The sun peeked in through the class window, lighting up dust particles dancing in the air. Miku sat near the back, quietly flipping through her notebook. Her mind was still on the tour she gave Rio the day before. His smile… his calm voice… it felt familiar now, very familiar.And yet, so did the warmth in her chest whenever she thought about Taiki.She sighed softly, brushing hair from her face."Hey," a voice called out to her.Miku looked up. It was Rio—bag in hand, casual as ever."Can I sit here?" he asked.She blinked. "Uhh... sure."Rio sat beside her, not saying much at first. Just the usual calm. But somehow, the silence wasn't awkward. It was like NormalThen came the jokes. The smiles. The teasing. The laughs.From across the room, Taiki sat with Nakamura, chopsticks frozen halfway to his mouth."Yo," Nakamura whispered, nudging him. "Ain't that Rio?"Taiki nodded slowly.Nakamura whistled. "Damn. New guy's got guts."Taiki didn't say a word. He just watched.A new day came and it had a little surprise. "Ohayo class!" Said the teacher."Good morning teacher!!!" The causal greeting done by the students everyday."Alright, for the next school project," the teacher said, "we'll be working in groups of four."The class groaned."Group A… Miku, Taiki, Rio… and Alya."> "EHH???" A funny scream by the whole class, as expected some people wanted to team up with either one of em, miku was the smart one, of course having an encourager like alya wouldn't hurt, Rio and Taiki....Well No Comment. But even Miku froze for a second.Taiki blinked. Rio smirked. Alya just sighed with a knowing smile."Let's work in the library after school," Miku offered.Alya watched it all from her seat, pen tapping her notebook.This is wild, she thought.She knew Miku better than anyone. She could already tell her best friend was confused. Taiki was sweet, always had been. He was the one who pulled Miku out of her shell in middle school. The one who stayed by her side all those years.But Rio? He was new, mysterious. Quiet, but deep. And he looked at Miku like she was something special.Alya sighed.>She's so clueless, she doesn't even know she's the center of gravity now.After school, the group met at the library. The boys didn't talk much. Miku tried to keep it cool, but even she felt the awkward energy. Still, the project moved forward.Alya pretended not to notice the occasional glances between the boys. Or the way Rio casually leaned a little closer to Miku when explaining something.Later that evening, Miku waited for Alya near the gates—but Alya texted that she had to run an errand.So she stood there quietly, watching the school lights blink off one by one.Then—"Yo."Taiki.He had just finished helping the teacher with some supplies. He saw her and walked over, rubbing the back of his neck."You waiting for someone?""Ah, Alya. But she said she had to go.""Wanna walk home together?"She nodded, smiling softly. "Sure."As they walked down the quiet path, the air between them felt easy. Like old times. They talked about silly stuff—the project, school food, and Nakamura's obsession with cat videos.But they didn't know...From behind a corner, Rio stood with a drink in hand. He had just come out of the convenience store.And he saw them.Taiki and Miku, walking side by side, their laughter trailing behind them like echoes.He didn't move. Just watched at the two of them. Mixed feelings coming to play.Then he turned, and causally walked the other way.Above all, like a dove in the sky, as the sun set, Alya looked out the window of her room, thinking
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Miku… who will you choose?