Project Day 6 — Presentation Day
The Morning Felt Quieter Than Usual.
Not Because The School Was Empty — The Hallways Still Buzzed With Footsteps And Chatter — But Because Everyone Knew What Day It Was. Presentation Day. The Kind That Made Even The Loudest Students Speak A Little Softer.
Ren Sat In His Seat, Fingers Tapping Lightly Against His Notebook.
His Slides Were Memorized. Notes Folded Neatly In His Folder.
He Looked Ready — The Kind Of Ready That Came From Too Many Rehearsals And Quiet Pep Talks With Himself.
Miyu Walked In A Few Minutes Later, Hair Tied Back, Calm As Ever.
Their Eyes Met. Just A Small Nod Between Them. Nothing Big — But Somehow, Enough.
Inside The Classroom, Students Shuffled Papers, Finalizing Projects. Laptops Glowed. Some Groups Whispered Through Last-Minute Rehearsals.
Their Group Was Already Set.
Miyu Sat Beside Ren, Pen Resting In Her Fingers Though She Hadn't Written Anything For A While. Everything Was Done.
Chika Was Adjusting Her Hair Using Her Phone Camera. Kaito Leaned Over The Laptop, Fussing With The Volume.
"I Still Think We Should've Used Fade-In Transitions," He Mumbled.
"You Just Like Drama," Chika Whispered Back.
Miyu Glanced At Ren. His Arms Were Crossed, Fingers Tapping Lightly On His Sleeve. He Didn't Look Nervous — But He Was Quieter Than Usual.
"You Okay?" She Asked, Just Loud Enough For Him To Hear.
He Nodded. "Just… Running Through It Again In My Head."
"You'll Do Fine," She Said Without Hesitation.
He Looked At Her A Second Longer Than Usual. "You Sure?"
"I've Read Your Part. Twice." A Small Smile. "It's Solid."
He Nodded Again. Not Out Of Habit — Like It Helped.
When Their Group Was Called, Ren Stood First, Picked Up The Laptop, And Walked To The Front.
He Glanced Briefly At The Rows Of Faces — Classmates, Teacher, Scattered Notebooks —
And Then He Began.
His Voice Was Clear. Steady. Not Overly Performed Like Kaito's Would've Been, Or Bright Like Chika's.
Just Calm. Confident. Thoughtful. He Didn't Try To Impress — Just To Make Sense.
Miyu Watched As He Tied Their Points Together.
He Introduced Her Segment With Smooth Pacing, Framed Chika's Case Study Cleanly, Let Kaito Handle The Data Slides With Polished Transitions.
When He Quoted Something They'd Argued About In Group Chat, His Eyes Briefly Flicked Toward Miyu. Not In The Script. But She Caught It.
The Presentation Ended With A Quiet Pause — Then Applause.
Their Teacher Nodded, Jotting Notes. "Well-Structured. Strong Balance Of Voices."
Kaito Grinned. "We Accept Bribes In Compliments."
As They Returned To Their Seats, Chika Whispered, "Smoother Than I Expected."
Ren Just Shrugged.
Miyu Leaned Closer. "Told You It'd Be Fine."
He Glanced At Her. And Then — Rare — A Small, Real Smile.
Other Groups Took Their Turns. The Background Noise Returned, But Something Between Them Had Shifted — Slightly. Not Dramatically. Just Enough To Feel Different.
Ren Walked Back Quietly, Shoulders Relaxed.
Chika Leaned Over. "I Think We Aced That."
Kaito Added, "Ren Even Spoke In Full Sentences. Bonus Marks."
Miyu Smiled Behind Her Hand.
As The Last Group Wrapped Up And The Bell Rang, Chika Stretched.
"Crisis Survived. Now We Celebrate. We Are Going Somewhere, Right?"
"I'm Starving," Kaito Said. "That's A Yes."
Miyu Slid Her Notebook Into Her Bag. "It'd Be Weird Not To."
"Library Hangouts Don't Count As Bonding," Chika Said, Nudging Her. "We Need Carbs."
They Stepped Into The Hallway As Students Poured Out.
Kaito Walked Ahead, Backwards. "Okay, Ideas. No Fast Food. I Want Real Food."
