(Reina Aizawa's POV)
---
April 15th – Friday Morning
There was something unsettling about beautiful people who knew they were beautiful.
Mei Yamagishi didn't just know it — she wore it.
A third-year, elegant in posture and tone, with wavy chestnut-brown hair that caught the sunlight just right. Her school uniform always looked freshly ironed. Her nails — always clear and manicured. Her voice — soft, slow, intentional.
Mei didn't shout for attention.
People just gave it to her.
Naturally. Effortlessly. Obediently.
She was the kind of girl Reina used to admire from a distance in her first year — the untouchable kind. Confident without arrogance. Polished without trying. The kind of person who was always one step ahead of the room.
Reina had never spoken to her.
But now… now she was speaking to Alex.
---
Near the Shoe Lockers – 8:00 AM
Reina wasn't trying to eavesdrop.
She was just… delayed.
She had dropped her phone near the lockers and was kneeling to pick it up when she heard Mei's soft voice.
> "Aizawa-kun," Mei said gently. "You've gotten taller again."
Alex turned toward her, a little surprised but smiling. "You think so? I thought I stopped growing."
"You're hard to miss," she replied, brushing hair behind her ear.
Mei's tone was sweet — but layered. Measured. The kind of voice that knew exactly how close to stand, how long to hold a look without blinking.
Reina peeked upward.
Alex rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Maybe it's just the shoes."
"That, or you're becoming more noticeable," she teased.
He chuckled.
"Walk with me?" Mei asked.
A pause.
Then: "Sure."
Reina felt her pulse skip.
Not out of panic.
But because something had just shifted — like a door she hadn't seen before had opened for someone else, and now she wasn't the only one walking inside.
---
Second Period – Math Class
Reina stared blankly at the chalkboard.
Mr. Hoshikawa was explaining something about quadratic roots, but her mind was trapped in the echo of Mei's laughter — gentle, elegant, practiced.
She hated herself for how easily she remembered the details.
How Mei's arm had brushed Alex's on their way past the lockers.
How Alex hadn't flinched. Hadn't avoided her touch.
He never let people touch him.
He always kept a gap between himself and the world.
But not this time.
> Why her?
> Why now?
> And why did it hurt more than when he smiled at Airi?
---
Lunch Break – Rooftop
Reina sat alone with her bento untouched.
The breeze was cool, but the sun warmed the metal railings behind her. A crow flew overhead, cawing once before disappearing toward the eastern sky.
She thought about Mei.
Mei didn't need to ask Alex questions like Reina did.
She didn't need to tiptoe around his silence or try to understand his shadows.
She just walked in — confident, assured — like she had every right to be beside him.
And he didn't stop her.
That was what scared Reina the most.
Not Airi's quiet empathy. Not Alex's music.
But someone fearless walking into the place Reina was still trying to reach.
---
After School – The Music Room
Reina wandered down the old music hall again.
It was becoming a habit — a dangerous one.
She always told herself she was just passing by.
But her feet knew better.
From down the hall, she heard laughter.
Not loud — but present.
Alive.
She stepped closer to the open door of the piano room and paused, unseen.
Inside, Airi sat near the piano, clipboard in hand. A few second-year piano club members gathered in a semicircle nearby. And at the center:
Alex.
Smiling.
Not the plastic, public smile.
A real one — small and quiet and fleeting, but it was real.
And beside the door, leaning casually against the wall, was Mei.
She wore a soft beige cardigan over her uniform. No club sash. No role. She didn't even pretend to be there officially.
But no one questioned her presence.
She waved to a few students. Offered compliments. Laughed softly at something Alex said.
And when he looked over — just briefly — their eyes met like a secret had passed between them.
Reina stepped back before anyone could see her.
She turned. Walked away fast.
Her hands were shaking.
---
Evening – Porch Lights
Alex was late coming home.
Reina sat outside under the porch lamp, hugging her knees, counting the slow seconds.
He texted once:
> "Club ran long. Sorry."
She didn't answer.
When he finally came walking up the hill, she stood quietly.
He looked surprised to see her waiting. His hair was windblown, his sleeves rolled.
"You okay?" he asked.
She nodded. "Just needed air."
He sat beside her.
They didn't talk for a while. Just let the night drift in.
Then, barely audible:
"…Do you like confident girls?"
Alex turned his head. "Where's that coming from?"
"Just wondering."
He paused.
Then, voice low:
"Confidence is beautiful. But it's not what makes someone stay."
Reina blinked.
"…Then what does?"
He didn't answer right away.
But his voice was steady when he finally said:
"People who stay even when I'm silent. People who don't flinch when I break."
---
That night, Reina couldn't sleep.
The sound of Mei's voice kept replaying in her head.
The image of Alex's soft smile haunted her.
She wanted to scream.
But instead, she opened her notebook and wrote:
> Rule #6: Beauty fades. Confidence passes.
But timing?
Timing decides who gets to be the last page of someone's story.
And I won't let her write his ending.