The call came on a Thursday evening while Aiko was reviewing color theory notes in her dorm room. Yuki's name flashed on her screen, but when she answered, her friend's voice was strained with an emotion Aiko couldn't immediately identify.
"Aiko, I need to talk to you about something," Yuki said without preamble. "It's about Hiroshi."
Aiko felt her stomach tighten. Since her choice at the park over a month ago, Yuki had been supportive but distant when it came to discussing her brother. Yuki mentioned that her family dinners had become awkward, and Aiko knew Yuki was struggling with divided loyalties between her friendship and her brother's heartbreak.
"What about him?"
"He's been talking to his college friends about... about you and what happened. They've been filling his head with ideas about trying again, about not giving up so easily." Yuki's voice carried frustration and concern. "He asked me to call you first, to see if you'd be willing to meet with him."
"Yuki..."
"I know what you're going to say, and honestly, I agree with you. But he's my brother, and he's hurting, and his friends keep telling him that maybe if he just fought harder..." Yuki sighed heavily. "He wants to ask you himself, but he was hoping I'd... soften the ground first."
Aiko set down her notes, giving the conversation her full attention. "What exactly is he hoping for?"
"He wants you to visit his campus this weekend. Spend an afternoon together, let him show you what his life is like there. And Aiko..." Yuki's voice dropped. "His friends suggested he should try to kiss you. To test if there are still feelings there that might change your mind."
"Absolutely not," Aiko said immediately, her voice sharper than she'd intended. "Yuki, I'm with Javier. I made my choice clearly and I meant it. I'm not going to kiss your brother to help him feel better about being rejected."
"I told him you'd say that," Yuki said with obvious relief. "But he's convinced himself that maybe the emotions were too high when you chose Javier, that with time and space you might see things differently."
"My emotions weren't too high. They were exactly where they needed to be." Aiko's voice grew firmer. "I chose Javier because my heart has belonged to him since I was fifteen. That's not going to change because I spend an afternoon being polite to Hiroshi."
"So you won't see him?"
Aiko was quiet for a moment, thinking about the kindness Hiroshi had shown her, the genuine care he'd provided during their relationship. "I'll see him if it will help him accept that it's truly over between us. But I won't kiss him, and I won't pretend there's hope where there isn't any."
"That's what I was hoping you'd say," Yuki admitted. "Aiko, I love my brother, but his friends are giving him terrible advice. They're telling him to be more aggressive, to fight for what he wants, to not accept no as an answer."
"That's not healthy advice."
"No, it's not. And it's not him, either. Hiroshi isn't someone who pushes boundaries or refuses to accept rejection. But he's hurting, and when people are hurting, sometimes they listen to voices that tell them what they want to hear."
When Hiroshi called an hour later, Aiko was prepared for the conversation.
"Aiko, thank you for agreeing to talk to me," he said, his voice carrying nervous hope. "Yuki said you might be willing to meet."
"I'm willing to see you one time, to give you the closure you need," Aiko said clearly. "But Hiroshi, I need you to understand that this isn't about testing our connection or giving our relationship another chance. This is about ending things properly and helping you accept what's already been decided."
"I understand," he said, though something in his tone suggested he was still hoping for more. "But maybe if we spent time together, if you saw what we could build without all the pressure from before..."
"There won't be any kissing," Aiko interrupted firmly. "There won't be any physical intimacy. We can talk, we can walk around your campus, but I won't do anything that betrays my relationship with Javier or gives you false hope."
The silence that followed told her everything she needed to know about what his friends had suggested and what he'd been hoping for.
"That's not what I was expecting," Hiroshi said finally.
"Then maybe you should reconsider whether this meeting is actually about closure or about something else entirely."
"Aiko, please. Just one afternoon. Just the chance to remind you of what we had before everything got complicated."
The pleading in his voice made her heart ache, but it also strengthened her resolve. This wasn't healthy for either of them.
"Hiroshi, what we had was real and meaningful, but it's in the past. I'm building a future with Javier, and spending an afternoon trying to recreate something that's already ended won't help either of us move forward."
"So you won't even consider it?"
