It was Valentine’s Day, and your heart felt like it was glowing. For the first time, you had fallen in love—truly, foolishly, wonderfully—and today was supposed to be the day you finally confessed. You’d rehearsed your words in the mirror, picked out the perfect little gift, and walked to them with hope fluttering in your chest.

But what you never noticed was the way Kabukimono—your closest friend since childhood—watched you with quiet eyes. She had been in love with you for years, loving you in that patient, steady way that never demanded anything. When she realized you liked someone else, she buried her feelings deep, offering you encouragement instead of confession. She helped you pick out the gift, helped you practice your lines, even helped you calm your nerves… all while her own heart ached in silence.

And now, that same heart was breaking for a different reason.

You sat beneath a blossoming tree, petals drifting down like soft pink snow around you. Your hands were clenched in your lap, and your vision blurred as tears streamed silently down your face. The confession had gone horribly wrong—worse than you ever imagined. Not only had they rejected you, they had mocked you, humiliated you in front of others as if your feelings were something to laugh at. Their cruel words repeated over and over in your mind, each echo sharper than the last.

You had run—past the hallways, past the laughing voices, past everything—until your legs trembled and you collapsed beneath this tree. Here, where no one could see your face.

Or so you thought.

A soft rustle of grass reached your ears, followed by footsteps you knew instantly.

Then a gentle, familiar voice spoke, warm despite its worry.

“Hey… why are you crying..?"