Did I just saved her?

Today was my fourth day of high school.

…Four days.

And somehow, my life already felt completely different from before.

On the way to school, I spotted Tanaka-san walking ahead of me.

She noticed me first.

“Ohayou, Sato-kun.”

“O-Ohayou gozaimasu.”

…

Still smooth.

Why does my voice work properly around her?

Even now, I still didn’t understand it.

We entered the classroom together and sat down.

The morning lesson began normally.

Or at least… it started normally.

Tanaka-san was unusually quiet today.

Well, quieter than usual.

Her notebook was already open before class even started, and her pen kept moving nonstop.

Every few seconds, she whispered something under her breath.

Tiny murmurs.

Almost impossible to hear.

At first, I thought I was imagining it.

Then—

“…This lesson is so boring…”

The classroom went silent.

My eyes widened.

Tanaka-san froze.

The teacher slowly lowered the chalk.

“…Tanaka-san?”

The entire class turned toward her.

Even Tanaka-san herself looked shocked.

“N-No, I—”

Her voice stopped.

Her fingers tightened around her pen.

I could see panic spreading across her face.

“…Maybe she was reading from the textbook?” I blurted out suddenly.

The words escaped before I could stop them.

The teacher looked at me instead.

“…Reading?”

“Y-Yes…”

Please work.

Please don’t stutter now.

“She was probably reading quietly to herself…”

The teacher stared at both of us for a few seconds.

Then sighed.

“…Then keep your voices down during class.”

The lesson resumed.

The classroom returned to normal.

But Tanaka-san didn’t move.

She kept staring down at her notebook silently.

A few moments later—

“…Thank you,” she whispered softly.

I looked away immediately.

“N-No problem.”

Why was my heartbeat so loud?

The rest of the lesson felt strangely tense.

Not because of the teacher.

Because of her.

Tanaka-san wrote in her notebook almost constantly now.

Whenever her lips moved slightly, her pen moved too.

As if she was trying to trap her thoughts on paper before they escaped.

…

That sounded kind of terrifying.

The bell rang for recess.

The moment class ended, Tanaka-san quickly stood up and walked out of the room.

Alone.

Without saying anything.

I hesitated for a moment before following her.

Why am I following her?

That sounds creepy.

But…

She looked troubled.

I found her near the stairway window on the third floor.

Nobody else was there.

She stood quietly beside the window, notebook pressed against her chest.

The sunlight made her hair look strangely bright.

“…Tanaka-san?”

She jumped slightly before turning toward me.

“…Sato-kun?”

“…Are you okay?”

Why does that sound like such a generic question?

Of course she’s not okay.

She looked down awkwardly.

“…That was embarrassing.”

“…A little.”

“…A little?” she repeated.

“…Okay… very embarrassing.”

A small laugh escaped her mouth.

Just for a second.

And somehow, that made me feel relieved.

“…Usually I catch it before it happens,” she admitted quietly.

“…But today I wasn’t paying attention.”

I glanced toward the notebook in her arms.

“…So that’s why you write things down?”

She immediately hugged the notebook closer.

“…Y-Yes.”

“…Sorry. You don’t have to answer.”

“No… it’s okay.”

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

The hallway stayed quiet except for distant classroom noise downstairs.

Then—

“…You really helped me back there.”

“…I just panicked.”

“…Still.”

She looked toward the window.

“…Most people would think I’m weird.”

…

Well.

She IS weird.

But saying that out loud would probably end my life instantly.

“…You’re not weird,” I said instead.

The moment the words came out, I regretted them.

Too direct.

Too embarrassing.

But Tanaka-san only blinked quietly.

“…Thank you.”

My chest suddenly felt light.

Why?

Before I could think further, another student came up the stairs.

Tanaka-san immediately stepped back and lowered her head.

Her fingers tightened around the notebook again.

I noticed it instantly.

…

She’s scared someone might hear her thoughts.

The student passed by without noticing us.

Only after they disappeared did Tanaka-san relax slightly.

“…Does it happen often?” I asked carefully.

She stayed silent for a few seconds.

“…Sometimes.”

“…And when it does…”

She looked away.

“…People usually get uncomfortable.”

I didn’t know how to answer that.

Because honestly…

I probably would’ve reacted strangely too.

If this happened before meeting her.

The warning bell rang through the hallway.

“…We should go back,” she said softly.

We walked toward the classroom together.

Halfway there—

Her notebook suddenly slipped from under her arm.

“Oh—”

I caught it before it hit the floor.

For a split second, the notebook opened slightly.

Messy handwriting filled the page.

Fragments of thoughts.

Scattered sentences.

One line stood out accidentally.

“Why does talking to him feel easy?”

My eyes widened.

Tanaka-san immediately grabbed the notebook shut.

“…S-Sorry!” I said quickly.

“I-It’s okay—!”

No, it definitely wasn’t okay.

Her entire face turned red.

Mine probably did too.

The silence afterward felt unbearably awkward.

“…You didn’t read much, right?” she asked quietly.

“…N-No.”

That was technically true.

I only read one sentence.

Which somehow made it worse.

She stared at me suspiciously for a moment.

Then sighed softly.

“…Okay.”

We continued walking.

Neither of us spoke after that.

But strangely…

The silence didn’t feel heavy anymore.

Just awkward.

And somehow…

Comfortable too.