Later that day, after they all get home, Lucy looks at her phone as she sits on her bed. It shows that she had messaged him multiple times today but none of her messages were read.
Lucy "He hasn't messaged me all day… Maybe I should call him?"
She looks conflicted before sighing and putting her phone down.
Lucy "No, I'm sure he's just busy. I'll probably see him tomorrow."
She says with a soft smile. The next day comes and she hears nothing from him. In the night, she messages Chizuru.
Lucy "Hey, have you heard from Ryuji recently?"
Chizuru "Yeah, we texted a bit earlier. What's wrong?"
This response makes her upset but she doesn't say it.
Lucy "Nothing, just curious."
She closes her phones and lays on her bed with an upset look.
Lucy 'Why isn't he talking to me? Did I do something wrong?'
She thinks as she thinks back to the other night.
Lucy "I don't care what your future holds as long as I'm a part of it."
She sweats a bit thinking of her words.
Lucy "Oh no… Did I hurt his feelings saying that? I do care about your future Ryuji, I promise!"
She says out loud with a frustrated arm throw before collapsing back on her bed. She looks upset and worried.
Lucy "I guess he just needs some space…"
She says softly before rolling over towards her window.
The next day, Ryuji is out for a run in the early morning. He pants as he thinks about Lucy. He thinks of her smiling and laughing.
Lucy "I don't care what your future holds as long as I'm a part of it."
He thinks of her words that night and grits his teeth before coming to a stop. He lowers his head as he pants.
Ryuji 'What should I do?... I love her but I don't want to ruin her wonderful family…'
He thinks to himself. He clenches his fists in frustration for a moment before getting surprised when he hears something.
Shiori "Ryuji?"
He looks up to see Shiori standing in front of him. She is in her running attire and is sweating just a bit.
Ryuji "Shiori."
He says softly as she approaches him with a bit of a smile.
Shiori "Going for a little run?"
Ryuji "Mhm."
He hums with a nod.
Shiori "You should tell Hikigaya to run more often. He seems to think strength training is the only thing that matters."
She says drooping a bit while thinking of him.
Hikigaya "Don't worry, I get all my cardio from lifting these weights! Haha!"
He laughs while holding up a dumbbell and Shiori sighs while shaking her head.
Shiori "Although, I suppose it's not a big deal since he can keep up with me just fine."
She says with a smile as Ryuji nods again, not making eye contact with her. Shiori notices and sighs a bit.
Shiori "Is it true?"
He looks at her confused.
Ryuji "What?"
Shiori "Are you avoiding Lucy?"
Ryuji gets nervous a bit and looks down.
Shiori "Chizuru told me she thinks something is going on between you two. Did you guys have a fight?"
Ryuji shakes his head.
Shiori "Well that's good. Cause Hikigaya and I fight all the time and it gets really annoying."
Ryuji smiles a bit and looks at her.
Ryuji "So you two are dating?"
Shiori blushes and gets angry.
Shiori "Hey, we're not talking about me here! We're talking about you!"
Ryuji chuckles a bit as he sits down on a bench next to them, his smile fading.
Ryuji "It's nothing like that. I just… I feel like I'm not good enough for her. My family is almost entirely broken, my grades aren't spectacular and the chance my career actually succeeds is low. I just want to be someone she can be proud of."
He says with his head lowered. Shiori gives him a soft look before sitting next to him.
Shiori "Have you told her any of this?"
He shakes his head. She looks down for a moment as they sit in silence before she lifts her head again.
Shiori "I may not like him very much but Hikigaya has shown me that it's always best to tell people the truth about how you're feeling. Running away won't solve anything."
She says softly as Ryuji looks at her, a bit surprised. Shiori thinks of a few times Hikigaya helped her through her problems by talking it through. The night of their first Christmas party when she felt discouraged and wanted to leave, the time he accepted her valentine's chocolate despite knowing they weren't for him, and the time they fought in the woods over who's fault it was. She blushes a bit.
Shiori "It doesn't always feel great in the moment and can be a bit messy at times but…"
She thinks of the night she cried to him and they shared a kiss.
Shiori "Things will always work out that way."
Ryuji smiles a bit at her. She laughs, embarrassed a bit.
Shiori "To think I used to have a crush on you and now here I am helping you with your relationship. Life sure is crazy, isn't it?"
