It's a few days later.
Everything feels... normal.
Almost.
We fall back into our usual rhythm — me, Kane, Sayoko, Haru — meeting up after school, hanging out until the sky turns dark and the streetlights buzz to life.
We waste time in the best ways.
Sitting on swings at the park, seeing who can go higher.Kane stealing fries off everyone's plate and pretending she's innocent.Haru dramatically pretending to die during card games whenever he loses.Sayoko rolling her eyes so hard it's a miracle she can still see.
I laugh more these days.
Real laughs — the kind that bubble up out of your chest before you can stop them.
Especially around Kane.
Especially when she's doing dumb things like challenging a pigeon to a fight, or trying to win a prize at the claw machine and getting stuck halfway inside it.
She's... Kane.
Loud.Bright.Alive.
And yet —
There are moments.
Small ones.
Like the other day, when we were racing to the bus stop, and she suddenly stumbled to a halt, pressing a hand to her chest.
She laughed it off — said she just tripped, called me a nerd for worrying.
But I saw it.
The way her smile faltered for half a second.The way she looked — almost scared — before she masked it.
Or today, when we were eating ice cream in the park.
Kane was talking, mid-rant about something Haru said, when she just... stopped.Went quiet.
Her ice cream slipped from her fingers, splattering onto the ground.She blinked down at it like she didn't understand what had happened.
And for a moment —just a moment —she looked fragile.
Breakable.
But then she laughed, loud and bright and reckless, and punched my arm.
"Guess gravity hates me today," she said, shrugging.
Everyone laughed.
Even me.
But inside, something twists.
Something cold.
Something afraid.
Because Kane doesn't drop things.
Kane doesn't stumble.
Kane doesn't —doesn't look like that.
I shove the fear down.
Hard.
Pretend I didn't notice.Pretend everything's fine.
Because for now —
She's here.
Laughing.Living.
And I'm too much of a coward to face what might be coming.