Something I Want to Understand

Mio’s head was somewhere else for the rest of the day.

Even as she walked down the hallway with Ren and Kenta, nodding along to their conversation, her mind kept drifting back to the courtyard. To the way Haru had looked at the sky. To how his expression seemed peaceful… and lonely at the same time.

“Earth to Mio,” Ren said, waving a hand in front of her face. “You’ve been spacing out all day.”

“Huh? Oh—sorry!” she laughed, scratching the back of her head. “I’m listening.”

Kenta tilted his head, studying her. “You sure? You’ve been staring at Kisaragi a lot.”

Her cheeks warmed instantly. “What? No I haven’t!”

They exchanged looks.

“She definitely has,” Ren said teasingly.

Mio crossed her arms. “I just—he’s interesting, okay?”

Ren hummed thoughtfully. “Well, if you’re curious… you should know he’s deaf.”

Mio stopped walking.

“…Deaf?”

“Yeah,” Kenta said. “We found out earlier. He uses hearing aids sometimes, but still—communication’s tough for him. Guess that’s why he keeps to himself.”

The hallway felt quieter all of a sudden.

Mio replayed every interaction in her head—the way Haru watched people’s faces carefully, how soft his voice had been when he spoke, how gentle his movements were.

Everything made sense now.

“…I didn’t know,” she said quietly.

Ren shrugged. “He’s a nice guy though. Just doesn’t open up easily.”

That night, Mio sat at her desk, laptop open, fingers hovering over the keyboard.

She typed slowly.

Sign language basics.

Images and videos filled the screen—hands moving, expressions shifting, meaning carried not by sound but by intention.

Mio leaned closer, eyes focused.

“So this is his world…” she whispered.

She practiced in front of the mirror, clumsy fingers forming shapes that felt unnatural at first.

Hello. Nice to meet you.

She laughed softly at herself when she messed up.

“This is harder than it looks…”

And yet, she didn’t stop.

She practiced until her arms felt tired, until the clock on her wall ticked past midnight.

Not because she had to.

…But because she wanted to.

Back in his room, Haru lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

He wondered if anyone would ever truly try to understand him.

Unaware that someone already was.