The final bell echoed through the school building.
Students immediately started leaving their classrooms loudly like always.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou quietly packed his bag near the window side seat.
But unlike yesterday—
He couldn't stop thinking about one thing.
"…Violet."
Gen's voice from yesterday still replayed inside his mind clearly.
"Violet."
Just remembering it made his chest feel uncomfortable again.
—
A few minutes later—
Kentarou exited the school building.
And like expected—
Gen was already waiting near the front gate lazily with both hands inside his pockets.
"You're slow."
"You came too early."
"Same thing."
Kenta was standing beside Gen while eating chips somehow even before reaching the supermarket.
"…Where did you even get that?" Kentarou asked.
Gen answered casually:
"I bought it."
"We're literally going to the supermarket right now."
"Preparation."
"That makes no sense."
Kenta nodded proudly beside Gen.
"Gen understands life."
"You're both idiots."
"Correct," Gen replied calmly.
—
The three of them walked through the evening streets together.
As usual—
They stopped by the supermarket before going home.
The moment they entered—
Kenta immediately ran toward the snacks section like a missile.
"KENTA DON'T RUN INSIDE—"
Too late.
Meanwhile—
Gen casually grabbed random snacks without even checking prices.
Chocolate.
Drinks.
Spicy chips.
Ice cream.
More chips.
Even more chips.
Kentarou stared at him tiredly.
"…Are you feeding an army?"
Gen looked serious.
"Training requires sacrifice."
"You're not even training right now."
"My stomach is."
"That sounds medically dangerous."
Meanwhile—
Kenta suddenly returned holding an absurdly huge snack packet almost bigger than himself.
"Kentarou! Buy this!"
"…Absolutely not."
"Why?!"
"Because that's enough sugar to destroy humanity."
Gen looked at the packet.
"…Actually buy two."
"YOU'RE NOT HELPING."
The cashier later looked genuinely concerned seeing the amount of snacks the three boys bought together.
—
Some time later—
They finally reached home.
Like always—
The front door was locked from outside.
Kentarou quietly took out the key.
Click.
The door opened.
The empty house greeted them silently.
Their parents were still at work again.
A normal thing for them now.
Gen casually dropped himself onto the sofa immediately after entering.
Meanwhile—
Kenta aggressively opened snack packets before even removing his shoes properly.
"Kenta."
"What?"
"At least survive until dinner."
"No."
Gen laughed quietly.
"He has talent."
"You encourage him too much."
"That's my role."
—
After changing clothes—
The three of them finally sat together in the living room eating snacks.
The TV played random programs in the background while the evening sunlight slowly faded outside.
The atmosphere felt calm.
Comfortable.
Like family.
Then suddenly—
Kentarou spoke.
"…How's Shin?"
Gen looked toward him while drinking juice.
"Fine."
Shin Takahashi.
Gen's elder brother.
Someone Kentarou respected deeply.
Back then—
Before returning to Japan after Grade 10—
Shin used to spend a lot of time with Kentarou too.
Almost like a real older brother.
"He got admission recently," Gen continued casually.
"A school?"
"Yeah."
"That's good."
Gen nodded slightly.
"He's acting busy now because he's older."
"That sounds exactly like Shin."
Kentarou smiled faintly.
Just remembering Shin strangely felt nostalgic.
Meanwhile—
Kenta suddenly joined the conversation loudly.
"Tell Shin to bring gifts next time!"
"You only think about gifts,"
Kentarou sighed.
"That's because gifts are important."
Gen nodded seriously.
"He's smarter than you."
"I'm surrounded by idiots."
"Correct again," Gen replied instantly.
—
Time slowly passed.
Snack packets continued disappearing one by one mysteriously.
Then suddenly—
Gen casually spoke again while staring at the TV.
"Oh right."
Kentarou looked toward him.
"My younger sister Rin was at Violet's house yesterday."
Silence.
A very small silence.
Gen continued normally.
"After dance practice."
Kentarou quietly listened without replying.
Meanwhile—
Inside his mind—
His thoughts immediately started moving again.
Rin was there…
Then—
A realization suddenly appeared.
Wait.
Then maybe Gen didn't ask Violet's name himself…
Kentarou slowly looked downward.
Maybe Rin told him instead.
That possibility immediately made him feel slightly relieved.
Because if Gen already knew her name before—
Then maybe…
Maybe he wasn't as interested in her as Kentarou feared.
