A yawn was being concealed in the sea of seated students. Kaito tried his best not to catch the attention of the teacher in Physics class. According to his own self-proclaimed joke, he had the voice of a radio broadcaster that enthusiastically engaged his audience.

In contrast, Kaito thought he was the narrator of a podcast meant to help insomniacs. It definitely did not help his students to understand the complex scientific theories and equations. It should be one of the reasons for the young man to put in his best effort to listen.

But alas, he cannot be bothered. He could ask Rin or the other geniuses in Physics class for help. They teach the content far better anyway.

Kaito observed the entire classroom. The typical scene of his fellow classmates in their own business (that were completely unrelated to the discussion) was in action.

The renowned class jester wore a camouflage mask to make it look like they paid attention. But behind it, they were actually asleep. Kaito felt jealous, and wanted to follow their ingenious move. But sadly, he did not have his own fancy mask to sleep on.

Instead, Kaito dwelled on the missed opportunity to finish five chapters of the novel he currently read. But this teacher was cruel enough to confiscate items unrelated to his class (which made Gakupo justify he was unreasonably stupid). Kaito could not take any chances.

More equations were written on the board after the video tutorial finished. The narrator had a similar monotone voice as their teacher, to Kaito's annoyance.

At the farther front rows, there was Rin who paid attention to the discussion. But her hands were preoccupied not from writing notes. Under her table, her hands fidgeted something.

Upon closer focus by Kaito, he realised she folded origami under her desk without even a glance. After a few seconds of constant folds, she produced a familiar shape—a paper crane.

Rin began her goal to fold one thousand paper cranes at the start of the year. She needed to complete the project within a year if she wanted to follow the tradition to have her one wish granted.

Kaito's friend personally admitted she did not believed in it. The girl merely wanted to have the aesthetic rainbow gradient from the string of paper cranes in her bedroom. Instead, she believed the cranes acted as a good luck charm.

She should have finished the goal ages ago. All because of a certain day four years ago, she had to abandon the project.

Based on the photos of the cranes she had newly produced and shared to the group chat with Kaito and their friends, it was a new batch. No photos of the old batch were ever shared.

He still wondered to this day what happened to that previous batch of cranes Rin folded years ago.

Kaito had to redirect himself and get back to the present. The teacher still spoke with no intention to wrap up the class.

When will this agony end? He begrudgingly asked himself.

The bell rang. Thus the release of students from their entrapment on Physics class, and into the bliss that was lunch break. The dreadful teacher packed his stuff, wished the students a hearty lunch, and left the room. Kaito stood up from his seat and stretched his arms.

Even before Gakupo blinked, Kaito was the one to yell 'Freedom!' instead. It earned laughs and cackles from his classmates, thanks to the mutual sentiment on the torture that was Physics class.

Lunch was as usual again. Senior students left in a desperate chase to the school's open spaces, or to the cafeteria and unwind from the physical entrapment and social restraints of the classroom.

Others chose to stay behind and chill in their spots by themselves, or with fellow classmates in small groups. Kaito and his pals were the latter kind of people.

Luka talked to Miku, who sat with the backrest on her front and legs on both sides of the chair. Her arms rested on top of the backrest that faced her friend's table. In comparison, the former was properly seated as she ate her tuna sandwich with gusto.

Oliver was nearby but minded his own business as he read a novel. A familiar scene as the bigger book geek in the group.

Kaito also had his solitary time. He finally got the chance to continue his book without the threat of confiscation by unreasonably stupid Physics teachers. He got into reading thanks to his and Rin's mutual friend since seventh grade.

Gakupo listened to Luka and Miku's conversation, and at the same time watched a historical drama show on his laptop. An open packet of crisps was beside his table which the three of them shared.

Farther from the group was Rin in front of the room. She arranged the decorations and updated certain papers with the latest information in the class bulletin board.

Rin intended to join Miku and Luka after she was finished. But she would do a loose approach like Gakupo and continue to fold paper cranes.

On the other side of the room, Kaito's other classmates were in their own little bubble. One such group was disruptive with their boisterous laughter. It earned a few glares and occasional scolds.

"Oi, you girls shut the fuck up!" One guy shouted from the group of senior boys at the back.

The girls had not paid any attention to it, and purposely provoked one of them a few minutes later. The high-pitched laughter of one certain girl, Yuki, dominated the collective chuckles of the group.

