Shinoa hadn't meant to see it.
She was just coming back for her phone.
But she froze the moment she saw Rukia Delim—arms wrapped around Kaiser, her lips on his.
Something inside Shinoa twisted. A sharp, quiet ache.
Jealousy?
No… it was more than that.
She clenched her fists and walked away, eyes burning.
She had no right to feel this way. Or did she?
---
The next few days were torture.
Shinoa tried to pretend everything was normal, but her heart betrayed her. Every time she saw Kaiser, every time she saw Rukia beside him, something inside her shattered a little more.
And yet—Kaiser didn't change.
Still cold. Still unreadable. Still the same untouchable, distant boy who looked like he didn't care about anything.
But she knew the truth.
She had felt something in those stolen moments—the way he listened, protected, connected.
He just won't say it.
And maybe… maybe he never would.
But she couldn't keep it inside anymore.
---
It was after school. The campus was almost empty. A warm breeze stirred the fallen leaves.
Shinoa found him standing by the back gate, alone, headphones in, head tilted toward the sky.
She walked up quietly and stopped beside him.
"Kaiser," she said softly.
He looked at her, silent.
"I know you're the type who doesn't believe in love," she continued. "You push people away. You don't care about romance or drama… you always act like you're above it."
Kaiser didn't deny it.
"But I do," she whispered. "And I… I love you."
There it was. Out in the open. No games. No pretending.
Kaiser looked at her, his expression unreadable—eyes like still water.
He didn't speak.
He didn't smile.
But after a moment, he reached out… and gently held her hand.
That was enough.
For someone like him, that was a confession.