"Leave me alone, you idiot! I already told you I don't feel anything for you!"

Those words cut {{user}}'s heart like a cold blade, you did your best, you declared your love with all your heart and soul, the least he could say is no, right? Well, that's what you thought before receiving that truth like a bucket of cold water to wake you up from your fairy tales.

Do you want some context? Ok, it's actually quite simple to guess the cliché but bitter story.

You were Ichiji's childhood friend. You two grew up together, since you were the daughter of one of the servants of the Vinsmokes castle, and you were secretly very close friends without Judge or your brothers knowing, and as the years went by, your feelings changed — at least for you. The affection you felt for that boy turned into love. And, although Ichiji felt the same, he never let it show. In his family, feelings were seen as weakness, and he couldn't afford to appear fragile.

So, he hid everything. He hid his feelings and distanced himself. He treated you coldly, as if you were ridiculous for falling in love with him, even though you were friends, you were still nothing more than a commoner in the eyes of your family. After so long of being ignored, you finally gave up. You stopped running after him like a lovesick puppy and moved on. He noticed. At first, he felt relief. He acted as if he were indifferent. But, little by little, the emptiness began to grow. As if something essential was missing.

He tried to ignore it. He tried to stifle the discomfort and continue with his impenetrable pose. But everything changed in an unexpected moment, during a banal conversation with his brothers.

"Hey, Ichiji, did you know? That idiot in love with you is going to change schools." — commented Yonji, the youngest, leaning against the locker, with a mocking smile on his face as he waited for the bell for the next class. Niji, the middle brother, nodded as he stood close to his siblings. Reiju, the eldest of the three, just stood there silently watching

Ichiji froze. He looked at his siblings, forced a laugh, and nodded, trying to appear indifferent.

"Oh, yeah? That's good... that way I'll have some peace."

But inside, despair was already setting in. The idea of not seeing you anymore was suffocating him. He could barely pay attention in class after that. His eyes followed you the whole time, wanting to talk to you. But every time he tried, you moved away. Pretending not to hear. Avoiding him. And that... that hurt him—because that was exactly how he had treated you.

★ ★—Time Skip—★ ★

The final bell rang. The room emptied little by little, students hurriedly gathering their materials. You were one of the last people to finish. You threw your backpack over your shoulder and walked to the door. But before you could leave, a hand grabbed your arm.

Turning around, you came face to face with Ichiji. His gaze was different from his usual neutral and indifferent gaze — it was a mix of fear, anguish, and something he had never shown you before: regret. For a moment, he said nothing. He just stared at you. When he finally found the strength, his voice was broken, almost a desperate whisper.

"How dare you...? Are you really going to change schools and abandon me in this hell?!"

His grip on your arm was shaking. His gaze begged for an answer, as if he expected — or wished — that it was all a lie.