Unraveled Ties-Chapter 46: The Final Exam and a Promise

The last day of exams had finally arrived. The atmosphere in the school was a mix of exhaustion and relief. Some students looked like they had barely slept, while others were already planning how to celebrate their temporary freedom.

Reiji sat at his desk, twirling his pen between his fingers as he waited for the final subject—literature—to begin. He wasn’t particularly nervous. *It was one of the subjects he could get through without much trouble.*

Sena, sitting a few rows away, had her usual focused expression. She was always composed, always ready. *If there was anyone who wasn’t stressing, it was her.*

Aoi was a different story.

She was sitting at the front of the room, flipping through her notes with a look of pure determination. Reiji found himself watching her for a moment. *She really gave her all in everything she did.*

Before he could think too much about it, the teacher entered, and the final exam began.

—

By the time it was over, the entire class let out a collective sigh of relief.

"Finally!" Kaito groaned, stretching in his seat. "I thought I was gonna die."

Reiji smirked. "Didn’t Yuna drill you enough?"

"Too much! My brain is fried."

Reiji chuckled before glancing at Sena. She was calmly packing up her things, as if the whole week had just been another regular school day.

"How’d you do?" he asked.

Sena looked at him and smirked. "Perfectly, obviously."

Reiji scoffed. "Of course."

Kaito leaned in. "Man, you two have been hanging out a lot lately."

Reiji shrugged. "We were studying together."

"Uh-huh," Kaito grinned knowingly. "Sure."

Before Reiji could respond, Sena stood up. "I’m leaving."

Reiji looked at her, then remembered. "The lunch thing. We’re still doing that?"

Sena glanced at him, then smirked. "I haven’t changed my mind."

Reiji nodded. *For some reason, that was... relieving to hear.*

"Okay" he said.

Sena tilted her head. "What, were you worried?"

Reiji scoffed. "Not really."

"Sure," she said before walking off.

Kaito watched the exchange and smirked. "Dude, are you sure you’re not—"

Reiji cut him off. "Don’t."

Kaito laughed. "Alright, alright."

—

Later that evening, Reiji was at home, lying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

*Exams were over.*

*The pressure was gone.*

And yet...

His mind wandered to tomorrow.

A *lunch date*. That’s what it was supposed to be—a *lesson*.

But for some reason, *he was actually looking forward to it.*