The next morning brought no rain, but the sky remained a heavy, quiet gray.
Leo stepped onto campus early, the soles of his shoes still damp from yesterday's storm. The world smelled faintly of wet asphalt and blooming grass—one of those strange combinations that felt both calming and melancholic.
He headed toward the courtyard tree, the one he'd unconsciously started using as his personal thinking spot. A place where conversations seemed to find him rather than the other way around.
Today was no exception.
"Leo."
He turned. Yuki stood there, dressed in her usual mix of school uniform and chaotic accessories—a pink scrunchie on one wrist, mismatched socks, a badge that read 'Melon Soda Enthusiast.'
Leo gave a half-smile. "Hey."
Yuki didn't smile back. "Can we talk?"
He nodded. "Yeah."
They sat under the tree. For a moment, neither said anything.
Then Yuki broke the silence.
"I saw you and Rin yesterday."
Leo blinked. "You saw?"
"From the hallway window."
He hesitated. "We were just talking."
"I know," she said. "I watched long enough to see you say thank you."
Leo looked away. "I wasn't hiding anything."
"I didn't say you were."
A long pause. Then Yuki inhaled deeply.
"Do you remember the first week you transferred?" she asked.
Leo nodded slowly. "Yeah."
"You were quiet. Everyone noticed. But you smiled when I gave you that melon soda. That was the first time I thought… maybe you needed someone."
Leo glanced at her, surprised by the vulnerability in her voice.
"I didn't know what to do with that feeling," she continued. "So I just… kept showing up. With soda. With jokes. With too many text messages."
"I appreciated all of it," Leo said.
"Did you?" Yuki asked, voice a little softer. "Or were you just being polite?"
Leo didn't answer right away.
He reached into his bag and pulled out something small.
It was the first melon soda can she had given him. He had kept it, washed and crushed slightly, now flattened and laminated like a strange memento.
Yuki's eyes widened.
"I didn't know what I was feeling back then either," Leo said quietly. "But I wasn't just being polite."
For a long moment, Yuki said nothing. Then she laughed—soft and genuine.
"That's the dumbest thing I've ever seen."
Leo smiled. "I know."
"But it's also kind of sweet."
They sat in silence again.
Then Yuki said, "Let's walk to class. Together."
He stood, and for the first time in days, the weight in his chest felt lighter.
---
During lunch, Kai slid into his seat beside Leo with a grin.
"So, melon soda girl again, huh?"
Leo rolled his eyes. "She has a name."
"Yes, but nicknames are more iconic."
"I'm starting to think I need to give you a nickname."
Kai snapped his fingers. "How about Emotional Support Bro?"
"…I hate that it fits."
---
That evening, Leo stayed behind after class to clean up some club materials.
As he carried boxes toward the supply room, a familiar voice called out.
"Need a hand?"
He turned—Aira.
She was in casual clothes, her school blazer slung over one shoulder, her expression hesitant.
"Uh—sure," he said.
They moved boxes together, working quietly. At one point, their hands brushed. Aira pulled back.
"Sorry."
Leo shook his head. "It's fine."
When the last box was set down, Aira leaned against the wall.
"I know things got weird between us," she said.
Leo nodded. "They did."
"I don't want that. I don't want to disappear again."
"You won't," he said.
She looked up, surprised.
Leo smiled slightly. "You're stubborn. Like me. We'll probably clash a lot. But… I don't want to lose what we had."
"…Friends?" she asked.
He nodded. "Friends."
Aira smiled. "Okay. Friends."
As she turned to go, she added over her shoulder, "But if you hurt any of those girls, I will dropkick you."
Leo chuckled. "Fair."
---
That night, Leo lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
One step forward with Yuki.
One repaired bridge with Aira.
And somewhere in the middle of it all, Rin and Hana, each carrying her own weight, waiting for their moments.
It was messy.
It was complicated.
It was his life now.
And somehow… that was okay.