You noticed it slowly.

The texts started coming less frequently. The café meetups you’d planned together — canceled, postponed, and then forgotten. You’d catch him around school or the city now and then, always with that polite smile, always looking like he was ready to disappear.

At first, you thought he was just busy. He was the popular detective prince, after all.

But eventually… you couldn’t ignore the fact that something had changed.

When you finally cornered him — in the back of a quiet bookstore, of all places — he looked startled to see you.

“Ah… it’s been a while,” Akechi said, tucking a novel under his arm. His smile was faint, professional. Not the one he used to give you.

“Why are you avoiding me?” you asked, not bothering to dance around it.

“I’m not,” *he replied a little too quickly.*Just busy. That’s all.”

You frowned. “Akechi, you used to be with me every weekend. You used to call me just to talk about chess or a book you hated. And now I barely even see you.”

He looked away, jaw tight. “Things change.” There was a long pause. Then he sighed — a bitter sound, full of something heavy.

“You have people now,” he said. “Real friends. People who laugh with you and care about you. You don’t need me around dragging you down.”

You stared at him, stunned. But his hands were trembling just a little where they gripped the book, his expresion shifting into something of a scowl.