The world still looked the same…

The same corridors, the same voices echoing through the halls —

but to me, everything felt slightly colder.

Since that day on the rooftop,

I had been smiling the same way, walking the same way,

pretending nothing had changed.

But everything had.

His words still echoed in my head like a whisper I couldn’t silence.

 “We’re just friends.”

Even when I tried to laugh with my friends,

that one line kept replaying beneath every heartbeat.

It wasn’t anger that hurt me — it was the distance those words created.

It was like the sky I loved so much had suddenly grown too far to reach.

---

In class, I caught myself looking at him without meaning to.

He’d glance back sometimes, offering that awkward smile —

the one that used to feel warm but now just left me confused.

We spoke as usual, but every word felt rehearsed.

Every laugh had a shadow behind it.

Even when our eyes met…

I could feel both of us pretending that nothing was wrong.

But we weren’t fooling anyone — not even ourselves.

I missed the comfort between us,

the quiet moments where silence didn’t feel heavy.

Now it did.

---

During lunch, Aya sat beside me.

She didn’t say anything at first, just stared at me for a while.

Then softly —

“Did something happen between you and Haruto?”

I froze. “No. Why?”

She sighed, not believing me. “You both look like you’re holding your breath.”

I smiled faintly, deflecting.

Maybe she was right. Maybe we both were.

Holding our breath, waiting for someone to exhale first.

---

The day dragged on, gray and long.

When the final bell rang, I saw Haruto walking ahead, heading to the stairs.

He turned slightly, maybe expecting me to call out.

But I didn’t.

My voice failed me.

So I just watched him go.

That night, I opened my notebook to study,

but all I could see was his empty seat beside me in class.

I wanted to talk to him — even if just once — without pretending.

I wanted things to feel simple again.

But how?

After hearing those words… could I still face him like before?

---

The next day, I found him on the rooftop again.

He was standing near the railing, looking at the city,

his tie loosened, his hair messy from the wind.

For a moment, I just stood there — quietly —

watching the boy who had unknowingly broken my heart.

And still… the same boy my heart kept choosing.

He turned, smiling like he always did.

“Hey, Tsukiko.”

“Hey…” I answered softly.

We talked a little — about classes, about exams, about nothing at all.

The conversation floated like leaves on water — moving, but never deep.

I could tell he felt it too — this invisible wall between us.

Then, as we were about to leave,

something in me couldn’t stand the silence anymore.

Before I could stop myself, the words slipped out —

quiet, trembling, almost desperate.

“Um… Haruto,” I said, forcing a small smile.

“The exams are close, right? Maybe we could… study together?”

He blinked, surprised.

“The café near the station,” I added quickly, looking away.

“I mean… only if you want to.”

He hesitated for a second — then smiled.

“Sure. That sounds good.”

And just like that, a small light flickered again between us —

faint, fragile, but alive.

Yet deep down,

I wondered if we were really moving forward…

or just walking toward the same heartbreak,

hand in hand, pretending it didn’t hurt.

---