The Morning Light Felt Thinner Than Usual, Stretching Softly Across The Curtains Before It Touched The Desk.
Ren Sat There For A Moment, Half-Awake, Letting The Cold Air Brush Against His Skin. The Clock's Hands Moved With A Slow, Reluctant Rhythm — Almost As If Time Itself Didn't Want To Begin The Day.
Downstairs, Riko's Voice Broke The Quiet. "You're Still Not Ready?"
He Answered Without Looking Away From The Window. "Almost."
"You Said That Ten Minutes Ago."
Her Footsteps Faded Away, Followed By The Faint Clinking Of Plates.
By The Time He Went Down, Breakfast Was Simple — Toast, Tea, And Riko Watching Him Like She Could Read His Thoughts.
"You're Being Weirdly Calm," She Said, Squinting.
Ren Shrugged. "It's Just An Exam."
"Uh-Huh. Sure."
She Smirked, But Her Eyes Softened A Little. "Good Luck, Though."
He Nodded Once, Finishing Quietly.
Outside, The Sky Was Pale And Still, The Kind Of Morning That Felt Like It Had Been Waiting Too Long To Warm Up. His Breath Showed In Faint Puffs As He Walked. The Streets Were Half-Empty, The World Still Half-Asleep.
When He Reached The School Gate, The Familiar Voices Pulled Him Back. Kaito Was Waving His Notes Around Like A Flag, Chika Trying To Snatch Them Away. Vicky And Mahito Looked Like They'd Given Up On Trying To Study Altogether.
"Morning," Ren Said Simply.
Kaito Turned To Him, Eyes Wide. "Don't Tell Me You're Ready."
"Not Really."
"That Makes Me Feel Slightly Better."
Their Laughter Blended With The Others Around, A Small Relief Against The Nerves That Hung In The Air.
A Few Minutes Later, Miyu Walked In Through The Side Gate, Books Pressed To Her Chest. The Wind Pulled At Her Hair As She Greeted A Few Classmates. When Her Eyes Met Ren's For A Second, There Was No Smile — Just A Quiet Nod That Somehow Meant More Than Words.
Ren Looked Away First, Adjusting His Bag Strap. "Guess We Should Go In."
Kaito Groaned, "Don't Remind Me."
They Moved Toward The Building Together, The Sound Of Their Steps Mixing With The Low Murmur Of Students All Around.
The Day Had Officially Begun — And Yet, Somehow, Everything Still Felt Like It Was Waiting.
—
The Classroom Was Colder Than Usual.
Even With The Heaters On, The Air Carried That Dry, Winter Sharpness — The Kind That Settled Deep Into The Silence.
Sheets Of Paper Were Passed Down Each Row. The Sound Of Them Brushing Against Desks Felt Louder Than It Should Have. Pencils Were Tapped, Chairs Adjusted, Someone Coughed In The Back. Then, The Bell Rang — And Everything Stilled.
Ren Looked At The Blank Space Of His Paper For A Second Before He Wrote His Name.
The Pencil Moved, Slow At First, Then Faster.
He Didn't Feel Nervous Exactly — Just Heavy. Like Each Question Weighed More Than It Should.
Outside, A Bird Flew Past The Window.
His Eyes Drifted Toward It, Then To The Corner Where The Light Hit The Floor In A Thin, Gold Line.
Across The Room, Miyu Sat Near The Front. Her Posture Was Straight, Unbothered, Her Hair Framing Her Face As She Worked Through The Paper Without Hesitation. It Looked Effortless, But Ren Could See The Focus Beneath It — The Quiet Tension She Always Hid So Well.
He Looked Down Again, Writing Faster This Time.
But That Image Of Her — Still, Composed — Stayed In The Back Of His Mind Like A Soft Echo.
The Minutes Passed Without Mercy.
Someone Dropped An Eraser. A Pen Rolled Across The Floor. The Teacher Walked Between Rows, Shoes Clicking In A Steady Rhythm.
