Chapter 6

Four days before the summer, students are getting ready. Kael is popular now and he's not used to it, girls are taking pictures of him everytime they had a chance.

Shin is starting get the chilly aura that Rin has. It annoys her that the girls are talking about Kael, she doesn't understand why they're so fascinated by him all of a sudden, and the attention makes her feel strangely out of place.

Three days before the summer camp, girls have started openly complimenting him, asking for selfies, and even leaving him little notes. He tries to laugh it off, but inside, it feels a bit too much.

Shin, now clearly adopting more of Rin's distant demeanor, is irritated beyond words. She keeps her distance from the groups that talk endlessly about Kael. Though she tries to brush it off, the attention on Kael bothers her in ways she doesn't fully understand.

Two days before the summer camp, there's now less students bothering Kael. Though the attention has lessened, Kael is still adjusting to the odd dynamic that has emerged. It's quieter, but the feeling of being watched remains, with whispers still floating around when he's nearby.

Shin notices the change but remains distant. Despite the drop in attention toward Kael, her irritation hasn't fully faded.

One day before the summer camp, Shin is beginning to distant herself. Always in the student council room and she's not asking for Kael to make her a lunch anymore.

Is this jealousy or not? She's been spending most of her time in the student council room, keeping herself busy with tasks that seem more like excuses to avoid being around Kael.

Kael notices the change in behavior of Shin, but he doesn't know how to approach it.

He walk through the hallway, waiting if he will come across Shin. A voice calls out to him and he quickly turns around but it's not Shin, It's Koharu.

"Hey, Kael. You seem pretty lost. Looking for someone?"

"Just... wandering around, I guess."

Koharu narrows her eyes, her grin widening. "Wandering? Or waiting for Shin?"

Kael hesitates, not sure how to answer. It's true that he's been hoping to run into Shin, to somehow clear the weird tension between them, but he doesn't want to admit that so easily, especially not to Koharu, who would definitely make a big deal out of it.

"Is she busy with the student council?"

"She's been in there a lot, yeah. But it's not just council stuff, if you ask me."

"What do you mean?"

Koharu crosses her arms and leans against the wall, watching him carefully. "I think she's avoiding you."

The words hit Kael harder than he expected. Avoiding him? He had sensed the distance, but to hear someone else say it out loud made it feel more real, and worse, he had no idea why.

"Why would she avoid me?" He asks, more to himself than to Koharu.

"That's for you to figure out... But maybe it has something to do with all the girls fawning over you lately."

Kael's heart sinks at Koharu's words. He hadn't asked for the attention from the other girls, and it had all made him feel more uncomfortable than anything else. But the idea that it was driving a wedge between him and Shin, it hurt more than he expected.

"Look, I know Shin better than anyone. She's not the type to get caught up in stuff like this. But maybe… it's bothering her in a way she doesn't even get. You should talk to her."

Kael sighs, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know what to say. Everything feels off between us, and I don't even know why."

"Kael, sometimes people don't know what they're feeling until they're forced to face it. Shin might not realize it, but she's upset for a reason. And if you don't talk to her, things are only going to get worse."

Kael takes a deep breath, realizing that Koharu is right. He can't keep avoiding the issue, hoping things will go back to normal on their own. He has to figure out what's going on with Shin, even if it means facing an uncomfortable conversation.

"Alright... I'll try to talk to her."

Koharu grins, her usual playful energy returning. "Good. Just be honest with her, and I'm sure it'll work out. You guys are too close to let this kind of thing mess things up."

With that, Koharu gives him a playful pat on the back before heading off, leaving Kael standing alone in the hallway, his mind spinning.

Taking a deep breath, Kael heads toward the student council room, hoping that Shin will still be there. As he approaches, his heart races, and he hesitates for a moment before finally opening the door. Inside, Shin is sitting at a desk, scribbling notes in a notebook.

Kael steps inside, the door creaking slightly as it closes behind him. Shin doesn't look up at first, but the air between them feels heavy.

"Shin..."

She freezes, her pen halting mid-scribble. Slowly, she looks up, her expression guarded. "Kael… what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to talk."

She closes her notebook, setting it aside, but still doesn't meet his gaze directly. "I'm sorry... But I need to get going."

Kael's heart drops at Shin's response. He can see the tension in her shoulders, the way she avoids his gaze, and it's clear she's trying to brush him off. But he's come this far, he can't just let it go now.

"W-Wait! Can we talk? Just for a minute."

Shin hesitates, gripping the edge of the desk before sighing softly. She doesn't leave, but she doesn't sit back down either. "What is there to talk about?"

Kael swallows, searching for the right words. "I feel like things have been off between us lately, and I don't know why. If I've done something to upset you, just tell me. I don't want this… distance between us."

Shin's expression flickers, the tension in her face cracking for a moment before she looks away. "It's not just you," She says quietly. "It's everything."

"What do you mean?"

"You've changed, Kael. Ever since people started paying attention to you, it's like… I don't know. I just feel like we're drifting apart."

"Changed? I haven't changed. I'm still me."

Shin finally meets his eyes, her own gaze conflicted. "Maybe you don't feel like you've changed, but everything around you has. And… I guess I don't know how to deal with it."

Kael's heart aches at the honesty in her voice. He hadn't realized how deeply the recent changes in his life had affected her. The attention from the other girls, the shift in their friendship, it all suddenly feels heavier.

"I never wanted things to be different between us... I don't care about the attention from anyone else. You know that, right?"

"It's not just about the attention, Kael. It's about… I don't know. Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm just jealous or frustrated, or—"

"Jealous?"

Shin flinches at the word, as if she hadn't meant to let that slip. She quickly looks away, her cheeks tinged with a hint of color. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Shin…" Kael steps closer, his voice gentle. "If this is about the way people are acting around me, I promise you, it doesn't mean anything to me. You're the one who matters to me, not them."

For a moment, there's only silence between them. Kael feels the weight of her words settling in, and he realizes that this is more complicated than he thought.

"I'm sorry," Shin mutters, her voice tight with frustration. "I didn't mean to make things weird. I just… need some time."

Kael feels a pang in his chest. Time? That's the last thing he wants—to put even more distance between them.

But Kael knows he can't push her. He takes a deep breath, steadying himself, though the words feel heavy on his tongue.

"Okay... If you need time, I'll give you that. But just… please, don't shut me out completely. I don't want to lose what we have."

"I don't want that either," She admits quietly. "I just… need to figure some things out."

Kael nods, though a part of him wants to beg her to stay, to talk things through right now. But he knows that wouldn't help. Shin needs space, and he needs to respect that.

With that, Kael turns and leaves the room.

As he walks down the hallway, his mind spins with everything that had just happened. Shin's feelings, her frustration, the jealousy she hinted at, it was more than he had expected, and it left him with a lot to think about.

Kael sighs, feeling the weight of it all pressing on him as he steps outside into the warm afternoon air. Summer camp was only a day away, and everything felt more uncertain than ever.

...

Shin is inside the student council room, standing by the window. She watches as Kael walks outside.

Then the door opens and Koharu step inside with her usual cheery demeanor.

"Hey, Shin! What's up? You look a bit out of it."

Shin turns away from the window, forcing a smile. "Just… thinking."

"Thinking about Kael?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Did you two talk? I saw him leave looking kind of... defeated."

Shin sighs, running a hand through her hair. "We did. It was… It was complicated."

"Complicated how?"

"He's changed since all the attention started, and I just… I don't know how to handle it." Shin's voice trembles slightly, revealing her frustration.

Koharu leans against the desk, crossing her arms. "You're worried about losing him, right? It's okay to feel that way."