Everything between Haruki and Hina was finally out in the open. They held each other tightly, almost like two people who had been torn apart by fate and were now meeting again after years. But whether it was love or just friendship… even they couldn't tell. The moment was powerful, warm, confusing beautiful in its own strange way.
But little did they know, two pairs of eyes were watching them from a distance.
It was Isame and Souta.
Isame looked visibly annoyed. He clicked his tongue and muttered,
"God, these two really know how to turn everything into a dramatic mess.
Souta, trying to stay hidden, whispered back,
"Yeah, but hey your plan actually worked.
At that, Isame smirked proudly, brushing off imaginary dust from his shoulder.
"And when does my plan ever fail?.
Souta groaned, struggling under a very unnecessary weight.
"Dude,at least get off me first!.
"Ohhh, right, sorry," Isame said, finally stepping back and letting him breathe.
Souta stretched his neck and sighed,
"These two act like a couple without even being officially together.
Isame smiled softly at that, then said,
"You know, Haruki never really had a life before this. No friends. No one. Till he met Hina… and me.
Souta went silent like something clicked in his head.
"I get it, maybe his life was a lot like mine.
"That's exactly it," Isame said while zipping up his jacket.
"That idiot doesn't even know the difference between friendship and a real relationship.
Souta frowned, thinking deeply.
"So… does that mean Haruki doesn't like Hina?.
Isame exhaled slowly and glanced at the sky.
"Of course he does. But he genuinely believes she only sees him as a friend. He's scared scared that if he reveals what he feels, he might lose her completely. And that thought alone terrifies him."l
Souta's expression softened. He murmured, almost painfully quietly,
"You really understand him well, huh?.
Isame looked at him with a calm confidence.
"Yeah. Because he's my friend.
Souta's face fell just a little pale. A tiny crack in his voice as he said,
"Man… I wish I had a friend like that too.
Isame froze.
Before Souta could even finish his sentence, Isame whipped his head toward him.
"What did you just say?.
Souta lowered his gaze, embarrassed.
"I said… I wish I had someone like you.
BOOM.
A solid punch straight to the gut.
The world went dark for Souta for a second.
Isame grabbed him by the collar, actually offended, and snapped,
"So what? We're not your friends?"
Souta, wincing in pain, wheezed,
"That's… not what I meant.
"Oh yeah? Then what the hell did you mean?.
Souta clenched his stomach and whispered,
"I… I thought you guys only became my friends out of pity. Like maybe you just felt bad for me.
This time, instead of a punch
Isame head-butted him straight on.
"I don't know about Hina or Miko,he growled through clenched teeth,
"But I don't joke around when I call someone my friend.
Another pinch to the cheek.
Then a knee to the stomach.
Souta collapsed backwards, coughing, eyes watery.
"And you really think I ever said all that as some kind of joke?" Isame said, voice frustrated but hurt beneath it.
"I tell you my secrets, I hang out with you, I actually make plans that involve your dumb face how could you even think it was fake?.
He turned and started walking away.
"And one more thing," he said over his shoulder,
"From today onwards… don't talk to me."
Souta, barely audible, whispered to the wind,
"I'm… sorry…
---
The next morning, the sun was rising softly outside the classroom window. Isame, Hina, and Miko were already there absorbed in their own world.
Souta peeked in from outside, bruised, swollen, looking like someone had tried to draft a map on his face and failed.
Suddenly, Hina leaned near his ear and whispered,
"Someone's spying on Isame.
Souta nearly jumped out of his skin.
"AHHHH!!!"
Hina and Miko blinked in confusion.
Miko stared at his face and gasped,
"Who messed up your face like this?!"
Souta awkwardly rubbed the back of his head.
"Uhhh… just a little fight between Isame and me…
"Little fight?! That looks like a massacre!" Miko snapped.
Souta pouted slightly, near tears.
"He punched me in the stomach too… it still hurts.
Before he could say more, Hina stepped in between and asked seriously,
"But what did you even say to him that he went that far?"
Souta told them everything—every line, every misunderstanding, all of it.
"And then he said he'll never talk to me again.
SLAP.
Miko smacked him across the cheek without hesitation.
"Now I won't talk to you either!" she yelled, storming out.
Souta turned desperately toward Hina.
"Hina… please talk to them.?
SLAP.
Hina smacked him too.
"Nope. Me neither.
Souta stood there holding both cheeks, whispering dramatically,
"So now I'm neither here nor there.
He dragged himself into the classroom, low-spirited, mumbling,
"Sorry guys… forgive me once. I won't mess up again.
Isame looked up coldly,
"Who are you calling 'guys'?.
Souta forced a weak smile,
"You guys… who else?.
Isame looked at Hina and Miko,
"Do we even know this guy?.
Both, in perfect sync,
"Nope.
Souta struggled to keep his voice positive,
"Come on! This is literally my first mistake.
They ignored him. Completely.
Silence. The deadly kind.
He walked away, shoulders hanging.
A few seconds later, Souta turned around again, regaining courage.
"So… should we walk home together?
Nothing.
No eye contact.
No response.
Just three friends chatting like he didn't even exist in the frame.
"Hey… don't ignore me like this…" he said softly.
But they were already gone.
He tried stopping them,
"Hey! Wait!"
But Isame simply walked past him without looking.
Souta kept walking alone, mind tangled in yesterday's words, thoughts spiraling—until he realized he had taken the wrong path entirely.
When his senses finally returned, he stopped in confusion and looked around.
"This… where the hell am I?" he whispered.
The street was quiet. Too quiet.
No clues. No answers. Just the unknown stretching ahead.
"Well….he sighed,
"Guess I really messed up this time…
And somewhere in the gentle silence of that empty road…
he truly hoped this story wasn't the end of his friendships, but the beginning of him finally learning what they meant.