The hallway outside the theater club room had grown quiet after rehearsal, the muffled chatter fading as students left one by one. Ichika hurriedly slipped behind the corner, her breath light and uneven. She could still hear Rikuu's voice echoing faintly from inside — steady, natural, full of emotion. It surprised her. Someone like him… acting like that?
The door slid open.
Ichika flinched and immediately pressed herself against the wall, clutching her schoolbag to her chest. Rikuu stepped out, rolling his shoulders as if shaking off the weight of the performance. His eyes were half-lidded, tired, and there were faint bruises across his knuckles and under his jaw. Ichika noticed them again — the same as the other day — and her brows pinched in concern.
He took two steps forward.
Stopped.
And without turning around, he spoke.
"...You can come out now."
Ichika froze.
Caught.
Slowly, she stepped out from behind the corner. "A-Ah… you noticed."
Rikuu finally looked at her. His expression was unreadable, but not hostile — just… exhausted.
"You're not good at hiding," he said plainly.
Ichika's face flushed. "I wasn't… hiding. I was just—"
"Stalking me?" he offered dryly.
Her whole body jolted. "N-No! I was just curious! I saw you enter the theater club, and then—"
"You followed me," he finished.
Ichika's voice shrank. "...Yes."
A beat of silence passed.
Then Rikuu sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "Whatever. What do you want?"
She swallowed, gathering courage. "I… I didn't know you could act like that. It was… amazing. You sounded like a real professional."
Rikuu raised an eyebrow. "So you were watching the whole time."
"M-Maybe just a little…" Ichika admitted, poking her fingers together.
He huffed a small breath — not quite a laugh, but close. "You really are strange."
Ichika blinked. "Strange?"
"You don't talk to me, you run away from me, then suddenly you're peeking into clubrooms."
"I-It wasn't sudden! I just—"
But her words tangled together.
Rikuu leaned his shoulder against the wall, studying her quietly.
"So? What exactly do you want to ask?"
Ichika took a breath.
She looked up at him, her eyes clear, sincere.
"Why did you start acting?"
Rikuu's gaze sharpened.
Immediately, he looked away.
"None of your business."
The words came out flat, cold — a wall slammed up between them. Ichika flinched at the tone, but she didn't step back.
"I… I didn't mean to pry," she said softly. "It's just that… you looked like someone who really loves it."
Rikuu kept his eyes on the floor, jaw tightening.
He let the silence drag.
Then finally—
"It wasn't supposed to be anything serious," he muttered. "Someone I know… liked this kind of thing. Always made me practice lines with them. I just picked it up."
Ichika's expression warmed. "Someone important to you?"
Rikuu didn't answer, but his silence spoke for him.
He wasn't going to say more.
He wasn't going to name her.
He just held onto the memory tightly, quietly.
Ichika sensed it — and didn't push further.
Instead, she offered a small smile. "I… I think it suits you. Acting, I mean. You're really good."
Rikuu turned his head slightly, as if trying to hide the faint twitch of surprise on his face.
"You think so?"
She nodded with more confidence. "Yes. You sounded alive up there. Like… like you became someone else for a moment."
Rikuu's eyes softened just a little.
"Guess that's the point," he murmured. "Being someone else."
Ichika paused. Something about that line tugged at her chest.
She glanced at his bruised knuckles again — faint, but there. He looked worn down, like he carried the weight of things no one else saw.
"Are you…" she began carefully, "okay? You look tired lately. And bruised."
Rikuu blinked, then scoffed lightly. "These? Nothing. I just… work too much."
"Work?" Ichika repeated, puzzled.
But she didn't pry. His eyes made it obvious — he wasn't ready to explain.
She simply nodded, accepting his boundary.
Rikuu pushed off the wall. "Anyway, if you're done spying on me, I'm heading out."
Ichika quickly stepped aside. "S-Sorry. I didn't mean to bother you."
He walked past her — but stopped after two steps.
"You weren't bothering me," he said without turning around. "Just… don't get caught doing weird things again. People will misunderstand."
Ichika blinked in confusion. "Weird th—?"
Before she could finish, Rikuu had already started down the hall, hands in his pockets, shoulders relaxed just a bit.
Ichika watched him disappear around the corner.
Her heart thumped quietly.
He wasn't as cold as he seemed.
He wasn't as distant as she thought.
And beneath the tired eyes and bruises…
There was something warm.
Something human.
Something she wanted to understand.
Ichika held her bag tighter, cheeks flushed.
"…I want to know more," she whispered to herself.
And for the first time, she realized—
She wasn't afraid of him anymore.
Only curious.
And drawn in, little by little.