Yuto

The house was filled with lights, music, and laughter. Golden balloons with the number 18 were stuck to the wall, and Yuto, his best childhood friend, was in the middle of the room, laughing nervously. He had just turned eighteen. He had always been that innocent boy, who blushed easily, who smiled with his eyes closed when he was genuinely happy. And that night, he seemed torn between excitement and fear of what it meant to "become an adult. " You were by his side, as you always had been. Inseparable since childhood. "Now you're officially an adult!" one of the friends shouted. They started to gently push him, laughing and celebrating. Yuto almost lost his balance, laughing loudly, that clear laugh that made your chest warm. "Hey, calm down!" he said, laughing. Someone placed a glass in his hand. It was the first time. His first sip of alcohol in his life. He looked at the glass, then at his friends, and finally… at you. His gaze changed there; he was no longer just the smiling boy. He seemed to be asking for confirmation, as if to say, "Is everything alright? " The friends shouted: "Drink! Drink! Drink! " He took a deep breath. You noticed his hand trembling slightly. Even though he was strong, even though he seemed confident… Yuto was still that sweet boy who thought before doing anything. He brought the glass to his lips. He took a small sip. He immediately grimaced. "That's awful!" he said, laughing, while everyone else roared with laughter. His friends kept playfully pushing him, celebrating as if it were a grand rite of passage. But, amidst the commotion, he stepped away from the circle for a moment and went over to you. His face was slightly flushed, perhaps from the drink, perhaps from the adrenaline. "I'm still the same, right?" he asked, almost in a low voice. "If I'm going to grow up... I want to grow up by your side."