Yuki had the reputation for being 'the most obnoxious person in the cohort' (according to Oliver). She was one of those 'people who had her head wrapped around her cockiness to notice half of the friends she hanged out with secretly hated her' (said by Luka, the great source of 'tea'). The infamous girl had her short black hair in twin pigtails, and was known for being completely unreliable.

Hence she was a 'dumbass', and should be often avoided at all times. It was issued by Gakupo towards the masses of Class 12-C.

Others, including Kaito and Rin, chose not to invest any effort to develop an opinion of her. After all, she was one of the (if not the most) controversial figures in their class. One aspect of her 'problematic' attitude was to involve her mental health and make it a justification to the inconveniences in life, and her alarming actions.

Majority of the seniors, such as Miku, thought she was simply a bitch. It was not surprising with the multiple fights between her and Yuki in the past. Most of it may or may not have resulted in hair being pulled out of violent impulses, or intense brawls that made the higher authorities of the school be involved.

Their disgust for each other was so notorious; someone set up a counter of days since Yuki and Miku fought. The joke died down for a few months.

It was revived once again after a particular encounter between the two late last year, and brought back the cohort's enthusiasm for it.

To this day, there have been twenty days of neither form of fights between Yuki and Miku. Luka thought that was a record-breaking streak.

The people who spent their lunch break inside the classroom created a more peaceful ambiance than usual. But it made the noise from the group of girls louder.

"Okay, so Gacha and I went on a date last night and it was so romantic~" Yuki started off. Her girls sighed and leaned their chins under their hands. "He gave me flowers, walked me to the park and brought me to this restaurant that was always fully booked~"

"Wow, that is so sweet for him to get you into that restaurant! Even my parents struggled to get a booking there." One girl raved.

"Well, Gacha only wants what's best for me!" Yuki flicked one of her pigtails, and smirked from the praise she received.

"Him and I are the ultimate couple. I know other girls are jealous of me for having a boyfriend like Gacha. It's also the other way around for him to have me as his girlfriend. We're just perfect for each other."

"Yes, queen! You and Gacha are the couple goals in this school. Maybe even in the local area!"

"I wish I could be as cool as you, Yuki, so I could get a handsome and sweet boyfriend like Gacha." One of them sighed.

Another thing that most of the class collectively hated was Yuki's endless flaunts with her boyfriends. Most of them only lasted for a few months. So a new face in Yuki's social media accounts was nothing new for people who sourced the gossip. Currently, she and Gacha dated for almost six months.

Yuki had not said anything controversial to stir eyes nor any whispers to her. Yet an unexpected turn of events made this mundane lunch break one of the most memorable for the senior students.

"Do you honestly think he wouldn't break up with you someday?"

The voice was not from Yuki's group. It belonged to a person no one in the room had expected to listen to them in the first place.

"No? You say that as if you know him personally. You haven't even met him yet." Yuki turned her head to where Rin stood beside the teacher's desk. Only a few rows of empty seats separated them.

"I don't know him nor have I met him. But I don't need to. He's not that different from the others, as much as you like to think of it." Rin stood beside the desk, settled her hand on top of the surface, and leaned her weight against it.

"Excuse me? He does! He loves me! We've been together for six months and that's longer than from the last guy I dated."

"Exactly." Rin immediately replied. "Six months and you think that already guarantees your whole jist to last forever? That's a bit pathetic, if you ask me. Even if you reach the one-year mark, he'll get bored of you and leave you. You won't know better, as someone with their head too high up in the clouds. You won't be in cloud-nine forever, sweetie."

Rin never once faltered nor stuttered. The other side of her lip turned up in a smirk. As if to show Yuki she knew the game like the back of her hand. Her tone was confident and casual, which confused everyone who spectated the conversation.

Why did Rin talk to Yuki suddenly, and comment on her relationship of all things?

It was the question that circulated on everyone's minds.

"I pity you and your naivety with all of this." Rin continued. "Oh well, I can't blame you for being so complacent and trusting with this cruel game of love. You think your looks, your charm, your popularity, or even your sex appeal would compel him to stay? Ha! Reality is ringing you, darling!"

Rin chuckled in her smirk, and completed the recipe to ridicule Yuki. Then she tilted her head.

Her eyes never left Yuki's gaze. "No one can actually love your cocky-ass personality. I'm so surprised your boyfriend managed to suck up that attitude of yours for six months."

