Not Like Before || NISHIMURA RIKI

Acee and Riki were inseparable from the start. Best friends since childhood, stuck together by years of shared classrooms, inside jokes, and quiet promises that they'd always have each other.

From daycare to middle school, they moved through life side by side, the kind of friendship that felt unbreakable.

But in seventh grade, things began to shift. Riki was struggling. Bullied at school, weighed down by problems he never fully explained. He started to withdraw, slipping further to himself with each passing day.

Acee refused to let him fall alone. She stood up for him when no one else would, helped him keep up with school, and stayed by his side no matter how hard things got.

That's what best friends do...right?

Then one day, without warning, Riki was gone. No goodbye, no explanation. Just an empty seat and a broken promise.

And just like that, the spark in Acee faded with him.

Years passed and by 11th grade, Acee has learned to live with his absence until they cross paths again.

Best friends ~ Enemies ~ Lovers