Ren's Fingers Tensed Slightly. He Stopped To Take A Small Breath, Glancing Out The Window Once More. The World Outside Seemed So Peaceful Compared To The Uneasy Stillness Inside.
When The Final Bell Rang, The Room Let Out A Long, Collective Exhale.
Chairs Scraped, Papers Were Gathered, Conversations Rose In A Tired Chorus.
Kaito Turned To Ren, Slumping Over His Desk. "I'm Officially Retiring From Academics."
Chika Raised An Eyebrow. "You Said That Last Year."
"And I Meant It Then Too."
Ren Smiled Slightly, Packing His Things. "You'll Be Fine."
"That's What Everyone Says Before They Find Out Their Scores."
As They Stepped Out Into The Hallway, The Air Felt Lighter — Maybe Just Because The Exam Was Over, Or Maybe Because The Sun Had Finally Started To Warm The Windows.
A Little Ahead Of Them, Miyu Was Talking With Chika, Her Expression Calm As Ever. When She Turned Slightly, Her Eyes Met Ren's Again — Briefly, But This Time There Was A Hint Of Relief In Them.
It Was A Small Thing. But For Ren, It Felt Like Enough.
—
The Next Morning, The Sky Looked Paler Than Usual.
It Wasn't Quite Cloudy, Just… Muted — The Kind Of Winter Morning Where The Sun Barely Tried.
Ren Sat By The Window With His Notebook Open, The Pages Filled Halfway With Scribbles And Notes That Didn't Make Much Sense Anymore. The Two-Day Break Had Just Begun, But It Already Felt Like Time Was Slipping Too Quietly.
Riko Poked Her Head In From The Doorway. "You've Been Staring At That Page For Ten Minutes."
"I'm Thinking," He Said Flatly.
"About What? Physics Or… Someone?"
Ren Looked Up, Unamused. "You Really Have Nothing Better To Do, Do You?"
Riko Grinned. "Nope. But You Look Less Boring When You're Lost In Thought. Makes Me Curious."
He Didn't Reply. She Left Laughing, The Door Clicking Behind Her.
He Looked Back At His Notes, But The Words Blurred. It Wasn't The Subjects That Bothered Him. It Was The Feeling — That Strange, Quiet Realization That The Year Was Ending, That Soon Everything Would Change.
He Leaned Back, Letting His Eyes Wander To The Pale Sky. Somewhere, In Another Room, Riko's Music Played Faintly. It Felt Distant — Like A Sound From Another Time.
—
Across Town, Miyu Sat At Her Desk, Her Room Neatly Arranged As Always.
Yui Was On Her Bed, Flipping Through A Magazine, Legs Swinging.
"You're Gonna Burn Out Before The Real Exams Even Start," Yui Said, Watching Her Sister Write For The Fifth Hour Straight.
Miyu Didn't Look Up. "I'll Rest Later."
"Uh-Huh. You Said That Yesterday Too."
Her Pen Paused Mid-Sentence.
Yui's Eyes Narrowed Slightly. "You're Acting Weird Again."
Miyu Smiled Faintly, Trying To Brush It Off. "I'm Just… Thinking About Things."
"Like What?"
She Didn't Answer. The Silence That Followed Said More Than Words Could.
Eventually, Yui Sighed, Tossing A Pillow At Her. "Fine. But Don't Blame Me If You Fall Asleep On Your Books Again."
When The Door Closed, Miyu Leaned Back In Her Chair.
The Room Fell Quiet, Except For The Tick Of The Clock.
Her Eyes Drifted To Her Phone Lying Beside The Notes.
She Picked It Up — Opened Their Chat — Then Put It Back Down Without Typing Anything.
Outside, Snow Began To Fall. Small, Soft Flakes That Melted Before Reaching The Ground.
She Watched For A Long Time, Her Reflection Faintly Blurred Against The Window Glass.
Maybe She Wasn't Just Thinking About Exams Anymore.
