The next morning, Shun stood in front of his mirror, brushing his hair absently.
He could still feel it the warmth of Alice's face so close to his.
The accident.
The way they had both blushed and laughed it off, pretending it was nothing.
But it wasn't nothing.
Not to him.
School felt different that day. He wasn't sure why, but the halls seemed noisier. The faces blurrier. His mind wasn't fully there.
As he walked into class, he caught sight of Alice.
She was at her seat, talking with her friends like usual, laughing at something one of them said.
It was like nothing had happened at all.
Shun took his seat. He didn't expect her to look at him.
But halfway through homeroom, he felt it—a quick glance from across the room.
He turned his head slightly. Their eyes met.
Just for a second.
Alice quickly looked away, pretending to be busy with her notebook.
Shun felt his chest tighten, a strange mix of panic and happiness.
During lunch, Shun sat in his usual spot behind the school building, alone.
He liked the quiet. No one really came here except a few seniors sometimes.
He pulled out his sandwich and started eating.
Footsteps approached.
He looked up.
Alice was standing there, her bag slung over her shoulder, her hair slightly messy from the breeze.
"Mind if I sit?" she asked casually, but her voice was softer than usual.
Shun nodded, scooting over slightly.
They sat side by side, the quiet stretching between them again.
Not uncomfortable. Just... different.
"I was thinking," Alice said, picking at the hem of her skirt, "maybe we don't have to pretend all the time."
Shun blinked.
"You mean...?"
"I mean, we don't have to talk a lot or anything," she said quickly. "But... maybe just… you know. Small things."
"Small things?"
"Yeah," Alice said, smiling a little. "Like saying 'hi.' Like normal people."
Shun gave a tiny laugh. "Normal sounds hard."
Alice laughed too, a little too loudly, then covered her mouth.
They fell into silence again, both smiling to themselves.
The bell rang.
Alice stood up first, brushing crumbs off her skirt.
"See you around, Shun."
It was the first time she'd said his name so casually.
He watched her walk back toward the building, sunlight catching in her hair.
Maybe everything hadn't changed.
But maybe... something had.
And maybe, Shun thought, that wasn't a bad thing at all.
End of Chapter 10