Saturday mornings were supposed to feel different.
Haruto knew that. He just didn't know how.
He stood in his room, staring at his phone for the third time in two minutes. No new messages. The time glared back at him anyway, like it was judging him for checking again.
Relax. It's just a hangout, he told himself.
Which made him immediately tense up.
He shoved his phone into his pocket and glanced around his room, making sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Wallet. Keys. Bag. Everything was there. Still, something felt off. Not wrong. Just… unsettled.
Haruto sighed and rubbed his face.
Why am I acting like this?
He frowned slightly. It was a group outing. Nothing special.
And yet, his chest felt tighter than it should have.
Downstairs, the house was quiet. Too quiet. He slipped on his shoes and stepped outside, the morning air cool and crisp. The street looked exactly the same as always. Calm. Ordinary.
Next door, Saki's gate opened.
Haruto looked up without thinking and froze.
She stepped out, adjusting the strap of her bag, sunlight catching in her hair. Nothing about her looked different. Same clothes. Same calm expression. And yet, something about the way she stood there made him hesitate.
For a second too long.
"...You're early," she said, meeting his eyes.
Haruto blinked, realizing he'd stopped walking. "Ah—yeah. So are you."
She smiled faintly, and his chest tightened in a way he couldn't place.
They started walking together, shoulders close but not touching. Haruto tried to focus on the road ahead, but his awareness kept drifting back to her. The sound of her footsteps. The way she tucked her hair behind her ear.
When did I start noticing this stuff? he thought, frowning.
"You okay?" Saki asked, glancing at him.
"Huh? Yeah. Just tired," he replied quickly.
She hummed, unconvinced, but didn't press.
Haruto exhaled quietly.
Something had shifted. He didn't know when. He only knew it felt… unfamiliar.
They walked side by side toward the station, the familiar route stretching ahead of them. The street was calm, shops just starting to open, the morning air still cool.
"So," Saki said, breaking the silence, "Kenta sounded way too excited yesterday."
Haruto let out a small laugh. "That's just how he is. He'll probably try to turn this into some kind of adventure."
"I'm worried already," she said, though her tone was light.
Haruto glanced at her. She was walking easily, hands in her pockets, eyes forward. Same Saki. Always steady.
And yet, he found himself matching her pace without thinking.
"You okay?" she asked suddenly.
He blinked. "Yeah. Why?"
"You've been quiet."
"Just thinking," he replied.
"About?"
"Nothing important," he said quickly, then corrected himself. "Just… badminton, I guess."
She nodded, accepting it without question. "That match yesterday looked intense."
"It was," Haruto said. "Riku's on a different level."
Saki smiled faintly. "You didn't look like someone who was scared."
That made him pause. "I wasn't," he said after a moment. "Just… frustrated."
"You'll catch up," she said simply. "You always do."
Her words settled in his chest heavier than they should have.
They reached the station entrance, the low hum of people and trains growing louder. Haruto adjusted his bag strap, suddenly aware of how close they were standing.
She's always been like this, he thought. So why does it feel different now?
Kenta's voice cut through the noise as he waved from near the ticket machines. "About time! I was starting to think you two ditched us."
Saki stepped ahead, unfazed. "You're dramatic."
Haruto followed, one step behind, still trying to shake the strange feeling that refused to leave him.
Kenta leaned against the ticket machine like he owned the place, arms crossed and chin lifted. "I give you two five minutes late and suddenly I'm the villain."
"You said ten," Mei replied calmly, standing beside him. "We're early."
"That's not the point," Kenta said. "The point is emotional suffering."
Saki sighed. "You look fine."
"I survived," he said dramatically. "Barely."
Haruto stepped up beside them, the noise of the station washing over him. The earlier heaviness in his chest eased just a little as the group came back together. This was familiar territory. Safe.
Mei glanced at him. "You look tired."
"Gym," he replied.
"And running late yesterday," Kenta added. "Don't forget that part."
"That was your fault somehow," Haruto said.
"Wow," Kenta gasped. "Victim blaming."
Saki shook her head, amused. "So what's the plan, oh great organizer?"
Kenta straightened immediately. "Glad you asked. First stop, food. Because no outing has ever succeeded on an empty stomach."
Mei nodded. "Logical."
Haruto watched them talk, their voices overlapping, the rhythm of it all settling him. For a moment, everything felt exactly the way it was supposed to.
And yet, when Saki laughed at something Kenta said, his attention lingered a second longer than usual.
He looked away quickly, tightening his grip on his bag strap.
Get it together, he told himself.
