Three weeks since the Endgame Challenge.
No tests.
No rankings.
No Reina with a megaphone.
Just Riko and me.
Together.
But something's off.
It's not bad.
It's just… quieter.
Too quiet.
---
After School – The Small Space Between Us
We walked home.
Held hands.
But she wasn't talking much.
Neither was I.
> "You okay?" I asked.
> "Yeah," she said. "Just tired."
But she didn't look tired.
She looked distant.
Like her thoughts were somewhere I couldn't reach.
---
The Group Chat That Stung
Yuna messaged the class chat.
> "Throwback: remember when Reina made Kaito stand on a podium?"
Everyone laughed.
Even Riko.
But I noticed she didn't look at me while typing.
I checked her chat history.
Last DM she sent me?
Two days ago.
> "Home safe."
That's it.
---
That Night – I Finally Asked
> "Are we okay?"
We sat on her couch.
TV on. Volume low.
She didn't answer right away.
Then:
> "You still think about her?"
"…Who?"
> "Yuna. Akari. Airi. Doesn't matter."
I swallowed.
> "Sometimes. But not like that."
She looked down.
> "Sometimes I wonder if you picked me… because I made the most sense."
That hurt more than I expected.
> "I picked you," I said. "Because you were the only one I wanted to wake up next to. After the mess. After everything."
She looked at me.
Eyes uncertain.
> "I don't need to be first. I just need to be enough."
---
Meanwhile – Reina's Secret Project
In the council room, Reina opened a file titled:
> "Closure Week."
A post-it stuck to the top:
> "No more games.
Just endings — the kind that heal."
She pulled out envelopes.
Four of them.
Each labeled with a name.
Yuna. Airi. Akari. Riko.
And one more:
Kaito.
---
Back in Riko's Room – A Real Moment
I turned off the TV.
Faced her fully.
> "I don't think we're perfect. I don't think we're done growing. But I know I don't want to go back to being without you."
She finally smiled.
Not wide. Not bright.
But real.
> "Then don't."
She pulled me close.
And whispered—
> "I'll keep choosing you. Just don't make me regret it."