The fluorescent lights of the high school hallway felt blindingly bright, a sterile contrast to the shadowed corners of the prefab shack that still haunted Yuto's vision. He moved through the morning crowd like a ghost, the chatter of his classmates sounding like distant static.
Every time a younger student passed him—a middle schooler from the attached junior high—Yuto's heart would skip a beat, his eyes involuntarily darting to their waistlines, searching for a phantom bulge that didn't belong.
He was exhausted. He had spent the entire night staring at that text message from the unknown number. Leo. The name felt like a brand on his skin.
When he reached his classroom, Raika was already there. She was surrounded by a small group of girls, laughing at something on a phone screen.
She looked radiant—perfectly composed, her blazer lint-free, her black hair falling in a silky curtain down her back. To anyone else, she was the untouchable, elegant Kurusu-san.
To Yuto, she was the woman he had watched arching her back and screaming for a boy half her age just hours prior.
As he sat at his desk, Raika's eyes drifted toward him. She didn't wave. She didn't smile. She simply held his gaze for a second too long, her tongue darting out to lick her lower lip in a slow, deliberate circle.
Yuto's breath hitched. He looked down at his desk, his hands trembling as he pulled out his notebook.
The first period was a blur of mathematical formulas that made no sense. Yuto kept glancing at the clock, the ticking second hand feeling like a countdown.
10:15 AM. 11:30 AM.
During the break, his friend Tanaka slapped him on the back, nearly making Yuto jump out of his seat.
"Whoa, easy there, Watanabe! You look like you've seen a ghost. Or stayed up all night gaming. Which is it?" Tanaka grinned, leaning against the desk.
"Just... didn't sleep well," Yuto muttered, trying to keep his voice steady.
"Must be tough having a girlfriend as hot as Kurusu-san," Tanaka joked, lowering his voice. "I bet you spend all your energy just trying to keep up with her, huh?"
Yuto felt a sickening surge of pride mixed with visceral disgust. If only you knew, he thought.
If only you knew that right now, she's probably thinking about the boy who's going to stretch her out this afternoon.
"Yeah. Something like that," Yuto replied, his voice hollow.
As Tanaka walked away, Yuto felt a vibration in his pocket. He pulled out his phone, shielding the screen from view.
Raika ❤️: You look pale, Yuto. Are you thinking about the message Leo sent you?
Yuto swallowed hard, his fingers hovering over the screen.
Yuto: How did he get my number?
Raika ❤️: I gave it to him. He was so proud of himself after yesterday... he kept talking about how he wanted to 'show off' for you again. He really likes having an audience. Do you hate him for it? Or does it make you want to see it even more?
Yuto didn't reply. He couldn't. The truth was a tangled mess of thorns in his chest. He hated Leo with a primal, masculine fury, yet the thought of not going—of letting them be together without him—was even more unbearable. The exclusion was the true torture.
The Descent into Lunch
Lunchtime was the worst. Raika usually ate with her friends, but today she sought him out, cornering him in the quiet stairwell leading to the rooftop.
"He's coming over at four," she whispered, her voice bouncing off the concrete walls. She stepped into his personal space, the scent of her floral perfume mixing with the lingering, imagined scent of the shack.
"My parents won't be back until eight. The house will be quiet. You can stay in the closet, or just behind the cracked door. I want you to hear everything."
"Raika... why are you doing this?" Yuto asked, his voice a desperate whisper. "Do you really want me to watch you... with him... in your own bed?"
Raika reached out, grabbing his tie and pulling him close until their noses nearly touched. Her eyes were dark, swirling with that same sadistic hunger he had seen last night.
"Because I want to see that look on your face again, Yuto. That look where you realize you're losing me, but you can't stop yourself from loving every second of it. It makes me feel... powerful. It makes me feel like you're finally seeing the real me."
She let go of his tie and smoothed it out with her palms.
"Don't be late, pervert boyfriend. Leo is very punctual."
She turned and walked down the stairs, her heels clicking rhythmically against the stone. Yuto stood there, his heart hammering, realizing that the school day was almost over. The "normal" part of his life was ending, and the long, dark afternoon at Raika's house was about to begin.