Lunch Time With Her

The final bell rang, and Rin wasted no time gathering her things. The day had been normal—or at least, as normal as it could be after what happened during lunch.

She had told herself not to think about it. Not to overanalyze the way Anko had spoken to her, the way she had looked at her.

But even as she walked to the shoe lockers, her mind refused to quiet down.

Why? Why was Anko doing this?

Was it pity? A joke? Some kind of temporary amusement before she got bored and moved on?

Rin exhaled slowly. It doesn't matter. Don't think about it.

She just wanted to go home.

But then—she saw her.

Sakura.

Leaning against the lockers like she had been waiting. Arms crossed, an easy smirk on her lips, her expression unreadable but… sharp.

Rin froze.

Her fingers curled around the strap of her bag. A familiar unease crept up her spine.

She wanted to turn around and leave. But she couldn't.

Her shoes were in there.

Her only option was to step forward.

Just get your shoes. Ignore her. Leave.

She forced herself to move, keeping her head down as she reached into her locker.

She wasn't going to entertain whatever this was.

But, of course, Sakura had no intention of letting her go that easily.

"So," her voice was casual—too casual. "Since when were you and Anko so close?"

Rin stiffened.

There it was.

She didn't respond. Just kept her focus on her shoes, slipping one on slowly. If she ignored her, maybe she'd get bored.

But the moment Rin took a step toward the door—

Sakura moved in front of her.

Rin's heart sank.

"Oh, come on," Sakura said, tilting her head, a smirk tugging at her lips. "I'm just curious."

Rin swallowed, forcing herself to stay calm.

She didn't look at her. Didn't acknowledge her. Don't react. Don't give her anything.

"...There's nothing to be curious about," she muttered, her voice quieter than she wanted it to be.

She tried again to move past her.

Sakura blocked her. Again.

"Really? That's funny," she said, tapping a finger against her chin. "Because Anko doesn't just eat lunch with random nobodies. Yet, today, she did."

Rin's fingers tightened around her bag strap.

There it was.

Sakura was digging. Searching for something. And Rin knew exactly why.

This wasn't about curiosity. It wasn't even about Anko.

It was about Rin.

It was about reminding her of where she stood.

Sakura leaned in slightly, voice lower. "Be careful, Rin."

Rin's breath caught.

Sakura's smirk didn't falter, but her tone shifted—lighter, almost amused. "Anko might seem nice now, but people like her?"

A small pause.

"They don't stay interested in people like you for long."

The words hit harder than Rin expected.

Not because she believed them.

But because some part of her already feared they were true.

She swallowed hard, gripping the strap of her bag like it was the only thing keeping her steady.

Sakura took a step back, looking pleased. "See you tomorrow."

And just like that—she was gone.

The hallway suddenly felt too quiet.

Rin stood there, gripping her shoes, heartbeat unsteady.

What was that supposed to mean?

And more importantly—why did it make her feel like something was about to go wrong?