"Oh my god Rin, what did I do to you?!" Yuki's voice broke, a sob threatened to come out. The dam cracked and hysterical cries came out of her.

"You annoy the hell out of this class with your stupid love story. That fairy tale will end soon. I bet another six months tops. I might be too generous there, actually. Maybe three months?" Rin raised her hand and bartered her own bet.

"Stop talking to me Rin! Why are you such a bitch to me?!"

True to her word, the spiteful young woman merely stared at Yuki. Her facial expression shifted into a deadpan expression. A closer look in her eyes was the clue that proved Rin was unimpressed.

Even when Yuki fell into her knees, covered her tear-stained face, and her muffled sobs resonated in the room.

The girls sat around Yuki on the floor and comforted her. They enveloped her in their embrace, lent her a handkerchief and soothed her. They all glared daggers at Rin.

The woman in question merely stared down at them.

"Yo Rin has no chill. What is she on today?" Gakupo muttered towards Luka and Miku. At the first few minutes of the conversation, he slowly closed his laptop and engaged with the debacle at the front. At Yuki's breakdown, he snapped from his daze-like observation.

"Yuki always ticked me off ever since seventh grade. But Rin went out of the line today. Even Yuki didn't deserve that." Oliver still held his book as his focus was on the front and witnessed every second of the drama.

Soft and hushed whispers began to linger throughout the room. Luka turned her head to Kaito and called him. Even with the desperate gestures of her hand to command that Rin needed to be stopped, she never caught his attention.

Dumbass, look here! Luka called and wildly gestured in Kaito's peripheral vision; to no success.

Kaito, shocked from the turn of events, could not remove his eyes from the scene. Rin simply stood and maintained her composure, as she leaned against the table. Yuki was still in the middle of a full-blown breakdown while her 'friends' consoled her.

"I'm sorry you're only hearing this eventual truth just now. But I'm doing you a favour to save yourself from this mess before you can even blink." Rin boldly spoke and took the hysterical sobs of Yuki as a cue to continue on.

Triggered by Rin, Yuki's hysterics rose to another level with louder cries. Her throat was scratched far too much that made her voice rough.

"Just stop! Fuck you, Rin! No one asked you to be a rude ass bitch to me, of all people you chose to attack today! Get the fuck out of my sight!"

Finally, Kaito stood up from his seat and called their attention. "Rin. That's enough. Give her a break now."

It was the first time someone other than Rin and Yuki spoke loudly, and not in mumbles from the crowd.

"Hate me all you want Yuki. But once that day comes, you'll be mentioning my name in gratitude instead of cursing it like today." She no longer bothered to wait for a reply. Rin calmly walked out to the door.

At the exact moment Rin turned, Yuki removed her hands from her face and grabbed the nearest object—a calculator, and threw it.

Because she moved a second early, Rin did little to no effort to dodge the flying calculator meant to hit her. As if she already anticipated it.

Yuki screamed after the harsh crack of plastic collided against the wall. She clutched her hair and rapidly stomped her feet on the floor in frustration.

And people stood still for a second, until intrigued chaos ensued. Everyone who witnessed the scene still processed the high-tension event that just happened. The hushed whispers became full-blown conversations.

"Fuck off, that was my calculator!"

"Holy shit!"

"Woah what the fuck was that?"

"Let's gooooo Rin!" One of the boys shamelessly cheered.

Everyone finally expressed their reactions and reiterated the drama. There was one student who slept through Yuki's hysterical cries. They just woke up to Yuki still on the floor.

One of Yuki's girls angrily scolded the boys at the back, who laughed and mocked their friend's mental breakdown.

"What the fuck, Dex!? Don't you have any bit of sensitivity in your stupid head? Grow up, asshole!"

"If your brat princess does it first! She can't even take a simple diss properly. Just look at her!" Dex paused. His voice changed into a higher pitch, as if to mimic Yuki.

"'Someone just said shit about my boyfriend. Boohoo!'"

And his mates nearby howled in laughter. It was obvious, despite their rare interactions with the girl, the boys despised Yuki. They did not care about anything that could be put against them.

Rin's friends had varied reactions. Gakupo and Oliver were still dumbfounded and asked questions to themselves.

"What the hell just happened?"

"Did Rin seriously say all of that to Yuki?"

