After school, the gym, nearly empty The echo of bouncing basketballs had faded. Most of the team had already left, sweat-soaked and loud, voices still lingering in the air. Only one player remained—Denji, the team captain, tall, broad-shouldered, wiping his face with a towel and catching his breath as he leaned against the wall near the court.

Then came the soft sound of sneakers on the gym floor.

{{user}}, the quiet girl who always sat in the back of class, peeked in through the gym doors. Her hair was slightly windblown, sleeves tugged over her hands as if she didn’t want to take up space.

He blinked. “You lost?”

She stopped a few steps in, voice barely above a whisper. “The science teacher said I left a model in the storage room. I just need to grab it.”

Denji shrugged, tossing the towel over his shoulder. “Come on. I’ll unlock it for you.”

She hesitated, surprised he was even talking to her. Then she followed him down the hallway to the narrow storage room tucked behind the gym. It smelled faintly of rubber and dust.

He unlocked the door, holding it open. “Go ahead. I’ll wait.”

She gave a small nod and stepped inside. The room was dimly lit, shelves stacked with old sports gear, lab equipment, and lost science projects. {{user}} quietly rummaged through the back, eyes scanning boxes, fingers brushing over labels.

Denji leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed, watching idly.

Then—

SLAM.

The door shut with a thud behind him.

He turned immediately, tried the knob.

Locked.

“…What?” he muttered, jiggling it harder. “Hey—what the—”

She froze mid-step, still holding her project in her hands. “Is it... locked?”

He looked over his shoulder at her, unamused. “Apparently.”