Between Endings and Beginnings

You know something has truly ended when you think about it and feel no sting in your chest.

That night, after I talked with Emi and lay down in bed, a strange sense of peace settled over me.

There were no winners, no losers.
It had simply… ended.

And somehow, that felt good.

A few days passed.

The weather was still cold, but every now and then, the light touch of spring showed its face.

Exams were approaching.

And me… I felt emptier than I had in a long time.

Like the constant hum of the past that always buzzed in my head had finally quieted down a bit.

Since that day, Lyra and I have been texting more frequently.
Sometimes we even talked on the phone at night.
Sometimes just a song link, sometimes a brief summary of our day, sometimes complaints about school…

But even these ordinary messages weirdly warmed me inside.

One day, while struggling through study sessions in the late afternoon, my hand instinctively reached for my phone.

I was about to switch from my current music playlist to something more classical when a message popped up.

Lyra:
“What are you studying today? 😈”

I smiled. Exam season was just starting, and naturally, everyone was stressed. But her little teasing messages with emojis always lightened things for me.

So I replied:

“Calculus. It’s absolutely melting my brain.”
“I’m heading to the library—can’t get anything done at home.”

I’d never been good at studying at home. But I wasn’t 

used to working alone in public, either. Ray was spending most of his time with Sayuri these days, and Yasu was working with friends from his own class.

So yeah… I was alone.
But at this point, I had to go if I wanted to stay on track. With the weekend coming up, I figured I could get in two solid days of study.

A few seconds later, another message came:

Lyra:
“Really?”
“I’ve been wanting to go too, but could never find the chance.”
“Wanna go together?”

H-h-huh?!?

I hesitated for a moment.

Studying… with someone else?
Especially Lyra…?

I mean, why wasn’t she studying with her boyfriend?
Come to think of it, since that day, she hadn’t mentioned him at all. Not even in passing. The only personal info I ever really heard from her was about her little sister. Maybe she was just the private type when it came to stuff like that.

Still, going with Lyra…

I could already predict how badly my focus would suffer.

But somehow, before I knew it, I was typing:

Yuta:
“Sure. But we have to study 😤”

That was the most I could say.
Still, sitting side by side and studying?

What else might happen that day?

I could feel my heart starting to race.

The reply came quickly:

Lyra:
“I’m always serious 😇”

And that’s how it started.

Just a simple plan to go to the library…

But somehow, I knew this wouldn’t be just another ordinary day.

30 – 2

We decided to meet in front of the library the next day.

And once again, unintentionally—really, unintentionally—I showed up early.

The morning chill hit hard, battling the lingering sleep from last night and forcing me awake.

As I approached the library, I saw a very familiar scene.

Lyra was already there.
Again.
And earlier than me.

We were both surprised when we saw each other.
The library wasn’t even open yet! It still had like ten minutes to go—but still.

As I walked up to her, neither of us spoke for a moment.

She wore a gray beanie and matching scarf.
A lovely beige coat over a white sweater peeked out from underneath.
Jeans and a sleek black laptop bag slung over her shoulder.

The perfect blend of casual and stylish.

And honestly, she looked elegant.

“G-good morning,” I said.

I stuttered a little…
Which made both of us laugh.

We’d both come early—again—and now found ourselves in the exact same kind of awkward situation. After a few chuckles, our eyes met again.

“Good morning,” Lyra said, her smile still fading. Even her laughter sounded gentle to me.

“Same as always, huh?” I said with a grin. People walking past gave us quick glances. Well, her mostly.

“Yup, same as always.”

The minutes flew by while we chatted casually.
Once inside, we found a small table for two in a sunlit corner by the window.

I had been a little nervous about whether she’d want to sit at the same table. Should we sit side by side? Across from each other? I had no idea.

Luckily, the table was already set up to sit across.

We sat down and began studying silently.
Which, in hindsight, was even worse for me.

She was sitting right in front of me.
Every time I looked up, I’d accidentally meet her eyes.
It felt like I was being watched every time I moved.

In short, focusing was nearly impossible.

Still, we both continued studying like that for a while.

When noon came, we headed downstairs to the café for a light snack.

By now, I’d gotten used to studying with her.
It wasn’t as hard as I’d feared.

“Yuta,” Lyra said as we stepped out of the café.

“Yeah?”

“So? Do you think it’s going well?”

Her tone felt more like she was just opening up a topic, but she also seemed genuinely curious. I couldn’t exactly say, “Well, I spent the first two hours watching study videos like they were Netflix.”

“Yeah, definitely better than being at home. What about you?” I said.

“Same for me.”

Then a thought hit me—Lyra’s a music major, right?
What kind of classes does she take?
I mean, does she even need the library?

I had to ask.

“By the way, Lyra—what kind of classes do you guys take? I’ve never really known much about your field.”

She looked a little surprised.
Actually, she seemed more… pleased.

“Hmm, this semester I have Music Theory, Music History, Performance and Stage Arts, Composition and Arrangement, and Ear Training with Solfège.”

“Whoa… It sounds like a literature degree but with music.”

“Yeah, that’s actually a pretty good way to put it. First year’s usually like that.”

“What were you studying today?”

“This morning, I reviewed music history and theory. When we go back, I’ll start with solfège.”

“Solfège, huh?”

“Yup—it’s a course where we improve our ears by listening to vocals and melodies.”

“Whoa, sounds like it’s exactly my kind of thing.”

Lyra chuckled softly.
We were whispering now as we walked back to our seats.

“Is that so? Actually, yeah… now that I think about it, it totally sounds like you.”

“Maybe. But honestly, those classes sound so interesting. Compared to ours…”

“If you’d like, I could show you a bit before we start studying again. Solfège, for example.”

There was a certain brightness in Lyra’s eyes—something inviting, but not forced.
Like she was genuinely saying, “Come, let’s try this together.”

“O-oh, if it’s not a bother…”

“Why would it be? Pull your chair over.”

As I slid my chair next to hers, Lyra opened her laptop and pulled up a live recording of a symphony from one of her course videos.

“How are we going to listen?” I asked curiously. I mean, it was a library.

“With this.”
Lyra reached into a small pouch in her bag and pulled out a pair of red in-ear headphones. She handed me the right one without hesitation.

W-what? Not even a second thought?

I-I mean I didn’t mind, but… she’s this comfortable with it? Is this… normal?

I stared at the earbud as I took it. It was spotless. So clean it might’ve been brand new.

“Go on, put it in,” Lyra said, her eyes meeting mine.
There was something in her gaze I couldn’t quite read.

“O-okay…”

And just like that, we found ourselves in a situation that would definitely be misunderstood from the outside.

If Noa saw us now…
She’d probably think I lied to her.