Between Questions and Quiet Looks

As we pushed through the crowd and made our way back to the group, I could almost physically feel the weight of all the eyes on us. Especially Ray—he was practically trying to pierce through me with his gaze.

“What happened, man? You get kidnapped or something?” he asked, of course breaking the ice with a joke.

Yasu, on the other hand, looked more curious than amused. “Everything alright?” he asked calmly.

While Sayuri and the others looked at me, Noa… Noa narrowed her eyes and took a step back. Then, without saying a word, she grabbed Lyra by the arm and pulled her out of the crowd.

And just like that, the real interrogation began.

I was left standing there alone with the rest of them.

“Whoa, now she’s taken Lyra too!” Ray said, staring after them in surprise.

Another small silence fell over us. I could now understand how they must’ve felt earlier when Noa had pulled me away. Then, all eyes turned to me. I could feel the “What happened?” radiating from their stares.

Well, it wasn’t exactly a great experience, but I knew they wouldn’t leave it alone. So I gave them a quick rundown of what had happened.

“Ohh, so that’s why,” Ray shrugged.

“Noa… she’s a good girl,” Sayuri said softly, offering a small smile.

“Right, so… why’d she take Lyra?” Yasu asked.

“Uhh, probably just had a few things on her mind,” I replied. It had been a small thing, but Noa’s reaction probably had a lot to do with trust.

“Then we might as well head over. They’ll catch up,” Yasu said flatly.

By the time we reached the front of the shrine, the girls had returned too. Their expressions seemed totally normal. I didn’t think I had any right to ask what had happened—but something about the atmosphere had definitely shifted. It felt strange.

“Everything okay?” I asked casually. It was a good way to figure out if something was wrong—without directly asking.

“N-n-no? I mean, yeah, we’re fine!” Lyra stumbled over her words a little. When I looked at Noa, she seemed perfectly at ease beside her. Whatever it was, it seemed to have been resolved.

“Glad to hear it,” I said with a soft smile. The others had already started their prayers. I had paused when I saw the girls return.

“Well, let’s go too,” Noa said, taking the first few steps forward.

I glanced briefly at Lyra.

Her cheerful, neutral face from just moments ago had been replaced with something more thoughtful—a strange sort of worry.

I didn’t know what was going on.
And even if I didn’t… it wasn’t really my place to know.

28 – 2

By the time we finished the shrine visit, we were freezing. So we quickly ducked into the nearest café. We ended up talking for a long time. The first festival, the hot springs afterward, Sayuri and Ray’s story—basically, everything we’d done recently came up.

The café had a relaxed vibe. The guys sat on one side, the girls on the other.

And during that time, I learned a few extra things.

For example, Noa and Lyra hadn’t actually known each other that long. Noa was in the art department at their university, while Lyra was in music. They had met by chance when Lyra saw Noa struggling to carry a canvas and offered to help.

Guys like us tend to brag about how easily we make friends, but to be able to call someone your best friend after just a few months? That’s something to admire.

The fact that we were all talking so easily and having fun felt... strange in a good way.

All of us had met by coincidence.

Ray and I had been put on the same team during a random sports class.

Yasu and I met on the first day of school when I randomly asked him about the teacher’s materials.

Sayuri and Ray met at a festival—or more accurately, started talking there.

Lyra helped Noa with her painting.

And I met Lyra while chatting about our favorite singer at a market.

And now, here we were, all sitting around the same table, laughing and talking.

It was such a weird feeling.
But deep down… I didn’t want it to be temporary.

When I looked up, I noticed Lyra sitting directly across from me, holding her coffee, not part of the conversation at all. Her full attention was on me.

How long had I been lost in thought?

Where had I even been looking while I was thinking?

I must’ve panicked a bit, because I gasped slightly. Lyra’s pine-green eyes were fixed on mine, searching for something.

“Yeah yeah! And then she said—” the others were still chatting among themselves.

I’d completely drifted away from the topic.

But why had Lyra been looking at me this whole time without saying anything?

Then again… for me to notice her gaze, I must’ve been looking at her pretty often too.

Well, shit...

“Hey Yuta, why don’t you tell us your super-detailed thoughts on Lyola?” Ray nudged me with his elbow.

“Huh?” I blinked, shaken out of my daze. All five heads had turned to look at me.

Where the hell did that come from?

“I mean, I can… but where did this even come from?”

“Sayuri really likes Lyola too. Since we’re all here and listening, I figured it’d be cool to hear your take.”

Honestly, I didn’t want to suddenly turn this laid-back atmosphere into some documentary-style analysis channel. Even if I did have something to say, I wasn’t in the mood.

What could I even say?
How much of it would they understand?

I took a deep breath.

“Sorry. I don’t really have much to say right now. I mean… she’s a really good singer.”

“Oh, come on! You’ve gotta have at least a few critiques.”

I thought about it for a second. Did I?
Even at her last concert, she’d worked on fixing the things people pointed out.

“She gives it her all. Why should I focus on the negatives when someone is doing something beautiful with their art?” I said.

My voice must’ve come out a little cold, because the whole table suddenly fell silent. Like a block of ice had just dropped between us.

Except… Lyra was looking at me, eyes wide with surprise, as if she didn’t know what to make of what I said. When our eyes met, I immediately felt the urge to look away.

I hadn’t been following the conversation. I had no idea how we even got to this point. This weird shift in the mood was probably making me come off as even more off-putting.

This was the part I hated the most about moments like this.

“I agree with Yuta. Let’s not get too specific with a topic like this right now. Honestly, I think it’d just get boring,” Lyra said, coming to my defense. A small smile formed on her lips.

“Y-yeah… you’re right,” Ray mumbled. He seemed to realize it wasn’t worth pushing further.

After that awkward moment, we gradually picked the mood back up with smaller side conversations.

As always, people quickly forgot the thing they were obsessing over five minutes ago.

Once our coffee and conversations were done, it was time to start heading home.

Sayuri and Ray had plans of their own, and before they left, Sayuri hooked her arm around Ray’s and waved goodbye to us. They were the first to go.

Then Yasu had to rush off because his bus was coming soon.

The rest of us headed outside together.

“Well then, let me see you guys off.” I said.

Noa had come by metro, and Lyra’s bus stop was nearby, so we walked her there first.

“See you at school, Lyra. Yuta, it was nice meeting you again,” Noa said as she turned to me. Her eyes narrowed slyly for a second, then shifted back to Lyra with a suspicious tone. “Isn’t your bus about to leave?”

“Nope, I’ve still got like, three minutes. I’ll make it for sure,” Lyra said with a squint and a smile.

“Hmm, alright then.” Even as she turned around, Noa kept that same skeptical look. “Well, see you.”

Once Noa passed through the turnstile, it was just me and Lyra. My bus stop was a little further down. Hers was on the way.

“Well then, let me see you off.”

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

Lyra had a confident and curious look on her face.

“You haven’t forgotten what we talked about the other day, have you?”

“What are you—oh.”
Right. I remembered.
That guilty thing I’d written… this was the fruit of that moment.
Like some forbidden apple from Eden, I’d committed the sin and now here we were.

“Thought so. You’ve been distant and spaced out all day. I want you to tell me what’s on your mind.”

At the metro entrance, with people rushing by us—

Here we were, two teens, about to dive into my little teenage drama.

Wonderful...