Haruma walks up and stops in front of Rukia, his brows drawn tight in confusion while she keeps her gaze lowered.
"What are you doing here?" Haruma asks.
Rukia swallows, then slowly looks up at him. "I want to talk to you."
Haruma lets out a quiet breath. "I told you… we'll talk later."
Rukia doesn't respond, she just keeps looking at him, her silence pressing heavier with each passing second.
Haruma Kusaka exhales lightly and shakes his head. "Okay… I'm listening."
Rukia hesitates, a hint of nervousness slipping through. "I… want to talk in private."
Haruma's brows knit tighter, confusion deepening. Rukia then shifts her gaze past him.
Following it, Haruma glances back and spots Kurogami and the others standing near the car, watching from a distance, clearly trying to catch what's going on.
As soon as they catch Haruma Kusaka's gaze, all of them casually turn away, pretending not to watch. Only Kurogami stays still, arms folded, eyes locked on the two of them.
Haruma gives them a brief, unimpressed look, then turns back to Rukia.
"You can talk, they probably can't even hear us."
Rukia closes her eyes, taking a slow, steady breath, while Haruma keeps watching her, confusion still etched across his face.
Then, after a brief pause, Rukia inhales deeply, and then, she slowly slides her engagent ring off her finger.
Haruma Kusaka's eyes snap wide open, locking onto her hand, disbelief hitting him all at once.
"I…" Rukia starts, her voice unsteady. "I… love you."
Haruma's breath got caught in his throat. His mind blanks, body locks in place as the words hit, and he just stands there, frozen in raw disbelief.
Rukia keeps her gaze lowered, her nervousness clear in the slight tension of her posture.
Behind them, Izaya and Jiho were curiously leaning forward, straining to catch even a fragnt of sound, but the distance kept everything out of reach.
Kabuto stands still, eyes narrowed, gaze fixed on the two.
Raya leans in closer beside him. "You getting anything?"
Kabuto doesn't look away. "Hold on, I'm trying to read her lips."
Raya nods in understanding and stays still, eyes locked ahead as he waits. Beside him, Nagisa remains relaxed with a nonchalant expression, while Kurogami watches in silence, his gaze steady and unreadable.
Between Haruma and Rukia, the silence grew heavier now.
As Haruma remained frozen in place, shock holding him still, completely unable to
respond.
In front of him, Rukia keeps her head slightly lowered, waiting without moving, the silence stretching longer and heavier with each passing second.
Haruma Kusaka closes his eyes and draws in a deep breath, gathering himself before speaking.
"Rukia." His voice cos out calm, but there's weight behind it now.
"What are you even saying?" He asks in a low, strained tone, frustration and disappointnt slipping through. "Do you even hear yourself right now?"
Rukia lifts her head fully, eting his gaze with her eyes now firm, focused, unwavering, carrying a quiet but unshaken conviction.
Rukia looks at him without backing down. "What? Don't you feel the sa?"
Her voice stays firm. "And it was you who ca to first, leaving that letter even after you knew I was already with Toru. You still tried. You still took your chance. That's exactly what I'm doing now."
Haruma's expression tightens. "It wasn't ," he says sharply. "It was Masaru who left that letter."
Rukia exhales, a flash of frustration breaking through her composure. "Fine! maybe he did it," she admits, then presses on imdiately. "But why did he do that?"
She asked with conviction, "Because he knew you love , he knew you would never say it, so he did it on your behalf."
Haruma looks down, the words landing heavy, as disappointnt flickers across his face as he drags a hand over his forehead, exhaling in frustration.
Noticing his frustration, Rukia straightens, her tone turning firm. "Alright… maybe he misunderstood too. But what about you? Stalking ?"
"And don't deny it," she adds, voice rising slightly. "During class you always used to look at . You even used to stalk on my social dia. Was all of that for nothing?"
Haruma Kusaka exhales sharply and shakes his head. "Rukia… let's just forget this conversation ever happened, I'm in a hurry right now, so let's not create a scene here."
Clenching her jaw in frustration, Rukia shifts her gaze to the group of his friends standing behind Haruma Kusaka, holds it for a brief mont, then looks back at Haruma and suddenly calls out,
"I love youuuu!"
Jiho, who was leaning forward, trips and almost loses his balance, but Izaya reacts instantly, catching him before he falls.
Kabuto's jaw drops, eyes wide. Raya freezes with widened eyes, and even Nagisa reacts with slightly widened eyes and a faintly parted mouth.