"Real Food On A Student Budget?" Ren Said Flatly. "Good Luck."
Chika Chuckled. "What About That Café Near The Florist?"
"I've Seen It," Miyu Said. "It Looks… Cozy."
Kaito Pointed At Her. "Exactly. We're Going."
Ren Gave A Small Nod. "I'm Fine With It."
And That Was That.
They Took The Back Gate Out — Shaded By Trees, Sunlight Flickering Through The Leaves.
The Streets Were Quiet, And Their Walk Was Slow.
Chika Talked Nonstop — Gossip, Drama, Memes.
Kaito Threw In Sarcastic Comments.
Miyu Walked Quietly In The Middle. Ren Was Just A Step Beside Her.
"You Carried That Second Point Smoothly," She Said, Quietly.
"Only Because You Fixed The Flow," Ren Replied.
There Was A Short Pause.
Then, Softer, "You Kept It Grounded."
Miyu Looked Ahead, Her Expression Calm. But Her Thumb Brushed The Side Of Her Phone In Her Pocket —
Where His Name Still Sat At The Top Of Her Favorites.
She Didn't Say Anything. She Didn't Need To.
— × —
The Door Chimed Softly As They Stepped In. Warmth Wrapped Around Them Like A Blanket — The Scent Of Cinnamon And Coffee And Baked Sugar Lingering In The Air.
Chika Immediately Aimed For The Window Seat, Dragging Kaito Along With Her. "This Place Is Adorable."
"It Smells Like Homework Deadlines And Serotonin," Kaito Said, Settling In.
Miyu Slid Into The Opposite Side Of The Booth, Setting Her Bag Down. Ren Followed A Moment Later, Quietly Taking The Seat Beside Her.
They Ordered Drinks — Warm Things, Soft Things. Milk Tea, Coffee, Chocolate With Way Too Many Toppings.
There Wasn't A Rush Anymore. Just A Slow Exhale.
Kaito Stirred His Whipped Cream Into His Cocoa And Said, "We Should've Done This Way Sooner."
"Instead Of Rehearsals?" Ren Asked.
"Instead Of Rehearsing With You Critiquing My Font Choices," Kaito Shot Back.
Ren Smirked Faintly. "You Chose Comic Sans."
"Comic Sans Is Brave."
"It's Illegal."
Miyu Laughed Under Her Breath. Chika Snapped A Photo Of Her Drink And Then Tried To Sneak One Of Them All, Pretending She Wasn't Aiming The Camera.
Later, When The Drinks Were Halfway Gone And The Sun Began Casting Soft Orange Light Through The Windows, The Group Slowly Quieted. The Rush Of The Day Had Faded, Replaced By Something Gentler.
Ren Tapped His Phone Once, Checking Something. Miyu Glanced Over Instinctively But Didn't Ask. They Didn't Speak Much — Just Shared A Few Quiet Looks, Comfortable In The Stillness.
She Took A Sip Of Her Tea.
He Leaned A Little Closer. "The Café's Nice."
Miyu Tilted Her Head. "Better Than The Library?"
He Considered. "Different."
She Looked Down At Her Cup, Then Back At Him. "Maybe We Should've Worked Here Once."
"Maybe," He Said. Then After A Pause: "Would've Been Louder."
"But Warmer."
He Looked At Her For A Second Longer, Eyes Steady.
She Blinked And Looked Away.
Chika Broke The Silence. "Okay, I'm Calling It. This Was A Good Day."
Kaito Stretched, Feet Bumping Ren's Under The Table. "We Need More Projects Just To Do This Again."
"Or," Miyu Said Softly, "We Could Just… Hang Out Sometime. Without Deadlines."
They All Looked At Her.
Then, Slowly, Kaito Grinned. "Did Miyu Just Suggest Socializing?"
"Mark The Calendar," Chika Said. "She Is One Of Us."
Ren Didn't Speak — But He Looked At Miyu For A Moment Longer Than Necessary, A Warmth Flickering Behind His Eyes.
And In Her Pocket, Where Her Phone Rested Quietly, His Name Still Sat With A Small Gold Star.
Not A Badge. Not A Label.
Just Something Quietly Chosen.