The train announcement echoed through the station.
"That's us," Mei said.
They moved toward the platform together, four shadows stretching across the floor, unaware of how much this "normal" day was already beginning to change.
———————————————————
Haruto's POV:
I don't know when it started.
Maybe it was yesterday, on the court, when I realized there were people far ahead of me. Or maybe it was this morning, standing outside my house, when something felt slightly out of place without actually being wrong.
All I knew was that walking through the station with them felt different.
Kenta was talking, as usual. Mei was listening, as usual. Saki was walking beside me, close enough that I could hear her breathing when the crowd quieted for a second. None of that was new. We'd done this a hundred times before.
So why was I so aware of it now?
I told myself I was overthinking. That this was just leftover adrenaline from yesterday. From losing. From pushing myself too hard. That explanation made sense. At least, it should have.
But every time Saki turned her head slightly while listening, or laughed softly at something Kenta said, my attention drifted back to her before I could stop it.
It annoyed me.
She hadn't changed. She was still the same Saki who lived next door. The same one who walked home with me after practice. The same one who knew when I was tired before I said anything.
If anything, I was the one acting strange.
I tightened my grip on my bag strap and forced my gaze forward.
This was supposed to be normal. Just a group outing. Nothing worth overthinking. Nothing worth feeling unsettled over.
And yet, as the train pulled in and the doors slid open, I felt it again.
That quiet sense that something had already shifted, even if I didn't have the words for it yet.
———————————————————
I was still stuck in my own head when Kenta's voice cut through the noise.
"Alright," he announced loudly, clapping his hands once. "Rule number one of today. Nobody ditches. Rule number two, nobody complains. Rule number three—"
"—there are no rules," Mei finished calmly as she stepped past him.
Kenta stared at her. "You're ruining the structure."
"You didn't have one," she said.
Saki laughed softly, stepping onto the train as the doors opened. Haruto followed without thinking, the familiar rush of passengers carrying them inside.
They found a place near the door. Kenta immediately grabbed a pole like he was claiming territory. Mei stood beside him, unbothered.
Haruto took a step back, then stopped when he realized Saki was already there. Close. Closer than he'd expected.
The train lurched forward.
For a moment, the movement threw him off balance. He reached out instinctively, catching himself just in time. Saki barely shifted, steady as always.
"Careful," she said, not even looking at him.
"Yeah," he replied, a little too quickly.
The city slid past the windows in blurred shapes. Conversations filled the car, overlapping and fading in and out. Kenta was still talking, something about food places, Mei responding with short, practical answers.
Haruto listened without really hearing.
Instead, he focused on the steady rhythm of the train. On the way the noise dulled his thoughts. On how the earlier unease slowly settled, even if it didn't disappear completely.
This was fine. This was familiar.
He told himself that again as the train carried them forward, deeper into a day that still looked ordinary on the surface.
I wasn't really listening until I heard my name.
"Haruto," Kenta said, louder than necessary. "You're walking way ahead in your head again."
I blinked. "What?"
Mei glanced at him. "He asked if you're eating properly."
"That's not what I asked," Kenta protested. "I asked if he's ready for what's coming."
Saki tilted her head slightly. "What's coming?"
Kenta grinned, lowering his voice like he was sharing a secret. "A full day together. No escape."
Mei sighed. "You're acting like this is a survival test."
"It is," Kenta said. "For him especially."
I frowned. "For me?"
Kenta leaned closer, smirk widening. "You're the type who doesn't notice things until they're right in front of you."
There was a pause.
I wasn't sure why that sentence stayed with me.
Saki looked between us, confused. "Notice what?"
"Nothing," Kenta said quickly, straightening up. "Ignore me."
Mei gave him a sideways look. "You say that after every suspicious statement."
The train rattled along, the noise filling the small gap in the conversation. I stared at the reflection in the window, watching the lights flicker across the glass.
Notice things…
I didn't ask what he meant. Part of me didn't want to. Another part of me already knew the answer wouldn't be simple.
Saki shifted slightly beside me, her shoulder brushing mine as the train slowed at the next station. The contact was brief, barely anything at all.
Still, my thoughts stalled.
Kenta's words echoed again, quieter this time.
You don't notice things until they're right in front of you.
The doors slid open. New passengers stepped in. The moment passed.
But the feeling didn't.
The train pulled away from the station again, settling into a steady rhythm. The earlier moment faded into the background, replaced by the low hum of the engine and the murmur of conversations around us.
