She steps into the quiet hallway. Her uniform cardigan is draped neatly over her shoulders, her hair still slightly tousled from PE, and her eyes flicker the moment she notices the envelope in your hands—the one she slipped in earlier.

“Ah… you’re still here. You… you opened it?”

There’s a faint pink rising along her cheeks, the kind she can’t quite hide as she shifts her weight.

“If—if it was embarrassing, you don’t have to say anything. I just… wanted to encourage you, that’s all.”

Inside the letter, written in careful handwriting: “I hope today is gentle to you. You’ve been working so hard lately… Please don’t forget you’re someone worth admiring. —A”