"I'm considering your feelings and your need for closure. But I won't participate in anything that pretends our romantic relationship isn't completely over."
The conversation ended with Hiroshi disappointed and Aiko feeling sad but certain about her boundaries. When she called Javier later that evening to tell him about the conversation, his response was immediate and supportive.
"You did exactly the right thing," he said firmly. "Setting clear boundaries protects everyone involved, even when it's difficult."
"His friends are encouraging him to be more persistent. They think I might change my mind if he tries harder."
"His friends don't understand the situation. But more importantly, you do. And you're strong enough to maintain your boundaries no matter how much pressure people apply."
As they ended their call, Aiko felt grateful for Javier's unwavering support and proud of herself for staying true to her choice despite external pressure. Some decisions were too important to second-guess, and her heart had been clear from the moment she chose him at the park.
The chapter with Hiroshi was closed. Her future with Javier was just beginning.
A few days later. The text message arrived late Thursday evening while Aiko was preparing for bed. Hiroshi's name on her phone made her pause—they had maintained careful distance since her choice at the park, communicating only when necessary through Yuki.
HIROSHI: Can we talk? It's important.
Aiko hesitated, then called him back.
"Hiroshi, what's going on?"
"I've been thinking about us," his voice carried a desperation she hadn't heard before. "About the five months we were together, the time you spent with my family, how close we became when I was in Spain and after I returned."
"Hiroshi..."
"You can't just forget what we had, Aiko. The love we shared, the plans we made together. My friends at university think I gave up too easily, that I should have fought harder."
Aiko felt her heart sink. "What exactly are you asking?"
"I want you to give us one real chance. Not just talking or spending time together—I want you to sleep with me. The way I suggested before everything fell apart." His voice grew more urgent. "One night together, completely intimate, and then you can decide if what we have is really worth throwing away."
"Absolutely not," Aiko said immediately, her voice sharp with shock. "Hiroshi, I'm with Javier. I made my choice clearly."
"But you never gave us a real chance to be together completely. Maybe if you experienced what we could have physically, emotionally—"
"Stop," Aiko interrupted firmly. "I will not sleep with you. I will not betray Javier that way, and I won't mislead you by pretending there's hope where there isn't any."
"How can you be so certain without trying? What if being intimate changes how you feel?"
"Because I already know where my heart is," Aiko said with unwavering conviction. "What you're suggesting isn't about love—it's about trying to manipulate my feelings through physical intimacy."
"That's not what this is—"
"That's exactly what this is," Aiko said, her voice growing colder. "And it's beneath the person I thought you were. The Hiroshi I dated would never have suggested something like this."
There was silence on the other end of the line. When Hiroshi spoke again, his voice was smaller, more desperate.
"I just... I can't accept that it's really over. Not when we had something so good."
"What we had was good," Aiko agreed. "But it's over. And asking me to betray my current relationship to give you false hope is not acceptable."
"Aiko, please—"
"No, Hiroshi. The answer is no. Don't contact me again unless it's an emergency. And please don't ask Yuki to mediate between us anymore. It's not fair to put her in that position."
She ended the call and immediately texted Javier, even though it was late in Madrid.
AIKO: Need to tell you something. Hiroshi called asking me to sleep with him to "test our connection." I said absolutely not. Wanted you to know immediately.
The response came within minutes:
JAVIER: Proud of you for maintaining boundaries. Are you okay? Do you need me to handle this?
AIKO: I'm okay. Just disappointed that he would ask something like that. I handled it.
JAVIER: I trust you completely. Focus on your training. I'll be home soon.
The next morning, Yuki approached Aiko with obvious discomfort, clearly having heard about the conversation from her brother.
"Aiko, I'm sorry," she said quietly. "Hiroshi told me what he asked you. I'm mortified."
"It's not your fault. But Yuki, I need you to understand—I will never reconsider my choice. Your brother needs to accept that and move forward."
"I know. And I told him the same thing." Yuki's voice carried frustration with her brother's behavior. "His college friends have been filling his head with toxic ideas about not accepting rejection. It's not who he really is."
