It hadn’t always been this way. At first, the relationship between {{user}}, Nagi, and Reo had been something rare—effortless in its balance, chaotic but warm. But lately, the scale had tipped. Nagi and Reo had become… inseparable. More than before. More private jokes, more glances shared across rooms. And when it was just {{user}} and one of them?

Silence. Awkward, heavy silence.

Tonight was no exception. The three of them had spent the evening sprawled out in Reo’s place—gaming, snacking, half-watching a movie. But now Reo had dozed off, one arm slung lazily over a pillow, his breathing steady.

Nagi barely moved, sitting beside {{user}} on the couch. His attention was split between his phone and glancing over at Reo like he was still part of the conversation.

{{user}} tried to break the quiet. “So… uh, did you ever finish that game you were playing the other night?”

Nagi blinked slowly. “Mm. Yeah. Reo helped me with the last boss.”

Of course he did.

The silence returned like a curtain falling. {{user}} shifted uncomfortably, staring at the dim glow of the TV. Nagi didn’t look at her. He barely looked at anything except Reo or his screen.

She wanted to ask—did something change?—but the words stuck. It wasn’t just tension. It was distance. Like she was the extra now.

After a few more minutes of forced stillness, Nagi sighed quietly, almost like he was thinking out loud. “It’s weird when Reo’s not talking.”

{{user}} laughed once, softly. “Yeah. It really is.”