To my friends, I was a completely different person. During recess or lunch breaks, I would laugh, share stories, and talk non-stop about things we liked. My voice was normal, happy, and full of life. I was never the invisible girl; I had people I loved and trusted, and with them, I could be myself completely. I could joke around, share my secrets, and just enjoy life without worrying about anything.

But the moment Haru came into view, something inside me just... shut down.

SLAM!

A loud sound echoed as he slammed his hands on our desk, startling everyone nearby. The noise was so sudden that even the students at the next table turned to look.

"Hey! Quiet Girl! What are you reading? Is it that boring that you have to hide your face in it?" he shouted, his voice booming across the room. He leaned over, invading my personal space with that annoying, confident smirk on his face. He smelled like fresh air and a little bit of cologne, but his attitude was so rough that it made me want to hide.

I immediately lowered my head, clutching my book tighter until my knuckles turned white. I didn't answer. I never did. To him, and to everyone else I wasn't close with, I was just the silent girl who barely spoke. I kept my walls high and my voice low.

"Tch. Are you deaf or just stupid? Why are you always so quiet?" He reached out and snatched my book away, holding it high up in the air where my short arms couldn't possibly reach. He waved it around playfully, or what he thought was playfully. "Come on, say something! 'Give it back' or 'You're annoying'! Anything! Stop acting like a statue!"

My friends looked angry, ready to defend me and tell him off, but I gently held their hands down, signaling them to stop. I didn't want trouble. I just wanted him to go away. I looked at him, my eyes calm but distant, showing no emotion.

"You're... blocking the way," I whispered, my voice so soft it was almost like a breath of wind.

"Hah? What was that? I couldn't hear you!" he teased, but his eyes were fixed on my face, searching for any kind of reaction. He ruffled my hair roughly, making it messy, just to get a rise out of me. "You're so cold, Mio. It feels like talking to a wall. Are you scared of me or something?"

He thought I hated him. He thought I was ignoring him on purpose. He thought I saw him as an enemy, a disturbance to my peaceful day. And maybe, to the world, that was exactly what we were.

But little did he know, even though I remained silent, my heart was actually pounding just as loud as his voice. I wasn't silent because I hated him. I was silent because I was shy, and because his presence was just too big, too loud, and too overwhelming for me to handle. His energy consumed everything around him, and I didn't know how to breathe properly when he was near.

And little did I know, every time he turned around and walked away after teasing me, he would touch his own chest, wondering why his heart was beating so fast. He acted like a bully, he acted like he didn't care, but deep down... he was already liking me silently, more than he would ever admit.

One afternoon, the sun was shining brightly, and the weather was perfect. I was sitting with my friends under the big tree in the school garden, enjoying the shade and the cool breeze. We were sharing snacks and talking about our favorite shows and movies, just enjoying our time together.

"Mio-chan, look at this picture! Isn't this so funny?" my friend showed me her phone screen, giggling.

I couldn't help it. A big, genuine smile spread across my face. My eyes crinkled happily, and I laughed freely, my voice clear and happy. "Hahaha! Yes! That looks exactly like our Math teacher! Oh my gosh, it's perfect!"

For a moment, I forgot everything else. I forgot about school, about studies, and especially about him. I was just being myself—happy, talkative, and open. This was the real me, the side only my friends were allowed to see. I felt light and free, without any pressure to be quiet or shy.

"What are you guys laughing so loud about?"

That voice. It cut through our conversation like a sharp knife, instantly killing the happy mood.

I froze instantly. The smile on my face vanished completely, as if it had never been there. I closed my mouth tightly and looked down, my shoulders hunching up instinctively, trying to make myself smaller. It was Haru. He was walking past with his friends, but he stopped right in front of us, blocking the light.

"Nothing," I mumbled, my voice back to being small and quiet, barely a whisper.

My friends looked at him warily, their expressions turning guarded. They knew how he always teased me and how uncomfortable I got around him. They didn't like him very much.

Haru looked at me, then at my friends, his expression dark and unreadable. His eyes scanned my face, trying to find that happy girl from just a second ago. He saw clearly how I was glowing and laughing while I was with them, but the moment I saw him, I turned into a silent, cold statue again.

