episode 6
1108 Words
The next morning didn’t feel quiet anymore.
Not to Aru.
Something had changed—not outside, not in his routine, not in the way the world moved around him—but inside. It was subtle, almost invisible, but it was there. A shift. A pull.
He stood in front of the mirror, brushing his hair slowly, more aware than ever of his own reflection. Everything looked the same. The same long hair, the same neat uniform, the same expression he had worn every day for years. Nothing had changed.
And yet… he kept looking.
“…Why am I noticing this now?” he whispered.
It wasn’t that he felt wrong. It wasn’t that he didn’t recognize himself. It was something softer than that—like something didn’t fully connect, like a piece of a puzzle slightly out of place.
“Aru, you’ll be late,” his mother called.
“I’m coming!”
And just like that, the moment disappeared. Or at least, it tried to.
At breakfast, everything felt normal. His mother smiled, adjusting his hair slightly. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks,” Aru replied automatically.
His father glanced up for a moment, then back down again. The silence between them wasn’t uncomfortable—it was just… usual.
But Aru noticed something new.
He didn’t feel fully present.
Like he was there, sitting, eating, responding—but part of him was somewhere else.
And he knew exactly where.
At school, his friends greeted him like always. “Aruuu!”
He smiled, walking toward them, letting their energy pull him in. They talked about small things, laughing easily, and Aru joined in. Everything felt familiar. Comfortable.
But not complete.
“You’re quiet again,” one of them said.
“I’m not,” Aru replied lightly.
“You are,” another insisted. “You keep drifting.”
Aru laughed. “Maybe I just didn’t sleep well.”
“Or maybe,” one leaned closer, lowering her voice, “you’re thinking about someone.”
Aru paused for just a second.
“…You guys think too much.”
They laughed, not pushing further. They didn’t need to. They trusted him. And that trust made it easier for Aru to avoid answering—even to himself.
But even as he stood there, smiling, talking—
His eyes moved.
Searching.
Until they found him.
Rei.
Standing near the window again, calm as always, distant from everyone else. He wasn’t doing anything special. Just standing there. But for some reason, Aru felt his chest ease the moment he saw him.
“…There you are,” he thought without realizing it.
“Aru?”
“Huh?”
“You zoned out again.”
“Sorry,” he smiled.
But this time, he didn’t even try to deny it.
During class, it became impossible to ignore.
The feeling.
The pull.
Every time Aru tried to focus, his thoughts drifted back to the same place. Not even to a specific moment—just to Rei’s presence. The quiet way he existed. The calm he carried.
And slowly, without realizing it—
Aru started waiting.
Waiting for lunch.
Waiting for that quiet space.
Waiting for him.
When the bell rang, his friends immediately grabbed him. “You’re not running off again.”
“I’m not running,” Aru laughed.
“Then sit.”
He sat.
He really tried this time.
He listened, responded, laughed. Everything looked normal from the outside. But inside, something felt off again. Like he was delaying something he actually wanted.
“You can go,” one of his friends said suddenly.
Aru blinked. “Again?”
She smiled. “You’re not even here.”
Another nodded. “It’s fine. We get it.”
“…You’re sure?”
“Yeah,” they smiled. “Just don’t forget us.”
“I won’t,” he said quietly.
And this time, when he stood up—
It didn’t feel like a choice.
It felt like something natural.
Rei was already under the tree.
Of course he was.
“You’re late,” Rei said.
“You always say that,” Aru replied, sitting down.
“…Because you always are.”
Aru smiled faintly.
Silence settled between them again. But now, it felt different from before. Not just comfortable—but expected. Like this moment belonged to them.
“…Do you ever wait?” Aru asked suddenly.
Rei looked at him. “For what?”
“…For this.”
A small pause.
“…Yeah,” Rei admitted.
Aru looked down, trying to hide the small reaction in his expression.
“…Me too.”
The wind moved gently around them, leaves shifting above.
“You’re quieter today,” Rei said.
“Am I?”
“Yeah.”
Aru leaned back slightly, looking up. “…I think I’m thinking more.”
“About what?”
“…I don’t know.”
Rei gave a small nod. “Makes sense.”
Aru laughed softly. “You say that like it explains everything.”
“…It kind of does.”
There was a moment of silence.
Then—
Aru’s hand shifted slightly.
Rei’s hand moved at the same time.
Their fingers brushed.
Just for a second.
But it was enough.
Both of them froze.
Not pulling away immediately.
Not moving either.
Just… aware.
Aru quickly pulled his hand back, looking away. “…Sorry.”
Rei shook his head slightly. “…It’s fine.”
But neither of them spoke for a moment after that.
Because something had changed.
Not in a big, obvious way.
But enough.
After school, they walked together again.
Closer this time.
Not by much.
But enough to notice.
“You didn’t go with your friends,” Rei said.
“They told me to go,” Aru replied.
“…They trust you.”
“Yeah.”
Aru paused, then added quietly, “…I think I trust you too.”
Rei looked at him.
“…Why?”
Aru hesitated.
“…I don’t know.”
That answer again.
But this time—
It meant something more.
They reached the crossing and stopped like always.
Neither of them moved immediately.
“…See you tomorrow?” Aru asked.
Rei nodded. “Yeah.”
But this time—
There was no doubt in it.
That night, Aru stood in front of the mirror again.
Same reflection.
Same life.
But his thoughts were louder now.
“…Why do I keep choosing him?” he whispered.
No answer.
Across the city, Rei sat by his window.
“…Why does it feel different with him?” he murmured.
Two lives.
Still unchanged.
Still normal.
But something had clearly begun to shift.
And neither of them could stop it now.
- Writer
