Morning.
A bright spring morning welcomed another school day.
Students walked through the school gates in groups, chatting excitedly about homework, sports, and the upcoming weekend.
The hallways gradually filled with footsteps and laughter.
Inside Class 10-B—
The classroom was slowly coming to life.
Some students were reviewing their notes.
Others were busy copying homework at the last minute.
A few simply rested their heads on their desks.
Near the window—
Kentarou Izumi was already sitting in his seat.
His school bag rested neatly beside his desk.
A notebook lay open in front of him.
He quietly flipped through its pages, preparing for the first class.
A few moments later—
The classroom door slid open.
"Morning!"
Hayashi Senku walked in with his usual cheerful expression.
He greeted a few classmates before his eyes landed on Kentarou.
"...Oh."
Without hesitation, Senku walked over.
He stopped beside Kentarou's desk.
"Good morning, Kentarou."
Kentarou looked up.
For a brief moment, their eyes met.
Then a small smile appeared on his face.
"...Good morning."
His voice sounded normal.
Too normal.
Senku stared at him for a second longer.
Something felt... off.
Kentarou smiled.
But it wasn't the smile Senku had always known.
It was gentle.
Polite.
As if he was forcing himself to look okay.
As if he was hiding everything behind that single smile.
Senku opened his mouth to ask if he was really fine.
But before he could—
The school bell rang.
"Everyone, take your seats."
The teacher entered the classroom carrying a stack of books.
The morning lesson began.
---
The classroom became quiet.
The teacher started explaining the day's lesson.
Students opened their notebooks.
Pens began moving across paper.
Senku unconsciously glanced toward Kentarou.
Then—
His eyes widened slightly.
Kentarou wasn't looking outside the window.
He wasn't lost in thought.
He wasn't absentmindedly staring at the clouds like he always did.
Instead—
He was listening carefully.
Every word the teacher spoke.
He wrote down each important point without missing a single one.
His full attention remained on the blackboard.
Not once...
Not even once...
Did his eyes wander toward the classroom window.
Senku slowly looked outside.
The cherry blossom tree was still there.
The same tree Kentarou used to stare at almost every morning.
But today—
Kentarou didn't even spare it a glance.
Senku quietly lowered his head.
For everyone else—
It looked like Kentarou had finally become a more serious student.
But Senku knew better.
This wasn't concentration.
This was someone trying desperately to keep his mind occupied.
Because the moment his thoughts became free—
They would return to only one person.
Violet Kubo.
__
Time quietly passed.
The morning classes came to an end.
Soon—
The lunch bell echoed throughout the school.
The once quiet hallways immediately became lively.
Students left their classrooms, laughing and talking as they headed toward the canteen or the school courtyard.
---
Inside Class 10-B—
Kentarou remained in his seat.
He calmly opened his lunch box.
Without saying a word, he began eating while reading through the notes he had written during class.
Even during lunch—
He was studying.
---
Near the classroom door—
Yui Takamura watched him for a few seconds.
Then she turned toward Senku.
"Senku."
"Hm?"
"Can we talk for a minute?"
Senku nodded.
The two walked just outside the classroom, where the corridor was relatively quiet.
---
Yui folded her arms.
Her eyes unconsciously drifted back toward the classroom.
Toward Kentarou.
Then she spoke.
"...Don't you think something feels off about him?"
Senku didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He also looked through the classroom window.
Kentarou was still eating quietly.
Still reading.
Still avoiding everyone around him.
---
"...Yeah."
Senku finally nodded.
"I've been thinking the same thing."
Yui let out a small sigh.
"It's strange."
She searched for the right words.
"It's not that he's pretending to be happy..."
She shook her head.
"No..."
"It's like..."
She looked at Kentarou once again.
"...he's hiding something."
A brief silence followed.
Then she quietly corrected herself.
"...No."
Her voice became softer.
"It's like he's hiding something..."
"...from himself."
---
Those words lingered in the air.
Senku's expression slowly changed.
He replayed everything in his mind.
The birthday party.
The balcony.
Gen's declaration.
Kentarou's silence.
His forced smile that morning.
And the way he had buried himself in studying.
---
"...Hiding it from himself..."
