Kill da Zombie

After his evening kendo practice, Lucas decided to grab a cold drink from the vending machine near the school. The sky had begun turning a shade of orange, signaling the approaching sunset.

As he walked leisurely, sipping his drink, his eyes caught sight of a girl sitting alone on a bench near the school gate. She seemed lost in thought, occasionally letting out a sigh, as if something heavy was weighing on her mind.

Lucas recognized her—Rei Miyamoto.

He knew Rei was a member of the spear club and quite well-known in school, but they had never spoken to each other before.

Feeling there was no harm in saying hello, Lucas approached and stood beside the bench. "Huh, and here I thought I was the only one who liked sitting alone and spacing out at this time of day."

Rei flinched slightly, turning to him with a surprised expression. "Huh?"

Lucas simply gave a relaxed smile, taking another sip of his drink before gesturing to the bench. "Mind if I sit?"

Rei still looked a bit hesitant but eventually nodded. "Do what you want."

Lucas sat beside her, maintaining a respectful distance. The two remained silent for a while, accompanied only by the sound of the wind and distant traffic.

After a few minutes, Lucas finally spoke again. "You look like you've got a lot on your mind."

Rei glanced at him briefly before looking straight ahead again. "You're not wrong… but I don't think that's any of your business."

Lucas chuckled. "Fair enough. But sometimes, talking to a stranger is easier than talking to someone you know."

Rei let out a sigh. "That sounds like something people say when they're running away from their problems."

Lucas smirked. "Or maybe it's just how they deal with them. Depends on how you look at it."

This time, Rei studied Lucas for a little longer, as if trying to figure out what kind of person he was.

"I've just been thinking about a lot of things," she finally admitted. "School, family, and… other stuff."

Lucas nodded slightly. "I get it. Life is never simple, huh?"

Rei let out a small, bitter chuckle. "Yeah… I guess so."

They fell into silence again, but this time, it felt more comfortable.

After a few minutes, Rei stood up and stretched. "I should head home."

Lucas got up as well. "Same here. It was nice talking to you, Miyamoto."

Rei looked at him for a moment before giving a small nod. "Yeah… you too, Lucas."

Lucas watched her walk away with a small smile. He didn't know if they would talk again in the future, but this brief encounter had been interesting.

And without realizing it, this was the beginning of their future interactions.