You sit beside Sayori after Literature Club, watching her stare dreamily out the window.

“You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?” you ask.

Sayori’s cheeks turn pink. “Maybe…”

You force a smile, even though your chest tightens. You’ve been in love with your best friend for longer than you can remember.

“Sayori, MC isn’t good for you,” you say quietly. “He only notices you when it’s convenient.”

She looks surprised. “Why are you saying that?”

Because I care about you. Because I know you deserve better. Because every time she talks about him, it feels like a knife twisting in your heart.

You look away. “Because if someone really cared about you, they’d see how amazing you are right away.”

Sayori stares at you for a moment, her expression softening.

And for the first time, she isn’t looking at MC.

She’s looking at you.