-AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE, SAPPORO, HOKKAIDO, JAPAN-
-8:41 AM, NOVEMBER 24, 2016-
By the next morning, something had changed.
Ichika felt it the moment she stepped through the gates of Aurora Academy of Excellence.
The air was the same—cold, clean, bright with winter light. Students moved in neat clusters, voices overlapping in practiced ease. Everything looked ordinary.
But the glances lingered a second too long.
"Isn't that Komori-san…?"
"Yeah. From Class 1-B."
"I heard she was walking with someone yesterday."
"From the theatre club, right?"
Ichika kept her posture calm, her expression gentle, but her fingers tightened slightly around the strap of her bag.
They noticed.
She had expected rumors to follow her one day—Aurora was that kind of place. But she hadn't expected them to come from something so small. Just a walk. Just a moment of choosing not to step away.
She exhaled softly and continued down the hallway.
-CLASSROOM 1-B, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-8:55 AM, NOVEMBER 24, 2016-
"Ichika."
Misuzu leaned closer, voice lowered. "Did something happen yesterday?"
Ichika blinked. "Why?"
Kiyomi didn't bother lowering her voice at all. "People are saying you left with a guy from the theatre club!"
Several heads turned.
Ichika felt warmth creep up her ears. "We just… walked."
Kiyomi grinned. "See? That pause. That was suspicious."
"It really wasn't," Ichika said quickly. "He's just—someone I know."
Misuzu studied her for a moment, then smiled faintly. "You look different."
Ichika tilted her head. "Different how?"
"…Like you chose something for yourself."
Before Ichika could answer, the homeroom teacher entered, and the conversation dissolved into silence.
But the feeling didn't.
-THEATRE ARTS CLUB ROOM, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-12:36 PM, NOVEMBER 24, 2016-
Rikuu noticed it too.
Not the whispers—those had followed him long before today.
It was the way people looked at him now.
Side glances. Curiosity. Recognition that wasn't about his acting.
"…That Komori girl," someone muttered nearby.
"She's been hanging around Arakawa, right?"
"Didn't expect that."
Rikuu tightened the tape around his wrist and ignored them.
Masayoshi's voice cut in, low. "You popular now or something?"
Rikuu shot him a look. "Shut up."
Masayoshi smirked. "Relax. Just saying—people don't usually say your name like it matters."
Rikuu didn't reply.
His gaze drifted to the doorway.
Ichika wasn't there.
He told himself it didn't mean anything.
Still, when rehearsal began, his timing was sharper than usual. His voice steadier. The director noticed.
"Arakawa," she said. "You're grounded today. Good."
Rikuu nodded once.
But his thoughts weren't on the stage.
-SCHOOL COURTYARD, AURORA ACADEMY OF EXCELLENCE-
-3:58 PM, NOVEMBER 24, 2016-
Ichika sat on a bench near the courtyard trees, script open on her lap but unread.
Across the yard, she saw him.
Rikuu stood with a few club members, quiet as always. Someone laughed. Someone nudged him.
He didn't pull away.
Their eyes met—for just a moment.
Not long enough to invite attention. Not short enough to feel accidental.
Rikuu looked away first.
Ichika lowered her gaze, heart steady but warm.
They hadn't said anything today. They hadn't walked together.
And yet—
Aurora Academy had begun to notice the space between them.
Because it was no longer empty.
It was something people could see.
And once eyes begin to notice—
they rarely stop.