CHAPTER FORTY-THREE;
a dreaded realization

"And so, the man was like, 'Miss, just drop backwards,' and I was so worried I was going to hit the back of my head on the coral reefs!"

You animatedly recounted your snorkeling experience to Rin, your hands moving as you spoke, eyes still sparkling with the excitement of the memory.

Rin, as usual, wasn't much of a conversationalist. He barely offered any input, only responding with the occasional hum or subtle nod. But he was listening.

"But when I saw how beautiful it was underwater, I kinda thought it'd be fun if you were there too." you didn't put much thought into the statement, letting it slip out casually. But for Rin, those words hit harder than he wanted to admit. That feeling, the one he had been trying to suppress, surfaced again, refusing to be ignored.

Why was it that, even in the middle of having fun, your first thought was how it would've been better if he were there?

"You didn't see any sharks?" He finally found something to say, steering the conversation elsewhere.

"Nope, fortunately!"

You were halfway through your cup of ice cream when a sudden realization struck you.

"I forgot to take a picture of the ice cream before we ate!"

Rin blinked, "For what?"

"For Instagram!"

His confusion deepened, "Huh?"

"You don't know the app?"

"No."

"It's kind of like... Facebook?" you question, trying to see if he was at least familiar with the app for boomers.

"Oh,"

"You don't have an account?" you were referring to Instagram.

He raised a brow, "Clearly," he says like it's common sense, "I don't feel the need to have one."

You showed him your account, scrolling through a few posts from your feed. "Take a picture of me," you instruct him, opening your camera app.

"Just take a selfie."

"It's different when it's taken by someone else!"

It really was though.

He took your phone as he clicked his tongue, now putting a bit more effort to work with a few angles.

You brought the ice cream close to your face, and your face softened into a smile. There it was again, the annoying pounding against his chest.

"Done." he slides your phone across the table.

You scrolled through the pictures, a pleased hum escaping you. He actually did a good job.

Then, turning the phone, you switched to the back camera and aimed it at him.

"Smile for me, Rin," you said, a playful lilt in your voice.

For once, he didn't immediately shoot you down. But his attempt at a smile was...well, a bit tragic. That signature boxy, forced expression that barely reached his eyes.

You laughed at it, unable to help yourself. His face narrowed in confusion at what was so funny. You stood up and took a seat beside him, before propping your arm up.

"Selfie," you winked at the camera and did a peace sign, he just sat straight with his deadpan face, "Come on, show some of those pearly whites." you say through your smile.

He huffs and smiles A BIT with his lips.

"See, you know how to smile like a normal person!"

The marketplace was alive with chatter, laughter, and the occasional call of a vendor trying to attract customers.

Rin walked beside you, hands in his pockets, his usual expression of indifference plastered on his face. He clearly wasn't thrilled about being here, but he hadn't refused when you suggested stopping by to look for souvenirs.

"Okay, what kind of souvenirs should we get?" you asked, scanning the colorful trinkets displayed at a nearby stall.

"Why do we need souvenirs?" he replied flatly.

You gasped, turning to him with exaggerated offense, "Rin! It's, like, a must when you go on a trip! You have to bring something back to remember it!"

"I have my memory. That's enough."

You rolled your eyes at his typical no-nonsense attitude before holding up a tiny, cat-shaped keychain, "This is cute! Maybe I should get it?"

Rin barely glanced at it before shrugging, "If you want."

You sighed, "You are so unhelpful."

Moving to the next stall, your eyes lit up at the sight of matching shell bracelets. You picked one up and turned to Rin with a grin.

"What about these?"

He eyed the delicate bracelets and raised a brow, "You're not actually expecting me to wear that, are you?"

"Oh, come on, Rin. It's not that bad!" you dangled one in front of him, "Look, it's simple! Just a string and a shell! It won't kill you to wear it."

He exhaled sharply, looking away as if contemplating whether or not it was worth arguing over. Eventually, he mumbled, "Fine."

You beamed, immediately buying the pair before tying one around your wrist. Rin took his with a sigh, securing it loosely around his own.

"I think it suits you," you teased.

As you continued browsing, you noticed Rin stopping at a small stand filled with wooden carvings. He picked up a tiny, intricately carved cat figurine, turning it over in his fingers with an unreadable expression.

"That's cute," you commented, stepping beside him.

He hummed in response before silently handing it to the vendor. He paid without hesitation.

"You're buying that?" you asked, surprised.

"Yeah."

"For yourself?"

He paused, then shook his head, "No."

You furrowed your eyebrows, "Then who?"

You were right, for who?

"...My mom." 

"Oh!" your heart warmed at the thought. It was such a small thing, but it was so Rin, quietly thoughtful, even if he'd never admit it outright, "See? Souvenir shopping isn't so bad."

He scoffed, "Because you were able to buy useless trinkets?"

You giggled, "And because I'm having fun with you."

