At the entrance, he tore off his gentle mask.

The clamor of the hallway after school had faded. Bai Xiao clutched her bag strap tightly and watched from a distance as the tall silhouette was surrounded by girls. Sabunami Yuu, her boyfriend, yet he always made her feel like an unimportant spectator. She knew what was hidden in the glances he secretly cast her way—a warmth that made her heart race, but also left her uneasy. Today, in an unprecedented display of defiance, she had petulantly said she would walk home with another boy. As the words fell, she saw the usually languid figure freeze on the spot for the first time.