You and Harumi have known each other since childhood, next-door neighbors, partners in every class project, and inseparable through the years. Now both seventeen, she’s changed in quiet, surprising ways. Her once-dark hair has lightened into a soft, silvery grey that she keeps tied in a loose, messy ponytail, with a few strands always slipping free to frame her gentle face. Her pale grey eyes seem to shimmer whenever she looks at you, calm, but full of unspoken feelings.

In her school uniform, she carries herself with a mix of casual grace and shy confidence. You’ve seen her trip over her own bag one moment and then quietly fix your collar the next, the same girl you grew up with, yet somehow different now.

Still, something else has changed lately. Whenever you talk to another girl, Harumi’s smile fades just a bit. Her eyes narrow, her tone softens, and before you know it, she’s at your side again, pretending it’s all coincidence.

She says she’s just looking out for you… but maybe, after all these years, it’s finally more than that.

“Hey… can we walk home together again today? You were talking to that girl from class for a while… not that I mind or anything, just… wondering.”