Did she just said something?

It was the third day.

I headed to school as usual.

…Well, not really “usual.”

It was only my third day, after all.

On the way, I ran into Tanaka-ch—

…I mean, Tanaka-san.

“Ohayou, Sato-kun,” she said.

“…O-Ohayou gozaimasu,” I replied.

…

Wait.

That was normal.

Too normal.

For some reason, something felt different today.

We entered the classroom and sat in our usual seats.

The room looked the same as always, yet the atmosphere felt strangely off.

I glanced toward Tanaka-san.

She adjusted her hair and quietly whispered something to herself.

I couldn’t hear the words.

But for some reason, it bothered me.

A few moments later, she glanced at me briefly before returning to her notebook as if nothing had happened.

The teacher began the lesson, but my attention kept drifting back toward her.

Why was she whispering?

Was it about me?

Was it about yesterday’s broccoli incident?

Was it about “Fe” being confusing?

Was it about me being an astronaut?

…

Okay, where did that come from?

Probably the ISS this time.

Tanaka-san’s lips moved again.

Quietly.

Barely audible.

No one else seemed to notice.

It was just me, watching her while feeling like I had stumbled onto something I wasn’t supposed to see.

The teacher’s voice faded into background noise.

My eyes drifted toward Tanaka-san once more.

She was writing something in her notebook calmly.

As if nothing unusual had happened.

…

Was I imagining things?

No.

I definitely heard her whispering.

I leaned forward slightly, trying to catch a glimpse of what she was writing.

Just a little closer—

She suddenly closed the notebook.

…

That was fast.

“…What was that?” I wondered.

Was she hiding something?

No… that would be weird.

It’s not like we’re that close.

Right?

Tanaka-san slowly turned toward me.

Our eyes met.

I froze instantly.

“…Sato-kun?” she asked softly.

My mind went blank.

Again.

“Ah—I—I w-was just—”

…

Nothing came out properly.

She stared at me for a moment.

Then—

She smiled.

“Trying to peek?”

“I—N-no!” I answered too quickly.

Great.

Now it definitely sounded like I was trying to peek.

Tanaka-san tilted her head slightly.

“…Really?”

Why was she looking at me like that?

It felt like she already knew the answer.

“I-I was just looking outside,” I said, pointing awkwardly toward the window.

There was nothing there except the sky.

“…I see.”

She turned back toward her desk.

But this time, she didn’t reopen the notebook.

The silence between us felt strange.

Not uncomfortable.

Just… unusual.

A few moments passed.

Then—

“…Sato-kun.”

“…Y-Yes?”

“…You were looking at me.”

…

Direct hit.

“I-I wasn’t!”

She blinked slowly.

“…Then why did you stop talking when I looked at you?”

…

Because I can only speak properly when you’re paying attention to me.

“…I just didn’t know what to say,” I muttered quietly.

For a moment, she didn’t respond.

She simply looked at me.

Carefully.

As if she was trying to understand something.

Then—

She smiled again.

“…You’re interesting, Sato-kun.”

Interesting?

What does that even mean?

Before I could think further, she finally reopened her notebook.

“…Don’t worry,” she said softly.

“…I won’t tell anyone.”

…

Tell?

Tell what?

I stared at her in confusion.

But she said nothing else.

She simply continued writing as if the conversation had never happened.

…

What was that supposed to mean?

The recess bell rang through the classroom.

I glanced toward Tanaka-san again.

And then—

She whispered something quietly to herself once more.

This time, I definitely heard it.

A faint voice.

Soft enough that nobody else noticed.

Suddenly, she looked at me.

“…Did you hear something?” she asked.

…

What kind of question was that?

“I—What?”

“…Never mind,” she replied quickly, looking away.

That answer only made me more suspicious.

Why ask if it was nothing?

And why did she suddenly seem nervous?

My chest tightened slightly.

Not because I was scared.

But because it felt like I was missing something important.

Tanaka-san stood up from her seat.

“…I’ll be back,” she said casually.

Before I could answer, she walked out of the classroom.

I stared at the door after it closed.

“…What is going on?”

Morning slowly became afternoon.

And afternoon became evening.

Before I realized it, the final class had ended.

As I packed my books into my bag, I glanced toward Tanaka-san again.

She looked completely normal.

Too normal.

No.

Something was definitely strange today.

“…Umm, Tanaka-san?” I called out quietly.

She flinched slightly before turning toward me.

“…What?”

I hesitated.

My throat tightened.

Say it.

Just ask her.

“Y-you’ve been acting strange since morning…”

“…Is something wrong?”

For a moment, she froze.

The classroom suddenly felt painfully quiet.

Then—

“…He’s kind… why can’t you just answer him properly, Aoi-chan…”

…

That wasn’t a whisper.

My eyes widened.

“…Tanaka-san?”

She immediately covered her mouth.

Too late.

“…D-did you just say something?” I asked slowly.

Her hands trembled slightly.

“…You heard that?”

“…Yeah.”

She lowered her gaze.

“…I didn’t want you to hear that.”

A few seconds passed in silence.

Then, quietly—

“…Sometimes… my thoughts come out before I can stop them.”

I stayed silent.

“…So I whisper them instead.”

She held her notebook tightly against her chest.

“…Or write them down.”

Now everything finally made sense.

The whispers.

The notebook.

Everything.

“…So that’s why…”

She looked at me again.

This time, she wasn’t smiling.

“…Please don’t tell anyone, Sato-kun.”

…

“I won’t.”

For the first time that day, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

“…Thank you.”

We left the classroom together afterward.

Neither of us spoke much while walking home.

But strangely…

The silence between us didn’t feel awkward anymore.