The sky was dimming as the last bell rang, signaling the end of another exhausting school day. I trudged out of the building, weighed down by everything that had happened. It felt like the weight of the world was pressing down on my chest, and the air around me felt thick, suffocating. My mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, guilt, and confusion, all tangled up together. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. And I couldn't stop thinking about Isamu.
The look on his face when he needed me—when he really needed me—and I'd just stood there, frozen. I couldn't shake it. I had done nothing. And even now, after everything, there was still this aching knot in my stomach. I hadn't tried hard enough to save him, but more than that, I hadn't been honest with him.
I needed to talk to Isamu. I had to tell him the truth about everything. About Kaito. I had to stop lying to him, stop pretending like I could handle it on my own. If there was any chance of fixing things, of making things right again, I had to be honest. I couldn't let it go on like this.
I found him outside the school, just like I expected. He was sitting on the edge of the basketball court, his legs dangling off the side, his eyes staring at the ground as if he was trying to make sense of everything. For the first time in days, there was no fire in his eyes, no smile, no sign of the usual warmth he always carried. It was just a dull emptiness—a vacancy that made my chest ache.
"Isamu," I called softly, my voice shaky. I couldn't hide it anymore. I had to face the truth.
He looked up at me, eyes narrowing, clearly surprised to see me. "Taichi? What is it? You look... I don't know. Different."
I froze, my heart pounding. He was too normal. His voice was calm, the usual upbeat tone present, even if there was something in his eyes that didn't quite match. He looked happy, like he hadn't just been through everything I had. I felt like I was going to break apart.
"Isamu, I need to tell you something," I started, my voice trembling. "It's about Kaito."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, the brightness in his face faltering for a moment. "Kaito?" He repeated, like it was a foreign name, even though we both knew how much he hated him. "What about him?"
I could feel my heart beating faster. I had no idea where to begin. I had been lying to him for so long, letting things spiral out of control, and now, in this moment, I had to come clean.
"I... I've been spending a lot of time with him lately," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "More than you probably realize."
Isamu's expression shifted, his eyes narrowing slightly. "Wait—what do you mean?" His face was still lively, his posture open, but there was a strange edge to his tone now. "What's going on, Taichi? You've been hanging out with him?"
I nodded slowly, biting my lip. "Yeah. Kaito's been helping me. We've been working together... trying to figure out what happened. Trying to find you."
Isamu stood up abruptly, his hands clenched into fists at his sides. His cheerful demeanor was gone now, replaced by confusion and something that looked almost like hurt. "What the hell? Why didn't you tell me?" His voice was tight, his face reddening slightly. "I don't get it, Taichi. " He shook his head, disbelief in his eyes.
I felt like the ground was slipping out from under me. The guilt, the weight of my secret, was crushing me, and Isamu's voice cut through it like a knife. "I didn't want to lie to you," I said quickly, trying to explain myself.
Isamu looked at me for a long time, his face unreadable. "You really don't get it, do you?" His voice was quieter now, but there was still that edge of anger, frustration lacing his words. "You think spending time with Kaito is going to fix things? You think you can just run toanyone, act like everything's fine, and everything's going to be okay?" He laughed bitterly, shaking his head again. "That's not how it works, Taichi."
