The lecture droned on, but Megumi wasn't listening.
She sat in her seat, back straight but rigid, eyes fixed on the classroom clock as if sheer willpower could force its hands forward.
The teacher's voice blurred into a dull hum — something about Meiji-era reforms, or maybe it was literature now. She couldn't tell.
Time was crawling.
Every tick echoed like a taunt.
Tick…
She tapped her pen against the desk. Once. Twice.
Stopped.
Tick…
The classroom felt suffocating, as if the air itself pressed down on her.
Around her, students whispered, scribbled notes, or dozed in their seats — all unaware, all unconcerned.
But Megumi's thoughts weren't here.
They hadn't been since morning.
Not since that look in Shinichi's eyes.
Her chest tightened at the memory.
Her gaze flicked back to the clock.
Five more minutes.
Her foot tapped restlessly under the desk. Her hand curled into a fist, nails digging into her palm.
The ache inside her deepened. Not confusion. Not fear.
The question echoed in her mind, soft at first — then louder, sharper, crueler.
A whisper that felt like a blade.
If he really likes… then he was hurt because of me…
Guilt.
Because if Saki was right…
Then she hadn't just been blind.
She had broken something inside him.
She swallowed hard.
Hang in there. Just a little more…
The second hand crept past the twelve.
And then—
BRRRIINNGG!
The lunch bell rang.
Megumi was out of her seat before anyone else.
She didn't care about food. Didn't care about anything.
She just ran.
Her footsteps echoed through the corridor as she darted straight to Class B-2, breath quick, heart pounding.
Her eyes swept across the room the moment she slid open the door—
Empty.
Shinichi's desk sat vacant. His bag was there, untouched.
But Shinichi was not.
Where are you, Shinichi…?
Her gaze fell to the floor, and with it came a memory.
Flashback — Two Years Ago
"Shinichi!" Megumi called, standing before the entrance of his house.
No answer.
Her jaw set. "I know you're here! If you don't come out, I'm coming in!"
The front door was locked, of course. So she circled to the back, retrieved the spare key from the hiding spot Shinichi's grandpa had once shown her, and slipped inside through the storage room.
From there, it was easy to find her way into the main house. And easier still to know where he would be.
The shrine room.
She slid the door open — empty.
But Megumi's instincts told her otherwise.
She let out a sigh, loud enough for anyone listening. "Oh. No one's here. Maybe he's in another room."
She closed the door and walked away.
Or at least, it seemed like she did.
Peeking through the narrow crack, she waited.
And just as she expected — slowly, cautiously — the door of the small wall closet at the bottom of the far wall creaked open. The door was barely two feet high, and the narrow space behind it couldn't have been more than four feet wide.
A hand reached out first, then Shinichi crawled out. For anyone else, it would have been impossible to fit, but with his small, flexible body, it had become the perfect hiding place.
He stood up, dusting off his clothes, before his eyes turned toward the shrine room door.
At that moment, Megumi flung the door wide.
His eyes widened in panicked. He spun back toward the hiding place to enter again.
But Megumi jumped and caught his leg.
"Got you!" she said
Shinichi was desperately trying to get away, his frantic movements making it harder and harder for Megumi to hold him. Summoning all her strength, she pull him at the centre twisted his body, forcing his back against the ground, and dropped her weight onto him to pin him down.
He struggled, thrashing beneath her grip, but Megumi held him tightly — like a snake coiled around its prey.
After several seconds of desperate resistance, his movements began to slow. He understood there was no hope of breaking free. Megumi was nearly a foot taller than him, with a well-developed body, while he still looked like a child.
Sob…
Hearing him cry, Megumi released her grip and sat up on his lap, bracing herself with her hands for support as she looked at his face.
Tears clung to his eyes, threatening to fall.
But when he noticed Megumi staring, he quickly hid them, covering his face with his left arm. In a broken voice, he whispered,
"P–please… l–let me go."
Something inside Megumi cracked. She had never felt this pain before — a sadness so sharp it almost made her cry too. But she held back.
Instead, she lowered herself onto his chest, hugging him tight. Her hand slid to the back of his head, stroking gently.
"Don't cry, Shinichi," she whispered.
And slowly, his arms came up, clinging to her back. His sobs tore through the quiet, muffled against her shoulder.
She didn't understand what this feeling was — this ache, this warmth, this strange instinct to hold him tighter. All she knew was that he needed her.
And that, somehow, made her happy.
When his sobs finally faded to soft hiccups, Shinichi whispered, "I–I'm okay now."
Megumi smiled softly. "That's good."
"Megumi?"
"Yeah?"
He turned his face toward hers, cheeks flushed. Her breath tickled his ear, making his heart race.
"You can let me go now…"
"You're the one holding me," she teased.
He froze, realizing his arms were still wrapped tight around her.
"Oh—s-sorry!" He pulled back quickly.
"It's fine." She sat beside him, studying his face. "Do you feel lighter now?"
He nodded.
"I was really worried, you know. You didn't answer any of my calls in the last few days."
He stayed silent.
Megumi continued anyway. "I know how you feel. I never had grandparents, so I thought of him as mine too. It hurts… but Grandpa wouldn't want us like this. He'd want to see you smile. And I want to see that smile too."
"I… I want to smile again. But without Grandpa, I feel so alone."
Her hands clenched. "Don't say that. You're not alone. You have me. Always. If you ever hide from me again, I'll drag you out. Just like today."
A small, fragile smile formed on his lips. "…Thanks. I really needed you."
Present
The memory faded.
Around her, students laughed, gathered bento boxes, and strolled past without a care. Normal. Carefree.
Megumi clenched her fists.
He might be avoiding me now. But I'll find him. And I'll drag him back… just like before.
Renewed determination surged through her. She turned—
"Hmm?"
Megumi stopped, glancing at the voice.
A girl with neatly tied twin-tails and oversized round glasses stood nearby, clutching a bento box in both hands as if she'd been on her way out.
"You're looking for Shinichi, aren't you?"
Megumi nodded quickly, words caught in her throat.
The girl adjusted her glasses. "Well… he fainted during class. They took him to the infirmary. I think he's still—"
But before she could finish, Megumi was already halfway down the hallway.
"Thank you!" she called back, voice urgent, legs carrying her faster.
Her heart slammed against her ribs with every step.