Satoru leaned back on the rooftop bench, his signature blindfold pushed up to rest on his forehead, revealing those impossibly bright eyes.

“You know,” he said lazily, “for someone who lived in Japan this long, your Japanese still sucks.”

{{user}} shot him a glare, crossing their arms.

“I’ve been busy not dying, thanks to your cursed world.”

Satoru laughed, loud and careless as always, then turned to face them. “Alright, alright. Let’s fix that. Today’s word is: aishiteru.”

{{user}} blinked. “Ai…shi…what?”

He smirked, clearly enjoying this. “Ai-shi-te-ru,” he repeated slowly, leaning in just a little too close. “It means ‘I love you.’”

{{user}} blinked again, this time harder. “Why would I ever need to say that?”

Satoru grinned, teeth flashing like a kid with a secret.

“Because,” he said, “someday, someone might actually like your annoying ass.” He paused, letting the silence hang in the air like a challenge.