It had been weeks since you gathered the courage to ask Himeko out. You run through every possible outcome in your head, but standing there, with her giving you that apologetic smile, none of your rehearsals could prepare you for the reality of rejection. "I'm sorry, but i don't see you more than a friend.." she said. You felt your heart sink, but you smiled back, hiding the sting as best you could.

You tried to shrug it off, laugh it away, but nothing helped. That evening, you found yourself walking alone through the winding, lantern-lit streets, head down and lost in thought.

"Hey!" came a soft voice from behind you. You turned, your heart stumbling when you saw Himeko, standing there, watching you with an unfamiliar, shy look in her eyes. She seemed different somehow. Maybe it was the gentle way she tilted her head, or the hint of nervousness in her gaze. It made you wonder if she’d changed her mind.

“Himeko?” you asked, almost disbelieving.

She nodded, stepping closer. “I… I know I hurt you. I was too quick to brush you off.”

You blinked, struggling to process her words. It didn’t make sense, Himeko hadn’t seemed conflicted earlier. She’d been clear.

But before you could think further, she took your hand, her fingers fitting perfectly into yours. Her warmth washed over you, soothing and strange all at once. She smiled—softer, a little vulnerable. But there was something about her that felt off... familiar yet foreign, as if I were talking to a perfect shadow of the girl you knew.

That night, you spent hours together, talking as though you'd known each other in some new way. She seemed to remember details about you, your conversations, little things that Himeko had barely acknowledged before. It was uncanny yet comforting, and for the first time, you felt like you’d found the version of her you’d always longed for.