Okami's POV:
Lunchtime
I sat down with lunchbox, quietly slipping into the usual spot next to Usagi and Rentarou.
It should've felt like any normal day… but something was off.
The air was weirdly heavy. Everyone looked… stiff? Hina and Izumi seemed okay—Hina was calmly sipping her soup like always, and Izumi, that carefree guy, was just happily stuffing food into his mouth.
But the others? Usagi, Mei, Rentarou… they were all acting like they'd just seen a ghost.
…Did something happen?
I tilted my head, trying not to overthink it, but I couldn't help asking, "Um… is something wrong, guys?"
Usagi jumped a bit. "Ehh? W-what might you mean? Haha…" Her laugh was way too forced. I blinked.
That was… weird. Even for Usagi.
"I mean… why is everyone so silent?" I looked toward Mei and Rentarou, who both jolted like they were guilty of something.
"A-Ah! W-we're just… really into this food!" Rentarou stammered, eyes darting around as he chomped down a spoonful like he was trying to escape reality through curry.
"Y-Yeah! Totally!" Mei added, nodding her head so fast I thought it might fly off. "This curry rice is just… intense!"
…Okay, now I know something's up.
They were terrible at hiding whatever it was.
I fiddled with my chopsticks for a second before quietly speaking again.
"Um… everyone," I said softly, hoping my voice didn't shake too much. "I… I wanted to ask if you all are free after college today. Maybe we could go to a café or something?"
Everyone blinked at me.
My stomach churned a little, but I kept going.
"I was hoping… you'd listen to my new story. And maybe… give me your opinions on it."
Silence.
Then—
CLANK!
Rentarou dropped his spoon.
COUGH—!
Mei choked on her food.
Hina-chan even spit out her soup.
And Usagi almost fell off her seat.
…What the hell?
My chest tightened. Was it really that strange of me to ask?
I knew I wasn't the most outgoing person. I didn't usually invite people out. I didn't share my stories out loud. But I thought—just this once—it would be okay. Just… ask them. Be brave, even if it's scary.
But the reactions I got?
It felt like I'd just stepped on something sacred.
Even Izumi was like, "I'm free! I'm free!"—but he had no idea what was going on. And when I looked at the others…
Usagi's eyes were wide. Mei looked like she wanted to crawl under the table. Rentarou was awkwardly poking at his rice.
I felt it, then. That soft sting behind my ribs. Like the kind you get when you try to smile even though something inside you twists.
They didn't want to come.
Or maybe they were busy. Or maybe it was something else.
But all I knew in that moment was—I didn't want to force them. I didn't want to turn this into something heavy.
So I smiled.
That fake little smile I'd mastered over the years.
"Uh… sorry. Let's not do it today," I said quickly, scratching the back of my neck and chuckling. "I just… got a new idea. I'll work it into the story. Forget I asked, okay?"
And that was it.
The moment I put it back in the box and closed the lid, everyone suddenly relaxed. Like a storm had passed.
Hina, sweet as always, said, "O-Oh, it's fine, Okami-kun. Take your time."
"Y-Yeah! No pressure! No rush!" Mei said with such bad acting, I almost wanted to laugh. Almost.
"Yeah bro, next time," Rentarou added, trying to sound casual.
And Usagi… my sweet little Bunny… her voice came out weird. Forced.
"Uhm—l-let's just… do this next time!"
I glanced at her.
I could tell she regretted it the second it came out. Her eyes said more than words ever could.
Still, I just nodded and looked down at my half-finished lunch. I wasn't hungry anymore.
So this is how it feels…
I wasn't mad. Not really.
Just disappointed.
In myself.
I should've known better than to expect too much.
But even so… even with that ache in my chest… a tiny part of me still held on.
Because it wasn't just the rejection that stuck with me. It was Usagi's face.
That regret. That softness.
Even in the awkward mess, it meant something.
Maybe… just maybe…
That was the day I realized I didn't just like her. I wanted her by my side—for real.
I should just change the topic.
"Uhm… Rentarou," I said, keeping my voice steady, "we're out of toothpaste and a few other necessities. After college, let's grab them on the way home."
I gave him a small glance, just hoping to keep things normal, at least between us.
But he looked away—avoiding eye contact completely.
"Ahh… um, y'know man… I just got some things to take care of today, so…"
He trailed off, then reached into his pocket and handed me the apartment key.
