Chapter 6

                                                                     The Distance Between Us

The classroom was filled with the low hum of conversation and the soft scratching of pens on paper, yet Renji felt alone in the noise.

Across the room, Yui sat by the window, the fading afternoon sun casting golden light across her face. She looked serene—like always—but Renji could feel the space between them growing, even when she was just a few desks away.

They hadn’t talked since that moment on the rooftop. Not really. Just shared glances, half-smiles, and the silence of unspoken truths.

He didn’t know if he’d said too much or not enough.

"You're spacing out again," came a quiet voice beside him.

Renji blinked. It was Hiroto, his best friend, raising an eyebrow with that look that knew too much.

“It’s nothing,” Renji muttered, eyes drifting back to Yui.

“She’s different, huh?” Hiroto said.

Renji nodded slowly. “Yeah. But... somehow still the same.”

The bell rang. Yui stood up, tucking her books under her arm, and headed for the door. She didn’t look his way.

But as she passed by him, she paused—just for a second.

Then whispered, without turning, “Don’t stop remembering.”

And just like that, she was gone again.

Renji stared at the doorway long after she left.

Because somehow, she always knew the exact thing to say.

Even when it broke him a little more.

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