Unraveled Ties-Chapter 43: Unwanted touch

The soft hum of conversation filled the cafeteria, the clatter of trays and utensils blending into the familiar backdrop of lunchtime. Reiji sat at his usual spot, lazily poking at his food. Across from him, Kaito was already deep into a dramatic retelling of something stupid he and Yuna had done over the weekend.

"So there I was, standing in front of this massive arcade machine, and Yuna’s looking at me like, ‘Are you sure about this?’" Kaito gestured wildly, clearly enjoying himself. "And I’m like, ‘Trust me, I got this.’ Next thing I know, I’m out of credits and she’s laughing so hard she nearly falls over."

Reiji smirked. "Sounds like a normal day for you."

"Hey, at least I’m making memories. What about you? Any progress on your end?"

Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Progress with what?"

Kaito gave him a knowing look but shrugged. "Nothing. Just wondering if you’re actually gonna do something instead of moping around all the time."

Before Reiji could respond, he felt a presence nearby. He turned his head—*Aoi.*

She stood a few feet away, her tray in hand, shifting slightly on her feet as if debating whether to come over. When their eyes met, she blinked, then gave him a small smile. *And for some reason, Reiji felt his chest tighten.*

"Hey, Reiji," she said, her voice soft.

"Hey," he replied, keeping his tone casual.

Aoi hesitated before speaking. "Um, thanks again for the other day. I never really got to say that properly."

Kaito glanced between the two of them, clearly interested but not saying anything.

"It was nothing," Reiji said, looking away.

Aoi laughed lightly. "You say that, but I think I saw you struggling more than me."

Reiji clicked his tongue but didn’t argue. *The way she looked at him—it was different now.* Ever since the library, there was something softer about her gaze.

"Anyway, I’ll see you later." Aoi gave him one last smile before heading toward her table.

The moment she left, Kaito whistled. "Damn, what was that?"

"Nothing," Reiji said, though he could feel his face heating up slightly.

Kaito smirked. "Yeah, sure. And I’m secretly a billionaire."

Reiji ignored him and turned back to his food, but the truth was—*Aoi lingered in his mind longer than he wanted to admit.*

---

Later that afternoon, Reiji found himself in the clubroom. He wasn’t sure if Sena would be there, but when he stepped inside, she was already sitting at one of the desks, flipping through her notes.

"You’re late," she muttered without looking up.

Reiji rolled his eyes. "We didn’t even set a time." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Sena finally looked up, her sharp gaze meeting his. "Ready for today’s practice?"

Reiji exhaled. He was still recovering from his earlier conversation with Aoi, but he couldn’t exactly back out now. "I just came in."

Sena studied him for a moment before setting her notes down. "Alright. We’re moving on to something different today—talking comfortably while maintaining physical contact."

Reiji tensed. "...What?"

Sena smirked. "Don’t act so surprised. In a real relationship, you don’t just stand there awkwardly. Physical contact should feel normal, not forced."

Reiji swallowed. *This was different from just holding hands.*

Before he could react, Sena reached over and took his hand in hers. It was firm, natural—like she had done this a hundred times before.

"Now," she said, her tone almost amused, "talk to me about something random."

Reiji’s brain short-circuited.

"...What?"

Sena sighed. "See? This is exactly the problem. You’re thinking too much. Just talk. Like how you do with Kaito."

Reiji hesitated before clearing his throat. "Fine. Uh... I had lunch with Kaito today."

"Fascinating," Sena deadpanned.

He shot her a glare. "Shut up. I talked to Aoi, too."

Sena’s grip on his hand tightened slightly, but her expression didn’t change. "And?"

"...Nothing. She just thanked me for the other day."

Sena hummed. "You’re thinking about her a lot, huh?"

Reiji looked away. "Not really."

"Liar."

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I don’t know. It’s weird. I thought I had things figured out, but ever since we started doing this, everything’s just... confusing."

Sena was quiet for a moment before she smirked. "Good. That means you’re actually learning something."

Reiji frowned. "How does that help me?"

Sena leaned in slightly, her gaze sharp. "Because the more you question your feelings, the more you understand what’s real and what’s not."

Reiji swallowed. *For some reason, the way she said that made his heart beat just a little faster.*

But he ignored it.