Luka was outright pissed at Kaito. "Why the hell didn't you stop Rin!? You only did it just as she was almost finished!"

He could only defend himself with the shock everyone else experienced. "I wanted to stop her, Lu! But I couldn't move my own legs in shock! I wish you could say the same thing to everyone else who was watching, even you! "

Kaito told Luka he would find Rin and check on her. The woman agreed and watched her friend on a mission before the end of lunch time.

While most of the reception was on the negative side, only Miku seemed thrilled about what happened.

"Lu, give Kai some slack. We at the least got to see some karma served hot and fresh right in front of us! I'm loving it!" Miku smiled and swayed her torso side-to-side in the same way she had been seated since.

"You shut your stupid mouth, Miku! Of course you enable Rin to be a bitch to Yuki." One of the girls glared. "You and her are the same level of filth! No wonder you two get along."

"Woah, woah, woah, punk! Who do you think you are to talk shit about Rin!?" Miku left her seat immediately. Her posture became rigid, and a hard finger pointed to the group of girls.

Multiple gasps rang from the crowd. "Oh~ Are they gonna whack each other now?"

Others were unashamed enough to cheer for more lunch time entertainment.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

"Throw all your dirt on me. I can take all of it," Miku gestured to herself. And then moved her pointer finger to the girls. "But one more word from that filthy mouth of yours meant for Rin, I'll stuff your mouth with the bin."

She tilted her head high enough to stare below Yuki and her 'mean girls' as an act of intimidation.

"STOP! STOP! STOP! EVERYONE!" Luka rushed to stand in between Miku and the girls around Yuki. Both of her arms were up to put distance between the two conflicted parties. The chants slowly faded out.

"You all won't have enough time to do a full round of smashing skulls without a teacher entering. Do you want to spend the rest of today stuck with the old geezer in his office?"

Luka's intervention seemed to do the trick. Both sides shifted their battle stance and turned off their fight responses.

The girls decided to take Yuki, who still sobbed on the floor with palms on her face. Her cries were no longer full-blown but soft whimpers.

"Let's get Yuki out of here. All these assholes are making her uncomfortable, pitting us against them." One of them spoke with a sustained glare to Miku. They all helped Yuki stand up.

They struggled in the process as Yuki would not budge. So they had to put in more force to make her stand, and guided her out of the classroom. Some of the seniors from outside who just heard about the debacle were in time to watch Yuki being pulled out, still in her breakdown.

The newcomers entered shortly and asked for an update. Once again, the initial fight was narrated chronologically. Some even attempted to impersonate Rin with a monotone voice, and the most exaggerated cry that mimicked Yuki on the other hand.

Now that the girl and her friends were not around, the students freely expressed the insults they were not bold enough to do so earlier. And there was the additional detail of Miku who started a fight with Yuki's friends. It almost threatened the day counter reset to zero. Not until Luka intervened with the threat of being sent to the principal's office.

Meanwhile, Kaito ran in the hallway and dodged the busy crowd of students and staff. It earned him a few distant scolds from the teachers that passed by.

"Mister Fuuga! No running in the hallway!"

For obvious reasons, Kaito left the scene even before he processed the teacher's words. An estimate of twenty minutes was left before lunch ended and he was on a hunt to find his friend.

He searched the open spaces available to the senior students, took glimpses at the classrooms, and even the staff room with no sign of Rin. He rang her phone discreetly (there was a 'no phone' policy during school hours). But it only got into voicemail.

Kaito heaved and collected his breath. Hands on his bent knees while he brainstormed where Rin could have stayed (or hid).

It took a few weird glances from the groups of juniors that passed by and a few breaths before Kaito finally had an idea. He straightened his body and ran to his new destination.

It was a Thursday, so that room should be unoccupied from any kids in rehearsals. Multiple staircases have been climbed down with a few turns in the hallways. Kaito stood in front of the door of the music room. Music from an electric instrument boomed through the speakers inside.

Kaito slowly opened the door from its linear knob, and with as little to no disturbance as possible. Even if there was no need with the notes of the electric guitar that pounded within the four corners of the room. The walls were soundproof, so the noise was not much of a nuisance as it should have been if it was an ordinary room.

Before he entered, Kaito did not have a clear vision of what was inside the room. Everything was concealed by the thick curtains behind the glass windows.