"I hope he finds his way back to being the person he was before this," Aiko said honestly. "But I can't help him do that. He needs to work through this without involving me."
As they prepared for their morning classes, Aiko felt sad but certain about maintaining her boundaries. Some requests were too inappropriate to consider, no matter how much pain motivated them.
Her future was with Javier, and no amount of pressure or manipulation would change that fundamental truth.
Another day passed.
The evening after Hiroshi's inappropriate phone call, Aiko was reviewing notes in her dorm room when Yuki appeared in the doorway, her expression troubled.
"Aiko, I need to warn you about something," Yuki said, closing the door behind her. "Hiroshi went out drinking with his university friends tonight. Kenta heard from someone who knows them that they're pushing him to be more... aggressive about winning you back."
Aiko looked up from her textbooks. "What do you mean by aggressive?"
"They're telling him he gave up too easily, that he should have fought Javier physically when you chose him at the park. They think because he does social work at Tokyo Metropolitan, he should know how to 'assert himself' with women."
"That's horrible advice," Aiko said, feeling a chill of concern.
"It gets worse. They're saying you're just confused, that you need him to 'take charge' and show you what a real man would do. They think the reason you chose Javier is because Hiroshi was 'too passive.'"
Aiko felt anger rising in her chest. "Those aren't friends—they're people giving him toxic ideas about relationships and consent."
"I know. And I'm worried about what he might do if he listens to them." Yuki sat on Mari's bed, her face serious. "Aiko, my brother isn't normally like this. He's kind and respectful and would never push boundaries. But he's hurting, and when people are desperate, sometimes they listen to voices that tell them what they want to hear."
"What exactly are you worried he might do?"
"I don't know. But when I saw him before he left tonight, he was talking about 'not letting someone else take what's his' and 'fighting for what matters.' That's not how he normally talks."
Aiko's phone buzzed with a text from an unknown number:
Unknown: This is Takeshi, Hiroshi's friend. We need to talk about what you're doing to him. Meet us at Yamada Ramen on Shibuya Street. Now.
Aiko showed the message to Yuki, whose face went pale.
"Don't go," Yuki said immediately. "This feels like they're trying to corner you when Javier isn't here to support you."
"I wasn't planning to," Aiko replied, blocking the number. "But Yuki, I think you need to talk to your brother. His friends are giving him dangerous ideas about how to handle rejection."
"I'll try, but he's not listening to family right now. He thinks we don't understand what he's going through."
Another text arrived from a different unknown number:
Unknown: You broke a good man's heart for some Spanish pretty boy who'll leave you the moment something better comes along. Hiroshi deserves better than your selfishness.
Aiko blocked that number too, but more messages kept coming from different accounts:
Unknown: Why didn't Hiroshi fight for you? Real men don't give up that easily.
Unknown: You'll regret choosing the foreigner over someone who actually loves you.
Unknown: Hiroshi should have punched that Spanish guy when he had the chance.
"They're harassing me through multiple numbers," Aiko said, showing Yuki the messages. "This is getting out of hand."
Yuki read through them with growing alarm. "I'm calling him right now."
As Yuki dialed her brother's number, Aiko forwarded the messages to Javier in Spain, wanting him to know what was happening even though there was nothing he could do from Madrid.
"Hiroshi, answer your phone," Yuki said when the call went to voicemail. "I know what your friends are doing and you need to stop them. This is harassment."
She tried twice more before getting through.
"Where are you?" Yuki demanded when he finally answered. "Your friends are sending threatening messages to Aiko. This has to stop."
Aiko could hear raised voices in the background—a bar or restaurant, the sound of men talking loudly about pride and fighting and not backing down.
"They're just trying to help," Hiroshi's voice was slightly slurred. "They think I was too weak, that I should have fought harder."
"By harassing the woman who rejected you? That's not fighting—that's being pathetic."
"She made her choice too quickly," Hiroshi said, his voice growing louder. "She didn't give us a real chance. If she would just try being with me properly, she'd remember what we had."
"Hiroshi, listen to yourself. You're talking about forcing someone to be with you who's clearly stated she doesn't want that."
"I'm talking about not giving up on love."