"Tch. So you can laugh," he said, his tone sounding strange, a mixture of surprise and annoyance. "You can talk too, right? I hear you. So why is it that you only act like that with them? Why do I only get this silent treatment?"

He felt a strange, sharp twist in his chest. It was a feeling he didn't quite understand at first, but it was clear—it was jealousy. He was jealous of my friends. They got to see the side of me that he couldn't reach. They got to hear my voice and see my smile, while all he got was silence and cold shoulders. It wasn't fair.

"You look so happy there... it's annoying," he muttered, almost to himself, so quiet that only he could hear it.

He didn't understand why it bothered him so much. He told himself it was because he hated being ignored. He told himself it was just his pride getting hurt. But deep down, he knew the truth. He wanted to be the one making me laugh. He wanted to be the one I talked to. He wanted to enter that circle of trust and be important to me.

He kicked the ground lightly, turned around, and walked away, but his mind was filled with images of my smile. Two different worlds. One where I was bright and alive, and one where I was silent and distant. And he was stuck outside, wanting to get in, liking me silently more and more every single day.

The sky turned dark grey very quickly, covering the sun completely. Dark clouds gathered, and before dismissal time, heavy rain started pouring down heavily. Tap-tap-tap the sound against the window was loud and constant, like drums beating in the quiet classroom. It looked like it wasn't going to stop anytime soon.

I stood by the school gate, hugging my books tightly to my chest to protect them from the splashing water. I had forgotten my umbrella at home that morning. I bit my lip, feeling a little anxious and helpless. I didn't want to get wet and catch a cold, but I was too shy to ask anyone for a ride or to share an umbrella. Even with my friends, I would just smile and say "It's okay, go ahead, I'll wait" and let them leave, preferring to wait alone rather than being a burden.

"Hey. Why are you just standing there like an idiot?"

I jumped slightly at the sound of the voice, nearly dropping my books. Turning around slowly, I saw Haru. He was alone, holding a large black umbrella in his hand. He usually walked home early with his group of friends, but today, for some reason, he was still there, standing behind me.

I didn't say anything, just looked at him nervously, my heart starting to beat fast, ready to be teased or scolded again like usual.

He didn't walk away. Instead, he walked closer until he was right in front of me, blocking the wind. Then, without saying a word, he moved his umbrella so that it covered my head completely. The sound of the rain stopped above me instantly, but I could hear it hitting hard and loudly on his side, soaking his uniform shoulder.

He was sharing his umbrella with me. He was protecting me.

"You're so useless. Can't even prepare an umbrella properly," he grumbled, looking grumpy as usual, but his voice wasn't loud or angry this time. It was low and soft, almost gentle. "If you get sick and miss school... then who am I going to bother? Don't make things difficult for me."

I looked up at him in complete shock. His face was slightly red, dusted with a faint blush, and he was looking away to the side, not daring to make direct eye contact with me. His hand was holding the handle tightly, pushing the umbrella as far to my side as possible, not caring that his own body was getting wet and cold.

"..." I was speechless. My mind went blank. The boy who always acted like my enemy, the boy who was loud and mean and annoying... was actually being kind to me. He was sharing his warmth with me.

"Thank... you..." I whispered, my voice barely audible, but it felt loud enough for him to hear.

He heard it. He looked down at me, and his expression softened completely, losing all that toughness he usually showed. For the first time, no names were called. no tough act was shown. It was just him and me.

"Mio..." he started, his voice serious and deep. "Tell me the truth. Why are you so shy? Why are you so quiet only when you're with me? Am I really that scary to you?"

I took a deep breath, gathering all my courage to speak properly. "Because... you're too loud... and... I don't know... how to act... around you..."

He stared at me for a long moment, and then suddenly, a small, genuine smile appeared on his face. Not the annoying smirk, but a real, warm smile that made him look handsome and soft.

"Heh. So you're not ignoring me because you hate me?"

"...No..."

That day, under the pouring rain, the thick wall between us started to crack and break apart. He wasn't just my noisy enemy anymore, and I realized that his feelings for me were much deeper and warmer than I had ever thought possible.