— × —
The Last Of The Sunlight Had Melted Into Dusk, Turning The Streets A Soft Blue-gray. Streetlights Flickered On One By One As The Group Stepped Out Of The Café, The Bell Chiming Gently Behind Them.
The Air Had Cooled. A Soft Breeze Stirred The Leaves Overhead.
"That Place Was Perfect," Chika Said, Hugging Her Jacket A Little Tighter. "I'm Full And Emotionally Satisfied."
Kaito Stretched, Arms Behind His Head. "And Slightly Caffeinated."
"We Were Only There For An Hour," Ren Commented.
"An Hour Of Pure Friendship And Sugar," Kaito Countered.
They All Began Walking Slowly Toward The Main Street — The Path That Would Eventually Split Toward Each Of Their Homes Or Train Stops.
Their Footsteps Fell Into A Natural Rhythm.
The Light Chatter Faded Into Something Quieter — Not Awkward, Just Mellow. That Gentle Tiredness That Comes After Something Important Ends.
Eventually, They Reached The Usual Corner — The One Near The Vending Machines, Where The Sidewalk Dipped And The Group Usually Paused Before Parting Ways.
"This Is Me," Chika Said, Pointing Down Her Road. "Thanks For Everything. For Real. You Guys Were The Best Group I've Ever Worked With."
"You Say That Every Semester," Kaito Said.
"Yeah, But This Time I Mean It."
She Turned And Hugged Miyu First — Surprisingly Tight.
"Let's Hang Out Again. No Excuses," Chika Said Softly.
Miyu Smiled, A Little Hesitant, But Nodded. "Okay. Let's."
Then Chika Turned To Ren — Who Gave A Single, Small Nod.
"No Hug?" Chika Teased.
Ren Deadpanned, "You'll Survive."
She Just Laughed And Waved Instead. "See Ya, Ren."
Kaito Bumped Fists With Ren, And Then With Miyu — Dramatically, Like It Meant Something Bigger.
"You Were Chill, Miyu. We'll Game Sometime," He Said With A Wink, Before Jogging After Chika Down The Street.
That Left Ren And Miyu.
Neither Moved At First.
The Streetlight Above Buzzed Faintly, Casting A Soft Glow Around Them. Somewhere Down The Block, A Dog Barked Once And Fell Quiet.
"I Should Head Left," Miyu Finally Said, Adjusting The Strap Of Her Bag.
"I Know," Ren Replied.
But Neither Of Them Stepped Away.
For A Few Seconds, There Was Just Quiet. The Kind That Didn't Need Filling.
Then Ren Said, Quietly, "Thanks."
Miyu Blinked. "For What?"
"For Not Making It Feel Like A Group Project."
She Stared At Him, Caught Off Guard — Then Smiled.
"You're Welcome," She Said Softly.
He Shifted, Hands In His Pockets Again, Eyes Steady. "You Made It Easier."
She Hesitated. Then, Before She Could Overthink It, She Stepped Just A Little Closer — Not A Hug, Not Quite — Just Close Enough That Their Shoulders Might've Brushed If One Of Them Breathed Deeper.
"Goodnight, Ren," She Said, Almost Under Her Breath.
He Didn't Smile, But His Voice Was Warmer Than Usual. "Night, Miyu."
She Turned And Began Walking Down Her Street, Her Footsteps Soft On The Pavement.
Ren Stood Still For A Few Seconds Longer, Watching.
Only When She Disappeared Around The Corner Did He Finally Turn And Walk The Other Way.
And In Her Pocket, Her Phone Buzzed Once.
A Message.
[Ren]: You Left Your Pen. It's In My Bag.
She Paused Mid-step.
Then Smiled To Herself — Quiet, Small, But Real.
Her Reply Was Simple.
[Miyu]: Then I Guess I'll See You On Monday.
She Didn't Mention The Star Next To His Name.
She Didn't Need To.
— × —
And Just Like That, The Group Project Ended.
Not With A Grade, Or A Deadline.
But With A Shared Table, A Half-Laughed Joke,
A Borrowed Pen,
And A Name That Quietly Stayed Starred.
They Still Think It Was Just A Project.
But Something Started Here.
And Whatever Comes Next —
It Won't Need A Presentation To Be Real.
End Of Group Project Arc.
To Be Continued....