The Service Club room was quieter than usual. No Yui's cheerful hum, no Rikka's booming declaration, no Yuuta's cape flourishes. Just Yukino seated by the window with her usual elegance, and Ras by the opposite desk, a notebook open but his pen unmoving.
The air between them was taut, stretched like string waiting to snap.
"You're distracted," Yukino finally said, her voice calm, cutting.
Ras tilted his head slightly, lips curved in that light, practiced smile. "Am I? Maybe I'm just good at pretending." but eyes were dull.
Her gaze sharpened. "Pretending what? That you're paying attention? That you're here at all?"
Ras let out a soft chuckle. "Sharp as always, Yukinoshita."
Something in his tone rang too smooth, too detached. Yukino's frown deepened. "You laugh easily, but it doesn't reach your eyes."
Ras leaned back, folding his arms loosely. "Then maybe you should stop staring so hard. You'll end up seeing things that aren't there."
Her hand tightened on her book. The words slipped before she could stop them. "Then why don't you just kiss me?"
The room froze. Even Ras blinked at her, as if the suggestion was simply another line of dialogue in some strange play. Then, hypnotized calm guiding him, he rose from his chair.
He crossed the space between them with quiet steps, stopped just close enough to see the flicker of uncertainty in her eyes… and leaned down.
His lips met hers in a sudden, unhesitating press. What should've been clumsy two first-year students fumbling with pride, was startlingly fluid. His hand lifted almost instinctively, resting against her cheek.
Yukino stiffened, then melted, breath hitching as the kiss deepened, slipping past simple contact into something heavier, wetter, a French kiss that tasted of reckless impulse and unsaid feelings.
When they finally parted, her cheeks burned crimson. Ras only smiled faintly, eyes calm, as if he'd done nothing unusual.
"See? You asked," he murmured.
Her breath shook. "Idiot…"
---
Watching Eyes
Outside the cracked door, Hachika stood frozen.
She had only come looking for Ras to drag him to the cafeteria. Instead, she'd found him locked in Yukino's arms, kissing as if he belonged there.
Her heart clenched. She knew Ras wasn't himself lately, his smiles came too easily, his calm too forced. But Yukino? To kiss him like that, to not question it?
Her fists trembled at her sides. Jealousy, worry, and something darker tangled until she couldn't tell which hurt more.
When Yukino left the clubroom minutes later, composed mask firmly in place, Hachika slipped in and stared at Ras. He looked up, smiling as if nothing had happened.
"You're acting strange," she muttered.
"Am I?" he said lightly. "Maybe you're just seeing things."
The words mirrored Yukino's earlier accusation. Hachika bit her lip, but she said nothing more. Not yet.
---
Later that afternoon, Yui bounced up to Ras in the hallway, her usual sunshine smile intact.
"Ras-kun!" she chirped. "Can I… can I get a hug? Just for energy, you know? The festival and the camp wore me out!"
Before he could answer, she wrapped her arms around him. Warm. Soft. Familiar.
Ras chuckled lightly, patting her shoulder. "Careful, Yuigahama. People might start rumors."
"Mou! Let them!" she said, but her cheeks glowed pink. She lingered just a little too long before pulling away.
Hachika, standing down the hall, watched the scene unfold. Her chest tightened again. Yukino's silence. Yui's boldness. And Ras, smiling that same smile, as if nothing in the world could touch him.
But she knew better.
As his eyes got even duller each passing time.
---
Ras didn't return to his dorm. Instead, a detour, casual as a walk under the stars, brought him to Hiratsuka's small apartment.
She opened the door with a wry grin, hair loose, a faint smell of cigarettes lingering. "You really shouldn't be here, Ras-kun."
"Maybe not," he replied softly. "But here I am."
What began as conversation over tea stretched into quiet laughter, then soft touches, then kiss and make out~.
---
Morning After
Hiratsuka woke first.
The sunlight cut across her modest room, catching on the pale line of Ras's face where he lay on the bed, sleeping calmly, lips curved faintly in that ever-present smile. Her chest tightened with something she hadn't felt in years. Responsibility. Regret. Desire tangled into one.
She leaned closer, hair draped against his head... and whispered against his ear:
"If only you were born 10 years early.... Ras-kun."
He stirred faintly, dull eyes half-opening, but only chuckled softly, as if the words were just part of a dream.
No boundaries were crossed that night, but for Hiratsuka... The feeling of having a companion in her life were felt from the night he come to her house.
Hiratsuka: "So... this is what having a husband feels like..."
'If only you were my husband in this life...'