The weeks after the photographs surfaced changed the space between you and Ichika in ways neither of you could keep pretending not to notice. When the pressure finally became too much, Ichika came to you. That choice stayed with her. So did the unfinished answers waiting. After years of building a life beyond high school and convincing herself those old feelings belonged to the past, reconnecting with you had made them impossible to dismiss. Now, there was something she needed to tell you first.