That Night – 9:04 PM
Yuuki sat on the edge of his bed, phone in hand, staring at Arisa's last message.
> "I needed to settle something."
No follow-up.
No explanation.
No details.
He knew what that meant.
Hayato.
His chest tightened.
Not from jealousy — but from the feeling that he was still standing on the outside of a locked door.
When Arisa finally arrived, she looked tired. Not physically — emotionally. Like she'd just put down a weight she carried too long.
"You okay?" Yuuki asked.
She nodded. Took off her jacket. Sat beside him.
Silence.
He reached for her hand, but this time… she pulled away.
And that's when he knew.
Something was still buried. Something big.
"You saw him, didn't you?"
A pause.
"Yes."
"What did he say?"
"That I've changed."
Yuuki frowned. "That's it?"
Another pause.
"I told him I chose you."
That should've made him feel better.
But it didn't.
Because she was still looking away when she said it.
"You're not telling me everything, Arisa."
She finally looked at him — and for a second, he saw something in her eyes he'd never seen before.
Fear.
Then she whispered, almost too quiet to hear:
"Maybe you don't want to know everything."