"You can go ahead. Sorry."
I took the key in silence.
That's it, huh…?
I didn't know what stung more—the fact that he bailed on me with the most half-baked excuse ever, or the way he couldn't even look me in the eye while doing it.
They were planning something. All of them. Together.
And whatever it was, I wasn't part of it.
For a second, I considered forcing a smile again.
But I didn't.
Instead, I just nodded and slipped the key into my hoodie pocket.
"Got it," I said simply, not trusting myself to say anything more.
The rest of lunch passed in awkward silence—at least for me. I couldn't even taste my food anymore. I just stared at the tray like it was a test I didn't study for.
I didn't say much for the rest of the day either.
Even after college, when I walked home alone with grocery bags in hand, I kept thinking…
Was I overthinking everything?
Was it wrong of me to ask them to come?
Was I… just not needed?
But no matter how many times I tried to brush it off, it stayed there in my chest—quiet, heavy, and cold.
I didn't blame them. I never would.
But that afternoon was the first time in a long while…
…I felt alone.
The grocery bag rustled against my leg as I walked down the familiar road back to our apartment. The sun had already dipped low, casting long shadows that crawled over the sidewalk like they were trying to pull me home faster.
I let out a slow breath, letting the cool breeze hit my face.
Maybe I'll cook something warm today. Something simple.
I crossed the street, casually glancing toward the other side—habit, mostly.
That's when I saw them.
Through the glass wall of our usual café.
All of them.
Mei, Hina-chan, Rentarou… and Usagi.
They were sitting at the corner booth, their favorite spot. Rentarou was waving his hands dramatically, telling some story. Mei was laughing with her mouth covered, and even Hina-chan was smiling wider than usual. Usagi… she was leaned forward, eyes sparkling, laughing at something Izumi said.
They looked…
Happy.
So genuinely happy.
So at ease.
Together.
Without me.
I stood there for a second—too long to be casual—but I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe right either. My fingers tightened slightly around the grocery bag handles.
So this is where they went.
No one told me. No one even hinted.
They didn't forget about me. They just… didn't need me for this.
I looked away quickly, crossing the rest of the road, head low. My reflection followed me on the glass panels of other stores, and I hated how… small I looked.
Like a side character.
Like a placeholder.
I wasn't angry. I wasn't even jealous.
Just… disappointed.
Disappointed that I even thought—maybe today, maybe I could finally share something I cared about with people I trusted.
Maybe they'd listen. Maybe they'd smile. Maybe they'd tell me it was good. Or bad. Anything.
But all I got was silence. And now, laughter… without me.
By the time I reached our apartment door, the sky had darkened completely. I unlocked it slowly and stepped inside, letting the quietness wrap around me like a heavy blanket.
Groceries on the table. Lights on. Curtains closed.
Everything was normal.
Except me.
Tch.
Why all of a sudden?
She said I could lean on them.
She said I could lean on her…
And now that I finally believed her… when I actually let myself think maybe… just maybe I wasn't so alone anymore—
They leave me out?
Like I don't matter?
Like I never belonged in the first place?
Heh… what a joke, Okami.
I let out a soft, dry laugh. No one to hear it but the walls.
I stared at the empty page in front of me. My pen rested between my fingers, but I hadn't moved it in what felt like hours. The ink tip hovered, waiting… like it wanted to write anything.
But my mind was blank.
No characters spoke. No stories played out.
Just silence.
Even Rentarou?
He knew I don't go out of my way to say things like this… and he brushed it off so easily?
Tch.
I really shouldn't have hoped anything would change. I got carried away… thinking I wasn't boring anymore. That someone might find me worth staying for.
I closed the notebook slowly. The soft click of the pen cap echoed too loud in the quiet apartment.
Back to square one, huh?
If I can't write… then I better just forget.
Like always.
Next Day – Okami's POV
Rentarou left early this morning.
No explanation. Just said he had "some work."
Some work, huh?
Wow. That was… a lame excuse, even for him. Rentarou always talked too much. Always joked around. But last night… he barely said a word. Just handed me the keys and vanished.
I don't get it.
What happened? What changed?
Why are they all acting like this…? And why especially Usagi?
She was the one who told me I could open up. That I could trust them. That I could lean on her.
So why—?
