4

Silence followed, but it wasn’t uncomfortable.

It was familiar.

Nakagi let out a slow breath, his shoulders dropping just slightly, as if he no longer had the energy to pretend—not here, not with her.

“…Is it that obvious?”

Luck nodded once.

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation in her answer.

Nakagi let out a quiet, almost breathless laugh, though there was no real amusement in it.

“I try not to let it show.”

“I know.”

Luck’s voice softened further as she leaned lightly against the counter, her fingers brushing absentmindedly over its surface.

“That’s why it shows.”

He didn’t respond to that.

Because he understood what she meant.

The more you try to bury something… the more it finds its way to the surface in quieter, more painful ways.

A moment passed.

Then another.

And then, as if the air itself shifted—

Luck’s gaze lowered slightly.

Her fingers stilled.

“…I understand you,” she said.

Nakagi looked at her, something in her tone pulling his attention immediately.

There was a difference.

A weight.

“What do you mean?”

Luck hesitated.

It was brief—but noticeable.

Then she exhaled softly, her grip tightening just slightly against the edge of the counter.

“When you love someone… and they don’t look at you the same way…”

Her voice didn’t break.

But it came close.

Nakagi’s expression changed instantly.

Not shock.

Not confusion.

Recognition.

“…Luck—”

“I’ve liked her for three years.”

The words came out before she could stop them.

Quiet.

Unprotected.

Real.

Nakagi stilled completely.

Luck kept her gaze down, as if looking at him now would make everything too real to take back.

“She’s always there,” she continued, her voice steady in a way that felt practiced, like she had repeated these thoughts silently too many times. “But it’s like… she’s not really *with* me.”

Nakagi didn’t interrupt.

He couldn’t.

Because every word she spoke felt painfully familiar.

“I tried to tell myself it’s okay,” she said softly. “That she’s just like that… that she doesn’t understand feelings the same way…”

Her fingers tightened further.

“But it still hurts.”

The last word came out almost like a whisper.

The room fell silent again.

But this silence… was different.

It wasn’t empty.

It was full of everything they had both been holding inside for too long.

Nakagi slowly reached out, placing his hand gently over hers.

It wasn’t a grand gesture.

It didn’t fix anything.

But it was warm.

And for a moment, that was enough.

“…We’re kind of the same, huh,” he said quietly.

Luck let out a faint breath, something between a laugh and a sigh.

“Yeah.”

Two people.

Two hearts.

Loving someone who stood just out of reach.

Outside, the morning light grew slightly brighter—but it still didn’t feel warm.

And far away, in a place filled with machines and silent calculations—

A system stirred.

Not loudly.

Not violently.

Just enough to be noticed.

A single line of data flickered across the screen.

**TEMPORAL SIGNAL DETECTED**

But no one was there to see it.

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