CHAPTER 180: LEONA’S MISUNDERSTANDING [2]

A few minutes passed in silence as settled.

Then Leona turned towards him, her voice low enough so only Rin could hear.

"Hey... your sister. You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but... you two okay?"

Rin blinked, surprised by the sudden question.

He looked at her, clearly taken off guard.

"Why do you ask that all of a sudden?"

"No reason," she said quickly. "Just... the way you talked to her yesterday. You seemed... tense."

He paused.

Then gave a small laugh.

"Well, it’s not like we’re fighting or anything. Rachel’s just... intense. Always has been. She’s one of those ’do everything yourself’ types, you know? And when we were younger, she kind of took over as the adult in the house after our mom passed."

Leona’s fingers curled slightly.

"And your dad?"

"He’s around. Works a lot. Quiet guy. Not really the emotional type. So Rachel handled most of the house stuff."

"...That must’ve been hard."

Rin shrugged like it was no big deal, but the slight drop in his shoulders said otherwise.

"I got used to it," he said simply. "Anyway, don’t overthink it. It’s not like I’m scared of her or anything."

Leona stared at him.

He avoided her gaze.

"...Okay," she said, letting it go.

But deep down, she knew that wasn’t the full truth.

And maybe—just maybe—that’s why she wanted to meet Rachel Evans so badly.

Not as a fan.

Not as a hero admirer.

But to understand Rin better.

To understand what shaped the boy who was sitting quietly beside her now.

---

They didn’t enter the classroom right away.

Instead, their steps slowed, lingering in the corridor just outside. The morning light streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the tiled floor. Students passed them now and then—some greeting them in passing, others too absorbed in their own routines to notice.

But Rin and Leona walked slower than the rest, caught in a conversation that neither of them quite wanted to end.

"...I got used to it," Rin had said.

That was the kind of thing people said when they didn’t want to complain.

When they didn’t think their pain was worth bothering others with.

Leona glanced sideways at him. His face was calm—too calm. The kind of calm that came from practice, from years of keeping certain feelings locked away.

"Rin," she said softly, her voice barely above the hallway murmur, "you don’t have to always act like it didn’t affect you."

He blinked at her. "Huh?"

"I mean..." she fumbled for words, fingers tightening slightly on the strap of her bag, "I know it’s been a long time, but... it’s okay to admit things were hard back then."

Rin was quiet.

His steps slowed further.

They came to a pause near a window, the classroom entrance just a few meters ahead, but neither of them moved to go in.

"...Why are you saying this?" he asked, turning to look at her.

Leona hesitated.

She couldn’t say what she really wanted to. Couldn’t tell him about the interview. The article. The hours she’d spent scrolling through mentions of Rachel Evans. That she’d read and reread those old words until they felt etched into her bones.

So she just said, "Because I care."

Rin’s expression shifted—just for a moment.

Not shock, exactly. But something in his eyes went soft, like he wasn’t expecting those words to come from her.

"...Leona," he said, tone careful, "you don’t have to worry about me, okay?"

She rolled her eyes slightly. "Too late."

He chuckled under his breath, a little sheepish.

"Besides," she added, "if I don’t look after you, who will?"

"I can take care of myself, you know."

"Sure, but you won’t. Not properly."

"That’s—hey."

She smiled, just a little. "Come on. When’s the last time you ate something that wasn’t instant?"

"...You got me there."

He leaned against the wall, letting his head thump softly back against it, looking up at the ceiling tiles.

"Rachel used to cook, actually," he said after a moment. "She was pretty good. Whenever she had free time, she’d try out new recipes."

Leona turned toward him. "You miss that?"

"...Sometimes," he said. "But she stopped after she joined the academy. Didn’t have the time. And by then, I was already used to heating up leftovers or grabbing something from the corner store."

Leona’s expression softened.

"So that’s why you never learned how to cook."

"Never needed to," he said, closing his eyes for a second. "Didn’t really think about it."

There was a beat of silence.

"...I’ll cook for you," she said suddenly.

His eyes opened. "Huh?"

She looked down, flustered. "I mean—I already told you I am going to make breakfast every day so cooking a dinner is nothing that hard for me."

Rin stared at her.

Then smiled.

It was a small thing. Quiet. But real.

"...I’d like that," he said.

And just like that, the air between them changed. A little warmer. A little closer.

The bell rang faintly down the corridor.

Students hurried past.

But Rin and Leona stood still a moment longer, just two figures in the morning light, not quite ready to step into the noise of the classroom.

Eventually, Rin pushed off the wall and nodded toward the door. "We should go in before people start thinking we’re slacking."

Leona nodded, falling into step beside him.

But just before they crossed the threshold, she reached out and gently tugged on his sleeve.

Rin turned, confused. "What’s up?"

"...If you ever want to talk about it," she said, looking up at him, "I’ll listen. No judgment. I promise."

Rin looked at her for a long moment.

Then gave a small, genuine nod.

"Thanks."

And with that, they stepped into the classroom.

Side by side.

----

Thank you for reading the Chapter. I hope you continue to do read more in future.

It’s my first novel so if there’s any kind of mistakes you find in the novel related to grammar please tell me and I’ll edit it as soon as possible.