The school rooftop was technically off-limits.
But that didn't stop Ren.
The wind brushed his hair as he pushed the rusted door open. The cold morning sky stretched above. The city below felt distant, small.
And she was already there.
Yui.
Back against the fence, blazer draped on her shoulders, hair tied in a loose ponytail. One foot kicked at the air lazily. The breeze pulled at her skirt, but she didn't seem to care.
She didn't look at him when he walked up.
"...Took you three days," she muttered.
Ren scratched his cheek. "I was working up the courage."
"You were hiding."
He couldn't argue that.
Silence.
Then she turned her head slightly, eyes glinting.
"You kissed Emi."
He flinched. "Sort of."
"Didn't kiss her at the festival."
"No."
"But you kissed her before."
"...Yeah."
She nodded once. "I knew it. She was glowing like a freaking shoujo manga heroine after that trip."
Ren sat beside her, cautiously.
Yui didn't scoot away. But she didn't soften either.
"You could've kissed her on stage," she said. "That would've been the normal harem protagonist thing to do."
"I'm not a protagonist."
"You sure act like one."
He gave her a tired look. "Then what would you have done?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then:
"I wouldn't have kissed anyone."
"Really?"
She leaned her head back against the fence. "I would've flipped the table and called it all dumb. Just like I almost did when they announced that stupid poll."
"Then why didn't you?"
"...Because a small part of me wanted to win."
That caught him off-guard.
She laughed bitterly. "Yui Sakamoto. The one who punches you in the stomach. Who calls you names. Who glares more than she smiles. And still… I thought maybe someone would vote for me."
Ren's voice was soft. "People did."
"Not enough to beat Emi."
"No," he admitted.
Silence again.
Then she looked at him directly.
"Do you even see me?"
He blinked. "Of course I—"
"Not as the angry girl. Not as comic relief. Not as 'one of the five.' Do you see me, Ren?"
Her voice cracked.
And that shattered him more than any punch ever had.
"I'm trying to," he said honestly. "I'm trying to figure out how to stop being scared of hurting people… and start showing how much they mean to me."
She turned away quickly. But not before he saw it.
The shimmer in her eyes.
"…Idiot," she muttered.
"Yeah."
"Stupid, dense, cowardly idiot."
He nodded. "Yeah."
She wiped her face on her sleeve, then punched him on the shoulder—not hard.
Just enough.
"I'm not waiting forever," she said. "If you're gonna notice me, do it before someone else does."
Ren's heart stopped for half a second.
And she knew it.
She smirked. Just a little.
"I said if."
Then she walked past him.
But before leaving, she paused.
"…Thanks for not kissing Emi."
"Why?"
"Because if you had… I wouldn't be saying this right now."
The door closed softly behind her.
Ren stayed there a while longer, wind brushing past him.
Not all wounds needed bandages.
Some just needed someone to finally look at them and say, "I see you."