Meeting Komi — After School

A tiny, genuine smile.

I shrugged, a real, honest-to-goodness shrug. "Because you looked like you needed a friend. Not an audience." Meeting Komi After School

Komi Shouko. The goddess. The untouchable. The girl whose beauty silenced rooms and whose very presence seemed to be painted in a higher resolution than the rest of us. A tiny, genuine smile

"The buckle is stiff," I said, my voice surprisingly calm. "Mine did the same thing last week." genuine smile. I shrugged

"Yeah," I said. "Let's go home."

But today, the air felt different. Charged. Like the second before a summer thunderstorm.

"Twenty minutes is a long time," I said. "Next time, just ask. I'm not very good at much, but I'm excellent at buckles."