The rooftop was always quiet after lunch.
Ren had pulled Kaito up the stairs and out the door without asking, like he knew the noise in Kaito's head was louder than anything their classmates had said. The wind was gentle, the sky a pale silver, and the city murmured far below them.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
Kaito sat on the bench near the railing, fingers loosely tangled in his sleeves. Ren stood beside him, leaning back against the wall, watching him more than the view.
"You okay?" Ren finally asked.
Kaito let out a breath that sounded like a laugh, but wasn't. "I think so."
Ren moved, sat beside him, elbows on knees. "You didn't have to say anything back there. I would've covered for us if you wanted."
"I know," Kaito said quietly. "But I didn't want you to."
Ren turned to him, waiting.
"I've spent so much of my life avoiding attention," Kaito went on. "Trying to blend in. Be the 'quiet one.' Not cause problems."
Ren's eyes softened. "You're not a problem."
"I know," Kaito said. "Not to you."
Then, slowly, he leaned sideways—resting his head on Ren's shoulder. The gesture was so natural it almost startled them both.
"But today," Kaito said, "when she stood up and said what she did—I thought I'd pass out. And then you spoke. And I remembered I wasn't doing this alone."
"You're not," Ren murmured, gently turning his head so his cheek brushed Kaito's hair.
They stayed like that for a long time. Letting the wind tug at their sleeves. Letting the silence do the healing.
Because they were still them.
And now, everyone knew.
Back in class, the air had changed—but it wasn't as sharp as Kaito feared.
Some classmates looked away awkwardly. A few whispered and glanced their way. But no one said anything cruel. No one laughed. In fact, one of the boys—Nakamura, who usually only talked about games and food—gave Ren a small nod during break. Another girl, Yui, offered Kaito a mint and whispered, "That was really brave."
It wasn't perfect.
But it wasn't cruel, either.
After school, Haruka approached Kaito by the shoe lockers. Her expression was unreadable.
"Hey," she said. "I didn't do it to be mean. I just…" She hesitated. "I've known people who stayed quiet and got hurt anyway."
Kaito studied her, uncertain.
She added, "For what it's worth—I think it's kind of cool. You two. You're real."
Then she walked off before he could say anything.
Outside the gates, Ren was waiting with both hands in his pockets, hair ruffled by the breeze.
Kaito smiled—small, but real.
They walked home side by side, not touching.
They didn't have to.
Everyone already knew.