Makoto lingered by the courtyard fence long after the bell had rung, her bag resting lightly on her shoulder. The spring air stirred the cherry blossoms in soft spirals across the ground, but her mind was still inside that small room, locked in that silent exchange with Ann.
She hadn't expected the admission. Not so easily.
And she hadn't expected the tightening in her chest when Ann's gaze met hers—guilty, yes, but... there was something else too. Something raw. A secret shared, not stolen. A warning, or perhaps... an invitation.
Makoto didn't know what it meant, but she could still feel the weight of those unsaid words, pressing against her chest like a second heartbeat.
She hadn't lied to Ann. She did care about Ren.
More than she had let herself admit until recently.
Ren had felt it before he saw it.
Makoto had always been direct, but now her eyes lingered just a bit longer. She didn't scold him as sharply when he teased her. She stood just a little closer when they walked together.
And then there was Ann.
Ann, who wouldn't meet his eyes this morning in the hall—but whose fingers brushed his when she handed him a note.
He could feel it building. The kind of pressure that wasn't part of any Palace or shadowy threat. This was something different. Something more intimate, more volatile.
He caught Makoto watching him again between classes, her expression thoughtful. Not wary. Curious.
Ann stood just down the hall. Her gaze flicked between them, her lips parting before she turned away.
Ren exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair.
This wasn't part of the plan.
But deep inside, something in him—something awakened recently, something new—whispered that this was exactly what was meant to happen.
Not just power. Not just change.
But desire. Connection. All of it winding together like fates braided too tightly to unravel.
That evening, Makoto sat at her desk, unable to focus on her textbooks. Her phone buzzed. A message from Ann.
"Can we talk? Just... to clear the air?"
She stared at it, her thumb hovering over the screen.
Then another message came.
From Ren: "You free tonight? Wanted to see you."
Two invitations. Two weights on her chest.
And a part of her—a quiet, trembling part—wondered what it meant that she didn't want to say no to either.