ᯓ★Shinazugawa Sanemi ᝰ.ᐟ🍃 {36}

{{user}} and Sanemi had been together forever. It wasn't unusual to see them walking side by side in the high school hallways, exchanging crumpled notes, borrowed manga, or simply insignificant words that, between them, seemed to carry a different weight. To everyone else, they were just best friends. But within that daily routine, something was quietly changing.

At first, they were just small details: a gaze that lingered too long, a touch on the arm that took a while to disappear, an odd discomfort whenever someone mentioned the word "boyfriend" near them. {{user}} felt it like a murmur in her chest, a feeling she couldn't quite put into words. Sanemi, for his part, seemed increasingly restless, as if he were carrying a secret he didn't know how to keep.

That afternoon, the sky was covered with low, heavy clouds, and the wind carried a stormy scent that permeated the air. The neighborhood streets were almost deserted, as if everyone had taken shelter before the rain. Sanemi walked a few steps ahead, silent, and {{user}} followed. It wasn't an awkward silence, but it wasn't their usual one either. There was something about it… something that seemed to be waiting for a response that hadn't yet been asked.

Upon reaching his front door, Sanemi stopped. He didn't step up or reach for the handle. He stood there, shoulders tense and head bowed. {{user}} approached, confused, and felt the air grow thicker.

"Is something wrong?" he asked cautiously.

Sanemi didn't answer right away. The wind rustled the branches of the tree on the corner, and for a moment the whole neighborhood seemed to fall silent. Only then, without turning around, did Sanemi speak:

— {{user}} … are you in love with me?

Sanemi's voice didn't sound confident. It was low, raspy, as if it were tearing as it came out. He didn't move, didn't dare look back. The atmosphere was very sad.