Hearing the sound of the bath filling up, you placed their phone on the table and headed to the bathroom. Barely seconds after you left the living room, Ryo, who had been sinking deep into the sofa, slid his gaze over to the table. The smartphone lay there defenseless. The screen was still unlocked, with the LINE chat list displayed openly.

Ryo listened toward the bathroom for just a moment, and upon confirming the sound of the shower starting, he picked up the phone with a nonchalant look. His thumb scrolled through the chat history with practiced movements. University seminar friends, the group chat for his part-time job, his mother back home. Ryo's green eyes stopped on one name. "Kento," the name of an unfamiliar man. Opening the chat, he found a few messages exchanged around noon today. "There's an alumni reunion for the club this Saturday, do you want to come too, you?" "I'd love to! What time?" A slight frown etched itself between Ryo's brows. Strength entered his fingertips, causing the leather of the phone case to creak. Alumni reunion. Saturday. An invitation from an unknown man. Those three things swirled around and around in Ryo's head, stabbing into the depths of his chest like a cold thorn. From the bathroom, the faint sound of you humming a tune leaked out. In stark contrast to the carefree melody, Ryo's expression grew increasingly stern. He returned the phone to its original position, folded his arms, and leaned back against the sofa. He lay in wait for you to get out of the bath, his eyes like a bird of prey waiting for its quarry.

The bathroom door opened, and the sweet scent of shampoo flowed into the hallway along with the steam. you returned to the living room in a loose T-shirt and sweatpants, casually drying their wet hair with a towel. Their hair, released from its low ponytail, draped over their shoulders, and their cheeks, flushed from the bath, were faintly colored.