Chapter 6: Late Night Practice

Campus Confessions — Volume 1: The Secrets We Keep
By the time the lights dimmed, the gym was almost empty.“Last check,” Haruka said, clipboard under one arm. “Propsstored, banners rolled, and nothing flammable left behind. Onehour. Then I’m locking up.”Rurii raised a hand. “One hour’s plenty! We just have to testthe lighting.”Hina tilted her head. “And eat snacks.”“That too!” Rurii said proudly.Kazuki sighed, dragging a crate of wires to the center. “You callthis testing?”“Team bonding,” MeiMei corrected, tearing open a bag ofchips. “Psychological preparation for the festival.”Nao poked his head in through the door. “You do realize it’snearly nine p.m.?”Rurii waved. “We’re responsible adults!”“Technically college students,” Nao muttered, but he stayedanyway, leaning against the wall like a reluctant chaperone.---The Warm-Up ChaosThe projector flickered to life, casting warm light across the gymfloor. MeiMei immediately discovered that her shadow couldcover half the wall and began performing an impromptu shadowplay.“Look! I’m a giant squid of justice!”Hina was flipping through the stack of printed flyers. “Why dohalf of these have fortunes on them?”“Because,” MeiMei said, “our customers need hope withtheir photos.”Rurii groaned. “Can we please just finish assembling theframe?”Kazuki chuckled, tightening a bolt. “You said that an hourago.”“I mean it this time!”The projector buzzed, the sound echoing softly through thehalf-lit space. Somehow, the noise of laughter and light teasingmade the gym feel smaller—warmer.---The Snack Incident“Don’t eat near the equipment,” Haruka called from thehallway.MeiMei immediately took a bite. “Define ‘near.’”Nao crossed his arms. “Define ‘responsibility.’”“Wow,” Hina said, “you two sound like a married couple.”That earned simultaneous glares. Rurii snorted, almost chokingon her drink.Kazuki sat back against a crate, looking at the glowing outline ofthe half-built booth. “It’s actually coming together.”“Of course it is,” Rurii said. “We don’t losemomentum—we multiply it.”MeiMei: “Mathematically inaccurate but spiritually correct.”---The Bench TalkBy ten, the twins had wandered off, leaving only the soft hum ofthe exit sign above the door. Rurii sat on the bench, swinging herlegs. The last glow from the projector colored her face in faintamber.“Feels weird without the noise,” she said.“Peaceful,” Kazuki replied.“Boring. Peaceful’s just boring with better PR.”He laughed. “You can’t sit still for five minutes, can you?”“Not when the world’s still moving.”She leaned back on her hands, eyes half-closed. “You ever getscared you’ll run out of moments like this?”He hesitated. “Yeah. But I think that’s why we keep showingup.”For a second, neither spoke. Then she nudged his shoulder withhers, smiling softly.“You’re not as boring as you look, senpai.”“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”---The Hallway LightThe sound of footsteps echoed near the doorway. Haruka pausedthere, half in shadow, watching the two of them laugh quietly bythe dim projector light.She didn’t interrupt.Instead, she flipped the main switch off, leaving only the softemergency light running along the ceiling. The glow tracedRurii’s hair like gold, Kazuki’s outline calm beside her.For a moment, it felt like the entire gym was holding its breath.When Kazuki finally glanced toward the door, Haruka wasalready gone.Some nights are too short for how much they hold.

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