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the sound of chirping birds mixed with the distant hum of classroom lessons drifting through the open windows. on the rooftop of sakurazaka high, murai yu dangled her legs off the bench, the sun casting a gentle glow across her uniform sleeves.
“torikichi, you’re so spoiled…” she smiled, scratching under the chin of the lazy cat who had sprawled himself across her lap like he owned the school.
torikichi meowed once, then rolled over onto his back, belly up and ready for more attention.
yu laughed. technically, they weren’t supposed to bring pets to school, but torikichi had a reputation. everyone—students, teachers, even the grumpy vice principal—had fallen for him. and yu liked to think he was her little secret… or at least, he used to be.
“you’re skipping class again.”
the voice came from behind. calm. familiar. a little too close.
yu turned and saw yamashita shizuki standing there, her arms crossed, her expression unreadable as always. her long hair caught the breeze, and for a second, yu forgot to breathe.
“technically, i’m on break,” yu defended, looking away quickly. “and besides, torikichi needed some air."
shizuki stepped closer, crouching beside the bench. torikichi let out a purr and stretched toward her, immediately nuzzling into her hand when she offered it.
“he likes you more than me,” yu muttered.
“that’s not true,” shizuki replied softly, still petting the cat. “he just knows i don’t say much. easier to trust quiet people.”
yu stared at her. “that… sounds like something you’d say about yourself.”
shizuki shrugged. “maybe.”
there was a silence. comfortable, yet charged. the kind that only comes when two people are dancing around something neither of them wants to name.
yu exhaled. “you’ve been distant lately.”
shizuki didn’t answer right away. instead, she sat down on the bench beside her, close enough that their shoulders touched. “i didn’t know how to act.”
“around me?” yu asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“yeah,” shizuki said. “you… you smile at everyone, but you only really laugh when it’s just us. i didn’t want to read too much into that.”
yu blinked. “what if you weren’t reading too much into it?”
shizuki turned to face her fully. “then i’d be glad.”
yu’s heart skipped. she’d always thought shizuki was hard to read, too composed, too unreachable. but right now, she looked just as nervous as yu felt.
the breeze carried away the silence, and torikichi meowed, tail flicking impatiently between them like a tiny matchmaker.
"so…” yu said, fiddling with the sleeve of her blazer, “are we still just friends?”
shizuki hesitated, then reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind yu’s ear.
“we can be more,” she whispered.
yu smiled—really smiled this time. “then let’s take it slow. for torikichi’s sake, of course.”
shizuki chuckled, and for the first time, yu felt the rooftop truly belonged to them.
their story wouldn’t need a big confession or fireworks. just soft moments, shared glances, and a cat that brought them together—day by day, little by little.
and on that warm afternoon, beneath the sakura sky, two hearts finally found the courage to beat in sync.