warmth stir beneath his unease.
After dropping his little sister at the middle school, Yuji and Yukino headed back toward their own campus.
"Wait—why are you going that way? Our school's over here," Yukino said, frowning in confusion.
"I'm meeting Haruto," Yuji replied. "He usually walks with me to school."
Yukino nodded lightly, then matched her steps with his.
They reached Haruto's house.
"I think he went to—" Yukino began, but her words broke off when Yuji pushed the door open without hesitation.
"Come inside," he said casually, stepping in.
Yukino lingered at the doorway, uncertain.
"Come," Yuji repeated, this time with a small smile.
After a pause, she followed him in. They settled on the sofa, the silence between them heavy and unfamiliar.
Yukino's head shifted left and right in quick, nervous motions. Her knees brushed together, fidgeting, as if she couldn't decide what to do with herself. Slowly, she lifted her eyes toward Yuji.
He was already peeling a banana, eating it as if the situation were perfectly ordinary. Without much thought, he held out another one toward her.
"Take this," he said.
Yukino shook her head quickly, almost frantically, her hair swaying with the motion.
Haruto stepped out of his room, tugging on the sleeves of his half-buttoned school uniform shirt.
Yukino quickly turned her gaze away.
"Hey, Yuji… who's this girl?" Haruto asked, as though she weren't sitting right there.
Yuji shifted his eyes downward, giving a subtle signal, but Haruto ignored it completely. A beat later, recognition sparked.
"Oh—Yukino!" He stepped closer, reaching out a hand for a shake.
Yukino stiffened, gripping the sofa tightly instead of responding.
"Oi, look at your legs!" Yuji suddenly shouted.
Haruto blinked, glanced down, and froze. He was still wearing only underwear beneath the shirt.
"Shit!" He bolted back into his room.
*No doubt about it… they're really gay,* Yukino thought, letting out a long, shaky breath.
A moment later, Haruto returned, this time with his pants properly on, though his face was still flushed with embarrassment.
*Underwear is just clothing,* he told himself firmly. *Everyone wears it—so there's no reason to feel ashamed.* The thought was meant to give him confidence, though it hardly chased away the heat burning in his cheeks.
Haruto glanced between them, still adjusting his shirt.
"So… you two are friends?" he asked.
"Yes," Yuji answered at once.
"No," Yukino said at the same time.
Haruto blinked, his brows knitting together in confusion.
He tried again. "Wait—are you friends or not?"
This time Yukino said, "Yes," while Yuji shook his head.
Haruto stared, completely lost.
Finally, both of them glanced at each other, then muttered in unison, "Yes."
"Then… let's be friends," Haruto said at last.
"Superb, my boy," Yuji praised Haruto.
Yukino, however, gave him no reaction. She stood there in silence, her expression unreadable.
Haruto clapped his hands together as though brushing off dust. "This is even more embarrassing than the underwear incident," he thought with a grimace.
"No, no—not like that," Yuji quickly explained. "She just… doesn't really know how to talk or respond sometimes."
Haruto stepped closer and placed a hand on Yuji's shoulder.
"Yuji," he said, giving a firm nod, his expression oddly serious.
For a moment, Haruto's mind bloomed with a grand vision: This boy… he understands the silence of souls. A comrade. A brother. A chosen one.
Meanwhile, Yuji just stared back, baffled.
*…Why are you nodding like that? Did I say something weird?*
The three of them finally set off toward school, Yuji and Haruto falling easily into conversation, their voices overlapping in casual chatter. Yukino, however, remained quiet.
After a while, she drifted closer to Haruto's side, her steps small and hesitant.
Yukino finally lifted her gaze to Haruto's eyes. Then, out of nowhere, she stretched her lips into a wide, artificial smile—so stiff it looked more like a mask than a real expression.
Haruto froze. His body stiffened, teeth chattering together like a wind-up toy. *I—I don't want to die!*
Before the awkwardness could spread any further, Yuji quickly grabbed Haruto by the arm and dragged him a few steps away, flashing her a quick smile.
Left behind, Yukino slightly titled her head confused.
"That smile… that smile." Haruto's voice trembled as he pointed a shaky finger at Yukino. "It's a witch's smile! It saw my underwear… it came for my—"
Yuji clamped his hand over Haruto's mouth to shut him up. But the muffled screams carried with them a trail of saliva, warm and sticky, dripping onto Yuji's palm.
"Disgusting!" Yuji hissed, jerking his hand away. He slapped his own hand in frustration, shaking it as if the spit would vanish. Then, with a scowl, he leaned over and wiped it clean on the seat of a bicycle parked nearby.
"Hey—Haruto!" Yuji snapped, grabbing his shoulder.
Haruto's eyes darted wildly, his voice dropping to a whisper. "That smile… I know it. It's a witch, sent by my relatives… They cursed me! I'm going to die—bye, Yuji!"
He shut his eyes tight, bracing as if death itself was about to claim him.
*I want to live… I want to live…* his thoughts spiraled in terror. *My relatives have cursed me with black magic… I'm doomed… I'm going to die!*
With a sharp smack, Yuji slapped him across the back of the head. "Idiot! Stop shouting nonsense!" He dragged Haruto back toward Yukino, but Haruto's legs wobbled like jelly, his fear clinging to him with every shaky step.
Then the bike's owner walked up. He glanced at his seat and froze.
"Wow," he whispered, amazed. "It's never shined like this before."