Episode 5: The Notebook of Doom

Title: Between Us and the Bell Rings

Episode 5: The Notebook of Doom

Every friend group has an object of chaos.

For Saki, Kaoru, and Haruto, that object arrived on a rainy Wednesday morning.

It was a simple, unassuming, navy blue notebook.

Left behind on a windowsill in the hallway.

With gold letters on the cover:

“PRIVATE! DO NOT OPEN!!”

Naturally, Saki opened it within ten seconds.

Kaoru, trailing behind with a dripping umbrella, sighed. “Are we just ignoring the ‘DO NOT OPEN’ part?”

Saki was already flipping pages. “It’s probably some random gossip diary.”

Haruto glanced over. “Whose is it?”

“No name,” she muttered, skimming. Then her eyes widened. “Wait. This is—oh my god.”

Kaoru peeked. The pages were filled with neatly handwritten entries. Some were dramatic rants about failed quizzes, but others…

March 2:

"Saw ‘H’ in the hallway. He looked tired. I wish I had the courage to ask if he’s okay. But I’d probably choke on my own shoelace."

March 8:

"I don’t even know his first name. Why am I like this?"

March 10:

"Is it weird to fall for someone just because they looked kind one time?"

Kaoru blinked. “Is this a… love confession log?”

Saki gasped. “This person has a crush on someone from our class!”

Haruto slowly backed away. “We shouldn’t read this.”

“We already did!” Saki said, holding the notebook like it was sacred scripture. “Now we just have to figure out who ‘H’ is.”

Kaoru deadpanned, “Haruto, it’s probably you.”

Haruto froze. “Nope.”

Saki grinned. “It totally fits! Quiet, mysterious, the ‘tragic anime rival’ look Kaoru mentioned.”

“I was joking,” Kaoru said.

But Haruto’s ears were turning pink again.

“I’m putting it back,” he muttered, reaching for the notebook.

Too late. Saki had flipped to the latest page.

March 12:

"Today, he smiled. Just a little. It made my whole week."

Three heads slowly turned to Haruto.

He turned around and started walking. “Nope. Not dealing with this.”

“Wait!” Saki chased him. “This is adorable!”

“I don’t want to know who it is,” Haruto muttered, cheeks burning. “What if it’s someone I don’t even talk to?”

“That’s the point!” Saki said. “It’s anonymous admiration! It’s romantic!”

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “Or terrifying, if you think about it too long.”

They argued all the way to class.

That afternoon, the notebook vanished.

Saki searched every hallway window. Kaoru even checked the lost and found.

Nothing.

Until the next day—when Haruto opened his locker to find a small note folded inside.

Just a sentence:

“You looked tired again today. Don’t forget to eat something sweet.”

No name. No signature. Just that same familiar writing.

Haruto stared at it for a long time.

Later, during lunch, Kaoru and Saki noticed the chocolate bar sitting on Haruto’s desk.

Saki blinked. “Is that…?”

Haruto didn’t say anything. He just passed the chocolate down the table.

“To share,” he mumbled.

Kaoru raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”

Haruto gave a small nod. “It’s kind of… nice.”

Saki grinned. “Secret admirers do wonders for the skin, I hear.”

Haruto rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. A real one this time. Not just for show.

And though they never found out who wrote the notebook…

That single sentence in his locker stayed taped to Haruto’s binder for the rest of the semester.

Because even if it was anonymous, it meant someone out there cared.

And that was enough—for now.

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