[Miyu]
The Next Day Passed Much Like Any Other - Lessons, Conversations, And The Smiles I Was Expected To Give, All Perfectly In Place.
But Somewhere In The Back Of My Mind, Ren's Words From Yesterday Kept Replaying.
"You Should Smile Like That More Often."
It Wasn't Something Dramatic. He Wasn't Even Looking At Me When He Said It. But Maybe That's Exactly Why It Stayed With Me.
Quiet Words From A Quiet Person — Like A Thought Spoken Out Loud.
When The Final Bell Rang, Students Around Me Began Packing Up With The Usual Rush. I Stayed At My Desk A Little Longer, Pretending To Double-Check My Notes. But Really, I Was Just Waiting. Or Maybe Hoping.
The Classroom Gradually Emptied. I Was Still In My Seat — Alone. Or So I Thought.
I Glanced Toward Ren's Seat. He Was There, Leaning Back In His Chair Like He Always Did, Eyes Following The Shifting Light Outside The Window.
He Didn't Notice Me. Or Maybe He Did, And Just Chose Not To Show It.
[Ren]
I Wasn't Sure Why I'd Said That To Her. Maybe Because She Looked Different Yesterday — Like Herself, Not Just The Version Everyone Expected Her To Be.
I Didn't Expect Anything To Change. And It Didn't — Not On The Surface. She Didn't Act Any Different Today, And Neither Did I.
But When She Looked At Me Just Now, There Was Something In Her Eyes. A Softness. She Smiled — Just Barely — But It Was Real. The Same One From Yesterday.
And For A Moment, I Didn't Feel Like Fading Into The Background.
We Didn't Speak That Day. No Words Were Needed.
But Something Unspoken Passed Between Us — Something Small, Something Quiet,
Yet Loud Enough For Both Of Us To Hear.
[Miyu]
The Next Day, I Told Myself Not To Overthink — But Of Course, I Did.
I Kept Catching Myself Glancing Toward Ren's Seat — Wondering If He'd Look My Way, If He Remembered What He Said, If He Even Meant It.
Maybe I Was Being Foolish. It Was Just A Sentence. But… In A World Full Of Polite Silence, His Words Had Felt Oddly Sincere.
After The Last Class, I Stayed Behind Again, Using The Excuse Of Organizing My Notebook. The Classroom Slowly Emptied, Voices Fading Into The Hallway, Leaving Behind An Ordinary Quiet.
I Wasn't Expecting Anything — At Least, That's What I Told Myself. But I Wasn't Surprised When He Stayed Too.
[Ren]
She Stayed Again.
I Don't Think She Needed To. Her Notes Were Always Immaculate.
She Wasn't Looking For Anything — But She Wasn't Leaving Either.
I Took My Time Packing My Bag Today. Maybe On Purpose. Maybe Not.
When She Finally Spoke, Her Voice Was Light. Casual.
But There Was Something Different In It — Like She Wasn't Playing A Role Anymore.
"You Always Leave Last, Don't You?"
I Looked At Her, A Little Caught Off Guard. She Smiled — Not The Practiced Kind. The Other One.
And Before I Could Stop Myself, I Replied:
"Maybe I Just Like The Quiet."
She Nodded Like She Understood. Really Understood.
And I Think… She Did.
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They Talked A Little That Day — Just About Small Things. Nothing Grand.
But Sometimes, It's Not The Words That Matter.
It's Who You Let Yourself Be When You're Saying Them.
And In That Empty Classroom, Away From Eyes And Expectations —
They Were Just Ren And Miyu.
— × —
The Days Began To Fold Into One Another, Stitched Together By Small, Quiet Moments Between Ren And Miyu.
Nothing Overly Visible. Nothing Anyone Else Would've Noticed.
But For The Two Of Them, Something Had Quietly Shifted.
--------------------------------------------
[Miyu]
We Didn't Talk Every Day, But When We Did, It Wasn't Forced.
Sometimes I'd Stay Behind After Class. Sometimes He Would. Sometimes Neither Of Us Said Anything At All.
But We Didn't Need To.
With Ren, Silence Never Felt Like Absence — It Felt Like Space.
He Never Asked Me Why I Stayed. He Never Asked If Something Was Wrong.
He Didn't Ask Anything, Really.
But Once, When I Sighed Without Meaning To — Heavy With Thoughts I Couldn't Put Into Words — He Quietly Slid A Wrapped Candy Across The Desk Without Looking At Me.
"You Think Too Loudly," He Said.
"Maybe Sugar Will Shut It Up."
I Laughed. A Real One, This Time.
He Didn't Smile In Return, But I Saw It — The Way His Eyes Warmed, Just A Little.
[Ren]
She Was Always The Last To Pack Now.
Not Because She Had To. But Because She Wanted To.
And I… I Didn't Mind That.
Miyu Didn't Talk Too Much. She Wasn't Loud. She Didn't Demand Anything From Me.
