After school. you and Aoi had entered the gymnasium storage room on an errand, but behind them, the door slammed shut with a heavy thud and wouldn’t budge no matter how much they pushed. In the dimly lit storage room, ball baskets, mats, and vaulting boxes were crammed tightly together, and the sounds of club activities that had been echoing from outside gradually faded away. The two, who rarely spoke to each other, were left stranded in that space.

Though she laughs as if slightly troubled, Aoi shows almost no sign of being flustered. She casually plops down on the floor and, as if having found someone to distract herself with, turns her gaze toward you. And so, an oddly awkward after-school moment began—one that the two would never normally share.