Haku brought Hina out of the storage room.
They walked past the gym, past the school building, and toward the empty ground behind the school, where almost no one ever came.
The evening breeze moved softly through the grass, but the silence between them felt heavy.
Only when they reached the far end of the ground did Haku finally stop.
He let go of her hand.
For a few moments, he stood with his back facing her.
He said nothing.
Hina quietly watched him, unable to read what he was thinking.
Then, slowly, Haku turned around.
His blue eyes met hers.
The moment their gazes locked, Hina’s ability activated.
Emotions rushed into her senses.
Anger.
Fear.
Protectiveness.
Jealousy.
And beneath all of it—
Something trembling.
Something almost painful.
It made her chest tighten.
Haku spoke, his voice lower than usual.
“You know how close he was to you, right?”
Hina stiffened.
“…I know.”
Haku’s jaw tightened.
“Then why did you let him get that close?”
His tone was not loud.
That somehow made it worse.
Hina lowered her gaze.
“I knew something felt wrong…”
Her fingers curled around her sleeves.
“But I couldn’t do anything.”
She swallowed.
“I didn’t know what to do.”
Haku stared at her.
Silent.
Then he spoke again.
“I never liked that guy.”
His voice sharpened slightly.
“From the beginning.”
He took one step closer.
“There was always something off about him.”
Hina looked up.
Haku continued.
“You need to learn something, Hina.”
His expression remained serious.
“You need to learn how to say no.”
Another step.
“If someone makes you uncomfortable—stop them.”
His eyes hardened.
“Push them away if you have to.”
Hina felt guilt rising inside her.
“S-Sorry, Haku…”
Her voice shook.
“I’m sorry…”
Haku fell silent.
He kept staring at her.
Seconds passed.
Then he looked away.
He took a long breath.
Hina’s eyes met his again.
This time, she sensed something different.
His anger was still there—
But it was fading.
Underneath it was concern.
Helplessness.
And an almost desperate fear of losing something precious.
That emotion hit Hina harder than the anger had.
Haku closed his eyes for a second, calming himself.
Then he opened them again and stepped closer.
He gently placed both hands on her shoulders.
Hina froze.
His grip was steady.
Warm.
Grounding.
“I know.”
His voice softened.
“I know you were scared.”
He looked directly into her eyes.
“I know you didn’t understand what was happening.”
His expression softened further.
“I know you, Hina.”
The emotions flowing through him became clearer.
Protectiveness.
Affection.
Resolve.
“But you still need to learn.”
He squeezed her shoulders lightly.
“How to stop people.”
A small pause.
Then—
His voice became firm.
“Don’t worry.”
Hina’s eyes widened slightly.
“From now on…”
His gaze sharpened.
“I’ll make sure something like that never happens again.”
A pause.
“He will never get that close to you again.”
Hina froze.
Something about the certainty in his voice stunned her.
Then, slowly—
A soft smile appeared on her face.
She nodded.
“…Okay.”
Haku blinked.
Then a small smile appeared on his lips too.
Warm.
Gentle.
Real.
“Good.”
A comfortable silence settled between them.
Then Haku scratched the back of his head.
“We should go back.”
Hina nodded.
The two returned to the gym.
The moment they entered—
“HIINAAA!”
Yui ran toward Hina at full speed.
Before she could react—
Yui wrapped her in a tight hug.
“Where were you?!”
She kept talking without pause.
“I was so worried!”
“You disappeared!”
“You didn’t say anything!”
“Do you know how scared I was?!”
“Why were you gone for so long?!”
Hina barely had time to speak.
“Y-Yui—wait—”
But Yui continued.
“No!
Explain first!”
Hina smiled awkwardly.
On the other side of the gym, basketball practice had resumed.
Itsuki stood with a ball in his hands.
He wasn’t playing.
His attention remained fixed on Hina and Yui.
Nearby, the others continued practicing.
Then—
A basketball suddenly flew across the court.
Fast.
Too fast.
Straight toward Yui.
Hina noticed too late.
“Yui—!”
Yui turned.
The ball was seconds away from hitting her.
Her eyes widened.
She froze.
Then shut her eyes in fear.
But the impact never came.
A hand caught the ball mid-air.
Yui slowly opened her eyes.
Haku stood directly in front of her.
Close.
Very close.
Closer than either of them had expected.
He had moved so quickly that the distance between them had nearly vanished.
Yui’s breath caught.
Haku looked at her.
His voice was calm.
“Are you okay?”
Yui stared.
For a second, she forgot how to breathe.
Then color rushed to her cheeks.
She quickly nodded.
“Y-Yes…”
Far away—
Itsuki saw everything.
And froze.
The ball in his hands slipped.
THUD.
It hit the floor.
His entire body went still.
It felt as if the ground beneath him had vanished.
As if something inside him had shattered.
His heartbeat felt painfully loud.
Then strangely absent.
His expression changed.
Shock.
Disbelief.
Pain.
Like his whole world had cracked.
Hina rushed toward Yui.
“Yui, are you okay?!”
She checked her arms and shoulders.
Then their eyes met.
Immediately—
Emotions flowed into Hina.
Warmth.
Affection.
Nervousness.
Fluttering excitement.
Shyness.
Hina froze.
Affection…?
But for whom?
She stared at Yui in confusion.
Yui immediately looked away, blushing harder.
Hina’s eyes widened.
She couldn’t understand.
At that exact moment—
The gym door opened.
Reiji entered.
His crimson eyes scanned the room once.
He took in the scene—
Hina remained frozen.
Still trying to process Yui’s emotions.
Itsuki stood motionless.
Like someone who had just watched his world collapse before his eyes.
Yui kept blushing.
Unable to meet anyone’s eyes.
Haku remained completely unaware.
Completely clueless about the storm forming around him.
Then—
A faint smirk curved Reiji’s lips.
He understood instantly.
Everything.
His crimson eyes gleamed behind his glasses.
Interesting…
Very interesting.
The emotional balance had shifted.
A new piece had moved on the board.
He stood there.
Observing.
Like a player who had just noticed the next move in a game no one else realized they were playing.
End of Chapter 24.