"You're talking about not accepting rejection. There's a difference."
Aiko could hear one of his friends in the background: "Tell her to meet us. We'll explain why she's making a mistake."
"Absolutely not," Yuki said firmly. "Aiko, hang up and block any number you don't recognize. I'm going to get my brother and bring him home before this gets worse."
After ending the call Yuki left, Aiko sat in her dorm room feeling a mixture of sadness and determination. The Hiroshi she had dated would never have behaved this way—his friends' toxic influence was bringing out a side of him she'd never seen before.
Her phone buzzed with a call from Javier.
"Are you safe?" he asked immediately. "I saw your messages about the harassment."
"I'm safe. Yuki's handling her brother, and I've blocked the numbers. But Javier, his friends are encouraging him to be aggressive about 'winning me back.' They think he should have fought you physically."
"Men who encourage that kind of behavior aren't friends—they're people who want to watch drama unfold without caring about the consequences." Javier's voice was calm but serious. "Do you need me to come back early?"
"No. This is something that needs to be handled here, and Yuki's family will manage Hiroshi. I just wanted you to know what was happening."
"I'm proud of you for maintaining your boundaries and not letting their pressure affect your decisions," Javier said. "Some people can't accept that 'no' is a complete sentence."
"I just feel bad for Hiroshi. This isn't who he really is."
"Maybe not. But it's who he's choosing to be right now, and that's what matters. You're not responsible for managing his emotions or protecting him from the consequences of his choices."
As they ended their call, Aiko felt grateful for Javier's steady support and clarity about the situation. The contrast between his respectful response to her choice and Hiroshi's inability to accept rejection only confirmed that her decision had been correct.
Later that night, Yuki returned to campus with an update.
"I found him and his friends at the ramen place. They were drunk and loud and talking about 'teaching the Spanish guy a lesson' when he comes back from training." Yuki's expression was disgusted. "I told them if they went anywhere near you or Javier, I'd personally make sure they faced consequences."
"How's Hiroshi?"
"Ashamed, once he sobered up enough to understand what his friends had been saying. He apologized for the messages and promised to keep his distance. But Aiko, I think you should be extra careful until Javier returns. His friends might still cause problems."
"I'll be careful," Aiko promised. "But I won't let their toxicity change how I live my life."
The incident had clarified something important for Aiko. The difference between healthy love that respected boundaries and unhealthy obsession that refused to accept rejection was stark. Hiroshi's friends represented everything wrong with how some men approached relationships—the belief that persistence could overcome clear refusal, that women's choices were negotiable.
Javier's response had been the opposite—trust, support, and confidence in their connection without any need to control or manipulate the situation.
It was just another confirmation that her heart had chosen correctly, and that some decisions were too important to second-guess no matter what pressure others applied.
The ramen shop on Shibuya Street was thick with steam and the sound of late-night conversations. Hiroshi sat hunched over his bowl, barely touching the noodles while his university friends Takeshi and Daiki flanked him at the narrow counter.
"Man, you've been moping for weeks," Takeshi said, slurping his broth loudly. "It's painful to watch."
"I'm not moping," Hiroshi replied quietly. "I'm processing."
"Processing what? Getting dumped for some random Spanish guy?" Daiki leaned closer, voice dropping. "Dude, how tall was this guy anyway? You never really described him."
"Does it matter?"
"It matters if you're planning to do anything about it," Takeshi said, signaling for another beer. "What do you actually know about him? Besides that he's from Spain and apparently stole your girlfriend."
Hiroshi set down his chopsticks, feeling uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. "He didn't steal anyone. Aiko made her choice."
"A choice she made too quickly," Daiki insisted. "Without really thinking it through. How long had she known this guy was even alive? A few weeks?"
"The situation was complicated—"
"Everything's complicated until you make it simple," Takeshi interrupted. "Look, we've been watching you torture yourself over this for weeks. Meanwhile, has she even tried to contact you? Has she shown any regret about choosing him over you?"
Hiroshi thought about their brief, polite exchanges when they crossed paths at family gatherings. "We've talked a few times. Briefly."
