Episode 1: The Boy Behind the Curtain

The Boy Behind the Curtain

It was the kind of morning that smelled like chalk dust and just-sharpened pencils. The corridors buzzed with half-awake greetings, and the familiar slam of shoe lockers echoed like a soundtrack to a new school term. Third-year Class 2 was slowly filling up — same old chairs, same old desks, and mostly the same old people.

Except for one.

Kaoru Nishida was just about to plop into his seat near the window when he noticed him — the boy sitting in the back corner, head down, long bangs hiding half his face. Kaoru blinked. Was this guy always in their class?

“Yo, Kaoru!”

Saki Tsukino, with her strawberry hairclips and loud footsteps, flopped into the seat in front of him. She turned around dramatically. “Did you notice the mysterious transfer student?”

“Transfer? In third year?” Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “That’s practically social suicide.”

“He transferred last semester,” Saki whispered. “But no one talks to him. People say he only comes to school half the week.”

Kaoru glanced again. The boy’s nameplate read Minami Haruto. Definitely not a familiar face.

“He talks to no one,” Saki continued, clearly relishing the gossip. “But I heard he once helped a lost cat. So he’s not evil.”

Kaoru snorted. “What a complex character.”

Despite Saki’s commentary, Kaoru found himself watching Haruto during homeroom. While the teacher droned on about exam schedules, Haruto scribbled something into a sketchbook, completely tuned out. His hands were pale, nimble — the way they moved looked practiced, almost like they had their own rhythm.

It wasn’t until lunch that something odd happened.

Kaoru had escaped to the rooftop for his usual quiet lunch — bread from the canteen and carbonated soda — when he saw someone already there.

Haruto.

He was sitting cross-legged near the water tank, unpacking a lunch box filled with neatly arranged food. It looked… homemade. Surprisingly cute.

Their eyes met for a split second.

Haruto blinked, visibly startled. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll leave.”

Kaoru held up a hand. “Nah, you were here first. I’m just crashing.”

Haruto hesitated, then nodded.

They sat in silence for a few minutes, the wind brushing past them like an awkward third wheel. Kaoru chewed thoughtfully.

“So,” he said, voice casual, “you’re Minami Haruto, right?”

“…Yeah.”

“You’re kind of infamous.”

Haruto didn’t respond. He just poked a cherry tomato with his chopsticks.

Kaoru tried again. “You draw during class?”

Haruto paused. Then, slowly, he reached into his bag and handed Kaoru the sketchbook.

Inside were pages filled with stunning pencil art. Not just anime-style doodles — but full scenes. School corridors. Rainy windows. People laughing. He flipped a page and froze.

It was a drawing of their classroom.

More specifically — of him. Sitting by the window, looking bored.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “Are you… stalking me?”

Haruto flushed. “N-No! It’s just… you look like a character. I mean, your face. It has lines. Good ones. Expressive.”

“That’s a weird compliment,” Kaoru grinned. “But I’ll take it.”

Haruto didn’t smile, but his shoulders relaxed a little.

“So what’s your deal?” Kaoru asked. “Why the mystery act?”

“I hate crowds,” Haruto admitted. “People are noisy. Complicated.”

Kaoru nodded. “True. But they’re not all bad.”

Haruto glanced at him. “You’re not what I expected.”

“Neither are you. I thought you’d growl if I talked to you.”

A pause. Then—was that a smile?

“Thanks,” Haruto said. “For not being… weird about it.”

Kaoru grinned. “We’re literally eating lunch on the roof like anime side characters. We are exactly weird.”

From that day on, rooftop lunches became a thing.

Haruto never initiated conversations, but he listened. Kaoru talked about video games, about Saki’s obsession with pop idols, about his dream of skipping the university entrance exams entirely and becoming a café barista in Kyoto.

Haruto eventually opened up too — little by little. He shared his love for drawing, how he wanted to make webcomics, but didn’t like sharing them with people. He once got teased for his art in middle school, and since then, he stopped showing anyone.

“But you showed me,” Kaoru pointed out.

Haruto shrugged. “You’re different.”

Kaoru wasn’t sure what that meant. But he liked how it sounded.

A week later, Saki cornered Kaoru after school.

“Are you and the ghost-boy dating?”

Kaoru almost dropped his juice box. “What?! No!”

“Well, he smiled at you. That’s like a full confession in Haruto-language.”

Kaoru tried to brush it off, but the idea stuck with him. Haruto did seem… warmer, these days. More open. Like a window slowly being cracked.

Maybe they weren’t just friends.

Or maybe they were just weird enough to be something in between.

One afternoon, Kaoru brought a can of soda to the rooftop and found Haruto already there, sketching again.

He sat down beside him, handed him the drink.

Haruto looked at it. “Strawberry?”

“Thought you’d like it. It’s pink and weird, like you.”

Haruto chuckled. “Thanks.”

They sipped in silence for a while. Then Kaoru leaned back and said:

“So, wanna keep this our little secret?”

Haruto blinked. “What secret?”

“That we’re friends. I don’t want Saki turning it into some school-wide drama.”

“…Sure.”

Kaoru smiled. “Cool. It’s just between us and the bell rings.”

Haruto looked down at his sketchbook, then up at the sky. The clouds were slow and heavy, the kind that looked like they were hiding stories.

He drew something quickly — a doodle of two boys sitting on a roof, drinks in hand, laughter in the air.

He titled it: “Scene One.”

☆Author's Note: Hey there, readers!

Welcome to the first episode of Between Us and the Bell Rings! This story is close to my heart—filled with quiet moments, unexpected laughter, and the kind of bonds that change you. If you’re into school-life drama, soft comedy, and hidden feelings between friends… you’re in the right place.

ALSO just a heads-up—the current COVER is TEMPORARY! I’m WORKING on a custom-drawn version that reflects the story’s full emotion and vibe. I’ll be updating it SOON once the art is READY,so stay tuned!

Thanks for starting this journey with me.

— Unknown by Ink

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