It began with a bento box.
Kai was sitting under the sakura tree near the running track, munching on his homemade lunch—though, judging by the crooked smile on his face, it was likely "borrowed" from someone else's fridge.
Across from him, Hana was stretching her legs post-training, a water bottle balanced lazily on her shoulder. The sun was warm, the grass soft, and for once, the school didn't feel like a pressure cooker of feelings and hidden tension.
Until she said:
"So who's the new girl with Leo?"
Kai paused, mid-chew.
"You saw that too, huh?" he replied, not looking up.
Hana nodded. "Yesterday. After class. I was walking past the old art building. They were sitting on the bench behind it."
Kai chuckled. "Ah yes. The Secret Garden of Emotional Developments."
"Don't joke." Hana squinted at him. "You know who she is?"
Kai leaned back, folding his arms behind his head. "Name's Sora. Transfer student. Apparently Leo's childhood friend."
Hana raised a brow. "Childhood as in... crayons and scraped knees?"
"As in, she probably knows what he looked like missing two front teeth."
Hana made a sound between a snort and a sigh.
Kai tilted his head. "Jealous?"
Hana gave him a look. "Please. I don't do drama."
He raised an eyebrow. "Really? Coming from the girl who punched a vending machine because it ate her spicy chips?"
"It deserved it."
Kai laughed. "Fair enough."
They both went quiet for a moment.
The wind played with the petals overhead, and a group of students jogged past them toward the dorms.
Then Hana said, more softly, "It's getting complicated, huh?"
Kai didn't answer immediately.
He reached into his bento box, fished out a rice ball, and held it up like a philosopher holding the key to the universe.
"Leo's life right now," he said, "is like this onigiri."
Hana stared at him.
He continued, "Looks simple. Rice. Seaweed. Balanced. But inside, who knows? Maybe it's pickled plum. Maybe it's wasabi. Maybe it's tuna and mayo fighting over emotional custody."
Hana blinked.
"Did you just compare Leo's love life to a rice ball?"
"With feeling."
She shook her head, laughing under her breath. "You're unbelievable."
Kai finally got serious. He looked out across the field.
"Honestly? I think he's overwhelmed. And I don't blame him."
Hana didn't reply.
"I mean, think about it," Kai went on. "Rin's the graceful ice queen who warms up around him. Yuki's the loud sunshine who clearly likes him but masks it under jokes. And now we've got Sora—someone who knew him before all this. Someone who represents a version of him even he might not remember clearly."
Hana picked at the grass near her shoe.
"He's gonna have to choose eventually," she said.
"Maybe," Kai murmured. "Or maybe he'll just break trying not to."
They both stared at the sky.
The clouds drifted slowly, unbothered by high school drama.
Then Hana added, "You forgot one."
Kai glanced at her. "One what?"
"One girl."
She stood up, brushed grass off her shorts, and tossed her bottle into her bag.
"I'm not saying I like him," she said casually. "I'm just saying... if someone doesn't make a move soon, Sora might win by default."
Kai smirked. "So you are jealous."
Hana walked away.
But not before she said over her shoulder:
"I'm competitive. Not stupid."
---
Kai stayed under the tree for a while longer, staring at the now-empty bench.
Then he whispered to himself, "This is getting good."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
On the screen was a private note folder labeled:
"Leo's Life: The Harem Chronicles"
Kai grinned.
Then started typing.