"…Takamura?"
Yui Takamura stood right in front of Kentarou after bumping into him near the entrance of the mall.
For a moment—
Both of them simply stared at each other.
Then Yui slowly looked downward.
Toward the paper bag in Kentarou's hand.
A suspicious smile immediately appeared on her face.
"…What's that?"
Kentarou instantly moved the bag slightly behind him.
"…Nothing."
"That reaction already makes it suspicious."
"It's seriously nothing."
"Then show me."
"No."
Yui narrowed her eyes dramatically.
"…Kentarou."
"…What?"
"Are you secretly buying gifts for girls now?"
"…No."
"You hesitated."
"I didn't."
"You absolutely did."
Kentarou immediately looked away.
Unfortunately—
That only made him look guiltier.
Yui suddenly gasped dramatically while placing one hand near her chest.
"No way…"
"…What now?"
"Is my quiet classmate finally in love?"
"…You're overreacting."
"Then prove it."
"…How?"
"Give the gift to me."
Kentarou blinked once.
"…What?"
Yui crossed her arms proudly.
"If it's not for another girl, then giving it to me shouldn't be a problem."
"That logic makes no sense."
"It makes perfect sense."
"It really doesn't."
Yui laughed softly after seeing Kentarou become visibly uncomfortable.
Honestly—
Teasing him was surprisingly fun.
Especially because Kentarou reacted to everything so seriously.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou internally felt like escaping the situation immediately.
Why today of all days…
Yui suddenly stepped slightly closer.
Then pointed toward the paper bag again.
"…So?"
"…So what?"
"Who's it for?"
"No one."
"Kentarou."
"What?"
"You're terrible at lying."
Silence.
Kentarou quietly accepted defeat internally.
"…It's a birthday gift."
Yui's eyes widened slightly.
"Ohhh?"
Now she looked even more interested.
"For who?"
"…I'm not telling you."
"A girl?"
Silence.
Yui immediately grinned.
"A GIRL."
"…Keep your voice down."
"No way. This is historical."
"It's not historical."
"You? Buying jewelry for a girl?"
"…It's not jewelry."
"…Then what is it?"
Kentarou froze for half a second.
Too late.
Yui noticed immediately.
"…It IS jewelry."
"…Takamura."
"Yes?"
"…Please stop."
That only made her laugh harder.
"You're actually cute when you're nervous."
Kentarou looked genuinely tired now.
"…I regret meeting you here."
"Aww."
Yui smiled mischievously.
"Now I'm definitely curious."
She then slowly walked around him once dramatically like a detective inspecting a criminal.
"…Who could it be?"
"Stop acting weird."
"Is she from our school?"
"No comment."
"Your class?"
"No comment."
"Another section?"
"No comment."
"Older woman?"
"…What?"
"I'm investigating."
"You're hallucinating."
Yui laughed again.
Then suddenly—
She tilted her head slightly.
"…Wait."
Kentarou's heartbeat rose slightly for no reason.
"You've been smiling more recently."
"…Huh?"
"At school too."
Yui looked at him carefully now.
"Usually you look like life already defeated you."
"…That's rude."
"But recently…"
She paused for a moment.
Then smiled faintly.
"You look happier."
Kentarou became silent.
Because surprisingly—
She wasn't wrong.
The recent days with Violet…
Really had changed him little by little.
Yui noticed his silence and smirked again.
"…Definitely a girl."
"…You're annoying."
"Thank you."
The evening breeze passed softly between them.
People continued walking around the busy streets outside the mall.
Then Yui suddenly pointed toward a nearby café.
"Buy me coffee and I'll stop investigating."
"…That sounds like blackmail."
"It is blackmail."
"…You admit it openly?"
"I respect honesty."
Kentarou sighed quietly.
"…Fine."
Yui smiled victoriously.
"Nice."
Then both of them slowly started walking toward the café nearby.
The café was quieter than Kentarou expected.
Soft music played in the background while people quietly talked around them.
Kentarou sat near the window with a cold coffee in front of him.
Meanwhile—
Yui Takamura looked completely relaxed.
Almost too relaxed.
She rested her chin on her hand while staring directly at Kentarou with a teasing smile.
"…So."
Kentarou already looked tired.
"…What now?"
"You still haven't told me her name."
"I never said there was a 'her.'"
"You bought a necklace."
"That proves nothing."
"Kentarou."
"What?"
"You literally look like a male lead from a romance manga right now."
