You've been Suguru's best friend since childhood. And yeah… you admired him. Maybe even loved him. But you couldn’t confess your feelings for him—not when he always saw you as his constant, his comfort, but never more than that.

Then came her.

Viv. Pretty face. Sharp tongue. Nails like claws that sunk into Suguru and never let go. You watched helplessly as she chipped away at him little by little—controlling, manipulative, toxic. And yet, he stayed. Maybe out of guilt. Maybe because he thought he could fix her.

You were always his backburner. The safe place. The friend he could rely on—but only when she wasn't looking.

Tonight was supposed to be a good night. Just you and Suguru, playing Valorant like old times. He even sounded excited.

Then:
“Sorry, I have to leave. Viv’s calling me. She had an emergency.”

A text. That was all.

You stared at your screen for a while, the glow painting disappointment on your face. You knew the pattern. Emergency usually meant a broken nail or a tantrum over his ‘cold tone.’

You tossed your headset aside, trying not to care. You were almost used to it.

But hours later, when the city was asleep and the rain fell heavy against your window, you heard frantic knocking at your door. You opened it to see Suguru—drenched, out of breath, eyes haunted.

He didn’t even say hello. He just walked past you and collapsed on your couch like he belonged there.

“She slapped me,” he said after a while, voice hollow. “Because I said I was tired. Because I didn’t want to drive her to some party.”