Into The Rain With You

After lunch, I found myself walking through the hall with Yuto and Aki. We were headed toward history class, a subject I usually slept through, but today I felt strangely restless. Maybe it was the fact that I hadn't seen Haruka since yesterday. Or maybe it was just the creeping realization that the life I had built for myself—the jokes, the laughter, the "Kai Tanaka" persona—was starting to feel suffocating.

"Yo, Tanaka, you're not usually this out of it," Yuto said, nudging me with his elbow. "Come on, tell me what's bothering you. I know it's not just about being tired."

I didn't answer at first. We reached the door to the classroom, and I held it open for them. I wanted to brush it off, pretend everything was fine, but something about Yuto's tone made it hard to ignore.

"I'm just… thinking about stuff," I muttered. "Stuff I'm not sure I can talk about."

Yuto looked at me, his brow furrowed in concern. "Hey, man, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

I didn't respond, but I managed a weak smile.

We sat down in our usual seats in the classroom. As the teacher droned on about ancient civilizations, my thoughts drifted back to Haruka again. I couldn't help but wonder what she was doing. Was she reading another book? Was she out there, alone, in her quiet space, untouchable by the chaos that swirled around me?

Before I could get too lost in thought, a voice broke through my reverie.

"Tanaka, right?"

I turned my head to see a new face in the row behind me. It was a guy with messy black hair and a calm, almost unbothered expression. He had sharp eyes, the kind that seemed to be analyzing everything. I had seen him a few times around school, but we had never spoken.

"Yeah, that's me," I replied, giving him a quick glance. "You're…?"

"Kaito, new transfer," he said, offering a small but genuine smile. "I just wanted to say I'm looking forward to working with you in class. You seem like you've got things figured out."

I raised an eyebrow. "Figured out? You're talking to the guy who's pretty much asleep in every class."

Kaito chuckled softly. "We all have our ways of coping."

It was strange. There was something oddly familiar about him—like he wasn't buying into the same societal noise I had come to accept as normal. I couldn't explain it, but in that moment, it was like he was seeing through the mask I wore. I didn't like it, but I also couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief.

The bell rang, signaling the end of class, and we all packed up to leave. As I walked out into the hallway, Kaito called after me.

"You ever consider taking a break from all the… acting?" he asked, his voice low, but direct.

I turned around, slightly taken aback. "What?"

He didn't respond with a joke or a smirk like I expected. He just looked at me, his eyes steady and intense. "You don't have to keep pretending, you know. It's exhausting, I'm sure."

My stomach twisted, and I quickly turned away, feeling exposed. The day felt too heavy. Too much.