"…Please stop talking."
Yui laughed softly before taking another sip of coffee.
Honestly—
Watching Kentarou struggle to hide his emotions was entertaining.
Because despite trying to act calm—
Everything showed clearly on his face.
Especially whenever the topic became personal.
Meanwhile—
Outside the café—
Someone was quietly watching them from a distance.
A boy.
Wearing the same school uniform as Kentarou.
He stood near a vending machine while looking toward the café window.
"…Interesting."
A faint grin appeared on his face.
From his angle—
Kentarou and Yui looked exactly like a couple.
Sitting together.
Drinking coffee.
Talking alone after school.
The boy slowly took out his phone.
Then—
Click.
A photo was taken.
The image clearly captured Kentarou sitting across from Yui inside the café.
The boy looked at the photo for a second.
Then smirked slightly.
"…This might be fun."
He quickly tapped on his phone again.
Sending the picture to someone.
A few seconds later—
He raised the phone near his ear after making a call.
"Yo."
A pause.
Then the boy laughed quietly.
"Check the photo I just sent."
Another pause.
"…Looks interesting, right?"
His grin slowly widened.
"Seems like our quiet guy has been hiding things."
—
Meanwhile—
Inside the café—
Kentarou remained completely unaware.
"…Why are you smiling like that?" he asked suspiciously.
Yui looked innocent immediately.
"Like what?"
"Like you're planning something."
"I'm always planning something."
"That's terrifying."
"Thank you."
Kentarou sighed quietly again.
For some reason—
Talking with Yui was exhausting.
But strangely comfortable at the same time.
—
Later that evening—
Kentarou finally returned home.
The house felt peaceful and quiet.
After changing clothes—
He carefully took out the small necklace box from the paper bag.
For a few seconds—
He simply stared at it silently.
The silver moon-shaped pendant reflected softly beneath the room light.
"…Hopefully she likes it."
His voice was almost a whisper.
Then carefully—
He opened one of his table drawers and placed the necklace safely inside.
As if protecting something precious.
Kentarou slowly closed the drawer afterward.
Then he sat down near his desk.
His phone screen lit up.
The webnovel app opened automatically.
"…Might as well write."
Whenever his thoughts became too noisy—
Writing helped him calm down.
The keyboard sounds slowly filled the quiet room.
Line after line.
Word after word.
Meanwhile—
Outside the window—
Night slowly covered the city of Seoul.
And unknowingly—
Something small had already started moving around Kentarou.
A rumor.
A misunderstanding.
Or maybe—
The beginning of another complication in his life.
____________________________
Lunch break.
The classroom was noisier than usual.
Students talked loudly with their friends while some moved between classes carrying lunch boxes and drinks.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou and Senku sat near the back window side as usual.
Senku was eating bread lazily while staring at Kentarou suspiciously.
"…You've been smiling too much recently."
Kentarou immediately looked away.
"I don't smile that much."
"You literally smiled while looking at milk yesterday."
"…That never happened."
"It absolutely happened."
Senku narrowed his eyes dramatically.
Then suddenly—
"…You're in love, aren't you?"
Silence.
For the first time—
Kentarou didn't deny it immediately.
Senku slowly lowered the bread in his hand.
"…Wait."
Another silence.
Then Kentarou quietly spoke.
"…There's someone."
Senku's eyes widened instantly.
"NO WAY."
"Keep your voice down."
"YOU? LIKING SOMEONE?"
"Senku."
"This is the biggest event of the year."
Kentarou sighed tiredly.
"…Can you calm down?"
"No."
Senku moved his chair closer immediately.
"Tell me everything."
Kentarou hesitated for a moment.
Then quietly—
He finally started explaining.
About Violet.
How she lived in Japan.
How he had liked her since grade 7.
How she recently came to Seoul again.
The rain scene.
The family visits.
The shopping mall.
The necklace.
Everything.
Meanwhile—
Senku listened silently for once.
Surprisingly seriously.
Then after hearing everything—
He slowly leaned back.
"…You're cooked."
Kentarou looked offended.
"…What kind of advice is that?"
"You're DEEPLY in love."
"…Maybe."
"Not maybe. Definitely."
Senku looked genuinely impressed now.
"Our antisocial Kentarou buying necklaces for girls…"
"…Stop repeating that."
Then suddenly—
The classroom door opened loudly.
Everyone's attention shifted immediately.
A boy entered the classroom.
Tall.
Intimidating.
Sharp eyes.
