tears of mercury | beastars

chapter 22. BOW WOW YOUR NAME

𖤣𖥧.𖤣𖥧𓆏𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧
━━━━━━━━━━━

The hallways of Cherryton Academy had begun to feel different in the way they always did when the seasons shifted, as though the building itself had quietly acknowledged the approach of summer and adjusted its atmosphere accordingly. The air was warmer now, heavier in a way that clung gently to the skin, and the sunlight that spilled through the tall windows no longer arrived in thin, hesitant lines but in broad, lingering sheets of gold that stretched across the polished floors like something slowly awakening.

There was a certain restlessness that came with it, an energy that moved through the students without direction but with undeniable presence. Voices seemed louder than necessary, laughter lingered longer than usual, and conversations overlapped in ways that made everything feel like it was happening all at once, too quickly to fully process.

(Name) moved through it quietly, almost as if she were passing through a place that did not require her participation. The report she carried for the Meteor Festival rested neatly against her chest, its presence grounding her in something tangible while everything else around her felt transient and unanchored. She walked without urgency, her steps measured, her expression composed in that familiar way that made her seem both present and distant at once.

It was then, in the middle of this soft chaos of seasonal anticipation, that her attention caught on a scene unfolding across the hallway.

Haru was there.

Haru stood small but unwavering in the center of a cluster of students, her voice cutting through the noise with surprising clarity as she argued against something that seemed to involve romance, attention, and the misunderstanding of both. Her ears flicked sharply with each word she spoke, her irritation evident not in volume but in precision, as though every sentence had been carefully chosen and yet still carried the weight of frustration she refused to suppress.

(Name) watched briefly, her expression shifting only slightly, a faint lift of her brow marking her curiosity more than any overt reaction. There was something almost compelling in the way Haru spoke, something that resisted the usual patterns of social softness expected from someone in her position. She did not bend herself into politeness. She did not soften her edges for the comfort of others. Instead, she remained exactly as she was, even when it made the air around her tense.

But just as quickly as she observed, (Name) let the moment pass. Whatever meaning there might have been in it did not belong to her, and she had long learned not to linger in spaces that did not require her presence.

She continued walking.

It was only when she turned a corner too sharply that the world briefly shifted in proximity.

A sudden impact—soft but immediate—halted her movement.

For a fraction of a second, there was warmth and fabric and instinctive recoil before both figures stepped back.

The apology came almost instantly, scattered and nervous.

It was him.

Legoshi stood slightly hunched before her, his posture already apologetic before words even finished forming. His eyes briefly lifted toward hers, and just as quickly as they met, they broke away again, as if direct contact carried an invisible weight he was not prepared to hold.

"It's alright," she said quietly, her voice steady enough to smooth over the brief awkwardness that lingered between them.

Legoshi nodded too quickly, as though afraid that remaining still would make the moment more noticeable than it already was. Then, without further explanation, he excused himself with a hurried mutter and disappeared down the opposite hallway, his presence dissolving almost as abruptly as it had appeared.