Kentarou quietly exhaled inside his mind.
A misunderstanding… maybe.
Meanwhile—
Gen continued eating snacks normally beside him.
Completely unaware—
That Kentarou had been overthinking him for almost an entire day.
Meanwhile—
Gen quietly looked toward Kentarou for a moment.
Kentarou had suddenly become quieter after hearing Violet's name again.
Too quiet.
Gen narrowed his eyes slightly.
…Wait.
A random thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Does this guy…
He looked at Kentarou again.
The calm expression.
The silence.
The way he reacted to Violet's name.
Then—
Gen immediately shook the thought away inside his mind.
Nah.
Impossible.
This was Kentarou.
The same Kentarou who avoided girls like they were dangerous creatures.
There was no way.
"…You're thinking too much again," Gen suddenly said casually.
Kentarou looked toward him.
"…What?"
"You made that overthinking face."
"I don't have an overthinking face."
"You absolutely do."
Kenta nodded seriously beside them.
"He does."
"…Why are both of you against me?"
"Because it's funny," Gen replied instantly.
Kentarou sighed quietly.
Meanwhile—
Gen looked away again afterward.
Still slightly doubtful.
But eventually—
He ignored the thought completely.
_______________________________
Later that evening—
The streets of Seoul had become quieter.
The orange sunset slowly disappeared behind buildings while cold wind moved softly through the city.
Meanwhile—
Kentarou walked alone silently.
Hands inside his pockets.
Thoughts endlessly moving again.
Eventually—
He reached the same park he often visited whenever he wanted to think alone.
The atmosphere there felt peaceful.
Calm.
The distant sounds of children playing.
The soft movement of trees.
The quiet evening air.
Kentarou slowly sat down on a bench.
Then looked upward.
"…What would a normal guy even do before confessing?"
The question escaped naturally.
Because honestly—
He had absolutely zero experience in love.
Everything he knew came from:
manga,
movies,
novels,
and his own imagination.
Which honestly felt unreliable now.
Kentarou crossed his arms while thinking seriously.
"…First…"
A normal boy would probably—
Try finding out whether the girl already has a boyfriend or not.
"…Right."
That definitely sounded important.
Very important.
Because confessing to someone already dating another person would probably destroy him emotionally.
Kentarou slowly nodded to himself.
"That should be the first step."
Then suddenly—
Another problem appeared.
"…Wait."
Who was he even supposed to ask?
He didn't know Violet's friends properly.
He couldn't randomly ask her parents.
That would be terrifying.
And asking Violet directly—
Was impossible.
Kentarou slowly leaned back against the bench tiredly.
"…This is difficult."
The cold evening breeze moved softly around him.
Then slowly—
Kentarou closed his eyes.
And naturally—
Thoughts of Violet appeared again.
Every single moment he had spent with her.
The rainy day.
The umbrella.
Her smile.
The way she quietly looked at him while making clothes from thread.
The way she smiled while receiving the manga.
The shopping mall.
Rockie sitting on her shoulder.
And most importantly—
Her eyes.
Those beautiful eyes that always looked directly at him.
Not avoiding him.
Not ignoring him.
Looking straight into him quietly every single time.
Kentarou slowly opened his eyes again.
Then finally—
He reached a conclusion.
"…She's not committed."
Because if Violet already loved someone—
Would she really look at him like that?
That softly.
That carefully.
That interested.
Kentarou quietly looked toward the evening sky again.
And for the first time in days—
His heart felt slightly lighter again.
_______________________________
Night slowly covered the city of Seoul.
The streets outside had become quieter compared to the busy afternoon.
Meanwhile—
Inside the house—
Kenta was sitting in the living room watching TV while eating the remaining snacks aggressively.
Kentarou had just returned from the park.
His thoughts felt calmer now.
Not completely—
But calmer than before.
He quietly drank water while looking outside the window for a moment.
Then—
Ding Dong.
The doorbell suddenly rang.
Kenta looked toward the entrance immediately.
"Mom?"
Kentarou checked the time.
"…They usually come later."
He slowly walked toward the door.
The house felt unusually quiet for some reason.
Ding Dong.
The bell rang once again.
Kentarou unlocked the door calmly.
Then opened it.
And immediately froze.
Standing outside the house—
Was Mr. Kubo.
Kentarou blinked once in surprise.
"…Mr. Kubo?"