The following week, things weren't quite the same.
It wasn't dramatic—no big argument, no shouting. Just small shifts. Lingering glances. Quiet questions no one asked aloud.
Naoto had been a little distant since the riverside trip. He still showed up, still smiled, still laughed. But sometimes, Rika caught him staring off. As if something far away was tugging at his thoughts.
---
Study Room
They'd gathered again for a study session. The air was stuffier than usual, textbooks open but untouched.
"I swear this math problem is cursed," Sora groaned, scribbling and erasing repeatedly.
"It's just your brain," Mei muttered, though her tone was softer than usual.
Naoto chuckled faintly.
Rika watched him.
"You okay?" she asked quietly, leaning a little closer.
He blinked. "Yeah. Just tired."
But it didn't sound like the truth.
---
Aiko's Outburst
Later that evening, while they were packing up, Aiko suddenly stood up. Her hands trembled slightly.
"Why do we pretend everything's fine when it's not?"
Everyone turned to her.
"We're friends, right? So why don't we talk? Actually talk? Everyone's carrying something, and we just—laugh and study and pretend we're not breaking."
Silence.
Even Naoto looked stunned.
Aiko's voice broke. "I'm sorry. I just… I don't want this to be fake."
Rika moved first. She stood and wrapped her arms around Aiko, quietly.
"We're not pretending," she said softly. "We're just scared."
---
That Night
Naoto walked home alone again.
This time, the phone didn't ring.
And he didn't call.
Instead, he looked up at the stars and whispered to no one, "Is it okay… to want this?"
He remembered her smile. The girl who once told him how to live. The girl who saved him.
And the friends who were slowly beginning to matter more than he expected.
His heart ached—with guilt, with loyalty, with fear.
---
Awesome—that's exactly the vibe we'll go for! Here's Chapter 28: Things That Don't Need Words, with that fun, heartwarming, and youthful energy you're aiming for: