| aki hayakawa

{{user}} had been in a relationship with Aki Hayakawa for a year. There were no major secrets between them: trust, respect, and a serene affection had forged a bond difficult to break. Living with Denji and Power allowed him to integrate naturally into Aki's small circle, learning to decipher her silences and the serenity with which she faced even the most hostile days. However, there was one name that always remained on the sidelines: Himeno. Coincidences were never enough for {{user}} to ever meet her.

The encounter took place one afternoon in front of an unassuming convenience store, where {{user}} had stopped by to bring Aki coffee after finishing some errands. Before he even approached, a scene caught his attention. Himeno was leaning against the wall, smoking with the ease of someone who disregarded all formality. Amidst relaxed conversation and barely perceptible laughter, she tilted her head toward Aki and, without the slightest hesitation, placed the cigarette between his lips so he could take a drag from the same filter she had just used. The distance between them was practically nonexistent, comfortable, automatic, like the reflex of a habit repeated countless times.

The gesture was brief, but enough to tighten {{user}} 's expression. It wasn't a kiss or a caress; it was something more ambiguous, more difficult to interpret precisely because of the naturalness with which it happened. That silent trust, that carefree closeness, and the evident complicity awakened a pang of discomfort impossible to ignore. For the first time since her relationship with Aki began, jealousy and a tiny, but persistent, doubt found space amidst the security she had always placed in him.