It was just before the lunch bell rang when the class rep, standing in front with a wide smile on his face, made the announcement in a noticeably joyous tone.

“Alright everyone, listen! We’re doing a class get-together this weekend—karaoke, then barbecue under the cherry blossoms!”

The classroom was suddenly filled with echoes of excitement. Some students clapped in joy, others chattered within their friendship circles, and someone even whistled at the back. The air was charged with high energy and everyone was fidgety except for one.

Yuzuki watched quietly from her seat, her eyes hovering inside the room while keeping that same practiced smile she usually wore. The word “karaoke” made her heart skip a bit—not from excitement but more due to nervousness. Then came “barbecue” and “cherry blossoms,” and although those words were supposed to bring joy, she felt even lonelier.

She tried not to look too startled when Hikari turned around in her seat, her ponytail swaying gently with her movement, to face her.

“Nakayama-san, are you going?” Hikari asked, her voice was soft yet clear amidst the joyful chaos.

Yuzuki blinked, lips parting as her mind scrambled for an answer. Behind Hikari, their classmates were already exchanging LINE contacts and playfully fighting over song choices. In contrast, she felt like floating, unsure where to fit herself in.

“Perhaps, you have some plans already during the weekend?” Hikari added, pulling her back to reality.

Yuzuki’s gaze shifted back to face Hikari but she just couldn't meet her eyes. She slightly looked down on her desk and hesitated. “Umm…”

Hikari seemed to catch that pause immediately. She scratched her cheek and gave a small awkward laugh. “Ah—sorry. It’s fine… you don’t have to if you already have plans.”

Yuzuki caught a glimpse of Hikari's smile as it faltered… but she wasn't sure about it. She never was. And before she could find the words to respond, Hikari had turned back to the front, her shoulders held still but not quite relaxed.

Lunch came and went. The remainder of the day passed in fragments. And that night, Yuzuki sat at her desk in her room, staring at the get-together flyer handed to them by the class rep. Her fingers brushed over the soft paper, tracing the cherry blossoms neatly sketched on it.

Do I want to go?

Suddenly, Hikari's small awkward laugh from earlier flickered back into Yuzuki’s mind. That was the first time she heard her like that. Whenever Hikari was around her, she always filled the silence between them with gentle laughs and cheers. Yuzuki realized, Hikari has always been this kind to her. And yet, all she did was to shut her out.

Upon realizing it, a subtle unease stirred in Yuzuki’s chest—a quiet ache that reminded her she hadn’t responded to Hikari the way she really wanted to.

So that night, she made up her mind.

The karaoke place was nestled between two narrow buildings on a street lined with old shops and neon signs. Yuzuki stepped into the reception, clutching her phone like a guidepost. She arrived ten minutes past the meet-up time—it was her first time navigating the area and the map hadn’t much of a help.

Inside, the hallway buzzed with muffled songs and laughter leaking from closed rooms. A pop ballad pulsed faintly through the walls. Yuzuki checked the flyer again—Room 308.

She walked slowly while silently reciting each number on the doors she had passed by. Her heart pounded—she was more nervous than she had imagined she would be. She stopped in front of 308 and took a breath before gently sliding the door open.

She was greeted by a wall of boisterous sound—laughters, clapping, and a voice singing off-key with strong enthusiasm. The room was dim, illuminated with dancing streaks of blue and pink from a single rotating karaoke light at the center of the ceiling.

Yuzuki scanned the room carefully.

There was the tall boy with broad shoulders—Hino-kun, she recalled. Always the first to finish cleaning duty. Next to him was a girl with braided pigtails, wearing the same charm necklace she always fiddled with in class—Matsuda-san, if she remembered correctly.

By the snack table, a boy with dyed ash-blond hair and a loud voice—Riku-kun, probably. And two other girls chatting near the screen—Kanae-san, the one who always brought an extra notebook, and Sae-san, whose laugh had a tiny squeak at the end.

One by one, she mentally pieced them altogether—not from their faces, but from the rhythm of how they moved, how they dressed, and how their voices sounded. To Yuzuki, it was like solving a puzzle with rough edges.

Yuzuki’s eyes kept searching—past the flicker of the screen, over the couch cushions, even at the space by the drinks corner.

But she wasn’t there.

No ponytail bouncing. No soft voice she was used to hearing. All there was was just a crowd of familiar strangers she could barely recognize.

No matter how much she looked, there was no sign of Hikari.

Yuzuki felt her throat tightened. She stood still for a moment longer, before she found her spot on the far edge of the karaoke room’s long, black couch. She sat with her back close to the cold wall, her eyes blinking against the low lights, her fingers lightly grasping a paper cup half filled with soda.

She took small sips, letting the sweet fizz keep her grounded amidst the whirl of laughter, voices, and overlapping melodies that bounced off the glossy walls of the colorful space.

The room already smelled faintly of cola, fries, and sweet, sticky desserts. Pop beats continuously pulsed from the speakers with the stomps and claps of her classmates as they sang along, guided by the lyrics flashed on big, bright screens across the room.

Suddenly, a girl from her left turned to her, leaning slightly.

“Nakayama-san, would you like to sing?” She asked, offering her the tablet of song collections.

Yuzuki’s heart thumped. She glanced at the girl’s face quickly, then averted her gaze just as fast.

Wait… was this Morita-san? Or Hayase-san?

Morita always wore that hair tie with a red ribbon… but this girl had her hair loose today. Hayase’s voice was softer though, and this voice… it sounded somewhere in between. But the girl’s jacket looked like Morita's... she thought.

Yuzuki panicked internally. Getting the name wrong would be far worse than staying silent. So she gave a small wave with her free hand and smiled, politely shaking her head. “No, I am fine. Thank you…”

The girl nodded in understanding and turned back to the tablet, unfazed. Yuzuki let out a small, deep breath, one she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. She then heard the girl cheerfully call out, “Well then, who likes to sing next?”

She wanted to participate, she really did—but moments like this reminded her of how exhausting it was. She didn't dislike people—not at all. What she really disliked was not knowing them.

After two more songs, the noise began to blur. The fun bounced around her like bubbles that kept on bursting before she could even catch one. Laughter came and went in swells. It made Yuzuki feel increasingly dizzy. The flashing lights, the heat of too many bodies, the conversations that melted into indistinguishable noise—it all piled up like layers pressing onto her chest… crushing her down.

Eventually, the group packed up and started their walk to the riverside. Yuzuki followed behind with her shoulders slightly hunched. Her pace was slower, each step felt heavier.

Everyone felt refreshed as the light spring breeze gently brushed on their cheeks and bare skin. But for Yuzuki, it felt like cold strings rubbing a painful scar open.

Why am I even here, again?

She asked herself as she tried to drag her feet down the road with all the energy that’s left within her.