Kang Tae-joon.
From another section.
The noisy atmosphere inside the class instantly became quieter.
Without saying a word—
Tae-joon walked straight toward a boy sitting near Senku.
Then—
THUD.
He punched the boy directly.
The chair nearly fell backward.
The entire classroom froze.
"W-What the hell?!"
"What happened?!"
"Why did he hit him?!"
The boy held his face in shock while Tae-joon stared down at him coldly.
No explanation.
No shouting.
Nothing.
Just silence.
Kentarou watched everything quietly from nearby.
His expression slowly hardened.
For a moment—
He almost stood up.
But controlled himself.
Meanwhile—
At the back side of the classroom—
Yui Takamura was also watching silently.
Her expression unusually serious now.
The classroom quickly filled with whispers and gossip.
"What happened?"
"Did they fight?"
"Did that guy do something?"
"No idea…"
Then—
Tae-joon suddenly turned.
And walked toward Kentarou.
The whispers immediately became louder.
"…Why's he going to Kentarou?"
"Do they know each other?"
"No way…"
Meanwhile—
Kentarou calmly looked at him without moving.
Tae-joon stopped directly in front of him.
"…Come outside for a second."
His voice was calm.
Not threatening.
Not friendly either.
Kentarou quietly stood up.
The classroom became completely silent as both of them walked outside.
—
The hallway felt quieter.
Tae-joon leaned slightly against the wall before taking out his phone.
Then he showed something to Kentarou.
A photo.
The café.
Kentarou sitting with Yui Takamura.
Kentarou's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Where did you get this?"
Tae-joon ignored the question.
Instead—
He calmly spoke.
"Keep your distance from Yui Takamura."
Silence.
Kentarou looked at him quietly.
No fear.
No anger.
Just calm silence.
Tae-joon continued staring at him for a few seconds.
Then sighed softly.
"…You're seriously hard to read."
Still—
Kentarou said nothing.
Tae-joon placed his phone back into his pocket.
Then before leaving—
He spoke once more.
"I'm saying this because it's you."
With that—
He walked away calmly toward his own class.
Leaving Kentarou alone in the hallway.
—
After school—
The orange evening sunlight covered the school entrance.
Students slowly returned home while talking loudly with friends.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou quietly walked toward the exit gate alone.
Then suddenly—
"Kentarou!"
A familiar voice called from behind.
Kentarou turned.
Then immediately—
"…Gen?"
A boy with wolf-cut hair walked toward him casually with one hand inside his pocket.
Takahashi Gen.
Grade 9.
Kentarou's cousin brother.
"…You came to school today?"
Kentarou asked.
Gen shrugged casually.
"Half day."
"That still counts as school?"
"It counts enough."
Then suddenly—
A smaller voice appeared nearby.
"GEN!"
Kenta ran toward them happily.
Gen immediately rubbed Kenta's hair roughly.
"You got shorter."
"That's impossible!"
"It happened somehow."
Kentarou sighed quietly.
"…Don't bully him."
"It builds character."
The three of them slowly started walking home together.
On the way—
They entered a supermarket nearby.
Gen immediately grabbed snacks randomly from shelves while Kenta followed him excitedly.
"You're buying too much,"
Kentarou said.
Gen shrugged.
"I'm hungry."
"You're always hungry."
"That's because I train."
"That excuse makes no sense."
A few minutes later—
They finally returned home.
Kentarou unlocked the front door himself.
The quiet house immediately revealed that nobody was home yet.
Kentarou's parents were still at work.
Gen casually dropped himself onto the sofa while Kentarou went upstairs to change clothes.
Meanwhile—
Kenta had already opened snacks aggressively.
"…At least wait for us," Gen laughed.
Some time later—
The three of them sat together in the living room eating snacks peacefully.
The atmosphere felt natural.
Comfortable.
Like brothers.
Time slowly passed.
Then suddenly—
Gen casually spoke while looking at the TV.
"Oh right."
Kentarou looked toward him.
"Mrs. Kubo came to our house earlier."
Kentarou blinked once.
"…Really?"
"Yeah."
Gen grabbed another snack lazily.
Then casually asked:
"Mrs. Kubo's elder daughter…"
A small pause.
"…Is she a grade 9 student?"
Kentarou became strangely alert immediately.
Gen continued casually.
"I forgot to ask her name."
Silence.
A very small silence.
But somehow—
Kentarou suddenly felt something unpleasant inside his chest for the very first time.