The rain did not return that night.
That was what unsettled everyone most.
The sky stayed heavy and low, clouds unmoving, like something being held back on purpose. Campus lights reflected faintly against the pavement, but nothing fell. No release. No cleansing.
Just pressure.
XH lay awake longer than usual, staring at the ceiling of his room, listening to the faint hum of the building. Somewhere outside, a door slammed. Somewhere else, laughter echoed briefly, then vanished.
He took a slow breath.
His chest tightened again.
Not sharp pain. Not panic.
Just a subtle resistance, like his lungs were hesitating before obeying him.
He sat up and drank water, telling himself it was stress. Everyone was stressed. Year one always did this. Pressure before festivals. Pressure before rankings. Pressure before something bigger.
He didn't know yet that pressure was becoming a pattern.
The next morning arrived in fragments.
Announcements echoed through hallways. Posters for the upcoming Water Festival were refreshed and straightened. Student volunteers argued about schedules and booth placements. Music test speakers crackled as someone tested volume levels too early in the day.
Campus was preparing to perform happiness.
Kitty noticed it immediately.
She stood near the stairwell, watching students rush past with clipboards and bright smiles, and felt oddly disconnected. It wasn't sadness exactly. It was awareness.
She adjusted the strap of her bag and checked her phone.
No new messages.
That was fine.
She told herself it was fine.
She had spent the night organizing her notes, cleaning her desk, folding clothes she didn't need to fold. Anything that kept her hands busy so her thoughts wouldn't spiral.
NC walked up beside her. "You look like someone who didn't sleep."
Kitty smiled faintly. "I slept. Just didn't rest."
NC hummed. "That's worse."
They walked together toward class.
"Are you avoiding him?" NC asked gently.
Kitty shook her head. "No. I'm avoiding lying to myself."
NC glanced at her. "And how's that going?"
Kitty exhaled. "Messy."
Across campus, June was doing the opposite.
She was moving fast.
Her steps were sharp. Her posture perfect. Her notebook already open as she walked into class. She greeted people with practiced ease, laughter quick and controlled.
She looked like someone who knew exactly what she was doing.
Cherry watched her from behind, unimpressed.
"You're overcompensating," Cherry said.
June didn't slow. "I'm focused."
Cherry snorted. "You're terrified."
June stopped abruptly and turned. "Of what?"
Cherry met her gaze. "Of wanting something you can't control."
June's jaw tightened. "I control myself."
Cherry leaned closer. "That's not the same thing."
June looked away.
She didn't argue because part of her knew it was true.
She had spent years mastering restraint. Expectations. Planning three steps ahead.
But XH didn't fit neatly into any of that.
And neither did Kitty.
The practical session that afternoon was worse than anyone expected.
Pairs gathered in the lab, cuffs, monitors, alcohol swabs neatly arranged. Mr. Kim walked between tables, observing quietly, correcting posture, reminding students to breathe.
XH stood beside June, tying the cuff around her arm carefully.
"You're tense," he said.
June glanced at him. "You're distracting."
He paused. "I'm literally measuring your blood pressure."
She huffed. "Exactly."
He smiled slightly despite himself.
"Relax your arm," he said. "And breathe."
June rolled her eyes, then obeyed.
The monitor beeped softly.
XH watched the numbers appear, frowned slightly. "It's elevated."
June shrugged. "Stress."
XH looked at her. "You should still be careful."
She met his gaze. "I am careful."
He hesitated. "That's not what I meant."
June didn't respond immediately. When she did, her voice was softer. "I know."
Across the room, Kitty stood with NC, fingers steady as she wrapped the cuff around NC's arm. Her movements were precise. Controlled.
NC watched her face. "You're calm."
Kitty nodded. "I'm good at calm."
The monitor beeped.
NC glanced at the reading. "You sure?"
Kitty smiled faintly. "Calm doesn't mean unaffected."
Their eyes met.
NC said quietly, "You don't have to disappear to be graceful."
Kitty's fingers stilled for a moment.
She resumed her work without replying.
Mr. Kim stopped at their table. "Good technique," he said. "Both of you."
Kitty nodded. "Thank you."
Mr. Kim glanced across the room toward XH and June, then back to Kitty. "Pressure affects everyone differently. Some people internalize it. Some externalize."
He paused. "Neither is wrong. But both require awareness."
Kitty swallowed.
After class, the hallway buzzed again.
XH packed quickly, wanting to avoid making the choice of who to walk with.
June closed her notebook and stood immediately.
Kitty finished packing last.
The moment stretched awkwardly.
June spoke first. "I need to talk to Mr. Kim."
Kitty nodded. "I'm heading to the library."
They both glanced at XH.
XH felt the weight again.
"I'll… catch up later," he said weakly.
June nodded once and walked away.
Kitty hesitated, then turned too.
XH stood there, watching both directions empty.
He felt ridiculous.
That evening, the sky darkened earlier than usual.
Clouds gathered again.
Kitty sat alone at a table near the back of the library, pretending to study anatomy diagrams. Her eyes kept drifting to the window.
Rain had not come.
She pressed her lips together.
Her phone vibrated.
A message from June.
June: can we talk later?
Kitty stared at the screen.
Then typed.
Kitty: about what?
The reply came quickly.
June: about him.
Kitty closed her eyes.
She typed slowly.
Kitty: honesty then.
June: yes.
They agreed to meet near the vending machines outside the dorms.
When Kitty arrived, June was already there, arms crossed, hair pulled back tightly. She looked tired.
"So," June said. "I'll be direct."
Kitty nodded. "Good."
June exhaled. "I like him."
Kitty's chest tightened, but her voice stayed steady. "I know."
June continued, "I don't want to compete. I don't want this to turn ugly."
Kitty tilted her head. "Then what do you want?"
June hesitated. "I want clarity."
Kitty smiled sadly. "So do I."
June swallowed. "He makes me feel like I might be brave enough to risk things."
Kitty looked at her. "He makes me feel like I don't need to."
Silence fell between them.
June frowned slightly. "That's not fair."
Kitty shrugged. "Love rarely is."
June's voice softened. "If he chooses you, I'll step back."
Kitty blinked. "And if he chooses you?"
June hesitated. "Then you should."
Kitty shook her head slowly. "I don't step back because I lose. I step back when I decide I deserve peace."
June stared at her.
Kitty continued, "And right now, I don't know if peace is walking away or standing my ground."
June's shoulders slumped slightly. "I hate this."
Kitty nodded. "Me too."
They stood there, two girls bound by the same gravity, pulled toward the same center.
From a distance, XH watched them.
He hadn't meant to.
But he saw them talking.
Saw the way June's posture softened.
Saw the way Kitty stood her ground.
And something inside him twisted painfully.
He realized then that love was no longer private.
It was shared air.
And everyone was struggling to breathe.
As night settled, the first drops of rain finally fell.
Light.
Sparse.
As if the sky had waited for permission.
XH stood still under the open sky, letting the rain hit his face.
He whispered to himself, barely audible.
"I don't know how to do this without hurting someone."
The rain did not answer.
It never did.
But it fell anyway.
And somewhere deep inside his chest, that tightness returned, faint but insistent, like a warning he had not yet learned how to hear.
The Water Festival lights flickered on in the distance.
Music began testing again.
The next arc waited.
And no one was ready.