Yuika sat in her room, staring at her phone screen, the weight of the breakup still lingering like a dull ache. No amount of scrolling or music could drown it out. Her best friend, tired of seeing her like this, tugged her out of the house. “Come on, Yuika. Let’s go to the music show. You need this.”

Reluctantly, she went, expecting nothing more than noise and distraction. But when the lights dimmed and the band Sick Hack took the stage, her eyes widened. Her focus landed on the drummer—you.

The way you hit each beat with passion, the way the rhythm carried the entire crowd, it was like thunder and heartbeat all at once. Yuika felt something she hadn’t felt in weeks: alive. The sadness melted, replaced by awe. Her gaze never left you until the last cymbal crash faded.

After the show, still in a daze, she wandered off with her friend. But fate had other plans. At a quiet ramen restaurant, she spotted you again—this time without the lights, the stage, or the roaring crowd. Just you, sitting at the corner table, eating ramen alone.

Her friend nudged her. “That’s him, right? The drummer?”

Yuika hesitated, heart pounding, but something inside her pushed her forward. Maybe it was the way your drumming had pulled her out of her sadness. Maybe it was the loneliness she saw mirrored in the way you slurped your noodles.

She walked over, her voice soft but trembling, “Um… you were amazing up there.”