The music room was larger compared to the standard classrooms of their school. The walls were painted in beige, and hardwood was installed in the flooring. Multiple stacked chairs were bunched together in one side to maximise all the space in the middle. A huge cabinet was placed near the chairs. Stored inside were disassembled light equipment (such as sheet music stands) stored for students to assemble whenever they used it. A bookshelf was filled with multiple ring binders filled with sheet music collection and other resources archived for the teachers.

Decorations covered areas of the wall with quotes and other material related to music theory. It gave life and a personal touch to the space. Huge musical notes and staff notations were placed around the board. It was clear of previous writings from the last session.

The highlight of the room were the various instruments displayed in all its glory. The school (thankfully) invested in high quality instruments for the benefit of both teachers and students. The collection had the standard line-up of orchestra instruments: woodwinds, brass, percussion, strings, guitars, and a grand piano. On the other side were modern electric instruments: a drum set that went through its years, electric guitars, keyboards, and even a basic DJ set-up with a mixer.

It was on this side that a particular speaker was powered up. One of the electric guitars was missing from its display. The guitarist faced backwards at her quiet visitor. She repeatedly played a few chords, and transitioned to a full song. Next was another song which sounded incomplete.

It was as if the piece was meant to be accompanied with another instrument, more likely a bass guitar.

Kaito let Rin play a bit more before he had to stop her. Even though he should do it soon if he wanted them to be back in class before lunch period ended.

What surprised him was the kind of instrument Rin used. She was well-versed in various instruments—violin, flute (for hygienic reasons, she could never use the ones in the music room), drums, and the guitar. Rin knew how to play both the bass and the electric guitar. But she specialised in the latter because a music partner, who played the former, encouraged her.

Rin had not played the electric guitar for almost four years.

With the end of the song, Rin stopped. The absence of the guitar's sounds allowed the ground looped in the speakers, and became teeth-gnashing. Rin unplugged the electric guitar from the speaker.

She unstrapped the guitar from her shoulders, put it back in its stand. The young girl crouched down to turn off the speaker and plug it off the power socket. She retrieved a microfibre cloth and carefully rubbed the surface of the guitar.

"Did I leave a whole apocalypse back in the room?"

Kaito remained on his spot as Rin dragged a chair to sit near the stand. She wiped the surface of the electric guitar.

Before he could reply, she added. "I really did cause huge drama back there. If it was anyone other than Yuki, it would have been talked about for days. But because it was her, this will last for weeks." Rin did not make eye contact with the friend in front of her.

"Good thing you're aware of the consequences. Because I have to ask you what was all that for?" Kaito's arms were still on his side. But the shift in the tone of his voice and the scrunched eyebrows indicated his disappointment at Rin's actions.

"... Yuki was too annoying. It was getting on my nerves. I had to shut her up with the truth." Rin gently wiped the electric guitar with care, as if it was her own.

While her own guitar collected dust inside her closet.

She also took her sweet time when they had ten minutes left before their next class.

"Rin, I get it everyone hates Yuki and her stupid flaunting of her boyfriends. It gets all eyes rolling every time. But you know that was far from being savage but blatant rude." Kaito rebutted.

"Well, you put it that way. Like I said, I just wanted her to shut up. I was desperate." Rin's voice lowered. She wiped the neck of the guitar.

"I get it, Rin. But you're still not mentioning everything. There is something else we have to dig deeper into why you told Yuki her boyfriend will break up with her someday. That 'he'll get bored of you'... A memory from the past is pulling the two of us, Rin." Kaito took a few steps forward and lowered his head.

It was not an act of intimidation, but of vulnerability—pity.

She raised her hand with the cloth. Rin removed her focus from the guitar and raised her head. Her cerulean eyes met Kaito's cobalt blue orbs.

"Kaito, what are you trying to prove here?"

"You see, I'm trying to prove a point here." Kaito released his breath. As anticipated, Rin shivered and her eyes widened through tension. "It's what happened between him and you, is it?"

Rin inhaled sharply, and exhaled her breath shakingly. "Kaito, you know I moved on from that."

"Not quite." Kaito dared to disagree. "How could you explain assuming a guy you never met to pull off something he did to you? We both know you still have unresolved issues from the past, Rin."

Rin glared daggers at Kaito. "This is none of your business, Kaito. As you said, this is my unresolved issue so it's up to me to deal with it."

"Cut the bullshit, Rin. You know I was just as affected as you when you and Len broke up."