Rin exhaled through his nose, shaking his head slightly. But there was the tiniest, almost imperceptible upward twitch of his lips.

yui's dad

5:02 PM

i can't believe we
spent two hours looking
for souvenirs

and all you bought were
keychains and a cat figurine

didn't you say

"it's the thought that
counts"

YOU

ok i'm not even going
to argue with that

[picture of rin's boxy
smile.jpg]

😬😬😬😬

😐

[+5 selfies at the ice cream
shop with rin.jpg]

Ma

5:08 PM

mom

Yes, Rin?

i bought a butterfly
keychain for you

That's so sweet of
you dear

i went souvenir shopping
with y/n

Oh?

we also went for ice cream

How did it go?

Did you have fun with her?

it was ok. we went
because of a voucher
we won

yeah

she's ok

[one selfie with rin where
you were smiling widely,
and his lips look like they

were quivering for having
curved up for so long.jpg]

Hahaha look at you both

So cute

she also took this picture
of me

[rin's boxy smile.jpg]

You really need to learn
how to smile properly
sweetie

dad doesn't know how to
either

I don't know if I should be
happy that you and your
brother got majority of
his traits

i look like you though

Hahaha

😁😁👍

Happy Moms, Happy Life 😁

5:12 PM

Itoshi Rie
@L/n M/n

Itoshi Rie
(Mother's name)

Hello Rie

How are you?

Itoshi Rie
You would never believe
this

Itoshi Rie
[Rin and Y/n selfie.jpg]

What!!!!!

Oh my goodness

Did Y/n send those??

Itoshi Rie
No. My son did

Itoshi Rie
My son!! Do you get how

big of a deal this is?

Tachibana Seika
Oh my🤭

Yes I do

How come Y/n hasn't
sent me those

Itoshi Rie
I guess they sent it to
each other first

Didn't you say Rin wasn't
exactly social?

Tachibana Seika
Rie was so worried about
it too

Iwamoto Hinatsu
Are we going to have our
first pair of in-laws
( 5 ❤️😆)

Itoshi Rie
Yeah. But I noticed he's been
with Y/n often

Itoshi Rie
The last time Rin had a
friend like this was before
his brother went to Spain

It's nice to see they're
getting along well

You think they like each
other? Hahahahaha

Itoshi Rie
I have my suspicions! 😆

The end of the trip left a bittersweet feeling in your heart. The past few days had been filled with sunlit laughter, late-night talks, and playful competitions, but now, as everyone packed up their belongings, the realization that it was all coming to an end settled in.

You hadn't been able to bond with Amari and the others as much as you'd hoped, they had their own close-knit circle within their class. But that didn't make the memories you made with your classmates any less precious.

The friendships, the silly moments, the unexpected conversations, they were irreplaceable.

"Bus leaves in 30 minutes! If you want to buy some snacks or you need to use the restroom, now's the time!" 

The group slowly scattered, some heading towards the convenience store, others stretching their legs or chatting in clusters.

You made your way through the bus aisle, stopping when you found Rin sitting by the window.

He looked relaxed, almost lazy, with his elbow propped up and his chin resting in his palm, eyes focused on nothing in particular. The seat beside him was still empty.

"Hey, can I sit here?" you asked, already reaching for the compartment above to tuck your bag away.

"Yeah, sure, whatever," he muttered without looking at you.

Sliding into the seat, you pulled out a small bag of candies from your pocket, "Tell me if you want one. I bought a pack of mint-flavored ones."

"I don't need one."

"Suit yourself," you shrugged, popping one into your mouth.

The bus still hadn't taken off, and with some time to kill, you pulled out your phone, opening an offline two-player game.

With a sly grin, you turned to Rin, "Come on, play with me." 

He didn't want to at first, like always, but he relents to your request.

"Wait! Wait!" you squealed, frantically trying to move away as Rin's avatar closed in on yours, about to pass you the bomb in-game.

His expression remained relaxed, but he seemed amused, this was as competitive as he could get.

Desperate, you reached out, gripping his wrist in a weak attempt to push his arm away from his phone screen. Though in return, he just takes your phone and kills your character.

"No cheating!" you whined.

"You started it."

The hum of the bus engine and the gentle sway of the ride had lulled you into a peaceful nap somewhere along the way.  

After a long travel, you stirred awake. Blinking sleepily, you looked around, trying to take in your surroundings. The bus had finally pulled into the school parking lot, the outside bustling with students stretching, retrieving their bags, and chatting.

You rubbed your eyes before glancing at Rin, still completely unmoved. His head remained tilted slightly toward the window, arms crossed over his chest

You leaned in slightly, noticing his airpods tucked in. No wonder he hadn't woken up with all the movement around him.

"Rin," you called out, voice still groggy from sleep. Nothing.

You tried again, this time nudging him a little harder. Still nothing.

Rolling your eyes, you reached out and shook his arm. You were just about to pull away when his hand clasps to yours. Rin's fingers curled firmly around yours, his palm pressing against yours in a steady, warm grip. The sudden contact sent an unexpected jolt up your arm, leaving you frozen in place.

Neither of you moved. Neither of you spoke.

His eyes, still hazy from sleep, blinked as they met yours, softened by drowsiness. It was rare to catch him like this, unguarded and quiet, his usual sharpness dulled. 

You weren't sure if it was the grogginess or something else that made him hesitate, but his grip didn't loosen right away.

Your fingers relaxed against his, and for a moment, his grip tightened instead of letting go.

You were slowly coming in conclusion with a dreaded realization.

You liked Itoshi Rin.