The sun was low when Rin found him.
Leo sat alone on the bleachers near the sports field, elbows on his knees, fingers laced, staring into the faint golden glow of the afternoon.
He didn't hear her footsteps. Didn't notice her shadow stretch across the concrete.
He only looked up when she said softly, "Was it you?"
Leo turned, blinking. "Rin."
Her voice didn't waver. "The piece Mr. Nakamura read. Was it yours?"
Silence.
The wind picked up, rustling the nearby flag.
Leo hesitated, lips parting.
Then he looked away. "Does it matter?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I think I know which girl you meant."
Leo swallowed. "I didn't write it to choose."
"Then why did you write it?"
He didn't answer.
Rin stepped closer. The metal bleacher groaned slightly as she sat down beside him.
She looked forward, not at him.
"I've always admired your quiet," she said.
Leo glanced at her.
"You're calm, even when you're unsure. You listen more than you speak. And when you finally say something..." Her hands twisted in her lap. "It matters."
Leo watched her fingers, the slight tremble in them.
"I don't want to be someone you're afraid of hurting," she said.
"I'm not afraid of you," Leo said. "I'm afraid for you. And for Yuki. And for myself. That I'll ruin something just by existing between it."
Rin inhaled slowly.
"I liked our day together," she whispered. "It felt... safe."
"It was."
"I want more days like that."
Leo looked at her fully now.
"And what if I mess it up?" he asked.
"Then we'll fix it. Together."
He stared.
For the first time in weeks, something in him softened. Not relief. Not certainty. But a kind of fragile trust.
"You're braver than me," he said.
Rin gave a tiny smile. "No. I just like you enough to take the risk."
Leo turned away again. "The piece... yes. It was mine."
Rin didn't flinch. Didn't sigh. She just sat beside him in silence, letting his truth settle into the air like dusk.
"Thank you," she said at last.
"For what?"
"For telling me."
Leo looked at her.
She was watching the field now, where a few students were practicing soccer.
"It doesn't mean I've decided anything," he said quietly.
"I know."
"It doesn't mean I don't care about—"
"I know that too."
Her voice was soft but certain.
"I just wanted to know it was you. So I could stop guessing."
Leo blinked. "That's all?"
"For now."
He gave a short laugh. "You're really something, Rin."
She nudged his arm gently. "So are you, Leo."
---
They sat until the sun dipped completely behind the gym.
No big speeches. No confessions. No endings or beginnings.
Just two people.
Sitting quietly in the honest aftermath of words.