Chapter 5: Rinako's World
Rinako Kuroi didn't think she was special.
She was loud sometimes. Ate too much most times. And existed somewhere between background noise and that "chubby girl in class."
But in her world, the quiet ones weren't weak… they were waiting.
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It was a Saturday morning when her life had first started to turn.
Not today — that Saturday.
She was thirteen. Insecure. Always hiding behind layers of oversized clothes and smiles that didn't quite reach. She'd been crying in the school bathroom after some boys joked about earthquakes when she walked.
That's when she appeared.
Yumeko-sensei.
Their new ethics teacher. Younger than most. Too blunt. Wore sneakers with suits. Carried her own thermos full of iced coffee like a sword.
"You're hiding in the girl's bathroom because someone called you fat?" she said, as if Rinako had just confessed to dropping her rice ball.
Rinako sniffled. "I'm not hiding."
"Sure." Yumeko-sensei had leaned on the wall. "You're emotionally reorganizing in a different location. Big difference."
That unexpected sarcasm had made Rinako laugh through tears.
"Kid," Yumeko continued, "You gotta stop letting people rent space in your head for free. Live loud. Eat happy. Be you. You can always lose weight, gain it, dye your hair purple — but you? The soft-hearted, food-loving you? That part is rare. Don't throw it away."
It hit her.
Harder than any insult ever had.
That night, Rinako promised to never cry in a bathroom again.
And she didn't.
---
Now at seventeen, she still lived loud.
But it wasn't just the words of a teacher that kept her going.
It was her family.
Her parents, the proud owners of "Kuroi Table," a small but super popular home-style Japanese restaurant, loved her more than anything. They treated her like she was still five — called her "baby girl," pinched her cheeks, packed her bento like she was headed for kindergarten.
"Don't let the boys make you cry, pumpkin!" her dad would shout from the kitchen, flipping okonomiyaki with dramatic flair.
Her mom would kiss her forehead and say, "You're perfect. Don't let the mirror tell you lies."
And yeah, sometimes it embarrassed her… but deep down, it was the reason she could stand tall every day.
She had a home full of love.
And now, she wanted to give that feeling to someone else.
---
That's when he came into the picture.
Haruki Arai — a quiet disaster in human form.
Awkward. Anxious. Built like a matchstick with a soul.
Sad eyes that screamed "please don't notice me" while silently begging "please see me."
Rinako saw him. And something clicked.
"You look like someone who's forgotten what smiling feels like."
---
Over the summer holidays, everything changed.
After Haruki's brutal classroom humiliation, right when school was closing for summer break, Rinako had walked right up to him and said:
"We're fixing you. You don't get a say."
And somehow… he agreed.
---
The next three months were chaos.
Morning jogs that ended with Haruki dramatically collapsing on benches.
Rinako laughing between bites of melon bread.
Haruki saying, "Do you ever stop eating?"
Rinako replying, "Only when I'm asleep. Maybe."
She'd bring food every time. Rice balls. Dango. Udon in thermoses.
She even once jogged with fried chicken in one hand.
Haruki nearly quit that day.
But over time, it became their thing.
She'd eat. He'd complain. Then she'd offer him a bite.
And he'd take it.
Not because he was hungry.
Because it made her happy.
They talked about anime, stupid dreams, and the weird thoughts people never say out loud.
Rinako never made him feel broken.
And slowly, Haruki stopped acting like he was.
---
She documented everything like a mission file.
Operation Haruki 2.0 – Log #17:
He ran for ten minutes today without crying. Gave him strawberry milk as reward. I think he likes me. As a friend. For now. (I will accept this.)
Operation Haruki 2.0 – Log #26:
He called my curry "pretty good" and didn't flinch when I laughed with my mouth full. This is love.
Operation Haruki 2.0 – Log #40:
He said I was "surprisingly smart" today. Rude. But also I melted.
---
Summer passed in laughter, sweat, and crumbs.
By the end of it, Haruki had changed.
A new haircut. Better posture. Braver eyes.
But Rinako?
She changed too.
Because while she trained him to like himself…
She was learning to love herself, too.
---
And now…
A new semester was about to begin.
Class 2-B would see someone unfamiliar walk through those doors.
Not the timid, trembling boy they used to mock.
But a new version. Taller. Stronger. Eyes steady.
And Rinako would be right behind him.
Smiling.
Mouth full of mochi.
Like always.
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