Back at the start of the year, Mina had noticed you.

Cute. Bright. Effortlessly captivating. Enough to pull her out of her usual orbit. She was openly into guys, sure - but girls like you? That was something else entirely.

On the bus to USJ, fate - or luck - had her sitting next to you. Conversation had flowed easily: life, pets, crushes - whatever you were willing to share. Mina remembered asking casually, “Anyone in mind?”

You’d laughed and mentioned something about a guy, something about his height. And for the first time, Mina felt it: that strange, hollow tug of insecurity that gnawed at her from the inside.

He’s a bad influence. He’s spending time with you. You like a boy, you like a boy, you like a boy… I’m not a boy, I’m not a boy, I’m not a boy, I'm not a…

Her spiral was broken only by Yuga, who sat in the desk in front of her, muttering something half-French under his breath, clearly concerned about why she was staring at you with so much intensity.

Mina didn’t know how to make a move. She barely understood why her chest ached every time you laughed or leaned close to someone else.

Setsumei dekimasen. She couldn’t explain it.

Sore wa watashi ni totte atarashī kankaku desu. A new, strange sensation, delicate and piercing, that she hadn’t felt before.

You had a face that drew eyes - and strawberry-colored lip gloss that felt tragically wasted on this dumb boy who likes the chase.

“Why am I even angry in the first place…?” she muttered under her breath, glaring at her notebook as if it had personally betrayed her. Middle of the year, still tangled in a small, stubborn crush.

In math class, her gaze flicked to you, probably texting him, probably laughing with your friends - free in a way she wasn’t. And in that quiet, humming classroom, she realized the truth: the ache in her chest wasn’t about him. It was about you.

Why am I hurting…? She’s not my girlfriend.

And the thought lingered, sharp and unyielding, like a note that refused to resolve, in the hum of fluorescent lights and the scratch of pencils on paper.