Chapter 11: The Things We Don't Say
The piece of paper felt strangely heavy in Ryugen's hand.
The café around him was filled with quiet conversations, the clinking of cups, and the soft melody playing through hidden speakers, yet for a moment all of it seemed distant.
His eyes remained fixed on the words.
The handwriting was neat.
Careful.
Almost delicate.
Not the kind of writing someone used when taking notes.
The kind they used when writing something important.
Something personal.
Something they didn't want anyone else to see.
Ryugen frowned slightly.
The words themselves weren't strange.
What was strange was what they represented.
Dreams.
Future wishes.
Things someone hoped would happen someday.
Things they wanted to become reality.
He stared at the paper for another second.
Then another.
A thought quietly surfaced.
Who writes things like this?
Before he could read further—
A shadow fell across the table.
Ryugen looked up.
Naomi had returned.
The moment her eyes landed on the paper in his hand, her expression changed.
Not dramatically.
But enough.
Her calm face froze.
Just slightly.
Then she moved.
Quickly.
She reached forward and took the paper from his hand.
Almost too quickly.
"You didn't read it, right?"
Her voice sounded normal.
Too normal.
The kind of normal people use when they're nervous.
Ryugen looked at her.
Then at the folded paper now safely hidden in her hands.
"Maybe."
Naomi's eyes widened for half a second.
Then she looked away.
"...Forget about it."
A small pause.
"Let's go."
Ryugen studied her quietly.
For some reason, he felt that asking about the paper would only make things awkward.
And Naomi looked like she desperately wanted the topic to disappear.
So he nodded.
"Yeah."
Neither of them brought it up again.
The evening air felt cool as they walked back toward Sakura Heights.
The city lights glowed softly around them.
Cars passed occasionally.
People talked.
Restaurants bustled.
Yet somehow the silence between them felt comfortable.
Not empty.
Comfortable.
Naomi walked beside him, occasionally glancing at the road ahead.
Ryugen kept his hands in his pockets.
Thinking.
About the paper.
About Naomi.
About the strange expression she had made.
He didn't understand it.
Then again—
He rarely understood things involving emotions.
Algorithms were easier.
People weren't.
Eventually they reached Sakura Heights.
The familiar building stood quietly beneath the night sky.
They entered.
The elevator arrived with a soft chime.
Neither spoke.
When they reached the fourth floor, Ryugen led Naomi toward the spare room.
He opened the door.
The room wasn't large.
But it was clean.
A bed.
A desk.
A bookshelf.
A window facing the city.
"It isn't much," Ryugen said.
Naomi looked around.
"It's nice."
Ryugen nodded.
"For now..."
He placed the spare key on the desk.
"This is your room."
For a brief moment Naomi simply stared at him.
Then a small smile appeared.
A genuine one.
Not the polite smile she usually wore.
"...Thank you."
Ryugen looked away.
"It would be troublesome if you had nowhere to stay."
Naomi laughed softly.
"You're really bad at accepting gratitude."
"I know."
For some reason, that made her smile even more.
The next few days passed surprisingly normally.
They left for college together occasionally.
Sometimes separately.
Neither of them treated the situation as something unusual.
And because of that—
It somehow became natural.
Almost as if it had always been this way.
The next morning, Ryugen entered the classroom and immediately noticed something unusual.
Shin.
The boy was sitting quietly.
Actually quiet.
No jokes.
No complaints.
No dramatic stories.
Just—
Reading.
Focused.
Completely absorbed in a book.
Ryugen stopped beside his desk.
"What are you doing?"
Shin looked up.
His face immediately brightened.
"Buddy!"
He closed the book.
"Good morning."
Ryugen sat down.
"How's your day?"
Shin asked.
"It's good."
A pause.
"What are you reading?"
Shin raised the book dramatically.
"A novel."
Ryugen blinked.
"A novel."
"Yes."
"You?"
"Yes."
"You voluntarily chose to read?"
Shin placed a hand over his chest.
"That hurts."
Ryugen nodded.
"It should."
Shin groaned.
"You know, one day you'll become funny."
"I hope not."
Shin laughed loudly.
Then Ryugen glanced around the classroom.
Something felt off.
The professor wasn't there.
Neither was anyone preparing for class.
"Why hasn't class started?"
Shin leaned back.
"Oh."
He pointed toward the front.
"Professor's on leave today."
Ryugen blinked.
"Really?"
"Really."
"And nobody told me."
"You don't check the class group."
"I muted it."
"Exactly."
Ryugen nodded.
Fair point.
A few minutes later he stood up.
"I'm going to the library."
Shin waved lazily.
"Have fun, bookworm."
The library was one of Ryugen's favorite places on campus.
Quiet.
Organized.
Predictable.
Everything he liked.
As he pushed open the door, he immediately noticed something surprising.
Nobody was there.
Not a single student.
Not even the usual first-years pretending to study.
The entire place was empty.
Rows and rows of books stretched across the room.
Silent.
Peaceful.
Ryugen stood there for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"No one here."
A pause.
"This is heaven."
The librarian glanced at him strangely.
Ryugen ignored it.
A few minutes later he found a seat near the window.
Sunlight streamed through the glass.
Dust particles floated lazily through the air.
The entire room felt calm.
Perfect.
His eyes wandered across the shelves.
Eventually he selected a book.
The title immediately caught his attention.
How to Reduce Laziness
Ryugen stared at it.
Then nodded.
"This should be useful for Shin."
He sat down and began reading.
The pages turned slowly.
The silence deepened.
For the first time all day—
His mind relaxed.
No mysterious notes.
No room searches.
No strange incidents.
Just a book.
And quiet.
Exactly how he liked it.
Time passed.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Twenty.
The library remained completely empty.
Ryugen continued reading.
Occasionally taking notes.
Occasionally judging the author's life choices.
Then—
He felt something.
A presence.
Someone had entered.
The sound was almost nonexistent.
Soft footsteps.
Slow.
Careful.
Ryugen looked up.
Nobody.
Strange.
He returned to reading.
A minute later—
The chair opposite him moved slightly.
His eyes narrowed.
Had someone sat down?
He couldn't tell from his angle.
The bookshelf blocked part of his view.
He was about to check when—
Two hands suddenly covered his eyes from behind.
Everything went dark.
Warm fingers.
Soft touch.
A familiar scent.
And then—
A voice.
Playful.
Dangerously close.
"Guess who I am."
Ryugen froze.
The book slipped slightly from his hand.
His heartbeat unexpectedly skipped once.
The library remained silent.
The hands didn't move.
The voice waited.
Patiently.
For his answer.
And somehow—
Ryugen had a feeling that whoever was standing behind him...
Was about to make his peaceful day a lot more complicated.
(To Be Continued...)