Why does it feel like I'm being left behind again?
Maybe I was never really included… just tolerated.
I skipped breakfast. Not like I could eat even if I tried.
My chest felt heavy the whole walk. The sky was clear, sun a bit too bright. Everything around me just… moved forward.
Unlike me.
As I neared the college gate, I paused.
And there they were.
All five of them.
Coming together from the opposite direction—Mei, Hina, Usagi, Rentarou, Izumi.
Laughing.
Smiling wide like nothing happened.
Like they had no idea someone had spent last night sitting in an empty room wondering what went wrong.
And for a moment, it felt like someone hit pause on the world—except on them.
They looked so close. So happy.
And me…?
I wasn't part of that.
Not anymore.
Not even a glance in my direction.
Usagi's eyes met mine.
Just for a second.
And in that split second, her smile faded. She quickly turned her head slightly, whispering something to the group behind her hand.
The others followed her gaze.
And then…
Their laughter stopped.
All of them—Hina, Mei, Rentarou, even Izumi.
They glanced at each other… then at me.
Then—like someone flipped a switch—they all put on those perfect little smiles and waved.
"Hey, Okami-kun!!" they called out.
That moment… that exact moment…
Something just snapped inside me.
How fake.
That wave, those smiles—they weren't for me.
They were for their own guilt.
They weren't happy to see me. They just didn't want to look like the villains.
Tch…
I should've known.
I turned my head slightly and walked right past the gate, not even glancing at them again.
If I stayed even a second longer, I knew something in me would crack.
In Classroom
I sat at my desk, head low, hands clenched under the table. My bag sat untouched beside me, and the pen in my hand hadn't moved since I entered.
I didn't even want to come to class today…
Fifteen minutes passed before Rentarou finally walked in, like nothing happened. He plopped down in his usual spot beside me, leaned back, and said in his usual annoyingly cheerful tone:
"Hey bro! How come you ignored everyone and just came here, huh??"
I blinked at him slowly.
Wow… now look who's talking.
The same guy who handed me the apartment keys like I was a stranger… the same guy who probably laughed with the others last night in the café, while I stood alone, looking in through the glass.
The same guy who walked in with them this morning, all grinning and whispering, like they weren't hiding something.
And now he's asking me why I'm the one acting distant?
Seriously?
I forced a small smile—fake, of course—and said softly, "Ah… I didn't notice you guys. Were you all together?"
He paused.
"Uhm, ahh no! We just… happened to meet at the gate," he said, a little too fast, a little too casual.
What a lie.
But I just nodded and looked away.
Because what's the point?
Even when I try to speak, no one really listens.
And right now, I didn't trust a single one of their answers.
But deep down… no matter how much I try to bottle it all up—
I can't imagine Usagi being like this.
She's not them. She's different.
She's the one who trusted me even when she knew nothing about me.
The one who stood up against those girls when I was too afraid to speak.
The one who told me, "Don't look down so much, your sky's too pretty to miss."
The one who, without saying a word, shielded me from all those hateful, burning gazes… just by standing beside me. Just by being her.
Even yesterday… no matter how she acted, the lunchbox she gave me had that same warmth. That soft sweetness only she could make. It still tasted like home. Like she cared.
Then what's going on?
Why… why did her smile disappear the moment our eyes met this morning?
Why did she whisper something and fake that smile right after?
Why does it feel like I'm watching her slowly vanish behind some curtain I can't reach through?
Tch… I can't tolerate it.
I can't bear watching her beautiful smile fade the moment she sees me…
Only to be replaced by something fake, like I'm someone she has to pretend for.
Usagi… what happened to us?
After the lecture ended, Rentarou stretched, slinging his bag over his shoulder and flashing that usual grin.
"Hey! Let's go to the cafeteria!"
I blinked. "Huh? Why? We always eat at our usual spot…"
He scratched the back of his neck like he was trying to act casual. "Oh, it's just… Usagi told me she didn't get time to make lunch today. So, we're grabbing something from the cafeteria. We're all eating there."
Usagi… didn't make lunch?
It's not like that never happened in the last seven months… but she always let us know beforehand. One text. One heads-up. Even a quick "Hey, buy something tomorrow." That was her way.
And now… she forgets? And it's Rentarou who knows about it—not me?
I nodded silently, following him, but inside…
Wow.
Just… wow.
