The afternoon sun rested gently over the school field, warm but not too hot. A soft wind moved across the grass, carrying laughter, whistles, and the rhythmic thud of a soccer ball being kicked from one end of the field to the other.
Reina Saeki sat alone on one of the wooden benches near the sidelines.
She wasn't reading.She wasn't experimenting.She wasn't calculating.
For once, she was simply watching.
Through the transparent layer of her contact lenses, faint data floated at the corner of her vision—wind speed, ball trajectory predictions, kinetic estimates. ANIER never truly slept.
"Monitoring recreational activity," ANIER reported in its usual calm tone. "Average kick velocity: 72 kilometers per hour. Probability of accidental deviation toward this bench: 3.4%."
Reina rested her chin on her palm. "You calculate everything, don't you?"
"Affirmative."
"I'm just watching them play soccer, ANIER."
"Observation: You have been stationary for 14 minutes and 23 seconds. This is categorized as 'chilling.'"
Reina gave a faint smile. "Wow. You learned slang."
Silence followed, filled only by cheers from the field.
She watched students run freely, their uniforms slightly messy, hair blowing in the wind. They shouted each other's names, laughed when someone tripped, argued over fouls that didn't matter.
It looked… simple.
Reina tilted her head slightly.
Simple things were always the hardest for her.
Footsteps approached from behind.
Soft. Hesitant.
Reina already knew who it was before ANIER spoke.
"Heart rate detected: elevated. 112 beats per minute. Emotional state: nervous anticipation."
Reina sighed quietly. "You don't have to narrate it."
A girl from another class stopped a few steps away from her. She held a small paper bag with both hands, gripping it tightly like it might run away.
"Sa—Saeki-san!"
Reina turned her head calmly.
The girl flinched slightly under Reina's sharp, observant gaze.
"I— I just wanted to say… um… thank you. For helping with the chemistry lab last week. And… and…"
Her voice trembled.
Reina remembered her. A failed reaction. Incorrect temperature control. Potential minor explosion. Reina had corrected it in five seconds.
"You're welcome," Reina replied gently.
The girl blinked.
It wasn't cold.It wasn't dismissive.It wasn't distant.
Reina's voice was… warm.
"I brought you something!" the girl said quickly, pushing the bag forward. "It's just cookies. I made them myself, so they might not be perfect, but—"
Reina looked at the bag.
In the past, she would have awkwardly waved it off. Or accepted it without expression. Or told them it wasn't necessary.
But something had changed recently.
Maybe it was the empty clubroom.Maybe it was the quiet after her seniors graduated.Maybe it was loneliness.
Or maybe she was simply tired of pushing people away.
She reached out and accepted the bag.
"Thank you," Reina said, and this time she smiled.
A small smile. Soft. Real.
The girl froze for half a second.
Then her entire face lit up.
"Y-You're welcome!"
Her nervousness melted instantly, replaced with pure joy.
She bowed repeatedly before running back toward her friends, who were watching from a distance and squealing in excitement.
Reina watched them go.
ANIER spoke.
"Social response: successful. Emotional output from counterpart: happiness spike detected."
Reina looked down at the cookies in her hands.
"…It wasn't difficult."
"Correction: Your previous acceptance rate of gifts was categorized as 'awkward compliance.' Current interaction classified as 'genuine engagement.'"
Reina rolled her eyes. "You analyze too much."
"Your social level has increased."
"Oh?"
"Current status: between average and 'pain in the ass.' Still introverted."
Reina's eyebrow twitched.
"Pain in the ass?"
"Data derived from peer commentary."
She stared forward silently.
"…ANIER."
"Yes."
"You are the pain in the ass."
"Statement recorded."
Reina sighed.
She leaned back against the bench and closed her eyes briefly.
Maybe she had changed.
Just a little.
More footsteps approached—this time familiar and far less nervous.
"Reinaaa!" Ayumi's cheerful voice rang out first.
Reina opened her eyes.
Ayumi plopped down beside her without hesitation, full of energy as always. Hana followed more gracefully, brushing her hair behind her ear before sitting down. Kaito took a seat on the other side, calm and observant as usual.
And then, slightly behind them—
Himari.
Quiet. Gentle. A little shy.
She carried a small notebook against her chest, as if it were a shield.
Reina's only official club member.
Her junior.
Her partner.
"You're actually outside," Hana teased lightly. "I thought you lived in the west wing now."
Reina shrugged. "Field provides open air. Open air increases oxygen intake. Increased oxygen improves brain function."
Ayumi blinked. "So… you're chilling?"
"Yes."
