Hana didn't go to the library the next day. Or the day after.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard Chloe’s voice. Charity work. Small. Ghost. It was a script she had heard a thousand times before, written by every bully who had ever made her feel like a shadow.
She retreated. She wore her hood up, kept her chin tucked into her collar, and moved through the hallways with the calculated precision of someone who didn't want to exist. She saw Ren from a distance—he was always surrounded. Chloe was always there, a bright, golden barrier between the star athlete and the rest of the world.
“I’m just Shino,” she whispered to herself in the back of her history class. “I don’t have a rifle here. I don’t have a team. I’m just the girl no one remembers.”
By Friday, the silence was deafening. She found herself walking toward the library at lunch, not to meet him, but to retrieve the notebook. She couldn't leave it there. It was evidence of a dream she wasn't supposed to have.
She crept to the third shelf, her hand trembling as she reached behind the Encyclopedia of Modern History. Her fingers brushed the cardboard cover. She pulled it out, expecting it to be empty.
Instead, a small, silver object fell out and clattered onto the floor.
Hana gasped, kneeling to pick it up. It was a keychain. Not just any keychain—it was a miniature, high-quality replica of a PGM Ultima Ratio Hecate II. The same sniper rifle Sinon used. It was heavy for its size, cold and real in her palm.
She opened the notebook to the last page. Ren’s handwriting was messy, hurried, and much larger than her own.
Hana,
Chloe talks too much. Don’t listen to her. She thinks everything is a performance, but the time I spend in this corner is the only part of my day that’s real.
I found this at the hobby shop yesterday and thought of you. It’s a ‘Rare Drop,’ right?
Don't disappear on me. Even if I'm on the court or stuck in the middle of a crowd, I’m looking for you. You aren't a ghost to me. You’re the only one in this school with her eyes open.
Meet me at the park after the game tonight? No crowds. No Chloe. Just the books?
— Ren
Hana clutched the tiny metal rifle to her chest. Her heart, which had felt like it was encased in ice for days, began to thaw. It was a risk. A huge, terrifying risk. In SAO, Sinon had to face her trauma to pull the trigger. She had to believe she was strong enough to handle the recoil.
Hana looked at the keychain. She took a deep breath, her grip tightening.
She pulled her phone out and, for the first time, sent a text to the number Ren had written in the back of the book three days ago.
Hana: 1,800 meters. I’ll be there.
The Park at Dusk
The park was quiet, the orange glow of the sunset dipping below the trees. Hana sat on a secluded bench near the duck pond, her backpack in her lap. She felt exposed without the library walls, but she kept her hand in her pocket, fingers curled around the Hecate II keychain like a lucky charm.
"You came."
She looked up. Ren was jogging toward her. He was still in his team warmup jacket, looking out of breath as if he’d run straight from the locker room.
He didn't stop a few feet away. He sat right next to her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating off him.
"I thought I lost my spotter," he said, trying to catch his breath. He looked at her, his eyes searching hers behind her glasses. "I’m sorry about Chloe. I should have said more. I just... I didn't want her to start targeting you."
"She already is," Hana said softly. "But that's okay. I'm used to being a target."
"You shouldn't have to be," Ren said firmly. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out his phone. He turned the screen toward her. It was a photo of his own room.
Hana’s eyes widened. It wasn't a "star athlete's" room. There were trophies, yes, but they were pushed to the floor to make room for a massive shelf of Light Novels and a boxed limited edition Kirito figure.
"My 'Legendary Gear,'" Ren joked, though his voice was nervous. "I've never shown anyone else that. Not even Chloe."
Hana felt a tear prick the corner of her eye. "Why me?"
Ren looked out at the water, the orange light reflecting in his eyes. "Because when I'm with you, I don't have to be 'The Prince.' I can just be the guy who thinks Sinon is the coolest character ever written. And because..."
He turned back to her, his voice dropping to a whisper.
"...because you're the only person who looks at me and sees Ren, not the jersey."
He reached out, tentatively placing his hand over hers on the bench. Hana didn't pull away. She let him take her hand, her fingers small against his calloused ones. For the first time in her life, the "Glass Girl" didn't feel like she was going to shatter.
She felt like she was finally coming out of the shadows.
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