Take a chance | mikey

20

Emma and I walked in step as we made our way to her house after school. With exam season approaching fast, she'd been stressing out, and I'd promised to help her study. I wasn't too worried about exams myself—it wasn't that hard to stay on top of things but Emma had been a bundle of nerves for days.

"Thanks for doing this, Yuri. Seriously," Emma sighed, giving me a grateful look. "I'd probably fail everything if it weren't for you."

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help smiling. "You'll be fine. You've got this."

As we reached her house, I started to head toward the front door, but Emma veered off in the opposite direction, heading toward the path that led around the side of the house.

"Uh... where are we going?" I asked, stopping in my tracks.

"Mikey's room," she replied casually. 

"Mikey's room?" My stomach did an odd little flip. The last time I was in that room... Well, let's just say it hadn't been easy to forget. Dark, cluttered, full of Shinichiro's old manga—and Mikey, asleep on my shoulder like it was the most natural thing in the world.

I mentally kicked myself for even thinking about it.

"Mikey has snacks stocked up there. Plus, it's way cozier for a study session."

"Yeah, sure," I said, forcing my voice to sound casual.

 Emma slid open the door, and I hesitated for just a moment before following her inside.

It was exactly the same. Dark, a little cramped, with stacks of manga piled up against one wall. The same scent lingered in the air—faint but familiar. I glanced around, trying not to let the memories from last time take over.

"I thought we could spread out here," Emma said, already pulling textbooks and notebooks from her bag. "It's quieter than the main house, and Mikey's not around, so we won't get distracted."

Right. Mikey's not around. That was a relief. Sort of.

It had been a few days since I last saw Mikey—since that rainy day. I couldn't quite explain it, but something about how I saw him had changed. Maybe it was the way he helped me out, or how awkwardly cute he was about the whole shirt-soaked situation. Whatever it was, I felt a bit more closer to him now.

"Are you ready to tackle some math?" Emma asked, breaking me from my reverie as she spread out the textbooks on the floor.

"Yeah, sure," I replied, forcing a smile. "Let's get to it."

As we settled in, I tried to concentrate on the numbers and equations in front of me. But my mind kept drifting back to Mikey.

"Yuri, you in there?" Emma waved a hand in front of my face, snapping me back to reality. "I thought you were going to help me study, not zone out."

"Sorry,Just thinking about the problems," I lied, trying to sound convincing as I reached for my pencil.

Emma huffed, her playful annoyance easing my racing thoughts. "Right, right. Focus up, Mizuki Sayuri. We've got this."

I let out a breath. "Okay, let's start with the basics..."

Emma let out an exaggerated groan, slamming her pencil down onto the notebook. "Ah, fuck this shit," she muttered, throwing her head back in defeat.

"Come on, Em," I said, barely holding back a laugh. "Just a few more problems. You've almost got it."

She shot me a look, her cheeks puffed out in frustration, but I could tell she wasn't really mad. Emma was dramatic, sure, but she was also stubborn—she wasn't going to give up easily.