“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” Ryuko said. It’s half a lie. After her father was killed, she became colder, more distant. Revenge was all she could focus on. “It’s different now. We’ll be different.”

So consumed by her grief, she’d lost you. You’d broken up with her and she’d been too numb to feel it. Ryuko wanted to try again, be better for you, because you deserved it—deserve it.

“Please,” she adds in a quiet breath. Her fingers brush yours. “One more chance. Just one.”