But She Always Made Space — Space To Be Myself, Even If I Didn't Know Who That Was Yet.
She Never Asked Why I Looked Out The Window So Much.
But Once, She Sat Besides Me And Said,
" You Know, You Stare Out That Window Like It's Going To Give You The Answers To The Exam. "
I Didn't Look At Her. Just Replied,
" If It Does, It's Still Faster Than Me Pretending To Care About Math. "
She Raised A Brow — I Could Feel It.
" That's Bold Talk From Someone Who Finishes All His Worksheets Before The Rest Of Us Even Start. "
I Shrugged. Wasn't Like I Tried That Hard.
" Finishing Them Doesn't Mean I Care. "
She Walked Over To Her Desk, Zipped Her Bag, And Said,
" You've Got This Mysterious Genius Vibe Going, You Know. "
I Looked At Her — Just For A Second.
" That Sounds Like Something From A Bad Novel. "
" I Mean, Yeah, " She Laughed. " But It Kind Of Fits. "
I Didn't Say Anything At First. Then, Quieter :
" And You've Got This Perfect-Student-Who's-Bored-Of-Being-Perfect Vibe. "
She Blinked, Caught Off Guard.
" Wow. Okay. That's... Uncomfortably Accurate. "
I Let A Small Smile Slip.
" Just Calling It Like I See It. "
She Paused. Smiled — The Kind That Was More To Herself Than To Me.
"Well. Guess We're Both Clichés In Our Own Way."
She Reached The Door, Then Stopped.
I Stayed By The Window, Didn't Say A Word. Same As Always.
Without Looking Back, She Said Gently,
" Don't Get Too Lost Staring Out There. "
I Waited A Beat Before Answering, Voice Even.
" Only If You Don't Get Lost Trying To Be What Everyone Expects. "
She Turned Slightly. Her Voice Was Softer.
"That's Harder Than It Sounds."
I Let The Silence Hang For A Moment Before I Said,
" Yeah. I Know. "
A Pause. Quiet, But Not Uncomfortable.
" See You Tomorrow, " She Said.
"Yeah. Tomorrow."
It Didn't Seem Like Much. But Somehow… It Felt Like It Was.
--------------------------------------------
Their Quiet Connection Had Become A Rhythm — Not Constant, But Steady.
Small Exchanges. Fleeting Moments Of Softness. Comfortable Silences That Said More Than Words Ever Could.
To Everyone Else, They Were Still "Just Classmates."
But Between Them, Something Unseen Was Beginning To Take Root — Slow, Unspoken, And Undeniably Real.
Until One Day —
— × —
"For Your Upcoming Presentation, You'll Be Working In Groups Of Four," The Teacher Announced, Holding Up A Printed List. "I've Already Assigned Them."
The Class Responded With A Familiar Rustle Of Bags, Shifting Chairs, And Half-Hearted Groans.
Ren Sat At His Usual Spot Near The Window, Looking Only Mildly Attentive, His Expression Unreadable.
Miyu, Perched At The Edge Of Her Seat, Was Idly Spinning Her Pen Between Her Fingers — Absentminded, Yet Still Listening.
Then Came The Moment.
"Group Six... Kaito, Chika, Miyu, And Ren."
The Room Didn't React Much. Most Students Were Preoccupied With Their Own Groupings, Murmuring To Nearby Friends Or Scribbling In Their Notebooks.
But For Miyu, Something Quietly Shifted.
Her Pen Stilled Mid-Spin. Her Eyes Lifted In Subtle Surprise.
Kaito — Unpredictable And Easygoing. The Kind Of Person Who Drifted Through The Day With A Shrug And A Grin, Rarely Stressed By Anything. His Relaxed Attitude Made Him Easy To Be Around, Even If No One Could Ever Quite Tell What He'd Say Or Do Next.
Chika — Effortlessly Sociable, Warm, And Disarmingly Kind. She Could Walk Into Any Room And Make It Feel Like She Belonged There. With Her Natural Charm, She Had A Way Of Making People Smile Without Even Trying.
And Then... Ren.
Out Of Everyone She Could've Been Paired With — The Class's Loudest Talkers, The Top Scorers, Or Even Just Her Usual Seatmates — She Got Ren.
And She Wasn't Sure How To Feel About That.
She Turned Slightly, Almost Without Meaning To, And Looked Over At Him.
Ren Hadn't Moved. He Was Still Staring Ahead At The Board, Hands Tucked Loosely Into His Jacket Pockets. No Raised Eyebrows. No Reaction. No Shift In Posture.
But Then, His Eyes Met Hers — Just For A Second.
And In That Second, Miyu Caught The Faintest Flicker Of Something Unfamiliar.
Not Surprise. Not Annoyance.
Just... Awareness.
Like He Had Seen Her. Fully. Quietly.
And Chose Not To Look Away.
To Be Continued.....