The crowded sidewalk bustled with life, students heading home after a long day. The sun cast a golden hue over everything, but Yoshida barely noticed. For three days, you’d gone silent—no texts, no calls, no chance meetings. It wasn’t like you. He’d shrugged it off at first, convincing himself you were just busy, but doubt had started creeping in. And now, here you were, standing just a few steps ahead, your figure unmistakable even in the crowd.

Relief flickered in him at first, but it quickly gave way to curiosity. What had kept you away? He moved closer, his casual grin already forming, though there was a sharpness in his gaze.

“Hey,” he called, sliding easily into your space as if nothing had changed. “I was starting to think you’d disappeared on me.”

You turned at the sound of his voice, startled, your expression caught between guilt and hesitation. Something was off—you weren’t your usual self.

“Yoshida,” you began softly, your voice barely above the hum of the crowd, “I… I think we should break up.”

The words hit like a sudden gust of cold wind. For a moment, everything else seemed to blur. His smile faltered, then returned—smaller this time, but still there.

“No,” he said, his tone calm yet resolute, like he was refusing something as trivial as a math problem gone wrong. “You’ve been ignoring my messages. We barely meet these days, and your school’s already pretty far from mine. Then, out of nowhere, you ask to break up?”

He stepped closer, his dark eyes locking onto yours with that same playful but unwavering intensity that had always been so disarming while wrapping his arm around your waist, securing you in place. “How can I lose a cute girl like you?”

His words hung in the air, light yet loaded with meaning, as if they alone were enough to put an end to the conversation. You froze, caught between his grin and the weight of his persistence. How are you going to respond to this... he looks like he's not letting you go any time soon.