Unraveled Ties-Chapter 50: Lingering thoughts

The days after the food date passed quickly, and the final stretch of exams was closing in. The air in the school grew heavier as students focused on studying, trying to squeeze in every last bit of knowledge before the tests began.

Reiji sat at his desk, staring at the open textbook in front of him. The words blurred together, his mind unwilling to focus. Instead, he found himself thinking back to that moment—his hand holding Sena’s, the way she glanced at him but didn’t pull away.

He clenched his jaw. *Why am I thinking about that now?*

Across the room, Sena sat in her usual seat, quietly flipping through her notes. She was completely focused, not sparing him or anyone else a glance.

But Reiji couldn’t help himself. His eyes drifted toward her again.

Her long, dark hair was tied back today, revealing the curve of her neck. Her sharp, focused expression made her look... cool.

He quickly looked away. *What the hell am I doing?*

—

During the break, Reiji packed up his books and decided to head to the library. He needed to study—alone—without any distractions.

But when he arrived, he found someone already waiting for him.

Aoi.

She was seated near the window, her fingers gently tapping her pencil against the desk as she looked out at the sky. When she noticed him, her lips curled into a soft smile.

"Reiji," she greeted.

He walked over. "You studying here too?"

Aoi nodded. "Yeah, but I got distracted." She glanced down at her open notebook, which was completely blank.

Reiji smirked a little. "Doesn’t look like you’re studying at all."

Aoi pouted. "Hey, I tried."

He sat across from her, placing his book down. "Want me to quiz you?"

She brightened at that. "Yes, please!"

Reiji flipped through her textbook, choosing a few questions. As they studied together, Aoi’s face lit up every time she got a question right, and she frowned whenever she struggled.

He found himself staring again—watching the way her expressions changed so naturally.

And every time she smiled, his heart reacted.

He liked Aoi.

That hadn’t changed.

But even as he thought that, something was off. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Because the moment his mind wandered, the image of *Sena* sitting across from him instead of Aoi appeared.

The way she had leaned close during their study sessions, the way her hand had felt in his—it all came back to him, overlapping with the moment he was sharing with Aoi now.

*Why?*

"Reiji?"

He blinked, realizing Aoi was looking at him with a curious expression.

"You okay?" she asked.

Reiji nodded. "Yeah, just tired."

Aoi smiled. "Don’t overwork yourself, okay? Exams are important, but so is resting."

Reiji exhaled. "Yeah, I know."

He shook his head slightly, pushing away the thoughts in his head.

For now, all he had to do was f

ocus on his studies.

Everything else...

He could figure out later.