But then—my eyes drifted.

There she was.

Not just a passing stranger on the rooftop anymore, not just a fleeting voice in my memory. She was sitting just a few desks away, head bent over her notebook. Sunlight fell across her desk, turning her hair into a faint crown of fire.

For a moment, I wondered—had she always been there? Had I really been so blind, trapped inside my own thoughts, that I never once noticed her presence?

Our eyes met. Just for an instant.

And in that instant she smiled—small, quiet, but it lingered like an echo in my chest.

And then it struck me.

We had spoken.

We had shared a rooftop.

We had even laughed together.

But—

we never asked each other’s names.

The thought stayed with me all morning, making the lessons blur into meaningless sound. How could something as simple as a name feel so impossibly important?

---

By lunchtime, I was back on the rooftop. The air was brighter there, freer, as though the world below couldn’t touch us. She was already waiting, sitting cross-legged, unwrapping her lunch with the ease of someone who belonged to that place.

“You again,” she said playfully, without looking up.

“You again,” I echoed, settling down a few feet away.

It should’ve been awkward. It wasn’t.

She glanced at me with a mischievous tilt of her head. “You always eat alone here?”

“Always,” I admitted. “It’s quieter. And no one tries to steal my food.”

She laughed, the sound warm enough to chase away the wind. “So you’re saying I look like a food thief?”

I shrugged. “You do have suspicious eyes.”

She gasped dramatically, pressing a hand over her heart. “That’s unfair. These eyes are famous for their honesty.”

“You just proved my point.”

For a moment, we both broke into laughter—an easy, unplanned rhythm, like we had always known how to make each other laugh.

And yet—her name still hovered between us, unsaid.

---

The lunch break ticked toward its end. She packed up slowly, as if reluctant to leave. I watched her fingers fold the wrapper neatly, watched the way she hummed faintly under her breath, like the rooftop itself was listening.

Finally, I couldn’t stop myself.

“Hey,” I said.

She looked up, curious.

“I just realized… we’ve been talking all this time, and…”

I hesitated, feeling strangely nervous. “I don’t even know your name.”

For a second, she blinked at me, then let out a soft laugh. “You’re right. I didn’t ask yours either. That’s kind of ridiculous, isn’t it?”

“Maybe,” I said. “Or maybe names aren’t as important as we think.”

“Maybe not,” she agreed, her smile gentle. “But still…”

She extended her hand, like we were meeting for the very first time.

“I’m Tsukiko.”

Her name lit something inside me—like the word itself carried moonlight.

I took her hand, feeling the warmth of her palm linger longer than it should.

“Haruto,” I said quietly. “That’s my name.”

Her eyes softened at the sound of it. “Haruto and Tsukiko hmm..... like the moon and sun. Even our names compliment each other. ”

She said it with such a bright smile like she had seen something so beautiful. Something I could hardly imagine. Noticing me looking at her with an intense gaze her cheeks burned red. For the first time I saw her flustered and she looked like an innocent cute child. I could live in this single moment my entire life. We both smiled looking at the blue sky. 

And as the bell rang, scattering us back into the rhythm of the day, I carried her name in my chest like a secret flame.

She gathered her stuff and was about to leave. 

"Good bye, Haruto."

On hearing the words terror struck in my heart as it pierced through my heart so deep I couldn't even tell. I immediately got up and before I knew it I held her hand as she was leaving.

" Please don't say goodbye.... It scares me."

"Uhmm... I mean we should say see you later instead. You know it sounds better."

Her cheeks burning red as she felt the heat of the moment and my hand holding her. Realizing my feelings she said with a bright smile and cheeks still red.

" Ok. See you later Haruto." 

She walked away but I could see how happy she was hiding her embarrassment. My heart still lost in the moment. I also whispered almost to myself.

" See you later Tsukiko." 

 My cheeks burning crimson as I realize what I just did. I probably made a mess, I just made things so awkward..... but she looked happy about it. Did she also felt what I did. I asked myself as I looked down the stairs.

"Oh no no ... But it is still too embarrassing. I am a moron."

But why did I react this way? What was I afraid of? Was I afraid of losing her? But why?

---