Rin froze. Then she stood from her seat with the most gentle hold on the guitar to place it back on its stand.

"Oh, now we're mentioning his name. What now, Kaito? Are you going to tell me that I need to get my shit together and move on from sulking over a puppy-love relationship four years ago?" Rin gradually raised her voice. Her fists clenched on her sides.

"Since when did we agree to never mention his name? He's not cursed, Rin. He's our friend."

"Was. That only applies to you. He was just nice and civil to me during our final year. It was obvious he only did it so we both didn't leave on bad terms. God knows someone in our previous class would pull some cliche shit to make people reconcile for the sake of sentimentality because of graduation."

"Rin." Kaito warned. "You know he was honest to you after a year passed. He wouldn't have made the effort to approach you without wanting to improve things between you and him. You were the one who kept pushing him away and insisted on your whole idea of 'he's just faking it'."

"Really? Then why did he not say it in front of my face then? He just did it to put up an elaborate cover and make me look stupid once I fall in his trap." Rin softened her glare at Kaito. Her clenched fists slightly loosened.

"Because you never gave him a chance to prove himself!"

The deafening silence rang through Rin and Kaito's ears. Only the faint voices of students and footsteps from outside reminded them of where they were. The analogue clock on the wall ticked as seconds passed.

A constant reminder that things moved on, even when Kaito and Rin did not.

Both of them were still left behind the past.

"... She reminded me of who I used to be. Well, except for being cocky. But the hopeless romantic part." Rin whispered; her gaze on the floor.

"Well, there you go." Kaito replied. "I know it's hard to admit it and say it out loud. That's why I'm proud of you, and glad you told me of all people."

"Why wouldn't I, Kai? You're the only one here who understands," Rin sighed.

"Thanks for putting up with me when I was a rude bitch to you." She raised her head and met Kaito's gaze with newfound relief.

"If I wasn't used to your antics since seventh grade, I wouldn't have run from the other side of school to find you." The man chuckled.

Rin also chuckled in reply. "Yeah, that sums up why you let me play through a few songs. You needed to breathe from all that running."

"Now you're just being cheeky." Kaito snickered. "Come on, we need to go if you want to be on time for the next class."

After he held the door for her and his longest friend expressed her gratitude to him, the two seniors quickly returned to their classroom.

They only had to approach the foyer when their current teacher was nearby. Her hands were preoccupied with a stack of boxes higher than her, and covered her vision of the hallway.

Rin and Kaito volunteered to assist her, and so they entered the room with one box each in their arms. The teacher soon followed and asked for the boxes to be put down on the desk. The pair returned to their seats—the only ones unoccupied in the class.

After the teacher composed herself, she was set to begin class. But an unruly sight was within her peripheral vision.

"Miss Kaai, what on earth happened to you? Can't you at the least brush your hair!?" The teacher's voice boomed throughout the room.

Several students snickered and chuckled under their breaths. Some were discreet to cover their mouths behind a textbook, notebook, or behind their palm. Others were outright obvious with their smiles and their shoulders shook.

Yuki wordlessly obliged. She finger-combed her hair and re-did her pigtails. Her red-rimmed eyes could not be remedied in a snap. So the passage of time and the avoidance of more confrontations were the only solutions. Even if it meant she received glares from their teacher; notorious for not giving a crap on the affairs of her students.

If it were a different teacher, they would have approached Yuki at the least and asked. She held back a huff of breath and finished her hair.

The class began right after a tumultuous lunch period. If the teacher felt something odd with her students, the familiar sour and guarded mood after a fight occurred, then she paid no mind to it.

While Yuki was put on the spot, Luka discreetly passed a folded piece of paper behind her; arm beside the wall. It was obvious it was meant for Kaito who sat at the back.

He quickly unfolded the paper to read.

How was the talk with Rin?

Kaito scribbled on the paper, followed the original creases, and passed it back to Luka.

Turned out fine. She admitted why she did it. Not sure if she wants me to tell you. Just ask her after class.

Luka read the reply written below her first message. With more quick scribbles of her pen, Luka sent her reply to Kaito.

Good job, mate. Thanks for that. Sorry for being mad at you during lunch btw. Throw this paper away after you finish.

Kaito gently destroyed the paper to not get the teacher's attention. He finally stayed focused on the mundane class discussion. The issue still lingered in the tenacious atmosphere of the classroom.

