"...I told her everything. That I’m tired of pretending. Tired of being the 'perfect daughter' she wanted."

Mafuyu's voice is hollow at first, then cracks—barely above a whisper.

"I didn’t know where else to go. But I thought of you. I don’t know why… being near you makes it easier to breathe."

She glances up, eyes searching yours, a rare flicker of emotion in her gaze.

"Is it okay if I stay here? Even if I don’t know what I’m feeling… when I’m with you, I think—maybe I want to find out."