It was the morning after the incident. I wasn't entirely sure how I'd made it home. The entire evening was a blur—pain, shadows, fists, Kaito. His hand gripping mine, pulling me up wordlessly. That moment lingered like a ghost in my mind, haunting me.
My body ached. My ribs stung whenever I took a deeper breath, and my legs moved as if gravity had doubled overnight. But I was Haruna. I wasn't supposed to break so easily.
When I walked into the school grounds, the buzz hit me before I even reached the shoe lockers.
"Did you hear?"
"Yeah! Haruna got jumped yesterday by some thugs."
"Outside school grounds, right?"
"I heard he didn't even fight back… That's so weird for Haruna, right?"
"He's usually scrappy. Think he's hiding an injury or something?"
I kept walking with my eyes forward, pretending I didn't hear a word. The wooden soles of my indoor shoes tapped hollowly against the floor, each step suddenly louder than usual.
As I entered class, I spotted Ren and Riku waiting at my desk like hawks, arms folded and eyes locked on me.
"There you are!" Ren said. "You look awful."
"Thanks," I muttered. "Always a pleasure."
"Are you sure you're okay?" Riku asked, his brows knitting into a worried squiggle. "You weren't answering your phone last night."
"I was… tired."
Before I could take my seat, Ayame appeared beside me, holding a bottle of green tea and a protein bar.
"Good morning, Haruna." Her voice was gentle, eyes soft behind her lashes. "Here. I thought you might not have had breakfast."
I blinked at her, surprised. "Th-thanks…"
It was Ayame's silent vigilance that was most unnerving. She didn't fuss. She watched. Her eyes tracked my movements with a quiet intensity, her hand occasionally twitching at her side as if stopping herself from reaching out. Her concern felt deeply personal, rooted in something beyond friendship. During lunch, the tension peaked.
"Why is everyone acting like I'm made of glass?" I finally snapped, pushing away my barely-touched bento. "I'm bruised and tired, not terminal!"
Then Haruna—the other Haruna, my best friend—planted herself behind Ayame and pointed at me.
"Don't you dare say you're fine? We know you're not," she said, narrowing her eyes.
Ren pulled my chair out and guided me to sit like I was a porcelain doll. "You're pale. P-A-L-E. Like, you're already light-skinned, but today you're—milk."
I slumped down and exhaled. "I'm fine. It's just… bruises."
"Still no word from Kaito?" Riku asked.
I shook my head. "He didn't come to school today?"
Ren muttered, "That's strange. He's always around to make someone's day worse."
Pretending was futile. My friends were hyper-aware. Every wince, every labored breath, drew their attention. When I reached for my history textbook, Haruna smoothly intercepted it.
"Allow me," she said, placing it precisely on my desk. "Conserving energy is paramount."
When I winced twisting to talk to Riku, Ren flinched. "Whoa, easy there. Ribs?"
I didn't recognize this version of my friends. They were treating me like I was porcelain, not the loud, temperamental Haruna they'd known since childhood.
"Why are you all acting so weird?" I asked during lunch. "I'm not dying."
"Maybe not," Haruna said, "but something's wrong. You barely ate. You're walking slowly. Your face is paler than white-out, and you haven't insulted Kaito in over twenty-four hours."
That got a chuckle from everyone, even me. But inside, I wasn't laughing.
I didn't feel like myself.
I kept flashing back to the bridge. The way my arms had felt weak, as if strength had been drained out of me. My punches had landed like air. I couldn't even keep standing. That wasn't just bruises. That was something else.
At the end of the school day, my friends had apparently made a pact behind my back.
"Alright, let's walk Haruna home," Riku announced casually.
"What? No. I'm fine."
"Humor us," Ayame added, clutching her bag.
"I don't need—"
"Let us, Haruna." Haruna gave me a look. Not the usual teasing one. This one was quiet and firm.
So I gave in.
We left the gates as the sky started shifting into gold, a gentle warmth brushing across our faces. I didn't say much as we walked. They filled the air with their chatter.
"Did anyone finish watching Kaiju Hearts last night?" Ren asked. "I bawled like a baby."
"I haven't started yet. No spoilers," Riku warned.
Ayame was walking quietly beside me. Now and then, she glanced sideways, then quickly looked away. I noticed her hand would twitch like she wanted to reach out but wasn't sure how.
By the time we reached the station where they all normally branched off, I stopped.
"I can take it from here."
"Sure?" Haruna asked.
"Yeah. Seriously."
They reluctantly nodded, waving and reminding me to rest. Ayame lingered for a moment longer.
"If you… need anything. Anything. You can message me," she said.
"I will," I lied. I didn't even know what I'd say.
As I walked home alone, my thoughts wandered to Kaito. Why hadn't he come today? Was he okay? Did he regret helping me?
More than that, the image of his face—bruised but burning with something unreadable—stayed etched in my mind. That moment where his eyes flickered with surprise. Like he saw something in me I couldn't see myself.
And that scared me.
As I climbed the steps to my home and opened the door, the warmth of the hallway greeted me. But I felt cold.
In my room, I stared at myself in the mirror.
I didn't see it before… but maybe my face looked… different. Bruised.
And as my fingers trembled at the edge of my desk, I whispered to no one:
"What's happening to me?"