Tied by Red Strings | T. Kageyama

The note was still in my pocket.

"You were there, too."

Those four words haunted me. They'd echoed through the quiet of the morning, curling around my thoughts like smoke. I hadn't shown anyone. Hadn't told anyone. But I couldn't stop thinking about it.

Not just because someone had left it for me, hidden under my desk like a secret.
But because I had no idea what it meant.

You were there, too.

Where? When?

Somewhere I couldn't quite reach, buried in the fog of a memory that felt half-formed. Somewhere warm, with laughter and sunlight. It felt like trying to grab hold of a dream just before it slipped through your fingers. But it didn't feel like a dream at all.

It felt... real.

I ran my fingers over the folded paper in my pocket, my mind racing. Was it someone from my past? Someone I didn't remember? But why now? Why here? The questions stacked, piling up like bricks.

⸻

Kageyama sat beside me in class.

He hadn't said a word to me since I transferred in, and I hadn't tried to change that. He wasn't unfriendly.. just distant. Quiet. Like his mind existed somewhere far away, lost in a place that none of us could follow.

I'd caught glimpses of him outside of class. His focus was always intense, his eyes locked onto whatever task was at hand, like a puzzle he was determined to solve. Sometimes he'd scribble down diagrams in his notebook. Volleyball rotations, I assumed. Or strategies. The way his hand moved across the page was almost hypnotic.

But today, something strange happened.

In the middle of the lecture, Kageyama's pinky twitched, just a little. It was so subtle that no one else would have noticed, but I saw it.

My heart skipped a beat. It was as though something had shifted, like the world had tilted ever so slightly in his direction.

And then, almost like it was responding to him, the wind picked up outside. The windows rattled faintly, and I felt my hair stir against my neck. A rush of air, sudden and fleeting, swept through the classroom. I didn't know why, but it felt like it had been waiting for something.

His pinky twitched again.

I couldn't explain it. My eyes lingered on him for a moment longer than I meant to. His focus never wavered, and yet, somehow, I couldn't help but feel like the air around us had changed.

I didn't say anything. I didn't think I could have if I wanted to. But I noticed.

And I think I was starting to notice him more than I should.

⸻

Lunchtime came, bringing the usual noise of students trying to balance food and conversation in a crowded cafeteria. The atmosphere was warm, a little chaotic. But amidst the bustle, I found a moment of calm. Yachi sat down beside me, her usual grin lighting up the space between us.

"Okay, you're officially giving cryptic heroine vibes today," she said, plopping her tray down with a loud clatter. "You're all quiet and deep, like you're unraveling something that no one else can see."

I couldn't help but smile a little. "Is that a diagnosis or a compliment?"

"Both," she said, popping open her juice. "You've got that vibe, you know? The kind of girl who's carrying secrets, like you're figuring out some big mystery that no one else knows about."