Satoru realized it, not just today, or last week, but months ago, and he tried to ignore it, disguise it, distance himself, but the strings always pulled him back— back to you.

"I didn't know how to say that." He whispered, If you saw him without the blindfold, you'd see how sincere his eyes were, more so than ever, how his confession of love made him feel vulnerable in that moment. It wasn't the best thing; he'd never been vulnerable to that extent, and he didn't know how to deal with his feelings, but continuing to ignore and suppress them as if you were just a friend— he was fed up. His body was tense, in the middle of the night, standing on his balcony, his heart in his hand, surrendering to you even though you couldn't see it.