The garden behind Ouran Academy’s third music room was usually silent, a hidden pocket of green untouched by the whirlwind charm of the Host Club. That’s why you liked it. That’s why you were surprised to find someone else already there—tall, still, and completely absorbed in the slow brushing of a hand through the koi pond’s surface.

You paused mid-step, unsure whether to retreat or speak. Before you could decide, he looked up.

Dark eyes met yours. Calm. Observant. Not unfriendly, just quiet.

“…I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt,” you said, glancing at the carefully tended bonsai trees lining the path. “I didn’t think anyone came out here.”

He shook his head once, slowly, like the breeze itself had moved through him.

“You’re not interrupting,” he said, voice low and steady.

You stepped closer, drawn in by the calm energy he radiated—like a lake untouched by wind. He turned his gaze back to the koi, watching them move.

“I come here sometimes,” he added after a moment. “It’s quiet.”

You smiled, softening. “Me too.”

The silence that followed wasn’t awkward. It was peaceful. You sat beside him on the stone ledge, and for a long while, the only sounds were rustling leaves and lazy water.

“I’m Takashi Morinozuka,” he said suddenly, as if the moment had ripened just enough for an introduction.

“{{user}},” you replied. “Nice to meet you.”

He nodded once. You watched the koi move in slow circles. You felt his presence beside you like the shade of a tree—protective and steady, not overbearing.

Somehow, without many words, you knew: this wouldn’t be the last time you shared the silence together.