Meeting Komi After School ((hot)) -

I’d learned enough of her sign language to catch that. My heart did something clumsy in my chest.

“Do you want to walk to the station together?” meeting komi after school

“Yeah,” I said, walking over. I didn’t sit next to her—that felt too forward. Instead, I leaned against the railing a few feet away. “I like the quiet after school. Less… pressure.” I’d learned enough of her sign language to catch that

But then she turned.

She was sitting on the lowest step of the emergency exit, her school bag balanced perfectly on her knees. Not waiting. Not hiding. Just being —a still point in the rushing current of students heading for the gate. I didn’t sit next to her—that felt too forward

She hadn’t noticed me yet.

I read it twice. Looked at her face. She wasn’t blushing—Komi doesn’t blush like normal people. Instead, the tips of her ears turned the faintest shade of pink, and her gaze dropped to the space between my shoes.