The school had already begun to quiet down as the sun dipped lower in the sky. Most students had left, leaving behind long, empty corridors filled with fading echoes of the day.
Minato Itsuki and Shin Hitori walked side by side toward the library, their footsteps soft against the floor.
Minato was talking, as usual.
"…and then he seriously thought the teacher wouldn't notice," he said, laughing lightly. "I mean, how dumb can you be?"
Shin walked beside him, his hands in his pockets, listening without much reaction.
"Hm," he replied faintly.
Minato glanced at him and smiled.
"You're not even listening, are you?"
"I am," Shin said calmly.
Minato let out a small breath, half amused, half used to it.
Their conversation drifted like that—simple, ordinary, nothing important.
Just everyday talk.
As they turned a corner, Minato suddenly slowed.
At the far end of the hallway, partially hidden near the window, a boy and a girl stood close together.
Too close.
Before Minato could react, the girl leaned forward—
and the boy met her halfway.
They kissed.
Minato quickly looked away, scratching his cheek awkwardly.
"Ah… let's just ignore that," he muttered.
But Shin didn't move.
He watched them for a brief moment, his expression unchanged.
Then, without looking at Minato, he spoke.
"Hey… do you really think something like love exists?"
Minato blinked.
"Huh?"
Shin's gaze remained steady.
"I think love is just a name people give to hide their desires," he said calmly. "To make them look better."
Minato stared at him for a second before frowning.
"Oh man… are you sure you're not mentally ill or something?" he said. "I mean… did you get dumped a lot or something?"
Shin slowly turned his head toward him.
His eyes were sharper than usual.
"I don't know if you're arrogant," he said quietly, "or just really dumb."
Minato stiffened slightly.
"You seriously think I'd talk about this because I got dumped?" Shin added, his tone colder.
"Oh… okay, okay," Minato said, raising his hands. "Relax."
A brief silence followed.
"But still," Minato said more seriously, "I don't think you've ever loved someone. Or even dated."
Shin didn't interrupt.
"So how can you say love doesn't exist?" Minato continued. "How can you say love and desire are the same? I think that's just your own thinking."
Shin listened to every word.
Then, after a moment—
"Then tell me," he said calmly.
Their steps slowed.
"If you love someone, you want to be with them forever, right? Whether they want it or not."
He glanced at Minato.
"Isn't that desire?"
Minato didn't answer.
"You want to kiss them, hold them, stay close to them."
A pause.
"Isn't that desire too?"
The hallway felt heavier.
"You want them to love you back."
Another pause.
"Even that… isn't it desire?"
Minato stood silent.
"Listen, Minato," Shin continued quietly, "we already know the truth deep down."
"We just don't want to accept it."
His gaze drifted forward.
"And think about this—if someone you loved died… would you keep their bones with you just because you loved them?"
The words lingered.
"Humans only have desires," Shin said softly. "Desire for beauty… desire for kindness…"
Then suddenly—
he went silent.
Minato walked beside him, unable to respond.
After a few seconds, he forced a small laugh.
"Ah… geez," he said. "You really are dumb."
For a brief moment, Shin looked at him—
and then let out a quiet chuckle.
The tension eased slightly as they reached the library doors.
And just like that, their ordinary conversation faded into silence as they stepped inside.
The library was quiet, filled with the soft rustling of pages and the faint glow of afternoon light slipping through the windows.
Minato Itsuki leaned back slightly in his chair, breaking the silence.
"You know," he said, lowering his voice, "next week our school is going to hold the festival. Our class is doing a horror house."
A small grin appeared on his face.
"I'm actually really excited for it."
For a moment, Shin Hitori didn't respond. His eyes remained on the book in front of him.
Then, without looking up, he spoke.
"You are… always."
Minato blinked.
"Huh?"
He stared at Shin, confused.
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" he asked.
Shin didn't answer. He simply turned another page.
A short silence followed.
Then Minato leaned forward slightly, a smile slowly spreading across his face.
"Ohh…"
He let out a quiet laugh.
"No way… I can't believe it."
He shook his head in amusement.
"So our little philosopher can make jokes too."
"Shut up," Shin said calmly. "This is a library."
Minato tried to hold it in, but a soft laugh escaped anyway.