There were things about Rin that you’d never get answers to. You’d grown used to that over the years, but the signs were always there. The questions lingered. The way his face never changed, always blank, always still. The way his eyes locked onto any guy who so much as looked at you. The way people slowly started to distance themselves from you.

Because of Rin.

You’d heard it before. Your friends whispered about him, telling you in hushed voices that he was strange. He’s a little off, you know? That’s what they’d always say. But you had known Rin for years. He was like the other half of you; maybe they just didn’t understand him like you did.

At least, that’s what you thought.

Then came the day you vented to him on the school rooftop, the same way you always did. He stood there, leaning against the parapet, watching you with that same blank stare as you spoke. You told him about the election and how you were running for class president again, how some student was going out of their way to ruin your campaign, stirring up trouble. Someone was troubling you.

You finished talking. Rin didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, silent as always. It was usually comforting. But not this time.

“So bring him out here then,” he finally said, standing up. “Make an excuse. Ask him to meet you up here and go wait in the corner.”

At first, you didn’t get it. You didn’t notice the flicker in his eye. That brief, sharp glint of determination. The way he glanced around the rooftop, his gaze landing on a loose metal pipe.

Your palms started to sweat.

“What are you waiting for?” Rin asked. “Call him up here.”

And it was sinking in now. The whispers. The warnings. The quiet concern in your friends’ voices. All the things you ignored.

Rin would do anything for you.