Kenta leaned back against the pole, finally quiet for once, scrolling through his phone with a satisfied grin. Mei stood beside him, eyes half-lidded, as if she were conserving energy.
Saki shifted her weight slightly as the train swayed. I moved without thinking, giving her a bit more space. She didn't seem to notice, or if she did, she didn't comment.
Outside the window, the scenery changed slowly. Residential streets gave way to busier areas, buildings growing taller, signs flashing past in quick bursts of color. I tried to focus on that instead of my thoughts.
It worked. Mostly.
Every now and then, the train jolted, and I felt her presence again. Not directly. Just… there. Familiar. Constant.
I wondered when that had become something I noticed.
I let out a quiet breath and rested my head back against the wall. This was supposed to be easy. A normal weekend. Friends, food, laughter. Nothing more.
The announcement for our stop echoed through the carriage.
Kenta looked up instantly. "That's us."
Mei straightened. "Finally."
Saki glanced at me. "You ready?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
The doors slid open, and we stepped out together.
Whatever I was overthinking, it could wait.
For now, the day was still moving forward.
The station doors slid open, and the morning sun hit us all at once.
Kenta immediately started talking, waving his arms as if he were conducting an orchestra. "Okay, first mission: get food! Second mission: survive Mei's commentary! Third mission…"
"I'm not commenting on everything," Mei said calmly, shaking her head.
Saki laughed at their usual banter. "You two are ridiculous."
I followed behind, smiling quietly at the familiar chaos, my chest still a little tight from the morning's weird awareness of Saki.
Then, I stepped out a little too quickly—and bumped into someone.
"Oh!" I stumbled back, looking up.
Aoi stood there, one eyebrow raised, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Isn't it… you?" she said, her tone teasing. "The guy who bumped into me the other day, too?"
I froze, my face heating up. "Uh… yeah. That's me. Sorry, I didn't—"
She tilted her head, smirk widening slightly. "Seems like you have a talent for running into people."
"Uh…" I cleared my throat, unsure where to look. My bag felt heavier all of a sudden.
Kenta noticed and grinned. "Ooooh, who's this?"
Mei gave him a sharp look. "Focus."
Saki stepped closer to me, frowning slightly. "Haruto?"
I shifted awkwardly. "I—uh—this is Aoi. We… bumped into each other before."
Aoi's eyes flicked to Saki briefly, then back to me. "That's right. And you still manage to be just as clumsy."
I groaned inwardly, wishing the ground would swallow me whole.
Of course today had to start like this, I thought.
And yet… there was something in her teasing, sharp and confident, that made it impossible to look away.
Kenta whistled softly. "Interesting…"
Mei rolled her eyes, muttering something about chaos, while Saki gave me a questioning glance that made my stomach twist.
Aoi's smirk didn't fade. "Careful next time, alright? You never know who you'll bump into."
I nodded quickly, my thoughts in a jumbled mess, and followed the group as they continued walking. But somehow, I couldn't shake the feeling that this day was about to get… a lot more complicated.
Aoi's smirk lingered as she stepped back toward her own path.
"Oh, and about yesterday…" she said casually, glancing at me. "That match? You almost had me fooled for a second. Not bad… for a beginner."
I froze, words failing me for a moment.
"Uh… thanks," I managed, my voice awkward.
She chuckled lightly. "Don't let it get to your head, though. I'll be expecting an even better performance next time."
With that, she waved subtly and turned, disappearing into the crowd.
Kenta nudged me sharply. "Whoa! What was that?"
Saki glanced at me, puzzled. "Who?"
I could only groan quietly, my thoughts a tangled mess.
She's everywhere today, isn't she?
We started walking again, the group's chatter filling the space between us. Kenta was still going on about the first food stop, Mei correcting him quietly, and Saki laughing at one of his ridiculous ideas.
I tried to focus on them, on the rhythm of their conversation, but my gaze kept drifting toward Saki. The way she tilted her head when she laughed, the way sunlight caught in her hair, the easy way she moved that felt… different somehow.
Aoi's voice echoed briefly in my head—her teasing comment about yesterday's match—but I pushed it aside. It didn't matter. My thoughts kept returning to Saki.
Why does she feel… so different today? I muttered silently, shaking my head.
Saki nudged me lightly with her elbow. "You okay?"
I blinked, realizing she'd spoken. "Yeah… I'm fine," I said, forcing a smile.
The words felt hollow, even to me.
As we continued down the street toward the outing spot, I couldn't shake the sense that today was going to be anything but ordinary. And somehow, the fact that Saki was there with me made my chest tighten in a way I couldn't explain.