Reikou walked out of the school gates, his silhouette shrinking against the autumn horizon. Inside the classroom, Meiyu watched him until he vanished. Her heart was hammering against her ribs, a frantic rhythm that felt like a trapped bird.
‘Stop him, Meiyu! Go after him!’ her heart screamed.
But her feet were rooted to the floor. Her voice was locked behind the titanium doors of her family’s protocols. She stood in a trance of indecision, a princess trapped in a tower of her own making.
"SEE?! Because of you, this happened!"
Kiyoshi’s roar broke the silence. He had Kaoru by the collar, his knuckles white. Kaoru didn't even try to break the grip. He just stared at Kiyoshi with eyes as cold as a winter grave.
"So what?" Kaoru whispered. "I didn't throw the punch. He did."
"STOP!" Yinglan-sensei’s voice boomed. "Kiyoshi, do you want to join him in suspension? Enough!"
As Sensei left, the classroom began to reset. The "normal" students went back to their gossip, laughing as if a boy’s future hadn't just been derailed. Kiyoshi slumped into his seat, his head in his hands. "I hate him," he hissed. "I should have let Reikou finish him."
Yueko placed a hand on his shoulder, her touch a silent anchor. Meanwhile, Kaoru walked past Meiyu. He didn't stop, but as he passed, he leaned toward her ear, his voice a poisonous thread.
"Just watch," he whispered. "This is only the beginning."
Outside, as Reikou stepped onto the sidewalk, he found a familiar figure waiting. Akihiro-san the handler, stood by the black sedan. For the first time, he had removed his sunglasses.
His eyes weren't cold today. They were tired filled with a silent, desperate request. He didn't speak, but his gaze said what Meiyu couldn't Don't give up on her. Only you can break this cycle.
Reikou didn't answer. He couldn't. He just walked toward his house, the weight of the suspension notice heavy in his pocket. Akihiro-san watched him go, slowly sliding his goggles back on.
While the school buzzed with the drama, Shiori was still searching for her childhood friend. She checked the cafeteria, the rooftop, and the gym, but Ryuuto was nowhere to be found.
On a whim, she peeked into the library. There, tucked away in the back corner, sat the boy she thought she knew everything about.
He was hunched over a book, flipping pages with a gentleness she had never seen. Shiori walked up and peered over his shoulder.
"Why are you reading a romance novel?"
Ryuuto jumped, nearly dropping the book. "Hehh?! Oh, it’s you, Shiori-chan"
Shiori sat across from him, eyeing the cover. "Silence Between Our Hearts."
"I love romance novels," Ryuuto said, his voice dropping into a soft, elegant register. Gone was the loud, crying "Duffer." In his place was someone... beautiful.
"And romance anime, too."
"Why?" Shiori asked, genuinely curious.
Ryuuto looked at the cover, his fingers tracing the title. "Because they hold emotions I’ve never felt in real life. They let me experience love and heartbreak in a way reality can't. It's a world where feelings are deeper... where love isn't just a fleeting dream."
He leaned back, his gaze drifting from the book to Shiori's face. The library was silent, the only sound the ticking of the wall clock.
"Shiori-chan..." he whispered, "Can someone ever feel love for me? Or... can I ever feel that for someone else?"
The air in the library suddenly felt thick. The gravity between them shifted. Shiori looked into his eyes and saw a soul that was far more complex than the "idiot" she had grown up with. She rested her cheek on her hand, her heart beginning to race.
"One day," she whispered, "someone will really love you."
"Oh? Who?" Ryuuto asked, tilting his head.
Shiori smiled softly, her eyes locked onto his. "Someone who thinks your smile is the most beautiful thing they've ever seen. Someone who memorizes the way your eyes light up when you talk about the things you love. Someone who can't help but look at you... even when they know they shouldn't."
The world outside the library faded away. In that small corner of the school, two childhood friends were finally starting to see each other for the first time.
[End of Chapter 24]
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