Monday morning arrived like any other—students shuffling through hallways, lockers clicking open and shut, the familiar hum of another school week beginning.
But for four people, this morning was about to change everything.
Kaito and Yuki arrived at the same time, as if their internal clocks were synchronized. They walked through the gates together, Yuki chattering about her weekend while Kaito offered occasional grunts of acknowledgment.
At the shoe lockers, they found Hikari already there, swapping her outdoor shoes with mechanical efficiency. She nodded at them—her version of a greeting.
Riko arrived moments later, slightly out of breath—a rare sight. "Good morning," she managed, smoothing her uniform.
"Riko-chan!" Yuki beamed. "You're late! Well, late for you. Which means only two minutes early instead of ten."
Riko opened her mouth to respond—
And then Kaito opened his locker.
A small envelope fluttered out, landing delicately at his feet.
Pink. Sealed with a tiny heart sticker.
The hallway froze.
Students nearby stopped mid-conversation. Eyes widened. Whispers started.
A love letter. For Sato Kaito. The Ice Prince. Someone actually...
Kaito stared at the envelope like it was an unexploded bomb.
Yuki's face transformed. Her eyes sparkled. Her grin widened. And then—
"Kaito-san!" She clutched her chest dramatically. "Please don't tell me you're going to treat this like that love letter from middle school! The one where you thought it was a book report and wrote back with corrections!"
Laughter exploded from her—loud, unrestrained, echoing off the lockers.
"She threw it at his head and ran away," Yuki continued, gasping between laughs. "And he wrote back with 'Thank you for your submission. Your thesis requires more supporting evidence. Grade: C.'"
More students overheard. Snickers spread.
Kaito's eye twitched.
He opened his mouth, clearly preparing a counter-attack of devastating proportions—
"Sato-kun! Nakamura-san! Tanaka-san! Aoyama-san!" A teacher's voice cut through the chaos. "To class. Now. All of you."
The moment shattered.
Yuki was still giggling as they walked. Hikari's expression hadn't changed, but something flickered in her eyes. Riko walked in silence, her mind already racing.
And Kaito? Kaito slipped the pink envelope into his pocket without looking at it.
---
Class 2-B settled into its usual rhythm. Ms. Kobayashi's voice droned through the morning lessons. Pens scratched against paper. The clock ticked.
Yuki slept. Face-down on her desk, completely unbothered by the world.
Hikari also appeared to sleep. Head pillowed on arms. Eyes closed. Breathing slow.
But she wasn't sleeping.
Her mind churned beneath that still surface. A love letter. Someone else. Someone who actually wrote it down and put it in his locker. Someone brave enough—or stupid enough—to actually confess.
Her fingers tightened almost imperceptibly under the desk.
Across the room, Riko stared at her notebook without seeing it.
He got a love letter. Of course he did. He's Kaito Sato. Handsome. Smart. Kind beneath the ice. Any girl with eyes would—
She stopped herself. Forced her gaze to the board. Forced her pen to move.
Why do I care? Why does this bother me?
She glanced at Hikari. Sleeping. Peaceful. Unaffected.
Lucky.
But Hikari wasn't lucky. Hikari was thinking the exact same thing.
The morning crawled.
---
Lunch finally arrived.
The rooftop was quiet. Windy. Peaceful.
Yuki bounced up the stairs, still buzzing from the morning's drama. Hikari followed. Riko followed Hikari. Kaito brought up the rear, his expression as unreadable as ever.
They settled into their usual spots. Food was unpacked. Silence stretched.
Then Yuki leaned forward, eyes gleaming. "So, Kaito-san. What are you going to do about the love letter?"
Riko's heart stopped. Hikari's chewing paused for exactly half a second.
Kaito looked at Yuki. Then at the letter, still in his pocket. Then back at Yuki.
"It's a letter," he said flatly. "I'll read it. Respond appropriately. The end."
"Respond appropriately?" Yuki's voice pitched higher. "You can't just 'respond appropriately' to a confession! This is romance! Drama! Feelings!"
"Feelings are inefficient without clear communication."
"You're hopeless." Yuki flopped backward onto the rooftop. "Absolutely hopeless."
But Riko and Hikari exchanged a glance—brief, barely noticeable, but real.
The question hung in the air, unspoken between them.
Who sent it?
And deeper, more terrifying:
What if he says yes?
(End of Chapter 68)