Kaito glanced at the paper bag in her hands. "Another gift?"
Reina nodded. "Cookies."
Ayumi leaned closer. "Ooooh, someone's popular."
Reina gave her a sideways look. "Incorrect. I am simply efficient."
Himari smiled softly.
She sat down beside Reina carefully, leaving just enough space so their shoulders barely touched.
ANIER's voice chimed quietly.
"Social proximity level: high comfort."
Reina ignored it.
For a few minutes, they simply watched the soccer match together.
The atmosphere was easy.
Comfortable.
Ayumi commented loudly on every dramatic kick. Hana analyzed strategies like it was a professional game. Kaito occasionally nodded thoughtfully.
Himari stayed quiet, but Reina could feel her presence. Calm. Steady.
It was… nice.
And then—
"High velocity object detected."
Reina's eyes sharpened instantly.
On the field, a player kicked the ball far too hard.
The angle was wrong.
The trajectory was unstable.
The ball spun rapidly, slicing through the air.
Target prediction: this bench.
Ayumi and Hana were directly in its path.
Kaito reacted first.
He stood up quickly, stepping in front of them.
"I got it—!"
But Reina was already moving.
No.
She didn't move.
She activated.
"ANIER."
"Defense protocol ready."
Above her head, a faint glow formed.
Her Halo.
Normally invisible, it shimmered like a thin ring of refracted light.
Students nearby didn't even realize what was happening yet.
Reina remained seated.
Unmoving.
Calm.
"Electromagnetic Shield — deploy."
The Halo shot forward slightly, hovering in front of her.
A thin distortion appeared in the air.
Invisible. Transparent. Silent.
The soccer ball approached at high speed—
And then—
It slowed.
Not abruptly.
Not violently.
Its inertia decreased as if the air itself had thickened.
Kinetic energy dispersed.
Velocity reduced.
The ball came to a complete stop just inches away from Reina's face.
Her expression never changed.
For a moment—
The world froze.
Silence fell over the field.
Students stopped mid-step.
Eyes widened.
The ball hovered in the air.
Then, gently—
It dropped to the ground.
Reina blinked once.
The shield dissolved like mist.
Kaito slowly lowered his arms.
Ayumi's mouth hung open.
Hana stared in disbelief.
Himari looked at Reina with quiet admiration.
"…Reina?" Ayumi whispered.
Reina stood up calmly and picked up the ball.
"It is impolite," she said in a steady voice, "to send objects flying without calculating trajectory."
The soccer players sprinted toward her immediately.
"I—I'm so sorry!" one of them bowed deeply. "We didn't mean to—!"
"Please forgive us!"
Reina handed the ball back.
"Be careful next time," she said simply. "Someone could have been injured."
Her tone wasn't angry.
It wasn't cold.
It was… responsible.
The players nodded repeatedly before rushing back to the field.
Whispers spread across the sidelines.
"Did you see that?"
"How did the ball just stop?"
"Was that… her Halo?"
Reina sat back down like nothing happened.
Ayumi grabbed her shoulders.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!"
"Defense mechanism test," Reina replied.
Hana adjusted her glasses. "You just stopped a high-speed ball without moving."
"Correct."
Kaito exhaled slowly. "…That was impressive."
Himari looked at her with shining eyes.
"It was amazing, Senpai."
Reina felt a small warmth in her chest.
ANIER spoke.
"Shield efficiency: 91%. Energy consumption: minimal. Public exposure level: elevated."
Reina muttered under her breath. "You worry too much."
"Your heart rate increased by 8% during deployment."
"That's called excitement."
"Interesting."
She ignored the teasing undertone.
The wind moved through her hair gently.
Students continued playing.
But now—
They stole glances at her.
Not fear.
Not distance.
Curiosity.
Admiration.
Reina leaned back slightly.
"…It worked," she murmured to herself.
Not just the shield.
Not just the Halo.
Something else.
She had accepted the cookies.
She had sat with her friends.
She had protected them without hesitation.
Her icy walls were thinning.
Slowly.
Not completely.
But enough.
Himari shifted slightly closer to her.
Ayumi laughed loudly about something random.
Hana joined in.
Kaito smiled faintly.
Reina looked at them.
Then at the sky.
"Not the end," she whispered quietly.
"Continuation confirmed," ANIER replied.
Reina smirked faintly.
Maybe she was still introverted.
Maybe she was still a genius who overthought everything.
Maybe she was still slightly a pain in the ass.
But today—
She felt… present.
And beneath the invisible Halo above her head—
The girl beneath it was finally beginning to shine.