—
That Evening, Ren Sat On His Balcony With A Mug Of Tea. The City Lights Blinked Faintly Beyond The Cold Haze. He Opened His Phone Too — Same Chat, Same Empty Screen.
His Thumb Hovered Over The Keyboard.
He Wanted To Say Something Simple — How's Studying Going? — But Even That Felt Too Heavy.
In The End, He Just Locked The Screen Again.
The Wind Passed Quietly.
It Carried That Faint Winter Scent — The Kind That Made The World Feel Still, Even When Nothing Really Was.
—
The Hallways Were Quieter Than Usual That Morning.
Not Silent — Just Muted, Like Everyone Had Forgotten How To Speak Loudly.
Ren Walked Through The Corridors With His Bag Slung Loosely Over His Shoulder.
The Two Days Of Break Had Felt Both Too Long And Too Short.
His Mind Still Drifted Somewhere Else — Somewhere Between The Noise Of The Trip And The Stillness Of His Room.
When He Entered The Classroom, The Familiar Sound Of Shuffling Papers And Nervous Murmurs Filled The Space.
Students Sat With Tired Eyes, Clutching Notes Like They Were Holding Onto Life Itself.
Kaito Leaned Over His Desk. "I Forgot Half Of What I Studied."
Chika Glanced At Him, Unimpressed. "You Barely Studied To Begin With."
"That's Not True," Kaito Defended Weakly. "I Had A Plan."
Ren Set His Bag Down. "And?"
"I Lost It."
Chika Groaned, Dropping Her Pen On The Desk. "You're Hopeless."
Ren Smiled Slightly. Their Voices Eased The Weight In His Chest, Even Just For A Bit.
Across The Room, Miyu Sat In Her Seat, Her Notes Neatly Stacked. She Looked Calm — As Always — But When Their Eyes Met Briefly, There Was Something Else Beneath It.
A Faint Hesitation.
Something That Spoke Of Long Nights And Unspoken Thoughts.
He Looked Away First.
—
The Bell Rang, And The Room Fell Into That Familiar, Tense Silence.
Pages Turned.
Pens Scratched.
Outside, The Sky Was Pale, The Light Barely Touching The Windows.
Ren Focused On The Paper Before Him.
Numbers, Paragraphs, Questions — All Blurring Together.
But Every So Often, His Eyes Drifted Toward The Front, Where Miyu Sat.
Calm. Composed. Focused.
He Could Tell She Was Tired — The Slight Slouch In Her Shoulders, The Way Her Hand Paused Between Sentences.
But Even Then, She Kept Going.
It Was Something He Quietly Admired, Even If He Never Said It Out Loud.
—
When The Bell Finally Rang Again, The Air Released Like A Held Breath.
Chairs Moved. Pens Dropped. Someone Laughed — A Little Too Loudly.
Kaito Flopped Onto His Desk. "I Think My Brain Just Gave Up."
"You'll Live," Chika Said, Gathering Her Notes.
"Barely."
Ren Packed His Papers Slowly, The Edges Of His Thoughts Still Unsettled.
When He Looked Up, Miyu Was Standing Near The Door, Talking Softly To Chika.
Then, For Just A Moment, Her Eyes Met His Again.
"Did It Go Well?" She Asked Quietly.
Ren Shrugged. "I Survived."
"That's A Start."
Her Smile Was Small, But Real.
And Somehow, That Felt Like Enough.
—-
After School, The Sky Hung Heavy With Clouds.
Ren Walked Home Alone This Time — No Jokes, No Noise. Just The Sound Of His Own Steps.
He Thought About How Everything Was Slowly Narrowing Down To These Final Days — Exams, Results, Graduation.
It Should've Felt Like Relief.
Instead, It Just Felt Quiet.
He Pulled His Scarf Closer, Exhaling Into The Cold.
Maybe Quiet Wasn't So Bad.
Maybe It Was Just The Sound Of Something Changing.
To Be Continued....