Emi Nishino liked places where no one expected her to talk.
The library was perfect.
It smelled like dust and old paper, like stories that had already lived full lives and didn't need attention anymore. Emi sat by the window, legs tucked beneath her chair, book open but unread. Outside, students passed by in clusters, laughter bouncing off concrete.
She watched. She always did.
People thought observation was passive. It wasn't. It was a skill. You noticed patterns. Tells. Cracks in carefully built masks.
Aoi Takahashi hunched when spoken to suddenly. Hana Fujimoto laughed louder when she was nervous. Riku Matsuda smiled when he felt cornered.
And Emi? Emi crossed her arms and pretended she didn't care.
Her phone buzzed. A message from her mother.
Working late again. Dinner in the fridge.
Emi didn't reply. She never did. Not because she was angry, but because she didn't know what to say that wouldn't sound too small or too sharp.
She closed her book and headed to class.
Riku was already there, feet on the chair in front of him, laughing with friends. Loud. Easy. Annoying.
He noticed her immediately.
"Morning, Sunshine," he said.
She shot him a look. "Say that again and I'll trip you during practice."
He grinned. "Threats. Cute."
She hated that he never took her seriously. Or maybe she hated that he saw through her too easily.
During class, Emi took meticulous notes. Not because she cared about grades more than anyone else, but because focusing on something concrete kept her mind from wandering. Still, she found herself glancing at Riku when he wasn't looking. The way his expression changed when the teacher mentioned future plans. The brief tightening of his jaw.
Interesting.
At lunch, Emi chose her usual spot by the window. Solitude wasn't loneliness if you chose it. She read, pretending she didn't notice Riku searching the cafeteria, pretending she didn't feel a flicker of disappointment when he didn't come over.
Then he did.
He dropped into the seat across from her without asking. "You always sit here?"
"Yes."
"Every day?"
"Yes."
He looked around. "You know this is prime people-watching territory."
"That's why I sit here."
He laughed, softer than usual. "You're weird."
"Observant," she corrected.
They sat in a comfortable, uncomfortable silence. Emi watched him steal glances at Hana and Aoi, his expression thoughtful instead of teasing. She wondered what it felt like to carry that many expectations on your shoulders and still pretend you didn't notice the weight.
After school, she found his jacket in the library. She stared at it longer than necessary before messaging him.
Don't make it weird, she'd typed, already knowing he would.
At home, the apartment was quiet. Too quiet. Emi reheated leftovers, ate standing up, and washed the dishes immediately so she wouldn't have to look at the empty sink later.
In her room, she pulled out a sketchbook she never showed anyone. Inside were drawings. Not polished. Not meant to be seen.
One page held Aoi under the cherry blossom tree. Another, Hana mid-laugh. And one, sketched absentmindedly, showed Riku leaning against a window, eyes distant.
Emi stared at it, annoyed.
"Stupid," she muttered, closing the book.
She lay back on her bed, arms crossed behind her head, staring at the ceiling.
Feelings were inconvenient. Messy. They disrupted routines and made people act foolish.
She preferred observation.
And yet.
Her phone buzzed again.
Riku: Thanks for the jacket. I owe you.
She rolled her eyes, but her lips curved despite herself.
Emi: You already owe me silence.
Riku: Harsh.
Emi: Accurate.
She set the phone down, heart beating a little faster than she wanted to admit.
She told herself it was nothing.
She was very good at lying to herself.