Chapter 12 — SECRET SKETCHES

The classroom smelled faintly of pencil shavings and warm sunlight slipping through the tall windows. Jinsei had arrived early, lingering near the back while most of the students filed in slowly. He wasn’t exactly sure why he’d come this early, except that his mind had been replaying yesterday’s quiet conversation with Akane—the way she had let him in just a little, enough to notice her vulnerability without needing words.

He found her sitting near the window, sketchbook open, back straight but relaxed. Her hair caught the morning light, and for a moment he simply watched, trying not to stare.

Akane seemed completely absorbed in her work, unaware that he had arrived. Jinsei’s curiosity got the better of him; he leaned slightly closer, peering at the page she had drawn.

It was him.

Not exactly in detail, but unmistakably. The figure was quiet, thoughtful, sketching at the edge of a desk. The lines were delicate, almost ethereal, capturing a stillness Jinsei hadn’t realized she had noticed about him.

He froze.

She didn’t know he could see it.

She’s… drawing me?

He felt a strange warmth rise in his chest, a mix of embarrassment and admiration. She had captured something so simple, so quietly familiar—something that only someone paying attention would notice.

Akane’s pencil paused mid-stroke, and she frowned slightly, muttering under her breath. Jinsei wondered what thoughts ran through her head. She’s so meticulous… even when she draws me.

Not wanting to startle her, he cleared his throat softly.

“Good morning,” he said.

Akane’s head shot up, eyes wide. The blush that spread across her cheeks wasn’t subtle—it was vivid, uncontainable. “J-Jinsei! I… I didn’t see you there!”

He held his hands up, stepping back slightly. “It’s okay. I just… noticed your drawing.”

Her eyes darted to the sketchbook, then back at him. “I—It’s… nothing special,” she stammered, flipping the page quickly as if to hide it.

Jinsei smiled gently. “It’s… more than nothing. You notice things. You notice me.”

She froze, her lips parting slightly, a faint shiver running through her. “I… I didn’t mean to… I mean, I didn’t think you’d notice…”

He shook his head, softly. “I notice. I notice everything you do.”

For a moment, the room felt suspended, the sunlight warm against their skin, the soft scratch of pencil on paper almost a heartbeat. Akane’s blush deepened, and she looked down, pretending to focus on her sketchbook. But Jinsei could see her fingers trembling slightly as she gripped her pencil.

“You draw… beautifully,” he said quietly, his voice low but steady. “You see the little things everyone else misses.”

She finally looked at him, and for a moment, the walls she kept around herself seemed to soften. Her eyes flickered with vulnerability, and Jinsei felt an ache in his chest—something protective, something tender.

“I… I guess I like to notice,” she admitted, voice barely above a whisper. “Even if no one else does.”

He nodded, understanding more than she said. “I notice you,” he said simply, and it wasn’t playful or teasing—it was honest.

She froze again, a deep flush spreading across her face. For a moment, she didn’t speak, just looked at him, the weight of her gaze softening with a faint, unspoken understanding.

Finally, she whispered, almost to herself, “Maybe… it’s not so bad to be noticed.”

Jinsei smiled softly, heart beating a little faster. Noticed… by me.

The bell rang, breaking the quiet tension, and students began filing into the classroom. Akane quickly closed her sketchbook, her blush still lingering, and walked to her seat with a careful grace. Jinsei followed, keeping a careful distance but feeling the warmth of the connection still between them.

All day, he couldn’t shake the image of her sketch—the quiet way she had drawn him, the gentle, almost shy attention she had paid. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the soft pencil lines, the slight tilt of her head, and the way her eyes lingered on the page with care.

It wasn’t a confession, not yet. But it was something else—something quieter, something that whispered of feelings growing slowly, patiently, like a lantern in the dark waiting to glow.

And Jinsei realized, with a warmth he couldn’t quite describe, that he wanted to be seen by her in the same way.