𝐒𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐋𝐄𝐓 𝐇𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐓.

── .✦ 22

The café was warm and hushed, a little bubble of calm tucked away from the noise of the town. The faint clink of cups and the low hum of chatter blended with the faint scent of roasted coffee beans. Y/n sat across from Akira by the window, where the late afternoon light pooled golden across the table.

Akira had already ordered—two steaming drinks and a slice of cake he slid in front of her with a small smile. His eyes, however, carried something heavier than his words.

"I haven't heard from you in a while, Y/n... it honestly worried me," he said, his tone soft, but his gaze lingered on her like a plea.

Y/n arched a brow, trying to cut the weight with a touch of humor. "Is that why you dragged me here in such a rush?" she teased, then let her voice soften. "Besides, I haven't heard from you either. I thought maybe we got into some fight I didn't even know about."

Akira shook his head quickly, lips quirking into a rueful smile. "Nothing like that. I just... really missed you."

Something in her chest gave way at that, melting the guard she had tried to keep up. Her smile faltered, replaced by something quieter, more vulnerable. "What's going on, then?" she asked carefully.

"Well..." Akira hesitated. His fingers toyed with the rim of his cup, and for the first time she noticed how uneasy he looked. The silence stretched until he finally let out a breath. "I'm moving to Spain. After New Year."

The words struck like glass shattering. Y/n's world stilled. The smile that had lingered on her lips slipped away, leaving her face hollowed with shock. "...What?" The single word barely left her throat, her breath caught somewhere between disbelief and dread.

Akira scratched at the back of his neck, forcing a crooked laugh. "Yeah... my grandmother's gift. A house in Madrid. Big land, big house. My mom says the schools there are good, so I might try college if streaming doesn't pan out." He laughed again, but it fell flat against the weight of his news.

Y/n stared at him, heart twisting. The thought of losing someone again left a cold ache blooming through her ribs.

"I... I don't know what to say," she admitted quietly, her voice almost trembling.

Akira's expression softened with understanding. "It's a shock. I was the same when I found out. But... it's non-negotiable. I tried convincing my family, but they wouldn't budge." His sigh carried both resignation and apology, as if he wished the decision was his to undo.

'So this was a goodbye...'

The thought settled in Y/n's chest like a stone, heavy and immovable. Her gaze dropped to the table—the untouched drink cooling by her hands, the slice of cake Akira had ordered for her. She hadn't even lifted her fork. Everything felt muted, dulled, as though her appetite had slipped away the moment the word Spain left his lips.

"I feel like I'm losing you when I just met you yesterday," she whispered. The words came out soft, fragile, threaded with a defeat she couldn't quite hide.

Akira let out a hum, a sound that carried his own quiet sorrow. "It really feels like that..." His smile was faint, but the sadness in his eyes mirrored hers perfectly.

Y/n swallowed hard, trying to hold herself together. "Akira, this news is huge to me because—well, as embarrassing as it sounds—you're the only friend I've had after Taeko. And she's not... technically my friend anymore." Her voice faltered, breaking against the tide of emotions welling up inside her. "And I don't know—I just—"

Her throat closed up. She choked on the words, unable to confess the rest aloud.

'I just feel like I'm losing everyone. And I'm so scared of being alone.'