"Hey guys, can we pretend lunch didn't happen? I promise I'll talk about it soon, just not now." Rin stood with her bag and textbooks in her arms. This was the typical sight of Rin at the end of a school day. It was the image of the studious student, diligent on the work even when she got home.

"Sister, you don't owe us an explanation. We may be the biggest gossips you've ever met, but we won't force you to say things. We don't disrespect your personal space just for some tea. Isn't that right, everyone?" Luka put her palm on Rin's shoulder in assurance.

Miku smiled and furiously nodded; added a thumbs-up to the pair. Gakupo, Oliver and Kaito simply hummed their approval with a more docile nod.

"Thanks Lu, everyone." Rin made eye contact with all her friends. "I wouldn't know what to do without you all."

The group went on to their routine walk together to their homes. Conversations and jokes were still on a roll. They all stayed true to Rin's favour that nothing happened during lunch time.

Kaito thought he was the only one who struggled to keep the promise. He tried his best to be engaged with his friends. But his mind still dragged back his conversation with Rin in the music room.

Rin separated ways, and the rest of them went on together before another intersection. Then Kaito affirmed it to himself.

She does remember him until today.


It was recess time. Gakupo and Kaito decided to grab snacks from the cafeteria. Luka joined the two men on their quest. Oliver had to do a quick errand with some documents. So he tagged along with his three friends.

Miku and Rin stayed behind. The latter wrote in her notebook to finish the notes from the recently-finished class. While the former hummed and swung her legs back and forth on her seat.

The young woman scribbled on the paper for a few moments, until she lifted her pen from the paper to hum in deep concentration. On her paper were lyrics written below a music notation and notes drawn and shaded. She tested the melody of the song through her humming.

Miku was talented with music; composed original songs and appreciated the technical aspects of each composition. Unlike Rin who struggled on the creative side, Miku preferred to focus on her vocals and songwriting with her skill set on the piano and acoustic guitar. These two features, apart from her natural charisma, made her admirable in the cohort and the 'darling diva' of their school. It was no wonder she had dozens of admirers.

Yet Miku seemed to be unaware of the extent of her said fame.

In an unexpected moment, Rin approached Miku's desk. "Hey Miks, can I talk to you?"

Miku stopped humming and lifted her head from the notebook. "Sure thing, Rin! I was getting stuck on this verse anyway." She smiled.

"Thanks for letting me bug you. I heard what happened at lunch right after I left. I just wanted to thank you for what you did there." Rin whispered; afraid of any prying ears to catch her words.

"Oh, that? It's nothing you should be thanking me for. You're my friend, and they were talking shit about you. Of course I had to do something." Miku retorted. She did not think twice to start another fight, even if she was in the wrong to provoke the group already aggravated by Rin.

For all Miku could care about that stupid day counter.

"But you still didn't have to do that, and even risked yourself again to whatever they might give you." Rin referred to the potential outcomes issued by the school: detention, summoning parents to the principal's office, and suspension.

All of them Miku had already experienced thanks to Yuki. Thus those boxes in the bucket list were already ticked off.

"Anyway, I just want to thank you again. I really, really, appreciated that even when I was being a bitch to her."

"Pfft. She deserved it anyway. You actually took one for the team to stop her rambling."

"Also, I don't think I'll ever be ready to admit why I pulled out what happened yesterday." Rin confessed in a whisper again. It was still the buzz for everyone in their class. Even the news spread to the other classes and boosted Rin's reputation, whilst it further affected Yuki's.

"Oh. You don't have to force yourself, Rin. Like what Lu said, we understand. We're not entitled to know about it. And we won't take it against you." Miku softened her voice, aware that this was a sensitive topic for Rin. Especially when the event in question was still at the height of its intrigue for everyone.

"No, I'm serious, Miks. You guys deserve to know about it. You, Lu, Oli, and Gakt should know about it. I shouldn't be playing the victim holding out things from the past."

"Oh, Rin. I don't think that's the case—"

"Wait, let me say this." Rin cut off Miku's assurance. "I'm giving Kaito permission to tell everything to you, and everyone, instead. I'm bad with telling stories, and I won't be able to finish telling it without breaking down." She chuckled.

Miku was unconvinced. Says the one who writes stories on the side of studying and reading.

But Miku had to consider more important things. "If that's what you want, Rin. We can do it." She grabbed her friend's hand and squeezed it to reassure her. "I'll tell Kai we had this conversation. But I swear all of us understand if you want to take this back."

