The days following the beach trip were… complicated for Ryo.
He had hoped that the chaos would die down and things would go back to normal. Unfortunately, "normal" had started to feel like a distant memory. Every time he walked into school, he was met with more stares, more whispers, and, worst of all, more attention from the very girls he had tried to avoid.
It wasn't like they were doing anything wrong. Hana's energy remained infectious, her sunny personality making her impossible to dislike. She always greeted him with the biggest smile every morning, waving enthusiastically from across the courtyard. But lately, she had been finding excuses to linger around his classroom during breaks.
"Ryo! You wanna go get ice cream after school?" she asked one afternoon, leaning against the doorframe of his classroom, drawing the attention of his entire class.
"Uh, I'm—"
"You're not busy, right? It'll be fun! C'mon, we hardly hang out!" Hana persisted, her eyes bright with excitement.
Ryo glanced around nervously, noticing how his classmates were subtly listening in. He wasn't used to being the center of attention like this, and it was making him uncomfortable.
"Yeah, I'm kinda busy," he said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. "Maybe some other time?"
Hana's smile faltered for just a second before she brightened again. "Okay! Rain check, then!" She bounced away as if nothing had happened.
That was the thing with Hana—no matter how much Ryo tried to put distance between them, she never took it personally. She just kept coming back with that same cheerful persistence, and Ryo didn't know how to handle it.
Saki, on the other hand, was much harder to deal with.
She had never stopped teasing him since the fireworks night. Every chance she got, Saki would lean in close, whisper something that left him flustered, and then walk away with that same smug grin on her face. It was infuriating.
Like today, when Ryo was sitting in the library, desperately trying to focus on his homework. Saki had appeared out of nowhere, sliding into the seat next to him as if she owned the place.
"You're awfully quiet today, Ryo," she said, her voice low enough that only he could hear. "What's wrong? Missing me already?"
Ryo didn't bother looking up from his textbook. "I'm trying to study."
Saki smirked. "Oh, c'mon. You're always studying. Don't you ever take a break? How about I treat you to something nice after school?"
Ryo's pencil froze mid-sentence. "No, thanks."
"Why not? Afraid you might enjoy it too much?" she teased, leaning even closer.
Ryo's face was burning now, and he couldn't focus on the page in front of him. "I'm just… busy, okay?"
Saki chuckled, standing up and flicking his forehead gently. "Alright, alright. But you'll have to give in sooner or later, you know. I'm very patient."
And then there was Mei.
Unlike Hana and Saki, Mei didn't try to force herself into his life. In fact, she still seemed pretty distant, watching from the sidelines more than anything. But every once in a while, Ryo would catch her staring at him—just for a moment—before she quickly looked away.
It was weird. Mei wasn't like the others. She wasn't pushy or playful; she was just… there, like a quiet presence that he couldn't ignore. It wasn't that she disliked him—at least, he didn't think so—but she wasn't exactly warm, either.
One afternoon, as Ryo was leaving school, he bumped into Mei at the gates.
"Oh, sorry," he mumbled, stepping aside to let her pass.
Mei paused, her calm eyes meeting his for a moment. "It's fine," she said softly. Then, to his surprise, she added, "Are you okay?"
Ryo blinked. "Huh?"
"You look tired," she said, her voice quiet but sincere.
Ryo hadn't expected that. Out of all the girls, Mei was the last person he thought would show concern for him. He scratched his head awkwardly. "I guess… I've just been a little overwhelmed lately."
Mei nodded slightly, her expression unreadable. "If you need space, you should take it. No one's forcing you."
Ryo stared at her, unsure how to respond. Was that her way of saying she wouldn't bother him like the others? Or was she just giving him advice?
Before he could figure it out, Mei turned and walked away, leaving him standing there with more questions than answers.
As he watched her go, Ryo couldn't shake the feeling that, despite her distant demeanor, Mei understood him better than he realized.