Lunch break arrived like a reprieve. The three girls returned to Class 2-B, collected their lunches, and regrouped by the door.
Yuki was practically vibrating with excitement. "Follow me! I know this perfect place—absolutely private, no one will bother us there!"
Riko and Hikari exchanged a glance but said nothing. Their minds were still heavy with the infirmary conversation, with Suzuki's words, with the weight of knowing that Kaito Sato was admired by people they'd never meet.
They followed Yuki in silence.
Up the stairs. Past the second floor. Past the third. Toward the door that led—
Yuki pushed it open.
Sunlight flooded the stairwell. Wind swept past them, carrying the sounds of the city below.
The rooftop.
Riko's mind stuttered. Hikari's feet almost stopped moving.
This is...
Yuki stepped through, completely unbothered, her voice bright. "See? No one comes here! Perfect privacy!"
But there was someone.
In the corner, back against the fence, lunch balanced on his knee, sat Kaito Sato. He looked up as they entered, his expression shifting through micro-expressions too fast to read—surprise, then something softer, then settling into his usual neutral mask.
Riko's heart slammed against her ribs. No. No, no, no—
Hikari's posture stiffened almost imperceptibly. Her eyes widened for a fraction of a second before her usual bored expression slammed back into place.
Yuki, completely oblivious to the earthquake she had caused, bounced over and plopped down right next to Kaito. "Kaito-san! Perfect timing! We're having a group lunch!"
She patted the space beside her, gesturing enthusiastically. "Come on, come on! Sit!"
Riko and Hikari stood frozen at the doorway. Every logical instinct screamed at Riko to retreat, to make an excuse, to escape this nightmare of her own making. Hikari looked equally trapped—caught between her usual avoidance of social situations and the impossibility of refusing now without explanation.
But Yuki was waiting. Beaming. Innocent.
And Kaito was watching them both with those quiet, observing eyes.
There was no escape.
Riko forced her legs to move. Each step felt like walking through cement. She lowered herself to the rooftop floor at a careful distance, arranging her lunch with mechanical precision, her face a mask of perfect composure.
Hikari followed, dropping down with her usual careless grace, but her movements were slightly off—too deliberate, too controlled.
Inside, both their minds were screaming.
Why here?!
Why him?!
Why does she sit next to him like it's nothing?!
Why is he looking at us like that?!
Yuki, meanwhile, had already opened her lunch and was chattering happily about the food, completely unaware of the tension radiating from her two new friends.
Kaito said nothing. But as he returned to his meal, the corner of his mouth twitched—just barely—as if he found the entire situation quietly amusing.
The unseen rooftop had become very, very seen.
(End of Chapter 59)