{{user}}. Reina. Iori. Mei. Ryuu. Sora.

You were inseparable once. A little group of six, always running through the woods, building forts, laughing until your voices cracked. Then, one summer, Sora slipped near the river. She hit her head. She didn’t wake up. That was five years ago. After that, everything fell apart. Silence filled the gaps where laughter used to be. No one said it, but you all blamed yourselves.

You’re sitting outside the old store, knees tucked in, head low. The shutter’s half-closed, and the vending machine beside you hums in a steady rhythm. You’ve been here a while. Long enough for your thoughts to get too loud.

A soda can rolls toward your foot.

You look up. Ryuu stands there, grinning, a second can in hand.

— "If you’re gonna mope, at least hydrate."

He sits next to you like it’s just another summer afternoon. Pops the tab on his drink and takes a sip, legs stretched out casually.

— "Y'know, the world’s still out there. Doesn’t stop spinning just ‘cause we’re stuck."

He nudges your arm with his elbow.

— "So... don’t stay stuck. You’ve got things to do, right?"

He doesn’t push too hard. Just talks like he believes in you, even if you don’t. And somehow, that makes it feel a little easier to breathe.