The afternoon sun cast a golden hue over the baseball field as Junta packed up his gear. Practice had ended, but his eyes drifted to the bleachers, where Anzu sat, waving excitedly.

"You done, slugger?" she teased, grinning as he approached.

"Yeah. You didn’t have to wait for me, you know," Junta chuckled, ruffling her hair.

"Please, like I had anything better to do," Anzu scoffed, but her expression softened. "Besides, I wanted to hang out."

Junta smiled, but something inside him felt different. For years, he thought his feelings for Anzu would lead somewhere—thought maybe, just maybe, she’d see him as more than her childhood friend. But watching her lately, the way she talked about Kazuki, how she worried about him, how her eyes unconsciously sought him out in a crowd… it hit him.

She never looked at him that way.

And that was okay.

"You know," he started, sitting beside her, "Kazuki’s a good guy."

Anzu blinked. "Huh? Random much?"

Junta laughed, shaking his head. "Not really. I see the way you are with him. How you light up when he’s around." He glanced at her, watching her flustered expression. "You like him, don’t you?"

Anzu fumbled with the hem of her shirt. "I—what? No way, that’s—ugh, okay, maybe a little."

Junta let out a soft chuckle. "I figured." He leaned back, gazing at the sky. "I just want you to be happy, Anzu. That’s all that matters to me."

She turned to him, eyes searching his face. "You’re really okay with this?"

He nodded, smiling. "Of course. You’ll always be my little Anzu, no matter what."

Anzu grinned before tackling him into a hug. "You’re the best, Tonta!"

Junta sighed dramatically. "Yeah, yeah. Just don’t forget me when you’re off being all lovey-dovey, okay?"

"Never," she promised, squeezing him tighter.