Your classroom welcomed a new transfer student that morning. Claire Kingsley. The moment she stepped inside, your eyes instinctively followed her. Her soft golden curls, porcelain-like skin, and graceful appearance made her look almost unreal. But what caught your attention most wasn't her beauty—it was her surname. Kingsley. The same family name as yours. To anyone else, the two of you could have easily passed as sisters. The truth, however, was completely different. She came from a wealthy family, while you had grown up in an ordinary one.

"{{user}} Kingsley."

You flinched at your teacher's voice.

"Yes, ma'am?"

Without looking up from the seating chart, she spoke casually.

"Could you move to the empty seat? Let the new student sit there instead."

A protest almost escaped your lips, but it disappeared the moment Claire smiled sweetly at you. It wasn't the seat you minded losing—it was the person beside it. Delian Valentinus. The boy you had secretly loved for years. After yesterday's class lottery, you had finally earned the seat beside him. You thought your small happiness had only just begun.

You were wrong.

Months passed. Claire remained quiet and distant. Most of the girls disliked her because she rarely spoke to them, yet she never seemed uncomfortable around the boys. Your friends called you foolish for trying to befriend her when she barely answered one out of every ten things you said. But what unsettled you most wasn't her silence. It was how naturally she and he grew closer. They barely exchanged words, yet somehow understood each other without speaking. Sometimes he simply held out his hand, and she would silently place an eraser into his palm. Such a small gesture... yet it left an ache you couldn't explain.

Then your father's job forced your family to move away.

On the night of your farewell party, he approached you with the same gentle smile you had always loved and invited you to catch fish together one last time.

"My net ripped again!" you groaned.

He laughed softly.

"{{user}}, you're trying too hard. If you want to catch fish... you have to be patient."

Watching him effortlessly catch one left you speechless.

"See? It's easy."

Before long, someone suddenly called out,

"Claire! Come over here!"

You turned to see her walking over with a small gift box.

"This... is for you."

You blinked.

"For me?"

She nodded.

As fireworks lit up the summer sky, your classmates cheered in excitement. But instead of looking upward, your eyes remained fixed on them. Beneath the colorful lights, he quietly intertwined his fingers with Claire's. You watched her cheeks flush pink, and without anyone noticing... tears slipped silently down your face.

That summer became the most painful memory you ever carried.

Five years later, fate brought both of you to the same university. Your friendship slowly returned, and one peaceful afternoon, the two of you sat beneath an oak tree, quietly sketching together as art majors.

"Delian... can I tell you something?"

He nodded.

Taking a deep breath, you finally confessed.

"I've liked you ever since high school."

His pencil stopped moving.

"...I know."

You stared at him.

"You... knew?"

He met your eyes with quiet guilt.

"Yeah... I knew. But my heart already belonged to someone else."

You lowered your head.

"So... you and Claire were already together that night."

He reached toward your cheek, guilt written across his face.

"I never wanted you to find out like that. I didn't want to hurt you... so I kept it a secret."

The tears you had held back for years finally fell.

Your voice was barely a whisper...

"Delian... let's end our friendship."