The morning after his conversation with Rika on the rooftop, Yuuto Kisaragi woke up to a strange sense of calm. It was the kind of peace that felt fragile, like something delicate that could shatter with the wrong touch. He stared at the ceiling for a long time, his thoughts tangled in a web of confusion and longing.
Rika had been right about one thing: he was moving forward. But moving forward didn't mean everything would suddenly be okay. His feelings for Reina, his questions about Rika, and his own insecurities still lurked in the background, waiting for the right moment to resurface.
Yuuto pushed the blankets off and stood up, trying to shake off the restless feeling in his chest. He needed to get to school.
---
The day passed slowly, as if the world around him had dulled to gray. He went through the motions of class, nodding in response to his teachers and trying not to stare at Reina when she walked past. Her presence still held a certain power over him, but it wasn't as suffocating as it had been before. He had a new distraction now—Rika.
By lunch, Yuuto found himself once again on the rooftop. The weather was warmer than yesterday, the sun casting long shadows across the schoolyard. He wasn't sure why he came up here today. Maybe it was the quiet. Or maybe, just maybe, it was because he knew Rika would be there.
Sure enough, when Yuuto pushed open the rooftop door, Rika was sitting on the ledge, legs dangling over the side. She glanced up at him, a smirk tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Late again," she teased, but there was no bite in her words. Her tone was light, almost playful.
"I've been busy," Yuuto said, walking toward her. He leaned against the railing, looking out at the city in the distance. For a long moment, neither of them spoke. It was a comfortable silence, one that felt less like an awkward pause and more like an unspoken understanding between them.
Rika turned to face him, her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "You've been… acting strange lately. What's up?"
Yuuto shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how to answer. He had no idea how to explain the feelings that had been swirling in his chest. "I don't know," he said finally. "I guess I've just been thinking a lot about stuff."
"Stuff?" Rika raised an eyebrow. "That's vague even for you."
Yuuto sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Reina… she apologized. I don't know if I should believe her or not. Part of me wants to, but another part of me feels like she's just messing with me."
Rika leaned back against the wall, her arms folded across her chest. "Reina's complicated," she said, voice even. "But don't waste your time trying to figure her out. If she's really sorry, she'll show it. And if she's not, well… it's her loss."
Yuuto glanced at her, surprised by the calmness in her voice. "You don't think I should give her a chance?"
"No," Rika said firmly. "I think you should stop putting so much energy into someone who's already hurt you. If you want to waste time, waste it on something better. Or someone better."
Yuuto's heart skipped a beat. The way she said it—someone better—made it sound like she was talking about herself. But he quickly pushed that thought aside. "And what about you?" he asked, his voice quieter than he intended. "What about your own… stuff?"
Rika looked away, her expression unreadable. "I don't do relationships," she said after a long pause. "Not really. I've learned not to get too attached."
Yuuto frowned, sensing there was more to her words than she was letting on. "Why?"
Rika hesitated, then shrugged. "It's complicated. I've had my fair share of heartbreak. I learned not to rely on anyone."
Yuuto was silent, unsure of how to respond. He didn't know if she was being entirely honest or if she was just trying to distance herself from him. But part of him understood. Heartbreak wasn't something you could just move on from. Not when it cut that deep.
---
The bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Yuuto and Rika parted ways, neither of them saying much more. But Yuuto couldn't shake the feeling that something important had shifted between them. It wasn't a sudden change. It was subtle—almost imperceptible—but it was there.
That afternoon, Yuuto found himself walking to class with a sense of dread gnawing at his insides. He knew that, despite what Rika had said, the conversation with Reina was far from over. She had apologized, yes, but that didn't mean everything would magically go back to the way it was. His feelings for her had changed, but he couldn't quite figure out how.
When he arrived at his seat in class, he noticed Reina glancing at him from across the room. Her gaze was soft, almost hesitant, and it stirred something in him—something both painful and bittersweet. For a brief moment, their eyes met, and Yuuto felt a pang in his chest.
He looked away quickly, trying to push down the emotions that threatened to rise to the surface. It was a distraction—Reina was a distraction. And he couldn't afford to let her back into his life, not when he was finally starting to move forward.
But deep down, he knew it wasn't that simple.
---
That evening, as the sky turned dark and the world outside his window grew quiet, Yuuto lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep. His thoughts kept drifting back to Rika—her words, her actions, the way she seemed to know exactly what he needed to hear.
What was it about her that made him feel so… understood?
He thought about Reina, too. Her apology had been genuine, or at least, he thought it had been. But could he trust it? Could he trust her? He had no answer, and that uncertainty gnawed at him like a persistent itch he couldn't scratch.
And then there was Rika. She didn't ask for anything. She didn't need his approval or validation. She was just there, always ready with a sarcastic remark or a piece of advice that, while blunt, somehow made sense.
For the first time in a long while, Yuuto wondered if he was falling for someone who didn't need him at all.
---
The next day, Yuuto was walking to class when he ran into Reina in the hallway. She was standing by her locker, fiddling with a book in her hands. When she saw him, she hesitated, then smiled faintly.
"Hey," she said softly.
Yuuto stopped in front of her, unsure of what to say. It had been a few days since their conversation, but the tension still hung in the air between them.
"Hi," he said, his voice distant.
Reina bit her lip, glancing down at the floor for a moment. "Yuuto… can we talk?"
He looked at her, feeling a flicker of something—hope, frustration, confusion—stir in his chest. "What do you want to talk about?"
Reina hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I know I messed up, but… I don't want us to be strangers. Can we at least be friends?"
Yuuto stared at her, feeling a knot form in his stomach. Friends. It was the word he had dreaded hearing from the beginning. It was what everyone said when they didn't know how to deal with the mess they'd created.
"I don't know," he said slowly. "I think… I think I need time."
Reina's smile faltered, but she nodded. "Okay. I understand."
As Yuuto walked away, the weight of her words hung heavy in his mind. Friends. It was the word she used, but it didn't feel like the answer he needed. He wasn't sure what he wanted anymore. He wasn't even sure what he could handle.
But as he passed by the familiar steps that led to the rooftop, he found himself turning toward them, drawn by an invisible pull. He needed space—somewhere to breathe, somewhere to think.
When he stepped onto the rooftop, Rika was already there, sitting on the ledge with her legs dangling over the side. She looked up as he approached, a curious expression on her face.
"You okay?" she asked, her voice softer than usual.
Yuuto took a deep breath and nodded. "I think I am," he said, though he wasn't entirely sure.
Rika patted the space next to her. "Sit down then. And tell me what's going on in that confused head of yours."
As he sat beside her, the weight in his chest seemed to ease, even if only slightly. For the first time in days, he felt like he wasn't completely alone.
Maybe that was enough for now.
And maybe, just maybe, he didn't have to figure everything out today.