Among them, Kurogami stands with a clenched jaw, his stare tightening as irritation flickers across his expression.
Haruma stands frozen, mouth slightly agape as he stares at Rukia, shock still written across his face while she holds her ground with clear determination.
"Are you out of your mind?" Haruma says sharply, voice firm.
Rukia doesn't look away. "I'm not scared of hiding it," she says, then reaches for his hand and grips it. "Together, we'll make it work. We'll talk to Toru, to everyone else… they'll accept us."
There's a faint glint of hope and softness in Rukia's eyes as she holds her ground.
Haruma was gazing at her with furrowed brows, still caught between confusion and shock, unable to fully process what she just said.
Jiho watches in visible panic, biting his nail. "He's gonna say yes, he's gonna say yes."
"But that's Toru's girl!" Raya snaps, voice tight and firm.
"Say no, Haruma!" Kabuto adds through clenched teeth.
Haruma's clenched hand begins to loosen, the fist slowly going slack as uncertainty takes over.
At the sight, the air between them shifts instantly, their eyes widening in alarm.
"He's definitely going to say yes," Izaya blurts out, his face tight with shock and panic.
Before anyone could react, Kurogami stepped forward, pulling everyone's wide-eyed attention onto him.
Kurogami was now walking toward them with quick, deliberate steps, his gaze sharp and set with resolve.
Still holding Rukia's gaze, Haruma took a heavy breath and began to speak, only for Kurogami's firm hand to land on his shoulder,
stopping him before he could say a word.
Haruma turned quickly and found Kurogami standing beside him, staring straight at Rukia, who looked back with a mix of confusion and anger.
Then Kurogami's gaze shifted to Haruma, who was looking back at him with wide eyes, his mouth slightly parted, still can't process what's happening.
"Haruma, we're going back. Now," Kurogami said with a voice steady yet firm.
Rukia tightened her grip on Haruma's hand. "He's not going anywhere, not before he answers ."
Kurogami turned back to her, his gaze hard, a silent intensity behind it.
"He will. I'm taking him, and I dare you to try and stop ."
Rukia was gazing back at Kurogami with wide eyes, the force of Kurogami's presence bearing down on her like a threat. The intensity in his gaze made her falter, her grip on Haruma's hand loosening despite herself.
Without a word, Kurogami seized Haruma's hand and turned, dragging him along as they started walking back toward the cars.
Frustration cracked through her restraint. "Haruma! Don't go like this! Tell you really do lo-"
Haruma stopped dead mid-step, bringing Kurogami to a sudden halt.
The group by the cars watched with wide, stunned eyes, while Rukia stood fixed on Haruma, anticipation tight in her gaze.
Haruma slowly pulled his hand free from Kurogami's grip. Kurogami didn't move.
Then Haruma turned, locking eyes with Rukia across the distance, who held his gaze, waiting for his response with soft hopeful eyes.
With his face blank and emotionless, Haruma said.
"I don't love you."
The words hit Rukia hard, leaving her stunned with her eyes wide.
Keeping his flat gaze on her, Haruma continued,
"I'm sorry. There was, there is, and there never will be anything between us. Never."
"Maybe, at so point, I admired you, but it was never love. We're friends. That's all we'll ever be."
Rukia seems to be broken, the shine in her eyes now dimd, sadness settling in as her shoulders went slumped.
"I'm sorry," Haruma says gently before turning back toward the cars, walking over and quickly settling inside.
A heavy silence was hanging over the scene, thick and uncomfortable, as no one moved for a mont.
Then Kurogami began walking towards the car, and as he crossed past the remaining group, he commanded sharply, "Get in!"
The group lets out breaths they have been holding, shoulders dropping slightly as tension breaks. Then, with sloppy, unsteady movents, they all turned and got back inside the car one after another, the silence still lingering between them.
The driver honks the horn, causing Rukia to step aside. The cars then begin to roll forward, crossing past her and disappearing into the distance.
Rukia was left alone.
She quickly began wiping her tears, her hand brushing across her face before she desperately began to look around in silence, her eyes still glossy and filled with emotion…
Inside the car, a heavy silence was hanging over everyone. Haruma was settled with a straight face, seemingly lost in thought.
Kurogami, seated beside him, turns his eyes toward Haruma and upon noticing his distant expression, he asks quietly, "You okay?"
Haruma quickly looks up and gives a firm nod. Kurogami nods back in response and shifts his gaze forward again.
The vehicles continue rolling through the empty roads…
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