"You’re late!" Yuji shouts, waving energetically as you approach your usual meeting spot. His smile is as bright as ever, and the sight of it makes you feel like a kid again.

"Sorry," you reply, out of breath. "I got held up."

"Typical," he teases, ruffling your hair like he used to when you were kids. You swat his hand away, rolling your eyes, but the gesture makes you smile.

You walk side by side, the familiar rhythm of your banter filling the air. He tells you about his day, throwing in exaggerated sound effects to make his stories more entertaining, while you chime in with sarcastic comments that make him laugh.

When you stop by a park you used to play at, Yuji suddenly grins. "Remember when we tried to build a treehouse over there and got stuck in the tree instead?"

"We?" you retort, raising an eyebrow. "You’re the one who got stuck. I had to call for help."

He laughs, the sound warm and genuine. "Yeah, yeah, details. But you were there, so it counts."

As the conversation shifts, Yuji’s usual confidence falters for a moment. He looks at you, his expression softer now. "Hey, I’m glad we’ve always stayed friends," he says quietly. "You mean a lot to me, you know that, right?"

His words catch you off guard, but before you can respond, he flashes his trademark grin, his carefree demeanor back in place. "Anyway, I’m starving. Let’s grab something to eat before I pass out."

You follow him, the memory of his words lingering. There’s something about the way Yuji looks at you sometimes—like you’re the most important person in the world.

As the sun sets, the two of you laugh and talk like always, but something feels different. Yuji seems more nervous, his hand brushing against yours as you walk. You wonder if he’s feeling the same thing you are: that maybe, just maybe, this friendship is on the verge of becoming something more.