—-Ryu—-
"Miss Kana! Random question, are you busy after school?? Would it be possible for us to meet?"
"Also I'll be bringing a friend!!"
sends a cute bear emoji with a thumbs up
I glanced over at Emilia's phone as she sent the message. It had already been ten minutes, and the status still sat on "delivered"—no reply yet, no indication it had been seen.
Emilia turned toward me with a slow, exaggerated side-eye.
"Ryu, can you calm down for a bit? Maybe they're having lunch right now. I'll let you know when she responds." Her voice carried an air of irritation, but it was surprisingly calm and grounded.
I quietly returned to my seat beside her and opened my notebook to prepare for the next class. But I couldn't concentrate. My mind drifted to her. What was her name? What kind of books did she like? What were her hobbies? I ended up burying my face into the open pages of my notebook in a futile attempt to stifle my thoughts.
Suddenly, Emilia's phone vibrated, and three messages popped up one after another.
"Oh, Emilia!"
"Sure! We don't have club later anyway!"
"Where should we meet?"
Emilia's eyes widened with excitement. She turned to me and jolted my table.
"Ryu!! She replied!! Miss Kana agreed!!"
I lifted my head from my notebook in disbelief. "Really?"
She beamed, holding up her phone with pride. "Yeah! Now we just gotta decide where to meet."
I leaned over, peeking at the messages, my heartbeat thumping louder. This was it. My first real chance to see her again.
Without wasting time, Emilia typed quickly:
"How about the vending machines near the courtyard? It's a nice spot to chill after class!"
She turned to me with a cheeky grin. "Anyway, you sure got energized when I said she replied~"
"Shut up.."
I let out a slow breath, trying to keep myself composed. Across the table, Taishi, who had been listening silently the whole time, gave me a knowing smirk.
"You're way too obvious, Ryu."
He wasn't wrong. After all this time feeling like I had no leads, I was finally getting somewhere.
"Taishi.. are you not coming as well?" I asked, turning toward him.
"No thanks, I have somewhere to be."
"Alright then." I gave a shrug.
Taishi waved lazily as he stood. "Good luck, lover boy."
My cheeks warmed immediately. I didn't even know what I was feeling—was it admiration, like I'd thought all this time? Or maybe something deeper, something closer to what Emilia teased me about?
Hours later, the dismissal bell rang. I packed up in record time, slinging my bag over my shoulder, ready to go. Before I could even take a step, Emilia grabbed my hand and yanked me toward the classroom door.
"Come on, slowpoke! We don't want to keep them waiting!" she said with a grin as she practically dragged me down the hallway.
"Oi, Emilia—! I can walk just fine, you know?!" I protested, stumbling slightly as I tried to match her pace.
She just laughed. "Yeah, but at this rate, you'll probably overthink yourself into running away!"
I clicked my tongue but didn't argue. She had a point.
We arrived at the vending machines near the courtyard. The area was quiet, with a few students scattered around sipping drinks or chatting in small groups. I was still catching my breath.
Emilia looked around quickly. "Hmm.. Miss Kana still isn't here."
"Ohh.. I guess we'll just wait for them here then." I turned toward the vending machine. "Want some drinks?"
She turned to me with a playful grin. "Ohh sure, wait is it your treat?~"
"Huh?! Why?" I replied, trying to sound annoyed.
She casually draped her arm over my shoulder and leaned in close, her breath brushing my ear. I didn't expect the scent—fresh, light, unexpectedly pleasant. My cheeks flared.
"Well, think about it. I'm helping you find your mystery girl, am I not? Don't you think I deserve something in return?~"
I let out a sigh and rolled my eyes. "Ugh, fine. Pick whatever you want."
Her face lit up with victory. "Hmm… I'll have a black coffee."
I dropped the coins into the slot, pressed the button for her drink, then grabbed a lemon soda for myself. The machine clanked, delivering our cans with a solid thud. I handed hers to her.
"Here."
"Thanks, Ryu~" she said as she took a sip, clearly satisfied.
I bent over to grab my own soda. Just as I stood back up, I heard a woman's voice approaching from behind, speaking to Emilia. My body froze. That voice—it had to be her senior friend.
"Oohh hey Emilia, sorry we took longer than expected!"
"Miss Kanai! No problem, we just got here not too long ago."
"Oh, by the way, I also brought a friend with me. I hope you don't mind."
I turned around slowly and saw a tall girl with soft, layered hair that gave her a fluffy silhouette. Her face looked sharp at first glance, but her friendly tone with Emilia told a different story.
Then I saw the girl standing beside her. Petite, calm expression, long wavy hair.
It was her.
The girl I had been searching for all this time. Standing just a few feet away. She wasn't looking at me—her eyes were turned away, to her right, while her fingers gently fidgeted with the end of her sleeve.
My grip tightened around the lemon soda in my hand. My heart felt like it was trying to escape my chest.
It's her.
The girl who had unknowingly become my quiet motivation. The reason I kept hoping.
Emilia suddenly pulled me closer beside her. "Oh by the way, this is my friend, Ryu."
I gave a small, instinctive bow. Meeting upperclassmen always made me a little nervous.
"I'm Ryu Nishimoto. Nice to meet you.." I said politely, keeping my tone respectful but natural.
The taller girl nodded with a hum. "I'm Kana Iwamoto. I'm with the same club as Emilia. Nice to meet you too."
Despite her sharp appearance, Kana spoke in an easygoing way. She felt more approachable than I expected.
She then placed her hand on the shoulder of the girl beside her. "This is Yui. She may look uninterested, but she's just shy." She finished with a teasing giggle.
"Kana!" Yui said with a soft, embarrassed tone, then turned to face Emilia and me.
"I'm Yui Yamazaki. Nice to meet you two." She gave a casual bow.
Her voice wasn't what I imagined, it was soft, clear, and steady. A perfect match for her calm presence. Yet even as she spoke, I was trying hard not to let my nerves show. My fingers were still wrapped tightly around the cold soda can.
Kana then stepped in closer and leaned toward Emilia. "So are you going to tell me you got a boyfriend?~" She glanced my way with a sly look.
Emilia nearly spit out her coffee, coughing uncontrollably as she waved her hands. "W-What?! No, no, no! Ryu's just a friend! I swear!"
I felt my face heat up. Yes, Emilia was beautiful. Anyone would be lucky to be her boyfriend. But I never saw her that way. Still… Do we come off like that to people?
Kana smirked, clearly amused by Emilia's flustered response. "Oh? You two seem pretty close, though."
I tried to keep my composure, though my face was probably already red. "We're just friends." I said with a short laugh, taking a sip of my drink to hide my nerves.
Kana chuckled again, then turned toward Yui, who had been quietly watching us. Her expression was faintly amused but still hard to read.
"What do you think, Yui? They look good together, don't they?"
Yui's eyes flicked toward me for the briefest moment before she looked away again, her fingers curling around her sleeve.
"I guess?" she replied, her tone light but unreadable.
It was only a single glance, but in that moment, time slowed.
Emilia groaned. "You guys are impossible…"