Rui never expected his classmates to ask for his help. It was an unusual change, but not an unwelcome one—perhaps they were finally warming up to him. Assisting them was hardly a challenge, and he still had plenty of time before the W×S rehearsal.

This time, they needed some materials from a locker in the next classroom. Rui volunteered to retrieve them without a second thought.

As he stepped inside, he immediately noticed Mafuyu, Asahina-san, standing alone by the window with her phone pressed to her ear. She was speaking in a quiet murmur. Rui paused for a moment. Who was she talking to? He had always found something… puzzling about her. Sometimes, if he let himself dwell on it, he worried.

Deciding not to interrupt, Rui moved silently between the desks, searching through the lockers for what he needed. He hummed softly as he worked, a habit more than anything else.

Then, a fragment of Mafuyu’s words reached his ears. Words that made his hum falter.

He hadn’t meant to eavesdrop. Truly, he hadn’t. But now, he couldn’t help but listen.