The Things They Hide

The classroom was as noisy as ever.

Students filled the morning with laughter, gossip, and conversations about upcoming exams. The atmosphere felt normal.

Too normal.

Yuna Tachibana sat quietly at her desk, her fingers gripping a folded piece of paper hidden inside her bag.

The note.

The same note that had haunted her thoughts since yesterday.

They're different.

The words seemed burned into her mind.

No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stop thinking about them.

What if it was true?

What if the person she met by the riverside wasn't Ren?

What if everyone around her knew something she didn't?

A sudden voice interrupted her thoughts.

"Hey."

Yuna flinched.

Sora was leaning against her desk with an annoyed expression.

"Are you still alive?"

"H-Huh?"

Sora crossed her arms.

"I called your name three times."

Before Yuna could answer, another voice joined in.

"Maybe she's thinking about Ren~"

Rika grinned mischievously.

Yuna immediately felt her face heat up.

"I'm not!"

Nearby, Miyu quietly looked up from her book.

"You've seemed stressed lately."

Yuna forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

But judging from Sora's expression, nobody believed her.

---

The classroom door slid open.

Several students entered together.

Ren Kurokawa.

Daichi Nakamura.

Kaito Fujimoto.

The usual group.

Kaito's loud voice immediately filled the room.

"I'm telling you, bro, yesterday's test was easy!"

Ren looked irritated.

"You're too loud."

Daichi sighed.

"We're in a classroom."

Yuna watched them from afar.

Everything seemed normal.

Ren looked exactly like himself.

Calm.

Quiet.

Uninterested.

The Ren she had always known.

Then Kaito noticed her.

"Oh look, your girlfriend's over there."

Ren glanced toward Yuna.

Their eyes met briefly.

Yuna immediately looked away.

Kaito laughed.

"You always get weird whenever Yuna's around."

"Shut up."

The response came instantly.

Meanwhile, Daichi silently observed the interaction.

For a brief second, Yuna felt as though he wanted to say something.

But whatever it was...

He kept it to himself.

---

Lunch break arrived.

The rooftop was peaceful.

A cool breeze drifted across the open space as Yuna sat with Sora, Rika, and Miyu.

Sora took a bite of her lunch.

"So."

She looked at Yuna.

"Are things okay between you and Ren?"

Yuna nearly choked.

"Of course."

"Really?"

Rika leaned closer.

"You two have been acting weird lately."

Weird.

The word struck her again.

Why did everyone keep noticing it?

Could it really be that obvious?

Before she could answer, the rooftop door suddenly creaked open.

Everyone turned.

Yuna's breath caught.

For a split second, she thought she was looking at Ren.

The same face.

The same eyes.

The same voice.

But then he smiled.

Warmly.

Naturally.

And Yuna immediately knew.

It wasn't Ren.

It was him.

The boy from the riverside.

The boy who had whispered words she couldn't forget.

Rei.

Beside him stood another student.

Haruki.

Quiet and observant.

Rei smiled casually.

"Oh. You're all here."

Yuna's heartbeat quickened.

Every instinct inside her screamed that something was wrong.

"Can we sit here?"

Before anyone could answer, Sora leaned toward Yuna and whispered.

"He's surprisingly nice today."

Yuna swallowed hard.

No.

This wasn't the usual Ren.

Rei's eyes found hers.

The same warmth from that night appeared again.

"Have you eaten yet?"

Yuna couldn't answer.

That smile.

That voice.

That feeling.

Everything was exactly the same.

Then suddenly—

Haruki interrupted.

"Re—"

He immediately stopped himself.

The rooftop seemed to grow quiet.

Rei shot him a sharp glance.

Haruki looked away.

Yuna noticed everything.

The hesitation.

The nervousness.

The hidden tension.

They're hiding something.

---

The rooftop door burst open once more.

"OY, REN!"

Kaito's voice echoed across the rooftop.

Everyone froze.

Kaito blinked.

"...Huh?"

His eyes narrowed.

He stared directly at Rei.

For a moment, confusion crossed his face.

Haruki stood up immediately.

"Wrong person."

"What?"

Kaito frowned.

"No way—"

Rei smiled casually.

"You just got mistaken."

The explanation sounded simple.

Too simple.

Kaito still looked unconvinced.

Then another voice interrupted.

"Kaito."

Daichi had appeared behind him.

His expression was serious.

"Enough."

"But—"

"I said enough."

The tone left no room for argument.

Kaito clicked his tongue but stayed quiet.

Yuna looked around.

Kaito knew something.

Daichi definitely knew something.

Haruki knew something.

Even Akane seemed to know something.

So why was she the only one left in the dark?

---

Eventually, Rei stood.

"We should go."

Before leaving, he looked directly at Yuna.

Then he smiled.

A gentle smile.

One that instantly brought back memories of the anniversary night.

"I miss you."

The memory sent a shiver through her heart.

"See you later."

And then he was gone.

---

Silence settled over the rooftop.

Sora looked confused.

"What was that?"

Rika shrugged.

Even Kaito scratched his head.

"I seriously thought that was Ren."

Yuna stared toward the closed rooftop door.

"...So did I."

---

After classes ended, the hallways grew quiet.

Yuna walked alone.

Lost in thought.

Suddenly—

Someone grabbed her wrist.

She gasped.

Ren stood in front of her.

His grip wasn't painful.

But it was firm.

"We need to talk."

Yuna felt her pulse quicken.

"A-About what?"

His expression remained unreadable.

"Who was that guy on the rooftop?"

Yuna froze.

"What?"

Ren's grip tightened slightly.

"Who was he?"

The question struck her like ice water.

Her mind raced.

Why did it sound like he already knew the answer?

Ren stared directly into her eyes.

"Yuna."

His voice was calm.

Dangerously calm.

"Answer me."

For the first time, Yuna felt nervous around him.

Not because of what he asked.

But because of how he asked it.

As though he wasn't searching for information.

As though he was confirming a suspicion.

---

That night, Yuna sat alone in her room.

Rain tapped softly against the window.

Her thoughts refused to settle.

Then her phone vibrated.

A new message appeared.

Unknown Sender.

You're getting close to the truth.

Yuna's breath caught.

Another message followed immediately.

But when you find out...

Her fingers trembled.

The final message appeared.

...which one will you choose?

The room suddenly felt colder.

Inside her mind, two identical figures stood back-to-back in darkness.

One smiled gently.

The other stared without emotion.

The same face.

The same voice.

The same existence.

And yet completely different.

For the first time, Yuna realized that uncovering the truth might not be the hardest part.

The hardest part would be deciding what to do after she found it.

End of Episode 4

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