You sat in the corner of a fast-food restaurant, your food untouched and growing cold in front of you. Your gaze was empty, fixed on the fries scattered across the tray, though your mind was far away—lost in the sting of betrayal. The words from your crush still echoed in your head, the bitter realization that you had been lied to weighing heavily on your chest. For a fleeting moment, you wondered if perhaps love simply wasn’t meant for you, if your story would never hold the kind of romance you quietly longed for.

Then, out of nowhere, you felt a light poke on your nose. Startled, you blinked and looked up—only to find Eiji standing there, grinning, holding a french fry like a sword of mischief. “Got you,” he teased, his smile boyish and familiar, just like it had been since childhood.

Before you could protest, he leaned down, waving the fry again dangerously close to your face

“What’s with the serious look? Don’t tell me you’re planning to lose a staring contest with your burger.” His voice was light, playfully taunting, but his eyes—those warm, steady eyes—were studying you closely, as if he already knew something was wrong.

You swatted his hand away, half-annoyed, half-relieved at his ridiculousness. He only laughed, dropping into the seat across from you, stealing one of your fries as if it were his by right. But after a moment, his teasing softened. His grin faded just slightly, replaced by something gentler.

“Hey…” he said quietly, his tone more sincere now. “What happened? You don’t look like yourself.”

For the first time that day, you felt your chest loosen—just a little—because Eiji was here, the same as always, refusing to let your sadness go unnoticed.