The next day, I went to school as if nothing had happened.

I smiled at Yui. I answered Hikigaya-kun's sarcastic remarks with my usual sharp wit. I even managed to sit through an entire Service Club meeting without feeling like I was being watched from the inside of my own head.

But I wasn't fooling anyone.

Not really.

Yui was the first to say something.

"Yukinon," she called out after the meeting, her voice careful, hesitant. "Are you okay?"

I glanced at her, tilting my head slightly. "Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

She fidgeted, biting her lower lip—something she always did when she was nervous. "I dunno… you just seem different lately."

My grip on my schoolbag tightened for a fraction of a second before I forced my fingers to relax. "Different?"

Yui hesitated, clearly searching for the right words. "I mean… yeah. You smile more now."

That should have been a good thing.

Shouldn't it?

I had always been told—by my mother, by my sister, even by teachers—that I should smile more. That I should act more approachable. That a proper young lady should be warm and gentle. That my usual demeanor was too cold, too off-putting, too unlikable.

And yet, the way Yui said it—like she didn't trust those smiles—made my stomach turn.

"I didn't realize smiling was such a cause for concern," I said lightly, adjusting the strap of my bag as if the conversation didn't matter.

Yui let out a nervous chuckle. "That's not what I mean! It's just… sometimes it doesn't feel like you."

I felt my breath hitch slightly before I pushed it down, deep where I kept everything I didn't want to acknowledge.

My fingers curled against my palm.

I shouldn't let it get to me.

I shouldn't.

But I could feel the cracks widening.

I was at the breaking point and I wasn't sure how much longer I could hold myself together.

The day passed in a blur, each class blending into the next. My head felt foggy, like I was watching the world through a pane of glass. I answered when spoken to. I took notes when required. But my mind was elsewhere.

I wasn't sure where.

I wasn't sure who.

It wasn't until after school, when the Service Club meeting was nearly over, that the unease inside me fully came to the surface.

Yui had left early, something about a last-minute errand. I was halfway through organizing some books when Hikigaya-kun spoke.

"You're not Yukinoshita."

The words stopped me cold.

I turned to face him, keeping my expression neutral. "Excuse me?"

He didn't smirk. Didn't roll his eyes or make some lazy joke at my expense.

Instead, his dead-fish eyes studied me with a sharpness I hadn't seen in a long time.

"The way you talk. The way you act. It's not you."

I let out a soft sigh, as if I were simply indulging him. "Hikigaya-kun, if this is some roundabout way of insulting me, I must say your usual attempts are much more entertaining."

Still, he didn't react.

He just watched me.

Waiting.

The silence stretched between us, thick and heavy.

Something in my chest tightened.

I needed to leave.

I needed to say something, anything, to put distance between us.

So I smiled.

Not my usual, thinly veiled condescension. Not the small, rare smiles I used to reserve for those closest to me.

A different smile. A warmer one.

A smile that wasn't mine.

Hikigaya-kun stiffened.

His fingers twitched slightly against the desk, barely noticeable, but I caught it.

He knew.

He had known for a while.

And now, he was just waiting for me to admit it.

I turned away, gathering my things. "If you'll excuse me, I should be heading home."

"Yukinoshita."

His voice wasn't mocking. It wasn't sarcastic.

It was quiet. Serious.

Almost… worried.

I froze, gripping my bag strap tighter.

It would have been easier if he had mocked me. If he had said something cruel, something dismissive.

But he hadn't.

And because of that, I couldn't turn around.

Because I knew if I did, I might not be able to keep pretending.

And right now, pretending was the only thing holding me together.

By the time I reached the train station, my hands were shaking.

I shoved them into my pockets, hoping no one would notice.

I could still hear his voice.

"You're not Yukinoshita."

I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply.

I had to stop thinking about it.

I had to push it away.

I boarded the train, settling into a seat by the window. The movement of the train, the quiet hum of people around me, all blurred into background noise.

I checked my phone.

A message from Yui.

Yui: Let's hang out this weekend! Just us girls! It's been a while, right?

I stared at the screen for a long time before typing a response.

Me: That sounds nice, Yui-san.

My thumb hovered over the send button.

I hesitated.

Something about the words felt… off.

But I sent it anyway.

I stared out the window as the city lights blurred past.

I could still feel it.

That presence, that wrongness, lingering beneath the surface of my thoughts.

Like something waiting.

Like something watching.

"You don't have to fight so hard, you know."

The voice wasn't external. It was inside my mind.

Familiar. Close.

I clenched my hands into fists.

"I can take over, if you want. You've done enough."

I bit the inside of my cheek, hard, forcing my breathing to stay even.

"You don't have to be alone."

I pressed my head against the cool glass of the window.

This wasn't real.

It wasn't.

But as I sat there, watching my reflection flicker in the window, I wasn't sure which one of us I was anymore.