The ramen shop was small and crowded, tucked between a convenience store and a bookshop near the train station. Steam fogged the windows, and the rich aroma of broth filled the air as Yuki and Haruki squeezed into a tiny table in the corner.
"I come here a lot before work," Haruki admitted, looking more relaxed than Yuki had ever seen him. "The owner lets me study sometimes when it's not busy."
"It smells amazing," Yuki said, glancing around at the worn wooden tables and faded menu boards. It wasn't fancy, but there was something comforting about the place.
They ordered, and as they waited for their food, Yuki found herself studying Haruki's face. The shadows under his eyes weren't as pronounced today. His hair was still slightly disheveled, but in a way that suggested he'd actually tried to style it.
"What?" he asked, noticing her gaze.
"Nothing," she said, smiling. "Just... this is nice."
A small smile tugged at his lips. "Yeah. It is."
Their ramen arrived, steaming and fragrant. For a while, they ate in comfortable silence, the events of the day settling between them like dust after a storm. Everything had changed, and yet somehow, it felt right.
"Can I ask you something?" Yuki said finally, setting down her chopsticks.
Haruki nodded, his expression open.
"That first day, in the library. Why were you there so early?"
He seemed surprised by the question. "I had just finished my shift. Sometimes I stop there before going home. It's quiet, and the sunrise through those windows..." He trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed.
"It's beautiful," Yuki finished for him.
"Yeah." He met her eyes. "I noticed you watching me, you know. Before you realized I was awake."
Heat crept into Yuki's cheeks. "I wasn't... I mean..."
Haruki's smile widened slightly. "It's okay. I was watching you too, when you weren't looking."
The admission made her heart skip a beat. "Really?"
He nodded. "You were so focused on your books. And when your friends said something that made you laugh, your whole face lit up."
"I didn't think you noticed me at all," Yuki admitted.
"I noticed," Haruki said quietly. "I just didn't know how to talk to you."
"And now?"
"Now I'm still figuring it out." His honesty was disarming. "But I'm glad I'm trying."
They finished their meal, talking about easier things. Classes. Books they'd read. Music they liked. Haruki was surprisingly knowledgeable about classical composers, a fact that made Yuki raise her eyebrows.
"My mother teaches piano," he explained. "I grew up with it."
"Do you play?"
"Not anymore." Something flickered across his face. "Not since everything happened."
Yuki wanted to ask more, but sensed it wasn't the right time. There would be other conversations, other moments to learn about the parts of him he kept hidden.
All too soon, it was time for Haruki to head to work. They walked to the station together, their hands finding each other's again, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
"I had a nice time," Yuki said as they reached the entrance.
"Me too." Haruki hesitated, then added, "Would you want to do this again? Maybe Saturday, after my shift? We could get breakfast."
"I'd like that." Yuki smiled. "A lot."
Haruki's expression softened. For a moment, he looked like he wanted to say something more. Instead, he leaned forward and, with a gentleness that made her breath catch, pressed his lips to her cheek.
"Goodnight, Yuki," he murmured, pulling back slightly.
"Goodnight," she whispered, her skin tingling where his lips had been.
He gave her hand one last squeeze before disappearing into the station, leaving Yuki standing there, her heart racing and a smile she couldn't suppress spreading across her face.
The walk back to campus was a blur. Yuki felt like she was floating, replaying every moment of their conversation, their dinner, that gentle kiss on her cheek. It wasn't until she reached her dorm that reality began to seep back in.
She had to tell Hana what she'd learned. Her friend deserved to know that Haruki wasn't dangerous, just complicated. That his past mistakes didn't define who he was now.
But as she reached for her phone, it buzzed with an incoming message.
Haruki: Made it to work. Already missing our conversation.
Yuki smiled, typing back quickly.
Yuki: The circuit boards aren't good company?
Haruki: Terrible conversationalists. No sense of humor.
Yuki: Unlike me?
Haruki: Unlike you.
She bit her lip, hesitating before typing her next message.
Yuki: I'm glad you told me everything today. About your past.
There was a pause before his reply came through.
Haruki: I'm glad you stayed. After hearing it.
Yuki: I meant what I said. I'm not going anywhere.
Another pause, longer this time.
Haruki: I've never met anyone like you, Yuki Tanaka.
Her heart fluttered.
