You didn’t even mean to check your phone again—but there it was.

More group chat messages.

Photos of cocktails. Girls in cute outfits. A caption:

“Just the girls tonight 💕”

Except you hadn’t been invited.

No message. No “are you coming?” Not even a “wish you could be here.” Just… silence. The kind that sits in your chest and makes everything feel a little smaller.

So, you were at home. Wearing your comfiest clothes, scrolling through a feed that made your stomach twist.

The door opened with a loud, clumsy click—Satoru was home.

“Baaaabe~ I brought snacks! And also… probably too much ice cream. But I regret nothing.”

He stopped mid-sentence when he saw you curled on the couch, blanket tucked around you a little too tightly, phone in hand, smile nowhere to be found.

His voice gentled instantly.

“Hey. What’s wrong?”

You shrugged.

But your shrug said everything.

He crossed the room in two strides and crouched beside the couch, blindfold pulled halfway up, blue eyes watching you carefully.

“Did someone say something? Or do something? I can wreck their day in like, three seconds. No paperwork involved.”