The day after their peaceful "mock survival exercise" began with something less peaceful: silence.
Not the good kind.
The kind that settled in the classroom like fog—thick and uncomfortable.
Leo noticed it first when he walked into homeroom and Yuki didn't wave at him.
She was seated, headphones in, chin on her arm, eyes on her notebook. No jokes. No teasing. No mischievous smirk.
Odd.
He glanced toward Sora—who wasn't there.
Unusual.
Then Hana entered, windblown and late as usual, and made a beeline for her seat.
No greeting.
Very unusual.
Leo sat down slowly, like someone who'd stumbled into a minefield but didn't know where the mines were yet.
---
He got his answer at lunch.
More accurately, he walked straight into it.
He'd been planning to eat alone under the camphor tree behind the gym—a quiet spot he'd found last week. But when he turned the corner, he saw Hana already there.
And Yuki.
And Sora.
All three.
Sitting.
Facing each other.
And then, for a terrifying moment, all three looked up and saw him.
Leo froze.
"Uh…"
Sora stood up first. "We're talking. Privately."
Yuki added, "Girl talk. Go away."
Hana raised an eyebrow. "Unless you want to die of emotional crossfire, I suggest you backtrack."
Leo raised both hands. "Right. Enjoy… the weather."
He backed away like a man escaping a bomb squad.
---
Under the shade, the girls sat in triangular silence for another minute.
Then Yuki said flatly, "We need to stop pretending this isn't happening."
Hana crossed her arms. "You mean all of us falling for the same guy?"
Sora didn't speak, but her eyes flicked between the two.
Yuki sighed. "Look, I like Leo. A lot. I know I act silly sometimes, but I'm serious. I was the first to talk to him. I stayed up making playlists because I didn't know how else to say I care."
"Cute," Hana muttered. "I spent every afternoon hauling boxes with him. I got him to smile when he didn't even realize he needed it."
Sora finally spoke. "I gave him a piece of myself. Quietly. I waited for him to see it."
Yuki looked at her. "And did he?"
Sora hesitated.
"…Maybe."
They sat again in silence.
It wasn't angry.
It wasn't even bitter.
It was just heavy. Real.
Hana stretched her legs. "We're not going to fight over him like a shoujo drama. Right?"
Yuki smirked. "I mean. I'll win."
"Not if I run faster."
"I don't need to run," Sora said quietly. "I just… need to stay."
For the first time, all three laughed.
It was small.
But real.
---
Leo sat on the rooftop, lunch untouched.
He didn't know what they were saying down there.
But he could guess.
And he hated that he couldn't be three people at once.
Not because of romance. But because each of them—Yuki, Sora, Hana—deserved something full. Not indecision. Not half-heartedness.
His phone buzzed.
Kai: ["Rumor says your fan club is officially at civil war. You okay, Romeo?"]
Leo exhaled.
Leo: ["I feel like I'm about to get voted off an island."]
Kai: ["Be honest with them. And yourself. You owe that much."]
---
After school, he stood by the front gate, unsure if he was waiting for someone or just delaying going home.
Then footsteps.
He turned.
All three.
Hana, Yuki, Sora.
Together.
Yuki stepped forward. "We talked."
Leo braced himself.
Sora added, "No one's making you choose. Not yet."
"But we won't keep circling either," Hana said. "So just... be ready."
Leo swallowed.
Yuki leaned in with a smile—soft, but edged. "And remember, Leo? You started this. With your kindness. With your silence. So now, you get to finish it."
She winked.
Then they all walked past him.
One by one.
Leaving him standing.
With the wind.
And a choice.