By lunchtime, Kaito had convinced himself he was imagining it.
The glance. The pause. That strange weight in the air when Ren had sat down beside him. It had to be in his head. Transfer students were rare, sure—but not supernatural.
Still, he couldn't stop his eyes from drifting sideways.
Ren didn't talk. Not even once. He had copied notes with smooth, efficient strokes and kept his head down through two more subjects. No questions. No whispers. No reaction to the class gossip buzzing around him.
People had already started filling in the blanks. "He got into a fight at his last school," someone whispered near the lockers. "No, I heard he's just super shy. Like, shut-in shy." Another voice: "Maybe he's one of those genius types."
Kaito didn't say anything. Not that anyone asked his opinion. They rarely did.
When the lunch bell rang, he stayed in his seat, unwrapping the rice balls his sister had packed that morning. Usually, he ate alone. Not by choice, but habit. And maybe comfort.
Ren hadn't moved.
The rest of the class filed out, some heading to the cafeteria, others to the courtyard under covered walkways. Rain still whispered against the windows.
"You're not going to lunch?" Kaito asked before he could stop himself.
Ren glanced over, just a flick of his eyes. "I'm not hungry."
"Right."
A pause stretched out.
"You're from Sapporo?" Kaito tried again. "That's far."
Ren tilted his head slightly, almost surprised he'd remembered. "Yeah."
"Did you move here alone?"
Another flicker passed across Ren's face. Not quite a frown, but not neutral either. "With my mom."
Kaito nodded, unsure what to say next. It wasn't like him to talk this much. Usually, the silence was his friend. But next to Ren, it felt different—less peaceful, more… charged.
Ren suddenly set down his chopsticks and leaned back in his chair.
"Is it always like this here?" he asked.
"Like what?"
"Quiet. Everyone pretending."
Kaito blinked. "Pretending what?"
Ren didn't answer. Instead, he looked back out the window, where the rain had softened into mist. "Never mind."
Kaito watched him, a knot of curiosity forming in his chest. This boy—this stranger—spoke like someone who was already tired of starting over. Like someone who had built walls, but didn't bother hiding them.
He wondered, not for the first time that day, what Ren Hayashi was running from.
And why he'd chosen the seat next to him.