The chalk hit the board with a sharp sound.
"Group project."
The class reacted instantly. Some groaned, some sat up, others turned around already searching for partners.
Ryan stayed still.
He didn't need to look.
"Groups of two."
A pause.
Then—
"Ryan and Sana."
The reaction spread quietly.
"Of course…""They don't even try anymore…"
Ryan kept his eyes on his desk.
Beside him, Sana didn't react either. She opened her notebook calmly, like none of it mattered.
"What's the topic?" she asked.
"History… presentation," Ryan replied.
She nodded once. "Alright. We'll do it properly."
Before anything else could happen, a voice cut in from the side.
"Yo, Ryan."
Watari.
He leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, relaxed as always. Tall, confident, the type of guy people noticed without him trying. Captain of the school soccer team—and somehow still good at studies.
"You're lucky," Watari smirked. "Best partner in class."
Ryan didn't react much. "It's just a project."
Watari chuckled. "Yeah… sure."
Behind Sana, another chair shifted.
Asuka turned around, resting her chin on her hand, watching Sana.
"You're staying after school, right?" she asked.
Sana looked at her. "Yeah. Library."
"I'll come too."
"You'll just talk."
"I can multitask," Asuka said, smiling slightly.
The class moved on, but the attention didn't fully leave.
Ryan could feel it.
Not constant.
Just enough.
After school, the four of them ended up near the library entrance.
Watari leaned against the wall, spinning a football lightly with his foot.
"I've got practice," he said. "But I'll check on you guys later."
Asuka crossed her arms. "You mean show off and leave?"
He grinned. "Same thing."
Then he looked at Ryan. "Don't mess up the presentation."
"I won't."
"Good."
Watari walked off toward the field, already calling out to his teammates.
Inside the library, it was quieter.
Ryan and Sana sat across from each other at first. Books open. Pens ready.
Asuka sat beside Sana but didn't open anything.
"I'm here for moral support," she said.
"You're here to talk," Sana replied.
"That too."
For a few minutes, no one spoke.
Just pages turning.
Pens moving.
Ryan started writing.
Sana watched his notes.
Then—
"Your structure is off," she said.
"It's fine."
"It's not."
She reached over, tapped the page lightly, and pointed at a section.
"This should come first."
Ryan looked at it… then nodded slightly.
"Alright."
Asuka watched them, slightly amused.
"You two act like this is life or death."
"It's marks," Sana said.
"Same thing," Asuka replied.
After some time, Sana moved her chair slightly closer.
Not intentionally noticeable.
Just practical.
Now they were looking at the same book.
Same page.
Same notes.
Ryan could hear the slight movement of her pen. The way she paused before writing. The way she corrected small details immediately.
He didn't say anything.
But he noticed everything.
Later, Watari showed up at the library door, slightly out of breath.
Practice clearly just ended.
"You guys still alive?" he said quietly.
Asuka looked up. "Barely."
He walked in, pulling a chair and sitting casually beside Ryan.
"What part are you on?"
"Introduction," Ryan said.
Watari leaned forward, scanning the page.
"Too long."
Ryan looked at him. "It's detailed."
"It's boring," Watari replied.
Sana spoke without looking up. "He's right."
Ryan paused… then crossed out a line.
"Fine."
Asuka smiled slightly. "Look at that. Teamwork."
When they finally stepped outside, the sun had already started going down.
The four of them walked together at first.
Watari talking about practice.
Asuka replying with half interest.
Sana quiet.
Ryan listening.
At one point, Watari stopped at a turn.
"See you tomorrow," he said.
Asuka waved. "Don't be late."
"I'm never late."
"You were today."
"That was once."
He left.
Asuka's turn came next.
She looked at Sana. "Text me when you reach."
"I will."
Then she glanced at Ryan, just for a second.
"Don't overthink the project," she said.
Ryan nodded slightly.
She left.
Now it was just them.
Ryan and Sana.
Walking side by side.
Same road.
Same quiet.
"You listen more than you talk," Sana said.
Ryan looked ahead. "Depends."
"On what?"
"Who I'm talking to."
She thought about that.
Then said, "You're still holding back."
Ryan didn't respond.
Because she wasn't wrong.
Ryan reached the building a few steps behind Sana.
She had already gone ahead, climbing the stairs without waiting. Not in a rude way—just normal. Familiar. Like this routine had existed for years.
The stairwell was quiet except for their footsteps echoing softly.
By the time Ryan reached their floor, the main door was already open.
Inside, the house felt alive.
Voices. Utensils. The distant sound of the TV.
Sana had already dropped her bag near the table.
"Late again?" a voice came from inside.
It was one of the older cousins.
"Library," Sana replied simply.
Ryan stepped in behind her, placing his bag down more carefully.
No one questioned him.
They already knew.
The atmosphere at home was different from school.
Less pressure. Less watching.
But still structured.
Ryan greeted quietly and moved toward his usual spot. Sana went to the kitchen for a moment, then came back with a glass of water, sitting down without saying anything.
For a few minutes, they didn't talk.
Just the normal sounds of the house filling the space.
Then—
"How much is left?" Sana asked, looking at her notebook.
"Half," Ryan replied.
She nodded. "We should finish it tomorrow."
"Yeah."
Another pause.
Iqra and Asuka's voices echoed from another room, laughing about something small. It was light. Easy.
Ryan noticed it.
That same kind of bond he had seen before.
Sana noticed it too.
For a second, her expression changed—just slightly.
Then it went back to normal.
"Show me what you wrote," she said, reaching for his notebook.
Ryan slid it across.
She read silently.
Focused.
Then pointed at a line.
"This part… you can explain better."
Ryan leaned slightly closer.
"Like what?"
She adjusted the page, explaining quietly.
No teasing. No tension.
Just simple teamwork.
Time passed like that.
Not fast.
Not slow.
Just steady.
Later that evening, after dinner, Ryan sat with his books open.
He wasn't fully studying.
Just… thinking.
From the other side of the room, Sana was doing the same.
Different books.
Same silence.
At one point, she looked up.
"Don't overcomplicate it," she said.
Ryan looked at her. "I'm not."
"You are."
He paused… then gave a small nod.
Maybe she was right.
That night didn't end with anything big.
No dramatic moment.
No sudden realization.
Just something subtle.
They weren't just classmates working on a project.
They were part of each other's routine.
At school.At home.
And that made everything… heavier in a quiet way.