She says.
Ryuji "Thank you Shiori. You really are a great friend."
He says softly. She blushes a bit and smiles.
Shiori "Of course."
She then gets up and stretches a bit.
Shiori "Well, I'm gonna get going. And you better tell Lucy you're sorry for ghosting her or I'll kick your ass, got me?"
She says assertively, pointing a finger at him as he nods. She smiles one last time before continuing her run. Ryuji looks down a bit.
Ryuji "Tell her the truth…"
He says to himself. Later that night, Lucy pokes her plate of food in front of her, sighing with a sad look.
Kenji "Hey Lucy, I haven't seen Ryuji in awhile, where is that boy?"
Lucy "I don't know, I haven't heard from him in awhile."
Yuri "What happened? Did you two have a fight?"
She asks, concerned. Lucy shakes her head.
Yamato "Oh you know boys. Always so emotional and unreliable. Don't you worry little sis, you'll definitely find a better partner than him."
He says while taking a bite of his food.
Yuri "Yamato!"
Yamato "What? I'm just saying! He doesn't really bring a lot to the table. I'm sure Lucy could get someone with much more going on."
Lucy then gets up from the table and heads towards her room.
Lucy "I'm going to bed."
They let her go as both Kenji and Yuri look at Yamato, who sweats nervously. Lucy lays in bed holding her pillow to her body as the night deepens. Tears start to roll down her face as she eventually falls asleep. Late in the night, Ryuji rushes over to her house, sweating and panting as very light snow begins to fall around him.
Ryuji "I have to tell her…"
He says between breaths. He eventually makes it to her house and comes to the front door while trying to catch his breath. He reaches for the door handle but stops just before grabbing it. He hesitates for a moment before slowly dropping his hand.
Yamato "Before you tear this family apart."
He stares at the door before stepping back. His face drops a bit as he turns away and leaves. Lucy opens her eyes a bit before sitting up quickly. She looks towards the door with a surprised look for a moment.
Lucy "Ryuji..?"
She says softly before quickly getting up and getting dressed. She rushes down the stairs and out the front door. She looks around only to see no one there. She continues as she runs down the street.
Lucy 'I know he was here, I felt it. But why won't he come talk to me? What's going on?'
She thinks to herself as she runs until she stops on a corner of the sidewalk. She pants a bit before getting a determined look as she continues running. On a dock by the ocean, Ryuji sits with one leg dangling over the edge as he stares off into the water. After a moment, he hears footsteps stop next to him. He looks up surprised as Lucy catches her breath, staring at him.
Ryuji "Lucy. What are you doing her-"
Lucy "What are you doing here?! You haven't spoken to me in days or stopped by to see me! I've been so worried and now you come here of all places!"
She says angrily with tears in her eyes. Ryuji sweats before looking down.
Ryuji "I'm sorry."
Lucy "Yeah, you better be!"
They stay in silence for a moment before Lucy slowly makes her way to him and sits down next to him. They don't look at each other as she does.
Ryuji "How did you know I'd be here?"
Lucy "Because, this was the place we met."
She says softly as they think back to that day.
A young Ryuji sits the same way he is now on the edge of the pier. He has a bandage on his face as he looks upset.
Lucy "Hey you."
He looks up to see a young Lucy smiling at him.
Lucy "I saw what you did earlier. That was pretty cool."
Child Ryuji looks at her before ignoring her words. She gets angry.
Lucy "Hey, don't ignore me! I'm trying to compliment you!"
Ryuji "Don't. It wasn't cool."
Child Lucy sits down next to him.
Lucy "I thought it was. That jerk was making fun of you for reading that book! He had it coming!"
Ryuji shrugs. Lucy looks conflicted on what to say next.
Lucy "What were you reading anyway?"
Ryuji "A recipe book."
Lucy is shocked.
Lucy "A cookbook?? Why would you wanna read that??"
She asks, shocked.
Ryuji "Because I wanna be a great cook when I get older."
He says while looking at her with a confident look. Lucy blushes at his response and looks away.
Lucy "Well, if you wanna, you can practice cooking for me."
Ryuji blushes and looks away too.
Ryuji "Okay."
They sit on the dock as the sun sets before them as it fades back to current time where it is dark and cold in the middle of the night and the two of them sit quietly next to each other.