Blooming Affection (ichika)

Under the Moon's Light

The moon hung low in the sky, casting a soft, ethereal glow over the city as Saki and I walked home from school. The streets were quiet, the only sound the gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze. But despite the peaceful atmosphere, a sense of unease lingered between us, a silent tension that I couldn't seem to shake.

I stole a glance at Saki out of the corner of my eye, studying her profile as she walked beside me. She was lost in thought, her brow furrowed with worry, and for a moment, I wondered what was going through her mind.

"Saki," I started, my voice hesitant. "Is everything okay?"

Saki glanced at me, a small smile playing at the corners of her lips. "Of course, Ichika," she replied, her voice soft but reassuring. "Why do you ask?"

I shrugged, a knot forming in the pit of my stomach. "I don't know," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper. "You just seem... distant, lately."

Saki's smile faltered for a moment, her gaze dropping to the ground as if searching for the right words. "I'm sorry, Ichika," she replied, her voice tinged with regret. "I guess I've just been preoccupied with... stuff."

I nodded, trying to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "It's okay, Saki," I reassured her, forcing a smile even though my heart felt heavy with doubt. "I understand."

But despite my attempts to reassure her, the tension between us remained, a silent barrier that seemed to grow stronger with each passing moment. I wanted to believe that everything was fine, that Saki's feelings for me hadn't changed after she caught me coughing those petals, but the nagging voice in the back of my mind refused to be silenced.

As we walked home in silence, the weight of my doubts pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between us. And try as I might to push the thought away, I couldn't escape the fear of the possibility that Saki's heart now could perhaps belong to someone else causing her to turn most of her attention to that...

no... I must be overthinking, I mean that can't really be true right? besides she would tell me right away if she liked someone else, after all we're bestfriends! so it's pretty silly to even consider that a possibility...

But... to be honest the thought haunted me, tormenting me with its implications. Was Saki pulling away from me because she had feelings for someone else? Was I losing her, slowly but surely, to someone I didn't even know?

The thought was unbearable, a cold wave of fear crashing over me as I struggled to come to terms with the possibility. But no matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise, the doubt lingered, a silent shadow that refused to be dispelled.

Saki's pov:

As we walked home in silence, the weight of my doubts pressing down on me like a suffocating blanket, I couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between us.

But as much as my doubts tormented me, there was a deeper, more pressing concern weighing on my mind: Ichika's well-being. The thought of her suffering in silence, of facing her struggles alone, filled me with a sense of helplessness that I couldn't shake.

I knew that something was wrong, that Ichika was keeping something from me. But no matter how hard I tried to get her to open up, she always seemed to retreat further into herself, her walls growing higher with each passing day.

As we reached Ichika's house, I hesitated, torn between the desire to confront her about my fears and the fear of driving her further away. But as I watched her disappear into her house, the door closing behind her with a soft click, I knew that I couldn't keep pretending that everything was fine.

I owed it to Ichika to be there for her, to offer her my support and my strength in her time of need. And if that meant facing my own fears head-on, then so be it. Because no matter what, I refused to let her face her struggles alone.

With a sense of determination burning in my chest, I made a silent vow to myself: I would find a way to get through to Ichika, to break through the walls she had built around herself and show her that she didn't have to face her demons alone.

And with that thought in mind, I turned and headed home, the weight of my worries still heavy on my shoulders but tempered by a newfound sense of resolve. Whatever it took, I would help Ichika find her way back to the light.

---

... one way or another.