Senku repeated those words under his breath.
As if trying to understand their meaning.
Then—
His eyes widened ever so slightly.
It was as though something had finally clicked.
Something he hadn't noticed before.
He lowered his head in thought.
The noise of the students around him gradually faded into the background.
His mind focused on only one person.
Kentarou Izumi.
---
Lunch break.
The school courtyard buzzed with conversations.
Students sat beneath the cherry blossom trees, while others lined up at the canteen.
Near one of the quieter walkways—
Senku stood waiting.
A few moments later—
Footsteps approached from behind.
"Sorry for making you wait."
Senku turned around.
"Lyoid."
The boy who had just arrived was Lyoid Akiyama.
Unlike Senku's carefree personality, Lyoid had a calm and composed aura.
He was the kind of person who listened more than he spoke.
The kind of person who noticed things others overlooked.
---
The two walked toward a quieter corner of the courtyard.
For a moment—
Neither of them spoke.
Then Senku broke the silence.
"I need your help."
Lyoid looked at him.
"About Kentarou?"
Senku smiled bitterly.
"You already figured it out."
"You wouldn't call me during lunch for anything else."
---
Senku let out a quiet sigh.
Then he explained everything.
Kentarou's feelings for Violet.
The birthday party.
Gen's confession.
The confrontation on the balcony.
Kentarou's sudden change.
The forced smile.
The way he buried himself in studying.
Even what Yui had just said.
"It's like he's hiding something... from himself."
---
Lyoid listened from beginning to end.
Without interrupting.
Without asking questions.
His expression remained calm throughout.
When Senku finally finished—
Silence followed.
The breeze gently rustled the trees above them.
---
After thinking for a few seconds—
Lyoid quietly nodded.
"...I see."
Those two simple words carried surprising weight.
As if he had already pieced everything together.
---
Senku looked at him expectantly.
"So..."
"What do you think?"
Lyoid looked toward the school building.
His gaze resting on one particular classroom window.
Class 10-B.
Where Kentarou was.
---
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Leave it to me."
Senku blinked.
"Huh?"
"I'll handle it."
His voice was calm.
Confident.
As though he had already decided what to do next.
---
Senku stared at him for a moment.
Then smiled in relief.
"If anyone can get through to him..."
"...it's probably you."
Lyoid said nothing.
He simply turned his eyes back toward the classroom building.
Quietly watching.
Quietly thinking.
The next move...
Had already begun.
___
The afternoon sun shone brightly over the school grounds.
It was now P.E. period.
Some students were playing basketball.
Others were jogging around the field.
A few had simply gathered under the shade, chatting while waiting for their turn.
Kentarou sat alone on a bench near the edge of the field.
A towel rested around his neck.
His gaze followed the students running across the ground, but his mind seemed to be elsewhere.
Then—
Someone sat beside him.
Lyoid Akiyama.
Neither of them spoke immediately.
The whistle echoed across the field.
Students cheered from the basketball court.
Only after a few moments did Lyoid break the silence.
"So..."
"How's your novel going?"
Kentarou turned his head slightly.
"My novel?"
Lyoid nodded.
"The one you're writing."
Kentarou looked back toward the field.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"...It's been difficult lately."
Lyoid quietly listened.
Kentarou continued.
"Actually..."
"I don't get ideas very often."
He let out a small laugh.
"It's strange."
"Sometimes I'm writing normally..."
"And then..."
"My mind just goes blank out of the blue."
The smile on his face slowly faded.
"I end up staring at the screen without writing a single word."
Lyoid nodded thoughtfully.
"I see."
A gentle breeze passed between them.
After a brief silence, Lyoid spoke again.
"Then why don't you try going to a library?"
Kentarou looked at him.
"A library?"
"Yeah."
Lyoid smiled.
"It's quiet."
"You can read different books, observe people, clear your mind..."
"Sometimes inspiration comes when you stop looking for it."
Kentarou remained silent.
He thought about it for a moment.
A library...
It wasn't somewhere he usually visited.
But...
It didn't sound like a bad idea.
Finally, he nodded.
"...Not a bad idea, I guess."
Lyoid smiled.
"Give it a try."
"You might find more than just ideas there."