"I don't see myself doing that. But thank you for being such a sweetheart, Miks." Rin smiled and squeezed back Miku's hand. "Yuki and her girls mess with the wrong person."

"Well, some people are just unreasonable like that, Rinny." Miku winked. Her friend laughed at the sweet gesture.

After a prolonged blur of moments between classes, lunch time arrived in a breeze. The memory of Rin and Yuki's fight was still fresh in the minds of the seniors. A group of seniors disagreed with the whole thing being a 'fight'; that Rin more likely trolled Yuki out of spite. But they were dismissed by the majority who thought they were biassed towards Rin, or let their bias against Yuki cloud their judgement.

It was a well-established fact that it was a fight.

Rin was asked to do an errand for a teacher. So her lunch time would be spent little to eat, and more on to assist the teacher with the errand.

While no one asked, Yuki announced the departure of her group to the whole class. Right before they left the room, she spoke out loud for all the people who stayed behind the classroom.

"Let's go girls. We should spend our lunch outside this room where no one rude enough would even attempt to give me unsolicited advice again."

Some of them snickered. They all finally left the room. When their mocking laughter was only a distant sound from outside, one of their classmates shouted out.

"No one asked, cry baby!"

With finally more privacy than she expected, Miku stood from her seat to approach where Kaito was, with Gakupo and Oliver.

"Yo, Rin just told me during recess I need to talk to you." Miku casually inserted herself within the boys' conversation.

"What? What do you mean?" Kaito noticed Miku who stood in front of him. The book he read was left on his desk. He wanted to pat himself on the back when he did not stutter.

Despite a full year since they met (and realised he had feelings for the girl), Kaito still struggled to control his nerves at Miku, as his mind was on haywire near her. He was always conscious of himself to act normal around his crush.

Still with a keen eye for most things, Rin noticed the shift in Kaito's posture whenever Miku came by. The man bit his tongue at the last minute to save himself from stutters when the girl with twintails pulled him in conversation. Kaito often had that certain look in his eyes whenever he gazed at Miku.

As a good friend, Rin still acted surprised when Kaito admitted his newfound crush. But she had to admit that she noticed it for a long time.

"She's giving you permission to tell us why yesterday lunchtime happened. Her part at least." Miku chuckled softly after the last phrase.

All eyes from the three boys widened. Kaito thought this was a surprise. He also knew it should not be.

"Well, it's not new that she asked me to tell things on her behalf. She likes being talked about by her friends, honestly." Kaito reasoned. "Don't tell her that I said that to you though!"

Gakupo and Oliver laughed and nodded. Miku also chuckled and waved her hand in front of Kaito to shrug it off.

Luka just arrived at the classroom. She saw Miku beside the three guys. Their whole formation looked like they were in the middle of something intriguing.

"Did I miss anything?" Luka approached the group and dragged a nearby chair for herself to sit with the group.

"Nope, Lu. Just in time for Kai being our whistleblower." Gakupo winked and pointed his thumb at Kaito and Miku.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Luka smiled and clapped her hands.

"So," Miku paused. "What caused one of the most entertaining dramas for the year, hell it could be since seventh grade, made by the feisty bunny?"

"Now that I realised, Rin barely mentioned anything from her time in seventh grade to tenth grade. It was often from Kaito's stories that we got to hear anything with Rin before last year." Oliver brought up his observation. All of them nodded and agreed.

Kaito replied. "Rin thought that part of her life should not be brought up often; that it was unnecessary details to hold on."

Miku frowned. "Now that's harsh. Those four years of secondary school were still memorable! I still enjoy looking back at those times."

"Obviously she's failing on the 'not to hold on' part, if she allowed whatever was in that past of hers to pull out a meltdown from Yuki." Luka chuckled.

He could feel the anticipation, the excitement, the concern from his friends. Kaito scrambled on how to best deliver four years' worth of memories into a concise explanation before lunch time ended.

There was only one way to quell the burning spark of everyone's curiosity: tell the truth.


Lowkey frustrates me ffnet doesn't allow for line breaks without characters :) I would appreciate help on this part!

Thank you very much for reading! Art for this chapter is in this tweet! ( rosecosmos_/status/1619875007878012929?s=20t=7IZGqUgbT_8ep0P1DfOkRA)