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Chapter 1: The Rooftop Secret
The late afternoon sky burned gold, casting its quiet light over the empty high school rooftop. The breeze was soft, almost apologetic, stirring the strands of Yuki Tachibana’s short black hair as she sat by the fence, knees pulled close, sketchbook balanced on her lap.
A thin trail of smoke curled from the cigarette between her fingers, dissolving into the fading sky. The faint scent of tobacco mixed with the scent of sun-warmed concrete and distant sakura blossoms that hadn't yet fallen.
Her cardigan had slipped slightly off her shoulder, but she didn’t bother to fix it. No one was here to see her. No one ever came up here anymore.
Yuki let the pencil glide across the page, careful, deliberate. Each stroke revealed a shape she knew far too well—the curve of a cheek, the quiet strength in those eyes. Haruka’s face slowly appeared on the paper, delicate and unfinished.
"I can only draw her when no one’s looking..."
The wind stirred again, whispering against her ear, lifting the edge of the page. The rooftop was her sanctuary. Up here, no one gossiped. No one pretended.
"Up here... I can finally be myself. No one’s watching."
But then—
Creeeak.
The rooftop door groaned open behind her.
Her heart jumped, hand freezing mid-stroke. The cigarette paused near her lips. Wide-eyed, she stared straight ahead, pulse racing.
"Shit... someone’s here?"
Slow, hesitant footsteps crossed the concrete.
"...Oh. Someone’s up here?"
That voice.
Yuki swallowed hard and turned, stiff and cautious.
Standing in the doorway, light catching in her short ponytail, was Haruka Fujimoto. Track uniform tied at the waist. A soft look of surprise in her eyes.
Haruka blinked, noticing the cigarette.
"...You're smoking?"
Yuki’s chest tightened. Heat rushed to her face. She cursed silently and quickly stubbed the cigarette out on the concrete, snapping the sketchbook shut with shaking hands.
"Don’t tell the teacher... please." Her voice was tight, awkward. Like a kid caught stealing candy.
But Haruka only smiled—curious, not judging.
"Didn’t think you were that type, Tachibana-san."
Yuki flinched at the sound of her name. She’d spent weeks avoiding Haruka’s gaze in class. And now here she was, on Yuki’s rooftop.
Haruka stretched lazily, stepping fully onto the rooftop like she belonged there.
"Relax. I came up here to escape, too. Your secret’s safe with me."
Yuki sat frozen. Haruka’s eyes wandered over her—short hair tousled by the wind, the faint glint of hidden piercings catching the light.
"She’s... not like I thought."
For a moment, the breeze was the only sound between them. The late sun painted their shadows long and strange.
Yuki looked away first. Her chest felt tight again.
"You should go... I don’t want you to get in trouble."
Haruka laughed softly—a warm, amused sound that stirred something restless inside Yuki.
"Maybe I like trouble."
Silence again. The wind stirred. Their distance felt smaller than before.
Yuki gripped her sketchbook tightly, trying to calm the nervous flutter in her chest.
"This was the moment everything started to change."
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✅ Chapter 1: The Rooftop Secret —
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