The sound of paper crinkling filled the air.
Leah's shopping bag had nearly slipped from her hands when she bumped into him. Her eyes widened as she looked up—straight into Jousuke's.
"Boutsuki-san...?" Jousuke's gentle voice called her name, calm as ever.
Her heart skipped a beat.
"I-I'm so sorry!" Leah blurted out, bowing quickly, clutching the paper bag tight against her chest. Her voice trembled.
"It's alright." Jousuke reassured, steadying himself with an easy smile. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you?"
Leah shook her head far too fast. "N-no, I'm fine! Really! I'm perfectly okay!"
Her flushed cheeks betrayed her words.
Standing beside Jousuke, Rika observed silently, her arms folded loosely. The faintest hint of amusement flickered in her eyes. She tilted her head ever so slightly, her long hair swaying with the motion.
"...Boutsuki-san." Rika said softly, her voice even and smooth.
Leah froze. She hadn't expected Rika to be there. She hadn't even seen her when she collided into Jousuke. The sudden realization made her throat tighten.
"Oh... S-Sakurai-san..." Leah whispered, her voice shrinking.
The air between the three of them shifted, becoming something heavier—something Leah couldn't name.
They began walking together, though none of them had suggested it outright. Jousuke walked in the middle, Rika kept an unhurried pace at his right, while Leah trailed slightly behind on his left, hugging her paper bag as if it were armor.
Her pulse thumped in her ears. Every step felt too loud, every glance too obvious. She couldn't stop replaying the moment she bumped into him. How close their faces had been. The way his voice softened when he spoke to her.
She bit her lip. "Why now? Why with her here too?" she thought.
To break the silence, Jousuke glanced over his shoulder. "Were you shopping, Boutsuki-san?"
Leah nearly jumped at the question. "Y-yes! Uhm—I mean, not much. Just a few things." She lifted the bag slightly, as if to prove her words.
Rika's calm eyes flicked toward it. "Did you find something nice?"
Leah fumbled. "I-it's nothing really! Just... ordinary things." She lowered her gaze, her cheeks reddening.
Rika's lips curved faintly, almost like a knowing smile. "I see."
The way she said it made Leah's stomach twist. "She knows. She always knows."
Trying to steady herself, Leah forced a small smile. "Uhm... what were you two talking about earlier?"
"Physics." Jousuke answered. "Sakurai-san was explaining a few things I didn't quite get."
Rika nodded. "He was struggling with rearranging formulas, so I helped him see the simpler approach."
Leah blinked. "...Physics?"
Her shoulders loosened slightly. At least it wasn't something more personal. "I-I see..."
"You're good at math, aren't you, Boutsuki-san?" Jousuke asked warmly.
Leah's heart lurched. "M-me? N-not really! I just... I try my best, that's all."
Rika's calm voice followed, smooth as water. "She always downplays herself, doesn't she?"
Leah nearly tripped. "W-what do you mean?!"
Jousuke chuckled softly. "I think it's a good trait. Staying humble."
Leah's face went red again. She clutched the bag tighter, her voice barely a whisper. "T-that's not... really it..."
But Jousuke was already smiling at her words, completely unaware of the storm in her chest.
The streetlights flickered on as the sky deepened into twilight. The golden glow painted Jousuke's profile in warm light, and Leah's chest tightened at the sight.
She wanted to say it. She wanted to tell him everything—the feelings that had been pressing against her heart for months.
But each time she opened her mouth, her voice withered. The presence of Rika, calm and steady beside him, weighed heavily on her.
Still... she couldn't back down. Not anymore.
Her hand trembled against the paper bag. "If I don't say it now, I'll never forgive myself."
Eventually, they reached a quiet intersection where the street split into two paths. Rika slowed her pace.
"This is where I turn." she said softly, pointing toward the road that veered right.
Jousuke nodded, polite as always. "Thank you again, Sakurai-san. You really helped me out today."
Rika's lips curved into a faint smile. "It was nothing. I don't mind explaining it again sometime."
Her gaze slid briefly toward Leah, her expression unreadable. "Have a good evening, Boutsuki-san."
Leah stiffened. "O-oh... you too..."
Rika gave a small wave, her figure soon swallowed by the dim street.
That left only Leah and Jousuke standing together.
The silence was heavier now, unbroken, pressing down on Leah's shoulders. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she stared at the ground.
"...Boutsuki-san?" Jousuke's gentle voice called her back.
Her throat tightened. Slowly, she lifted her gaze to meet his.
Her lips parted before she realized it. "...Jousuke-kun."
The name slipped out—his first name—soft but clear.
Jousuke blinked, surprised, but he didn't correct her.
Leah's face went crimson. She clenched the bag to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. Say it. Say it before you lose your courage.
Her voice trembled, but she pushed the words out anyway.
"Jousuke-kun... I—"
The night swallowed her voice. The sound of distant fireworks echoed faintly from the city, filling the silence around them.
Jousuke waited, patient as ever.
Leah's heart pounded, her breath shallow. The words balanced on the edge of her lips—bold, desperate, unstoppable.
"Jousuke-kun... I—!"