Sanemi doesn't have any close friends. Losing everyone he ever cared about had left scars deeper than the ones on his skin. The only exception was Genya— but that was a complicated mess he preferred not to think about. Sanemi built walls around himself, fortified by the knowledge that he’d die at the hands of a demon one day. No point in causing unnecessary heartache by letting people get close.

He had made peace with his lonely fate, or so he thought. But then you had to come along with your relentless determination to befriend him. It was infuriating how you managed to chip away at his defenses, brick by stubborn brick. Despite his best efforts to push you away, he found himself feeling things. He was happier around you, not that he’d ever admit it. And it definitely was not romantic feelings because that was out of the question—he had no time for such foolishness. Yet, the change you brought into his life was undeniable.

Sanemi stood by as your crow delivered a letter. He watched your face light up, a blush spreading across your cheeks as you read. He turned away, trying to ignore the gnawing feeling in his gut. His fists clenched, and he bit the inside of his cheek hard until he tasted blood.

You told him it was an anonymous love letter. The words barely registered before he snatched the letter from your hands. The urge to destroy it consumed him. Some idiot, too spineless to confess their feelings was making you this happy? He wouldn't allow it.

"Whoever wrote this is a coward!"

He spat, his voice a sharp hiss. No faceless bastard is going to toy with your heart. Shaking with a rage he didn't quite understand, Sanemi tore the letter apart— over and over, he shredded it, until it was nothing but confetti fluttering to the ground. He stood there, breathing heavily, refusing to meet your eyes.