Chapter 6 – "Two-Faced Truths"
[Hinata's POV]
Reading people's minds isn't what they think it is. It's not magic. It's catching the tiny fractures in their eyes… the brief stutters in their expressions… those little shifts.
They're not unfamiliar to me.
In fact, most of the time, I create them.
I mimic. I carry masks in the palm of my hand, switching them to fit whatever room I walk into.
Because if they're going to keep calling me "perfect,"
Then I have to glue that mask on a little tighter each time.
But sometimes…
Sometimes, I almost drop it.
My hands sweat.
I wipe them on my skirt again and again, but it doesn't help.
I can barely hold on.
Just like that day, early in my first term of high school.
It was PE class.
We were all on the basketball court, running around loosely, the air filled with sweat, grass, and shouting.
As always, I smiled.
Humble, quick, smart, gracious Hinata.
Everyone adored the persona.
When I joined a group, they laughed more, called me over, asked for my opinion.
And then, someone—a girl—whispered behind me, "There's nothing Hinata can't do."
The friend next to her agreed:
"She's like Mount Fuji. So beautiful from afar, but the closer you get, the more it scares you."
Just an ordinary girl. I don't even know her name.
But that sentence—
People respected me, saw me.
But they never came close.
Never as a friend.
It hit me like a weight on my lungs.
Not my heart—
My lungs.
I couldn't breathe.
I just stood there.
Later, in the locker room, I stared into the mirror.
Like I was trying not to miss anything.
My eyebrows, my hair, my posture… everything looked right.
But something inside me…
had shifted.
I needed to cry.
But there was no time.
And… I don't cry.
Because perfect people don't cry.
Because I'm perfect.
Because that's what everyone says.
But that day… I saw Takashi.
In the hallway, a moment where no one was watching.
He held books, head down.
Didn't even notice me.
But I saw him.
I watched him for a long time.
And in that moment…
I thought:
I wish I could be like him.
INVISIBLE.
MASKLESS.
Then I noticed—his eyes were filled with something.
But they weren't really looking.
And when I looked into those eyes…
I saw my own emptiness.
Something inside me…
Something old, forgotten…
shifted.
People treat me like a doll.
Pretty, polished, unbreakable.
But next to him…
Maybe things could be different.
That's why my pillow's always wet in the morning.
That's why my heart beats like a panic attack when I hear his name.
That's why—
He's mine.
No one can touch him.
No one can take him.
No one can understand him.
Except me.
And that's why…
Tomorrow, after school, I'll talk to him.
And everything will either change
or end.
But somehow…
---
[Takashi's POV]
After school.
Four words on repeat in my head:
"I want to talk."
After her "Are you okay?" message last night,
That was the first thing I saw on my phone this morning.
The moment I read it—
Yeah, excitement took over my whole body.
Look, I'm not a planner.
I stress out just deciding what to wear in the morning.
But right now, at this exact second—
I wish I could turn my life into a PowerPoint presentation.
Put it in a folder called "hinata_final_final3.pptx."
Maybe then I'd figure out what it all means.
Hinata.
Normally, she just walks past me.
Smiles.
She's like the spotlight of the whole school.
And me?
I live in that dusty corner the light doesn't reach.
But sometimes—
She stands in that dusty corner with me.
And for a second, her light shines there.
And it feels… bright.
Until it fades again.
So yeah, I'm kind of excited.
Maybe even a little hopeful.
But also:
What are we going to talk about?
What if she says, "I've been conducting a social experiment—how quickly can someone change when given attention from me?"
No, come on. Hinata's not like that.
She's the school's smiling angel.
She always says good morning to me.
Or worse:
"What you're feeling? Don't. I just find you… interesting."
Interesting.
Is being interesting better than being invisible?
Have all those years of bullying just lowered my standards?
Still…
I like her smile.
And if this is a game—
I'll play.
I can be interesting.