After school—
They chose the worst possible place.
The same classroom.
Same seats.
Same space.
Different feeling.
Krit dropped his bag onto a desk. "Okay, meeting officially starts now."
"No it doesn't," Mali said, sitting down.
"It does. I said so."
"That's not how meetings work."
"It is now."
Phuwin sat down.
Farther than usual.
Not too far.
But noticeable.
Mali noticed.
Of course she did.
Arthit walked in last.
Paused slightly at the door.
Then came in.
Like he didn't know where to stand.
"…Sit," Krit said casually, pointing to a chair.
Arthit nodded and sat.
Across from Phuwin.
Not by choice.
Just… how it happened.
Silence.
Krit clapped once. "Okay! Ideas!"
No one spoke.
"…Great start," he muttered.
Mali pulled out a notebook. "Games booth. We need something simple, fast, and fun."
Krit nodded. "And profitable."
Phuwin added quietly, "And not embarrassing."
Krit looked at him. "That's boring."
"I don't care."
Arthit spoke.
Carefully.
"…What about a ring toss?"
Simple.
Safe.
Phuwin nodded slightly. "That's fine."
Mali wrote it down.
Krit leaned back. "We can make it harder so people fail."
"Why would we do that?" Mali asked.
"For money."
"That's evil."
"That's business."
Phuwin let out a small laugh.
It slipped out.
Without thinking.
Everyone paused.
Just for a second.
Because it felt…
Normal.
Then it passed.
"…We need decorations too," Mali said, continuing.
"Lights," Krit said.
"Colors," Mali added.
"Nothing ugly," Phuwin said.
Krit gasped. "Wow. So now you care about aesthetics?"
"I always did."
"No, you didn't."
"Yes, I did."
"You wore that shirt last week."
"It was nice!"
"It was tragic."
Mali smiled.
Just a little.
Because for a moment—
They sounded like before.
"…I can handle materials," Arthit said.
The room shifted again.
Not as heavy.
But still there.
Phuwin nodded without looking at him. "Okay."
Short.
Neutral.
Safe.
Krit watched both of them.
Quietly.
For once.