Lunch break.
Courtyard again.
Shuu sat on the bench, unwrapping a sandwich, while Sakura quietly arranged her bento next to him.
They didn't say much at first.
But the silence between them was calm—like water with no wind.
Until Shuu asked, "Did you have a good weekend?"
Sakura nodded. "I read two books."
"Fantasy again?"
"One fantasy, one mystery."
"Nice. Any dramatic endings?"
She hesitated. "The fantasy one… the main character dies."
Shuu winced. "Oof. Classic."
"But…" she continued, voice softer, "he died happy."
There was something in the way she said it.
Like she didn't fear sadness—so long as it meant something.
Shuu looked at her, then said, "You've really changed, you know."
Sakura blinked. "...Changed?"
"You're more open. Braver."
She looked down, cheeks slightly pink. "I don't feel that different."
"You are," he said gently. "People talk to you now. You talk back. You're even laughing in class."
Sakura didn't respond immediately.
Then, slowly: "It's not just me."
Shuu tilted his head. "Hm?"
"It's because you… and Motoko-san…"
She trailed off.
But he got it.
He looked at her sideways. "You don't mind her being around?"
Sakura was quiet for a second.
Then she said, "She's loud. But kind."
"Yeah. Like a firecracker with good intentions."
Sakura smiled faintly.
Then, softly: "Before this semester… I didn't have any friends."
Shuu felt something twist in his chest.
"But now, people say hi. Some ask about my books. Motoko-san even borrowed one."
Shuu raised his eyebrows. "Really?"
"She returned it with four sticky notes and a drawing of the main character as a cat."
He snorted.
Sakura looked up, expression clear and content.
"It feels like… my world is getting bigger."
Shuu watched her, that quiet smile spreading across her face.
A smile that didn't need rescuing.
It hit him then—his role had already changed.
He wasn't just the one lifting her up anymore.
He was standing beside someone who was starting to shine on her own.
And maybe…
That was even better.
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