---
The morning fog was thick, a shroud across the city that mirrored the haze in Harukoo's mind. He walked to school in silence again—no Mika by his side this time. Her messages had slowed. Her voice echoed faintly in his memory:
> "I think I like Kaito-senpai…"
The way her eyes sparkled. The shy twist of her fingers.
It wasn't meant to hurt—but it did. More than he expected.
Still, Harukoo didn't hate her.
He hated how invisible he had become. Even to her.
---
At School
He stepped into class just as the bell rang. His seat by the window greeted him like an old friend—quiet, cold, and ignored.
Across the room, Mika laughed with her friends, face slightly flushed. Kaito entered moments later, casually slinging his bag over his shoulder, eyes sharp and confident.
Mika's friends nudged her. One of them whispered, "You're so lucky, Mika. Kaito-senpai's been looking at you all day."
Harukoo looked away.
It wasn't jealousy that gnawed at him.
It was emptiness.
---
Lunchtime
He returned to the rooftop. Same corner. Same breeze. He opened his lunch—rice and a boiled egg. Plain, like every day.
He didn't realize someone had followed him.
"I figured you'd be here," a familiar voice said.
He turned. Yuki stood a few feet away, holding a canned coffee in one hand. Her school uniform was slightly disheveled—one button undone, hair windblown. There was always something careless in how she dressed, like she didn't care if people watched.
"Want this?" she asked, tossing him the can.
He caught it. "Thanks."
She didn't leave.
Instead, she leaned against the wall beside him, silent.
"…You looked pale this morning," she said finally.
He glanced at her. "You noticed?"
Yuki didn't answer.
For a moment, Harukoo thought she might say something… anything. But she didn't. She just turned and left.
The coffee was warm in his hands.
---
After School
Mika didn't wait for him.
Through the window, Harukoo saw her get into Kaito's car. It wasn't the first time. The senior often offered to drive her home. Today, though, Mika looked… hesitant.
Kaito smiled at her in a way that didn't sit right. Like she was a prize he'd already won.
Harukoo watched them drive off and said nothing.
---
Later That Evening – Mika's POV
Mika clutched her phone, fingers trembling slightly as she stared at the message.
> Kaito-senpai: "Come to my place tonight. My parents won't be home ;)"
She bit her lip.
She liked him. She really did. He was older, confident, cool. Everyone said he could have any girl—and yet, he'd chosen her.
Still… something felt off lately.
The way his hands lingered when they held each other. The way his eyes always fell lower than her face. The way he never asked about her day—just how she looked.
She thought about Harukoo.
He never asked for anything. He just listened. Always listened. Always noticed.
> "Do us both a favor and disappear."
Maria's words had echoed through the hall last night.
Mika hadn't seen Harukoo today. Not really. He was there, but something in him was slipping away.
---
Back at Home – Maria's POV
Maria sat by the window, drink in hand. The streetlights outside flickered against the growing dusk.
She could hear Harukoo moving in the kitchen, quietly washing dishes he didn't eat from.
A pang of guilt pierced her chest—but it passed, like a fleeting breeze.
She hated how much he looked like his father.
The man who died saving Yuki.
Not her son.
Her husband.
Her mind drifted back to the accident. Harukoo was only ten. Yuki was nine. Their fathers had been best friends. They died together—burned in twisted metal. One saving the other.
Maria adopted Yuki out of grief. A promise fulfilled. She had meant well.
But somehow, in trying to preserve the memory of her husband, she had buried her son.
She closed her eyes.
What was done… was done.
---
Harukoo's Room – Night
He stared at the mirror.
Eighteen.
Still unnoticed. Still unloved.
Mika was falling for a guy who didn't see her heart.
His mother barely tolerated his existence.
Yuki… confusing as ever.
He looked into his own eyes.
There was something in them now.
Resolve.
Not for revenge. Not yet.
But something had cracked—and once cracks begin, they spread.
---
The Next Day – School Courtyard
Mika was sitting on a bench near the courtyard fountain, her phone in hand.
Harukoo approached slowly.
"Hey," he said.
She looked up, surprised. "Harukoo! You're here early."
"I guess."
She hesitated, then asked softly, "Have I… been avoiding you?"
He didn't answer directly.
Instead, he asked, "Are you happy?"
Mika blinked. "Huh?"
"With Kaito-senpai," he clarified.
She flushed. "I-I mean… I think so? He's… nice."
Harukoo tilted his head slightly. "Is he? Or do you want him to be?"
Her smile faltered.
"Mika," he said quietly, "you don't need to prove your worth by being with someone who wants your body more than your heart."
She looked stunned. "Why would you say that?"
Harukoo shrugged. "Just a feeling."
Before she could respond, the bell rang.
He walked away without waiting.
---
That Night – Harukoo's Room
He opened an old box in his closet.
Photos. Awards. Childhood drawings. Dusty notebooks.
A picture of Mika—age ten. Smiling, holding a paper umbrella. Harukoo beside her, smiling wider.
His thumb hovered over the photo.
Then slowly… he placed it face-down.
---