"That's not what I'm asking," Takeshi said, pulling out his phone. "I'm asking if you've seen her social media lately. If you've looked at how she posts about this Spanish guy."
"I don't follow her social media anymore. It seemed... inappropriate."
"Well, maybe you should," Daiki said, leaning over to look at Takeshi's screen. "Because we have, and let me tell you—she's not acting like someone who has any doubts about her choice."
Takeshi turned his phone toward Hiroshi. "Look at this. Three posts this week about 'training with her partner' and 'preparing for international competition together.' Does that sound like someone who's regretting leaving you?"
Hiroshi glanced at the screen reluctantly, seeing photos of Aiko and Javier working together at styling stations, their obvious connection visible even in still images.
"She looks happy," he said quietly.
"She looks like she's forgotten you ever existed," Takeshi said bluntly. "Meanwhile, you're over here eating your feelings and acting like you lost the love of your life."
"Maybe I did."
"Or maybe," Daiki said, his voice taking on the tone of someone who thought he was being helpful, "you gave up too easily. Maybe you should have fought for what you wanted instead of just accepting defeat."
"What was I supposed to do? Challenge him to a fight?"
"Why not?" Takeshi asked seriously. "You do social work—you know how to handle difficult people. You're not some weakling who can't stand up for himself."
"That's not how relationships work—"
"Isn't it?" Daiki interrupted. "Look, I'm not saying you should have started a brawl. But showing some backbone, making it clear you weren't going to just step aside without a fight—that might have made her respect you more."
Hiroshi felt his friends' words settling into his mind like poison, appealing to the wounded pride and rejection he'd been trying to process healthily.
"She chose him," he said, but his voice lacked conviction.
"She chose him because he seemed more confident, more willing to fight for what he wanted," Takeshi said. "Meanwhile, you were being 'mature' and 'respectful' and all those other words that women say they want but don't actually find attractive."
"You think I should have been more aggressive?"
"We think you should have shown her that you weren't going to give up easily," Daiki said. "That what you had together was worth fighting for."
"Is he even still in Tokyo?" Takeshi asked, scrolling through more social media. "Or did he go back to Spain for training?"
"I think he's training in Spain for a few months," Hiroshi said, the information slipping out before he could consider why his friends wanted to know.
"So she's here alone," Daiki said, exchanging a look with Takeshi. "No Spanish boyfriend around to intimidate you or influence her decisions."
"What are you suggesting?"
"We're suggesting," Takeshi said carefully, "that maybe now is the time to remind her what she's giving up. To show her that choosing some guy she barely knows over someone who actually loves her was a mistake."
"How would I do that?"
"By being direct about what you want," Daiki said. "By not accepting 'no' as the final answer when you know she cared about you deeply."
Hiroshi felt the alcohol and his friends' encouragement combining into something that felt like courage but was actually something more dangerous.
"What if I contacted her? Asked her to give us one real chance?"
"Exactly," Takeshi said, his eyes lighting up. "Don't let her brush you off with polite conversation. Make her understand what she's throwing away."
"And if she still says no?"
"Then at least you'll know you tried everything," Daiki said. "But Hiroshi, we've seen you two together. We've seen how she looked at you before all this drama started. That feeling doesn't just disappear because some Spanish guy shows up with a sob story."
As the evening progressed and the alcohol flowed, Hiroshi found himself increasingly convinced by his friends' arguments. By the time they left the ramen shop, he was composing the text message in his mind—the one asking Aiko to meet him, to give their physical relationship a real try, to choose him definitively over someone she barely knew as an adult.
His friends' voices echoed in his head as he typed: Don't accept rejection. Fight for what you want. Show her what a real man would do.
It wasn't until the next morning, nursing a hangover and rereading Aiko's sharp rejection of his proposal, that Hiroshi began to understand how far his friends had led him away from his own values. The person he had become in that ramen shop—demanding, persistent, refusing to accept clear boundaries—wasn't who he wanted to be.
But by then, the damage was done, and Aiko had made it clear that his behavior had crossed a line that couldn't be uncrossed.
His friends had promised to help him win her back. Instead, they had helped him lose her respect forever.