Unraveled Ties-Chapter 37: The Weight of a Touch

The late afternoon sun filtered through the windows of the empty clubroom, casting a soft glow over the wooden desks. Reiji sat on the edge of one, arms crossed, while Sena stood in front of him, her usual confident smirk in place.

"Alright," she said, stretching her fingers as if preparing for a battle. "Today’s lesson—hand-holding, round two."

Reiji sighed. "Didn’t we already do this?"

Sena rolled her eyes. "And you failed miserably. You still flinch every time I touch you."

He scoffed. "That’s an exaggeration."

Sena simply reached forward and took his hand without warning.

Reiji instinctively tried to pull away, but she tightened her grip just enough to stop him.

"See?" she smirked.

He clicked his tongue, forcing himself to stay still. "...Fine. Do whatever."

Sena hummed in approval before adjusting their hands, interlocking their fingers. Reiji’s pulse picked up slightly. It wasn’t like this was anything *big*, but for some reason, the feeling of her hand against his felt... strangely intimate.

Her hand was soft—much softer than he had expected. There was a slight warmth to it, her fingers fitting surprisingly well against his. He found himself staring at their joined hands longer than he should have.

Sena raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?"

Reiji snapped out of it and cleared his throat. "Nothing."

She didn’t seem convinced but didn’t push. Instead, she gave his hand a light squeeze.

"Relax. You’re overthinking again."

Reiji exhaled slowly, trying to ignore the odd sensation bubbling in his chest. *Why was this even affecting him?*

His thoughts drifted to Aoi—her smile, the way her presence seemed to brighten the room. Even now, she lingered in his mind. If it were her hand he was holding right now, would he feel the same way? Would it feel different?

Aoi was gentle, kind, and effortlessly beautiful. The type of girl anyone would fall for.

So why did *this*—holding Sena’s hand—make him feel strangely aware of the moment?

His eyes trailed back to their hands. The contrast between them was noticeable—his were larger, rougher, while hers were slender, delicate in a way he hadn’t expected. He admired the smoothness of her skin, the way her fingers rested so naturally against his.

Sena caught him staring.

"Something on your mind?"

Reiji blinked. "No. Just... thinking."

Sena tilted her head slightly, studying him. But instead of pressing further, she smirked. "Well, if you’ve got time to think, you’re clearly not focusing hard enough."

Before he could react, she gave his hand a sudden tug, pulling him slightly forward.

"Oi—!"

Sena laughed. "See? You’re still stiff. You need to get used to this."

Reiji huffed, regaining his balance. "And you need to stop messing around." 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

"Not messing around. Just teaching."

Reiji rolled his eyes but didn’t argue.

They stayed like that for a while, neither speaking, just letting the silence settle between them. The air felt heavier than before—not uncomfortable, but... different.

Eventually, Sena pulled her hand away, brushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

"That’s enough for today," she said, grabbing her bag. "We’ll keep going tomorrow."

Reiji exhaled, flexing his fingers as if trying to erase the lingering warmth in them.

As she walked toward the door, he found himself glancing at her again. The usual irritation was still there, but it felt... lighter somehow.

But even as he left the clubroom, another image lingered in his mind—Aoi’s face, her gentle smile.

Even with everything happening between him and Sena, Aoi was still the one he admired most.

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