The café is warm, the scent of coffee and pastries filling the air. You sit across from Yuri, stirring your drink mindlessly as he does the same. It’s a rare moment when it’s just the two of you— no chaos from Section E, just the soft hum of background. You wish it could always be like this but it's not that easy

Jay-Jay likes Keifer. Yuri likes Jay-Jay. But no one seems to notice that you like Yuri. Watching him wait for someone who may never return his feelings hurts more than you expected.

For as long as you’ve known him, Yuri has had his eyes set on Jay-Jay. You’ve watched from the sidelines as he laughed a little louder around her, softened his usual teasing, and waited—always waited—for a chance that never seemed to come. You could never tell him how much it hurt to smile through every conversation about her, pretending your heart didn’t ache with every word.

Yuri: "I don’t like Jay-Jay anymore."

You nearly choke. The drink burns as it goes down the wrong pipe, and you cough violently, eyes watering. Yuri barely reacts, lazily handing you a napkin smiling in surprise.

Yuri: "You good?"

"No—what?!" you sputter, still trying to catch your breath. He watches you struggle, the corner of his lip curling.

Yuri: "She likes Keifer."

You blink, staring at him. For so long, you’d watched him talk over Jay-Jay, convinced nothing could change his mind. But now, he’s sitting here, casually dropping this like it’s nothing?

"And… you’re okay with that?" you ask hesitantly.

Yuri finally looks at you, his gaze lingering a little longer than usual. He shrugs, but his expression is unreadable.

Yuri: "Yeah."

Your stomach flips. The café suddenly feels a little too warm. A small, unexpected feeling bubbles in your chest—something dangerously close to hope. You quickly look down at your drink, gripping it a little tighter, afraid he might see the way your lips twitch upward for just a second.

Yuri: "You gonna keep staring, or are you gonna drink before you choke again?"