Morning arrived quietly after the storm.
The sky above Mirae Academy was clear again, washed clean by last night’s rain.
Sunlight reflected off the glass buildings, making everything look brighter than yesterday.
Yet my heart still felt heavy.
I had barely slept.
Every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the leather jacket resting on my shoulders…
the quiet boy who stayed beside me in the rain…
and the strange warmth that remained even after he had disappeared.
None of it made sense.
I hated motorcycles.
I feared everything they represented.
So why couldn’t I stop thinking about the person who rode one?
…
The classroom was unusually quiet when I arrived.
I instinctively looked toward the window.
His seat…
…was empty.
No black helmet.
No leather jacket.
No sleeping boy.
Just an empty desk.
For reasons I couldn’t explain, disappointment quietly settled inside my chest.
I slowly walked to my seat and sat down.
The silence beside me felt unfamiliar.
Almost lonely.
I opened my sketchbook.
Blank pages stared back at me.
My pencil rested between my fingers, but I couldn’t bring myself to draw.
Instead…
I kept remembering yesterday.
The rain.
The panic.
The silence.
And the way Takoru never once asked me why I was crying.
He simply stayed.
Maybe…
That deserved a thank you.
I carefully tore out a small corner of fresh paper.
My pencil moved gently across it.
Not a complicated drawing.
Not a masterpiece.
Just a tiny wild daisy.
A flower that quietly bloomed even in forgotten places.
Underneath it, I wrote only two words.
Thank you.
Simple.
Honest.
Enough.
I looked around the classroom.
Nobody was paying attention.
Slowly…
I placed the tiny paper in the middle of Takoru’s desk.
For a second, I almost picked it back up.
What if he laughs…?
What if he throws it away…?
What if this is stupid…?
Before I could change my mind—
“Morning.”
Nesmin’s cheerful voice startled me.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
“H-Hello.”
Nesmin glanced toward Takoru’s desk.
Then toward the little flower.
A mischievous smile slowly appeared on his face.
“So…”
“You actually left something for Boss?”
My cheeks immediately warmed.
“It…
it’s just…”
“I wanted to thank him.”
Before I could finish, Stevan walked into the classroom.
Unlike Nesmin, he didn’t smile.
His sharp eyes immediately noticed the tiny paper.
He quietly looked at me.
Then at the flower.
“…He’ll keep it.”
Nesmin blinked.
“What?”
Stevan shrugged.
“He never throws away things that matter.”
For a second…
Nobody spoke.
Even Nesmin looked surprised.
“…That’s oddly specific.”
Stevan simply walked away without explaining.
The conversation ended there.
But his words stayed inside my head.
He’ll keep it.
Would he really?
…
Classes passed one after another.
Takoru never appeared.
Every time the classroom door opened…
My eyes unconsciously looked up.
Every time…
It was someone else.
By the final bell…
His desk remained untouched.
I quietly packed my books.
Maybe he wasn’t coming today.
Maybe…
He had already forgotten yesterday.
As I stood up, I looked toward his desk one last time.
The tiny flower…
…was gone.
My heartbeat stopped.
For a brief second…
A smile appeared on my lips.
Then doubt replaced it.
Did he take it?
Or…
Did someone throw it away?
“Rubi!”
Yuri waved from the classroom door.
“We’re leaving.”
I nodded.
“I’m coming.”
I turned away.
Without realizing…
I left with a tiny smile hidden inside my heart.
…
The classroom slowly emptied.
Silence returned once again. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Several minutes later…
A familiar pair of footsteps echoed through the room.
Takoru entered alone.
His uniform was slightly damp.
His hair was still messy.
Without saying anything…
He walked toward his desk.
Stevan was waiting near the back window.
“You skipped again.”
Takoru ignored the comment.
Instead…
He quietly opened the drawer beneath his desk.
Inside…
Lay a tiny folded piece of paper.
He unfolded it carefully.
A single daisy.
And beneath it…
Thank you.
For a long moment…
He simply looked at it.
His thumb slowly brushed across the tiny flower.
The classroom was completely silent.
Stevan watched from a distance.
Then…
Something almost impossible happened.
The corner of Takoru’s lips lifted.
Just a little.
Not enough for most people to notice.
But enough for Stevan to quietly smile to himself.
“So…”
Stevan finally spoke.
“She really is different.”
Takoru folded the paper again.
Instead of throwing it away…
He slipped it carefully inside his wallet.
“…Yeah.”
That was the only answer he gave.
Outside…
The sun finally broke through the clouds.
Neither of them knew it yet.
A tiny flower…
Left on an ordinary school desk…
Had quietly become the first memory neither of them would ever forget.
Sometimes…
Love doesn’t begin with a confession.
Sometimes…
It begins with a flower someone quietly chooses to keep.
To be continued….
Thank you for reading the final chapter of Arc One.
Every story has a beginning, but not every beginning starts with love.
Sometimes, it starts with fear…
a quiet act of kindness…
or even a tiny flower left on someone’s desk.
What would you have done if you were in Rubi’s place?
And what do you think Takoru felt when he decided to keep that little flower?
I’d love to read your thoughts and theories in the comments.
Arc Two begins next, and new friendships, new challenges, and unexpected feelings are waiting for Rubi and Takoru.
Thank you for staying with them until the end of this first journey.
See you in the next chapter.