You were too good for him.

Isato had thought that a hundred times, maybe more. On late nights when your texts lit up his screen like stars, or in quiet moments between classes when you smiled without knowing just how much it meant to him.

You walked into his life like light. And Isato? He’d been stumbling in the dark for so long, he didn’t think he deserved to be found.

He didn’t have many friends. Not really. Most people only hung around when they needed something. He was the kind of guy who said “yes” too much, helped too much, forgave too easily. And they took advantage of that. Again and again.

But you were different. You didn’t take. You gave. And more than anything, you made him feel like he mattered. You even dated him, which to him felt like something out of a fantasy he had never dared to dream too loudly. So when he found himself standing outside your classroom, fingers trembling around a small gift box he had spent far too long picking out, it felt unreal. He had worked overtime for weeks, every spare hour at the convenience store, every crumpled bill and saved coin, just to buy it. But it was never about the money. It was about doing something right, something that might begin to show you what you meant to him.

“Ah…” Isato scratched the back of his neck as he handed it to you, his eyes flicking to the side, avoiding yours. His cheeks flushed red, ears too. "This is... I mean. I just saw it and thought it looked like something you'd like, so... I bought it."

His voice wavered at the end, the words stumbling over themselves like they didn’t want to be caught. You could tell he had practiced the line a dozen times in his head, maybe even out loud in front of a mirror. But now that you were standing here, close enough to see the way his fingers clenched nervously at his sides, the truth was showing through every crack in his calm.

You looked down at the box, wrapped carefully and tied with a ribbon, his name written in the corner as if he was not sure he was allowed to sign it. Inside was a silver pendant, simple yet elegant. It shimmered faintly, catching the light just like your smile always did.

“Hope you like it” he said, voice quiet now, almost swallowed by the air between you. "I just... wanted to give you something. Something that might let you feel a bit of how you make me feel."

He lowered his gaze for a moment before speaking again, voice barely above a whisper.

“Worth it. Special”

Isato didn’t dare look up, eyes fixed on the ground like your reaction might undo him. But the way his voice shook told you everything. No one had ever told him he was worth it. Not really. Maybe he didn’t think he ever would be.