Shinoa hadn't meant to see it.
She had just come back for her phone—nothing more.
But the moment she stepped near the court, she froze.
There they were.
Rukia Delim.
Arms wrapped around Kaiser.
Her lips pressed against his.
Shinoa didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Something twisted deep inside her. A sharp, quiet ache. Not just jealousy.
It was more than that.
She clenched her fists. Her eyes burned. And without a word, she turned around and walked away.
You have no right to feel this way, she told herself.
He's not yours.
But her heart didn't listen.
The breeze turned colder as Kaiser watched Shinoa vanish down the path.
Rukia was still standing in front of him, eyes gleaming, the taste of mischief lingering on her smile.
"You shouldn't have done that," he said at last, his voice low and tense.
Rukia blinked, feigning innocence. "Done what?"
He stared at her. "The kiss."
She gave a light shrug. "Why not? We used to kiss all the time when we were kids, remember?"
"That's not the same," he said sharply. "We're not kids anymore."
Rukia tilted her head. "So what? You didn't exactly push me away."
"That's not an excuse."
"Then give me a better one."
Kaiser's jaw tightened. "You don't get to show up out of nowhere, act like nothing's changed, and then throw my life into chaos."
Her smirk faded just a bit. "So it did mean something to you."
"That's not what I said."
"But it's what you felt."
He turned away, unwilling to give her the satisfaction.
Then, quieter: "How did you even get into Holy Cross?"
"Applied," she said simply. "Took the tests. Qualified."
"And I never saw you until now?"
Her voice softened. "Because I didn't want you to."
Kaiser turned back, eyes narrowing. "You were hiding from me?"
"I was… avoiding you," she admitted. "Didn't know how to face you. Not after how we left things."
His chest tightened at that—at the weight of the past pressing in.
"You should've stayed hidden," he muttered, the words colder than he meant.
But Rukia didn't flinch. She just looked at him, unblinking.
"Maybe," she said. "But now I'm here. And I don't run anymore."
She turned and walked away, leaving silence behind.
The next few days were slow torture.
Shinoa tried to pretend things were normal—but they weren't.
Every smile felt forced. Every laugh fell short. And every time she saw Kaiser and Rukia in the same room, her heart cracked a little more.
Yet—Kaiser didn't change.
Still cold. Still unreadable. Still the boy who looked like nothing touched him.
But she knew better.
She had seen behind the silence.
Felt something real.
He just won't say it, she thought.
And maybe… he never will.
But she couldn't keep it inside anymore.
It was after school. The campus was almost empty. A warm breeze stirred fallen leaves around her shoes.
Shinoa found him standing by the back gate, alone, headphones in, head tilted toward the sky as if waiting for something—or someone.
She walked up quietly and stood beside him.
"Kaiser," she said softly.
He turned, eyes landing on her, guarded but present.
"I know you're the type who doesn't believe in love," she said. "You push people away. You act like you don't care. Like feelings are too much trouble."
He said nothing. Just listened.
"But I do," she went on. "And I… I love you."
The air stood still.
Kaiser looked at her, and for a second she feared nothing would come. No words. No answers. Just silence, like always.
But then—slowly—he reached out. His hand found hers.
Warm. Real. Gentle.
He didn't say anything.