Suddenly, I felt like I was no one.
Like I wasn't a part of the "we" in "we're all eating there."
Like that warm spot I thought I had found beside her—beside all of them—was slowly being replaced by cold, empty space.
They say it's the small things that hurt the most…
And this? This tiny shift?
It felt like a crack in my chest no one else could hear.
Was it really all just temporary?
Did I get too comfortable? Too hopeful?
…maybe it was stupid of me.
As we stepped into the cafeteria, the usual noise surrounded us—the clatter of trays, loud chatter, the scent of curry and fried snacks. Everyone from our group was already there, seated at the usual corner table.
Rentarou took our trays like always, chatting casually like nothing had changed. But for me… it wasn't the same anymore.
When we sat down, everyone acted normal. Smiling. Laughing. Throwing jokes around like yesterday never happened.
Maybe… they just got better at pretending.
And then she spoke.
"Um… Okami-kun," Usagi said, her voice gentle—but not the same gentle I was used to. This one felt rehearsed. "Sorry, I just didn't get time to make lunch for you today. I also… forgot to inform you…"
I looked at her, but she didn't meet my eyes. Not really. Just glanced and looked away quickly like the truth might leak out if she held my gaze.
I felt the words hit me like cold water.
Ahh yeah… too busy ignoring me.
Too busy hanging out with the rest, laughing without me, making memories where I didn't belong.
I forced a faint smile and swallowed down all those things I wanted to say—those feelings I had caged inside since yesterday.
"Yeah… it's fine," I muttered, not even looking at her. "You must've been too busy."
Her smile faltered—just for a split second—but then she nodded quietly and looked away.
And just like that… we were sitting together, yet miles apart.
Just like that… another day passed.
Another day where Rentarou barely spoke to me.
Another day where I watched them—all of them—walk off together after class, laughter echoing down the corridor as I stood behind, forgotten, like some glitch in their perfect new group photo.
Tch… must be nice.
When I got back to the apartment, I tossed my bag on the floor and sat in front of my desk. Tried again to write, to drown the ache in my chest with words, with fiction… but nothing came. Not a single sentence.
And that's when my phone buzzed.
[Sorry Okami-kun, I won't be coming tomorrow so no lunchbox again.]
I stared at it for a long second.
That's it?
Just a casual message, like it meant nothing.
Like I meant nothing.
"Just say it's bothering you," I muttered bitterly. "Just say it's a burden now. You don't need to wrap it in an excuse."
I slammed my fist softly on the desk.
"You were the one who decided to make lunch for me every day. You were the one who said I could rely on you… So why the hell are you the one leaving me behind now!?"
My voice cracked at the end, and I hated that it did.
Why? Why does this feel like everything is breaking again?
The next day was worse.
She wasn't in class.
I didn't see her during lunch.
Not even a shadow of her passing by the corridor.
Is she avoiding me…? Am I just something to be cast aside now that the novelty wore off?
The anger… the confusion… it twisted inside me like a storm.
And then came the moment.
I had enough.
I stood in the corridor, gripping my notebook like it was the only thing still holding me together.
I'm done waiting.
It's time she hears everything.
I didn't mean to yell.
I didn't mean to sound like that.
But when she didn't pick up right away… something just snapped in me.
And when she finally did, I—
"Can't you pick up the damn phone or were you thinking, 'should I pick or let him be', huh?!"
Those words… I didn't even recognize my own voice.
Her pause on the other end was only a second—but it felt like guilt punched me in the gut the moment I heard her soft, confused voice.
"Okami-kun? What happened? Why are you saying something like that? Why are you so angry…?"
She sounded genuinely hurt.
And I hated that.
But instead of calming down, I doubled down. What the hell was wrong with me?
"Don't you pretend—just get here!" I snapped, and even I could hear the venom in my voice.
Her voice came again, hesitant but kind, like always. "Okami-kun, I can't… I'm actually busy with something import—"
I didn't even let her finish.
"Don't avoid me!! I said meet me here. You know where, right? Just come here. I'm waiting."
And before she could say anything else, I hung up.
...
Silence.
Only the sound of my breathing remained as I stared at the screen.
What the hell did I just do...?
Who was that person just now? Because it sure wasn't the me she once smiled for.
And now, all I could do was wait…
Wait in the one place that still mattered to me.
Our rooftop.