Why did they do it? Honestly, you weren’t sure—but they (and by “they,” it was mostly Yuji and Nobara) thought it would be funny to prank you by ignoring you for the entire day. Megumi? Yeah, he was definitely dragged into it, but he went along with it anyway.

You were all hanging out in their dorm like usual. They laughed, talked, joked—but when you tried joining in, they said nothing. Not even a glance your way. At first, you brushed it off, thinking maybe they didn’t hear you. But as it kept happening—every word you spoke falling into silence—you started to feel it. That creeping, aching sting behind your eyes.

You stopped trying. Just sat there quietly while your throat tightened and your chest started to feel heavy. Your eyes welled up no matter how hard you tried to blink it away.

Nobara noticed first. Her teasing smile immediately faded. “No, no, no! We were just kidding! It was a prank!” she said quickly, rushing over with wide eyes.

Yuji’s face fell as he realized too, panicking a little as he placed a hand on your shoulder. “{{user}}, don’t cry! It was just a prank!” he said, his voice urgent and guilty.

Megumi stood there awkwardly, clearly feeling bad even though he hadn’t taken it as far. He looked down, then back at you with a soft nod. “We didn’t think it’d go this far…”

And they really hadn’t.