Lunchtime, around 12:00-12:30 PM.
During lunch, Itsuki was absent, tied up in a club meeting that couldn't be skipped. Sando didn't show any sign of disappointment; he understood. Instead, he reached out to Yumi, inviting her to join him for lunch.
They made their way to the rooftop, the familiar space where sunlight spilled over the railings and the city stretched out below. The air was warm and quiet, the perfect retreat from the bustling halls. Sando led her to a bench, the same one where Hana had once cornered Itsuki, the memory flickering briefly in the back of his mind.
"I see that you and Itsuki enjoy it up here, hm?" Yumi said, opening her bento box and beginning to eat. The soft clatter of chopsticks against the container filled the quiet rooftop.
Sando's gaze remained fixed on his own food, silent for a moment. "It's so quiet without him…" he murmured, his voice low, almost wistful.
Yumi let out a soft scoff, reaching over with her chopsticks to shove a piece of food into his mouth. Then, without missing a beat, she took another bite of her own bento. "Enough daydreaming. Just eat already," she said, her tone half teasing, half commanding.
For a moment, the rooftop fell into silence — only the wind and the faint hum of students below filled the air. Sando ate quietly, lost in thought, while Yumi continued her meal with calm precision.
After what felt like a full minute, Yumi finally broke the silence, her voice casual yet deliberate. "Hana Fujimoto… she's still not reported missing yet?" she asked, eyes still fixed on her bento as she picked up another bite, as if discussing the weather.
"Yeah… I caught her before anyone could see her coming into school," Sando replied, his tone calm but calculated. "That should give me at least six days to think of an excuse." He took a slow bite of his food, savoring the taste, though his expression remained unreadable — somewhere between satisfaction and detachment.
Yumi only shrugged, unfazed by his words. She continued eating her lunch in silence, the rhythmic sound of her chopsticks tapping against the bento box blending with the faint whisper of the wind.
Yumi let out a quiet scoff, her tone laced with amusement. "You sound and look so lifeless when Itsuki isn't around. Is he, perhaps, like your whole entire life?" She finished the last bite of her meal and began packing her bento box away, her movements unhurried.
Sando blinked, taken aback by her words. "I… do?" he asked, his head tilting slightly to the side like a curious rabbit, confusion flickering in his eyes.
"Yeah, you do," Yumi said flatly, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "And how are you supposed to be intimidating when all I can see is a rabbit chasing love?" She sighed quietly, facepalming internally at her own words.
"Rabbit… chasing love?" Sando repeated, his brows furrowing as genuine confusion crossed his face.
Yumi let out a small laugh, then flicked his forehead lightly. "Ow," Sando muttered under his breath, rubbing the spot as she slung her backpack over her shoulder.
"I'm going now. Bye," she said simply, turning away without another glance, leaving Sando sitting there, still puzzled by her words.
Sando quickly packed his bento box into his backpack and stood up, brushing off his uniform. Without wasting a second, he jogged after Yumi.
"Hey! I thought we agreed on walking together!" he called out, his voice echoing faintly across the empty rooftop.
Yumi stopped mid-step and glanced back over her shoulder with a small grin. "Then walk faster, slowpoke," she teased, before turning back toward the stairs.
Sando rolled his eyes but smiled faintly, catching up to her as they left the rooftop side by side.
Time skip, around 1:00-1:30 PM, in class.
Around 1:00 PM, the classroom buzzed with the usual breaktime energy. Some students were chatting in groups, others napping on their desks, and a few quietly scrolling through their phones.
Itsuki had already returned from his club meeting, sitting beside Sando as they talked about random things — light, easy conversation that filled the quiet moments between them. Sando leaned slightly against his chair, pretending to listen while his thoughts wandered elsewhere.
Across the room, Yumi sat by the window, completely absorbed in her novel — the same one she had with her the day she gave Sando that mysterious file. Her glasses rested perfectly on her face, catching the soft glint of sunlight. Strands of her hair slipped past her shoulder while her bangs framed her focused expression. The left side of her hair was tucked neatly behind her ear, giving her that composed, almost untouchable aura that made her seem like she lived in a world apart from theirs.
Sando wanted to bother her, so he lightly threw a small piece of crumpled paper at Yumi. Yumi stared at the paper on the floor for a long minute before picking it up and reading it.
"Are you reading that again?"
Yumi crumpled up the paper, stood, walked over to them, and pulled a nearby chair to sit down, crossing her legs.
"No shit, Sherlock. Of course I'm reading it again." She took off her glasses and began wiping them with her shirt.
Itsuki looked confused at first by her sudden appearance, his brows lifting slightly as if trying to process how she suddenly decided to join them. But after a brief pause, he simply shrugged it off with a small grin, deciding not to question it. Without missing a beat, he turned back to Sando and continued their nonstop conversation as if nothing had happened, his words flowing effortlessly while Yumi quietly settled into her seat beside them.
"Is this how much this guy talks every day? Gosh, that could be enough for a four-page essay — both sides full," Yumi quietly whispered to Sando.
"Shh, let him be in his confident era," Sando said, leaning back in his chair with a faint, amused smile.
"Guess he's always in his confident era," Yumi replied, opening her novel again and continuing to read.
After school ended, most of the students were already sprinting out of the building. Itsuki excused himself to go home early, saying his mom was about to leave for work and he had to take care of his little brother. That left Sando walking home with Yumi.
Yumi didn't talk much, but when she did, she went on about finding ways to deal with her annoying sister. Sando didn't have anyone else to walk with, so he just listened and quietly endured her sudden topic.
Sando hoped—just hoped—that nobody would ever find out what he did to Hana Fujimoto. Especially Itsuki. Just especially him.