Yuki: Is that a good thing?
Haruki: The best thing.
She hugged her phone to her chest, feeling ridiculously happy. Then, remembering her earlier thought, she typed one more message.
Yuki: I'm going to tell Hana what you told me. Not everything, just enough so she knows you're not some criminal mastermind. Is that okay?
Haruki: It's your choice. I trust you.
Those three words meant more than he probably realized.
Yuki: Thank you. For trusting me.
Haruki: I have to get back to work. Goodnight, Yuki.
Yuki: Goodnight, Haruki. See you tomorrow?
Haruki: Count on it.
Yuki set her phone down, still smiling. She would talk to Hana tomorrow, clear things up. For now, she just wanted to savor this feeling, this connection that had grown from a chance encounter in a sunlit library to something deeper, something real.
She changed into pajamas but kept Haruki's hoodie on, wrapping it around herself like a shield against the world. As she drifted off to sleep, she thought about their breakfast plans on Saturday, about seeing him tomorrow, about all the conversations yet to come.
The library was quiet at 6:30 AM, bathed in the golden light of sunrise streaming through the tall windows. Yuki hadn't planned to come so early, but sleep had eluded her, her mind too full of thoughts of Haruki and their dinner the night before.
She'd chosen a table near the windows, the same area where she'd first seen him sleeping that fateful morning. Her economics textbook lay open before her, but she wasn't really studying. Instead, she watched the sunrise paint the campus in shades of gold and amber, understanding now why Haruki found it so captivating.
She didn't hear him approach, didn't realize he was there until a shadow fell across her table. She looked up, her heart skipping a beat.
Haruki stood there, looking tired but somehow lighter than she'd ever seen him. He'd come straight from his shift again, his backpack slung over one shoulder.
"Hi," she said, smiling up at him.
"Hi," he replied, his voice soft in the quiet library. "Is this seat taken?"
Yuki shook her head, gesturing to the chair across from her. "It's all yours."
Haruki sat down, setting his backpack on the floor beside him. For a moment, they just looked at each other, a silent understanding passing between them.
"Couldn't sleep?" he asked finally.
"Too many thoughts," she admitted. "You?"
"Just finished work. Thought I might find you here."
"How did you know?"
A small smile played at his lips. "Just a feeling."
Yuki reached across the table, her hand palm up in invitation. Haruki hesitated only briefly before placing his hand in hers, their fingers intertwining.
"You should rest," she said, noting the fatigue in his eyes.
"I will," he promised. "But I wanted to see you first."
The simple honesty of his words made her chest tighten with emotion. "I'm glad you did."
Haruki's thumb traced small circles on the back of her hand, a gentle, almost unconscious gesture. "The sunrise is beautiful today."
Yuki nodded, glancing toward the windows. "It is."
But when she turned back, she found Haruki wasn't looking at the sunrise at all. He was looking at her, his dark eyes warm with an emotion she was only beginning to understand.
"What?" she asked, suddenly self conscious.
"Nothing," he said, echoing her words from the night before. "Just... this is nice."
And it was. Sitting there in the quiet library, hands linked across the table, the golden light of sunrise washing over them both. It felt like coming full circle, back to where it all began, but with everything changed.
Haruki's eyes began to grow heavy, the exhaustion of his night shift catching up to him. Yuki squeezed his hand gently.
"Sleep," she said softly. "I'll be here when you wake up."
He nodded, too tired to argue. With a reluctance that made her heart swell, he released her hand and folded his arms on the table, resting his head on them. Within minutes, his breathing had deepened, his features relaxing in sleep.
Yuki watched him for a moment, this boy who had gone from campus mystery to something much more important in the span of a week. Then she turned her attention back to her textbook, content to study while he rested beside her.
Outside, the sun continued its ascent, casting long golden rays through the library windows. Students began to filter in, some casting curious glances at the sleeping boy and the girl who sat with him, a protective presence in the quiet morning light.
Let them look, Yuki thought, remembering Haruki's words from the day before. Let them wonder. Let them talk.
The truth was better than any rumor they could invent.
And as the library slowly filled with the soft sounds of turning pages and whispered conversations, Yuki found herself looking forward to all the truths yet to be discovered, all the moments yet to be shared with the boy sleeping peacefully across from her.
The boy everyone thought they knew, but no one really did.
Except her.