Something I want to understand

Mio didn’t notice when Haru stopped being “the quiet boy in her class.”

It happened slowly, in pieces too small to point to.

She noticed the way he always waited until others finished speaking before responding, even when it wasn’t necessary. How he angled his body subtly so he could see faces better. How his expressions were softer when he thought no one was watching.

She told herself she was only observant.

That she’d always been like this.

During lunch one afternoon, Kenta said something animated—too fast, too loud. Haru blinked, missed it, then smiled politely anyway. Mio caught it this time. The way his smile lingered a second too long, as if he were stitching together meaning after the conversation had already moved on.

Her chest tightened.

That must be tiring.

Later, during group work, Haru laughed.

Not loudly. Not fully.

Just a breath of sound, like it slipped past him before he could stop it.

Mio froze mid-sentence.

She stared—not because it was surprising, but because it was… gentle. His expression changed when he laughed. Like something careful unwound itself.

I want to see that again, she thought.

The thought lingered longer than it should have.

That night, Mio lay on her bed with her phone on her chest, the glowing screen reflecting softly against the ceiling. A sign language video played in the background, the instructor’s hands moving in smooth, deliberate motions.

Mio wasn’t watching.

Her thoughts circled back to Haru—how he’d smiled, how relaxed he’d looked for just a moment.

“Why am I thinking about this?” she murmured.

She paused the video and sat up, hugging her knees to her chest.

“I just want to understand him better,” she said out loud, as if grounding herself.

The explanation sounded reasonable. Sensible.

But her heart didn’t slow down.

Mio looked at her hands, then lifted them hesitantly, signing hello into the quiet air of her room. The motion felt awkward—and weirdly important.

She laughed quietly at herself, shaking her head. “Get it together, Mio.”

Still, when she lay back down, she restarted the video.

This time, she paid attention.