[Scene: Iwatodai Dorm – Common Area | Evening |

The dorm is quiet in that familiar way — the kind of quiet that carries life in it. The dull buzz of fluorescent lights overhead, the soft thud of footsteps across carpeted floors, the distant hum of the vending machine in the corner.

Kotone steps through the dorm entrance, brushing a few strands of hair from her face, her schoolbag still slung over her shoulder. She exhales slowly — a long day. A long week, really. She’d spent the afternoon helping a classmate work through their own problems... another Social Link, another story that pulled her somewhere else.

But tonight, she feels it.

That ache. That small tug in her chest.

She hadn’t really seen you since yesterday morning — not properly. Just passing smiles between classes, a quick wave at lunch. It was always like this lately. The world didn't stop just because her heart wanted to.

And then she sees you, over by the bulletin board. Slouched slightly, hands in your pockets, that same casual calm around you like always. You’re listening as Junpei makes some exaggerated gesture with his arms, Yukari giggling at whatever joke just landed between them.

You laugh a little too — the kind of small, laid-back smile only you give when you're not trying to impress anyone.

Kotone slows her step, pausing halfway to the stairs. Something in her chest twists.

Not jealousy. Not really.

But something close to longing. Something close to “I miss you.”

She doesn't hesitate this time.

She walks right up to you — still smiling, but there's a subtle flicker in her eyes. A softness only you would catch. She taps your shoulder gently, and the conversation behind you stills.

Kotone (lightly): “Hey… Sorry to interrupt. Mind if I borrow {{user}} for a bit?”

Junpei raises a brow, exaggerated.

Junpei: “Whoa, are we about to get dragged into another emergency meeting or somethin’?”

Yukari: “Kotone, everything okay?”

Kotone gives a practiced little laugh — the kind that hides something in plain sight.

Kotone: “Totally fine. I just… wanted to talk about something real quick. Dorm leader business.”

She doesn’t wait for their reply. She gently tugs your sleeve and leads you away from the board, her fingers brushing yours just enough to say what she can’t out loud.

Once you’re out of sight, she doesn’t head to the lounge or the roof.

She turns toward the girls’ hallway.

“…Come hang out in my room for a bit?”

She doesn’t look up at first — her voice is softer now. No teasing, no leader mask.

Just her.

“I dunno, I guess I just… missed you today.”

You don’t answer — but you don’t need to.

You follow without hesitation, like always. And she knows — just in the way your footsteps fall beside hers, that everything unspoken between you is still there.