Chapter 12: — "When Old Wounds Spark" — [INTERLUDE]

The wind carried the faint scent of spring blossoms across the courtyard, rustling the leaves of the old tree near the benches. Sakura laughed, a soft, tinkling sound, as Ayaka nudged her playfully. They were sitting cross-legged on the ground, sharing snacks and sketches, the world around them temporarily forgotten.

Haruto leaned against the far side of the courtyard, his hands shoved into his jacket pockets. He wasn’t far enough to be invisible, but far enough to watch unnoticed, or so he thought. The laughter tugged at something in his chest. Happiness. For her. And yet, beneath it, an unfamiliar sting of jealousy pricked him.

Why is she laughing like that with Ayaka? he wondered. I should be the one making her laugh… I should be there…

It was ridiculous. He thought to himself. Haruto had no right to linger here in her new happy world. Not after all the years he had spent being someone she feared. 

Who am I kidding? I hurt her... she deserves happiness without me... Haruto thought, a small frown etching his face.

And yet, the pang persisted. He kept watching, quietly wishing he could be part of this small, fragile happiness she had found again.

Ayaka’s voice pulled Sakura closer to reality. “Wow... Sakura,” she said, tapping the sketchbook in her lap. “Your sketches are… I don't know what to say. You're actually improving. Keep it up, who knows maybe you'll win the art competition in art class?”

Sakura blushed, glancing down. “T-Thank you... but it’s just… practice. I doubt that I'll actually win the competition,” she murmured, though a little hope sparked inside of her.

Haruto’s eyes narrowed slightly. He could see the familiar flush of embarrassment, the delicate bite of uncertainty in her posture. And for a moment, he felt it again, that old, uneasy tension from the past, like a faint echo of who they used to be.

A shadow passed over the courtyard, and his attention snapped to the edge of the playground. Three figures leaned against the fence, smirking like predators circling a meal: Ren, Yuto, and Keigo. The sight was enough to make Haruto’s chest tighten.

You fuckers! You better not- he thought, though he didn’t move. Yet.

The boys’ whispers carried across the courtyard, just loud enough to reach Haruto.

“Look at her,” one of them sneered. “Laughing like nothing is about to happen. You think the idiot Haruto will notice?”

Another laughed, nudging his companion. “He’s not part of our little club anymore. Bet he’s just staring, all jealous and pathetic.”

Haruto’s fists clenched inside his pockets. The calm of the moment began to fray. Ayaka tilted her head, sensing the shift in energy. “Sakura… do you see them?” she asked gently.

Sakura’s eyes followed Ayaka’s, landing on the trio of boys leaning in with their mocking grins. Her stomach turned, a knot tightening inside her chest. N-no... p-please... I… I don’t want trouble today, she thought.

But trouble, as it often did, had a way of finding her.

The three bullies began walking toward them, their movements deliberate, confident. Haruto’s jaw tightened further, and a low, unspoken warning filled his gaze as he tracked their approach.

“Hey,” one of the bullies called out, voice dripping with false sweetness. “Remember us, little crybaby?”

The laughter that followed was cruel, ringing across the courtyard like an alarm. Ayaka stood a little taller, protective instinct rising, while Sakura’s hands tightened around her sketchbook.

Haruto took a step forward, just enough to make his presence known, but careful not to reveal the full storm brewing inside him.

You fucking--  he thought. YOU BETTER NOT LAY A FINGER ON HER!

The three smirks were enough to remind him of everything he had left behind, the old rivalries, the mistakes, the pain. And yet, beneath it all, the protective spark for Sakura was undeniable.

The tension in the courtyard thickened like the calm before a storm, every student’s gaze unknowingly waiting for the spark that would set everything in motion.

And somewhere inside him, Haruto knew: that spark was about to ignite.