Kentarou chuckled softly.
"...Maybe."
The whistle blew once again.
"Everyone! Gather up!"
The students immediately began returning to the center of the field.
Kentarou stood up.
"So... thanks."
Lyoid simply nodded.
As Kentarou walked toward his classmates—
Lyoid quietly watched him leave.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Now..."
"Let's see where this story takes you."
He whispered so quietly that even the wind carried the words away.
__
The evening sun slowly descended beyond the city skyline.
Golden light reflected off the windows of passing buildings.
A cool breeze drifted through the streets.
Kentarou walked quietly along the sidewalk with a laptop bag slung over his shoulder.
Lyoid's words from earlier echoed in his mind.
"Why don't you try going to a library?"
"...Let's give it a try."
---
A few minutes later—
The automatic doors of the public library slid open.
A calm silence welcomed him.
Rows of books stretched across the room.
Only the occasional turning of pages and the soft tapping of keyboards broke the silence.
Kentarou looked around before finding an empty table near a large window.
He sat down.
Placed his laptop on the table.
Opened it.
The familiar document appeared on the screen.
Chapter — Draft
The cursor blinked patiently.
Waiting.
Kentarou rested his chin on his hand.
"..."
He typed a sentence.
Deleted it.
Typed another.
Deleted that too.
Minutes became half an hour.
Half an hour became nearly an hour.
The blinking cursor remained the only thing moving on the screen.
His mind was empty.
---
Just then—
A gentle voice interrupted the silence.
"Excuse me..."
Kentarou looked up.
Standing beside the table was a girl about his age.
She carried a few books in her arms and wore a warm, friendly smile.
"Is this seat taken?"
She pointed toward the empty chair opposite him.
Kentarou glanced at it before shaking his head.
"No."
"You can sit here."
"Thank you."
She carefully placed her books on the table before sitting down.
For a few minutes, both of them quietly focused on their own work.
Then—
The girl glanced toward Kentarou's laptop.
She noticed the blank page.
And the title at the top.
Curiosity got the better of her.
"So..."
"What are you working on?"
Kentarou closed the laptop slightly.
"I'm writing a novel."
Her eyes brightened.
"You're a novelist?"
Kentarou gave a small nod.
"I publish web novels."
"Oh!"
She smiled brightly.
"I'm Hee-Young, by the way."
"Kentarou."
"It's nice to meet you."
"You too."
---
The conversation paused.
Then Hee-Young's eyes drifted toward the laptop once more.
She caught a glimpse of the author's name displayed on the profile page.
Izumi_Ken.
She tilted her head.
"...Izumi_Ken..."
"I've heard that name before."
Kentarou looked at her with mild surprise.
"You have?"
Hee-Young thought for a moment.
Then suddenly snapped her fingers.
"That's right!"
"My friend!"
"She's a huge fan of your web novel."
Kentarou blinked.
"Really?"
"Yes."
"She's always talking about your story."
"Whenever a new chapter comes out, she's the first one to read it."
A faint smile appeared on Kentarou's face.
"I didn't expect to meet someone who knows my pen name."
Hee-Young laughed softly.
"The world's smaller than you think."
---
Time quietly passed.
Hee-Young immersed herself in her books.
Kentarou returned to his laptop.
But nothing changed.
The cursor continued blinking.
Waiting.
Waiting.
Still waiting.
---
Eventually—
Hee-Young noticed him staring blankly at the screen again.
"You haven't written anything."
Kentarou let out a helpless laugh.
"...Yeah."
She looked at him curiously.
"Writer's block?"
"...Something like that."
"What usually stops you?"
Kentarou remained silent.
His fingers rested on the keyboard.
His gaze fixed on the blinking cursor.
Then, after a long pause, he quietly answered—
"The story I'm writing..."
He looked at the empty page.
"...is my own love story."
Hee-Young's eyes widened.
She slowly turned toward him.
For the first time since sitting down—
She realized that the emotions inside his novel...
Weren't fiction at all.
They were real.
And somewhere inside those pages...
Lived the girl he couldn't forget.
To be continued...
"It's not just a novel..."
He smiled faintly.
"I'm writing the story of the girl I love."