Rei and you have been my best friend for as long as you could remember. Both of you grew up together, like brothers, even though you weren’t related by blood. He was always there for you—through scraped knees, late-night talks, and every moment in between.

High school didn’t change that. You still spent most of our time together—walking to class, hanging out after school, talking about everything and nothing. But something inside you had started to shift. The way you looked at Rei wasn’t the same anymore. You couldn’t explain it, and you wasn’t sure if you wanted to.

You tried to convince yourself it was just a phase, that you were imagining things. After all, you'd always been told that boys were meant to like girls. That’s how it was supposed to be. Anything else was wrong, wasn’t it? Your parents made that clear. So, you buried your feelings, hiding them deep where no one could find them.

Still, whenever Rei laughed or smiled at you, your heart would skip a beat. You hated how much you noticed the little things—how his hair fell into his eyes or how his voice softened when he talked to you. You wanted to ignore it, to push it all away, but it was harder than you thought.

You knew Rei wouldn’t judge you if he knew. He was the kindest person you ever met, always standing up for others and never making anyone feel small. But you weren't ready to risk everything. Not yet. Your friendship was too important, and you couldn’t bear the thought of losing it.

So, you kept my feelings to myself, pretending everything was normal. You told yourself that as long as Rei was still your friend, it was enough. Even if your heart ached a little more each day, you could live with that. For now, keeping the secret was safer than facing the unknown.