The warmth of Kaito's hand lingered long after Ayumi returned home.
She replayed the moment over and over — his voice, hesitant yet sure, and the way his fingers had curled tightly around hers.
He likes me.
She lay awake in bed, her fingers tracing the delicate curve of the festival charm on her nightstand. The truth felt too big to hold all at once — exciting, terrifying, and… unfamiliar.
She wanted to say something — anything — to let him know she felt the same.
But when morning came, everything felt harder.
---
Kaito hadn't texted her since that night.
At first, Ayumi told herself he was just busy. He wasn't the type to overthink things. But by the third day, worry gnawed at her.
When they crossed paths in the hallway at school, he barely met her eyes.
He greeted her with a quick wave — stiff and uncertain — before disappearing into the crowd.
Why is he avoiding me?
---
Kaito's mind had been spinning ever since she'd read his letter.
I shouldn't have said anything.
The way Ayumi had looked at him — wide-eyed and silent — replayed in his head like a bad movie. She hadn't rejected him outright, but she hadn't said anything else either.
Maybe she's just being polite.
Maybe she didn't want to hurt his feelings. Maybe she only liked him as a friend — someone who "helped" her.
That thought twisted in his chest.
He didn't want to be someone Ayumi felt obligated to spend time with.
So he stopped texting. Stopped waiting for their usual walk home. Stopped lingering outside the classroom, hoping to run into her.
If Ayumi wanted to talk, she'd let him know.
---
"You're being an idiot."
Emi's voice snapped him out of his daze.
"I'm what?"
"You're ignoring Ayumi," she said bluntly, leaning against the lockers. "She's worried. And frankly, you look miserable."
"I'm giving her space," Kaito muttered.
"No, you're avoiding her," Emi shot back. "You think that's what she wants?"
Kaito hesitated. "I just... I don't want her to feel like I'm pushing her."
"You're not," Emi said, softer now. "Look, Ayumi's... complicated. She second-guesses herself a lot. She's probably just scared."
"Scared of what?"
"Of what it means if she lets herself be happy," Emi said simply. "Especially with someone who actually makes her feel seen."
Kaito's heart skipped a beat. "You think I make her feel that way?"
"I know you do." Emi sighed and grabbed his arm, steering him down the hall. "Now quit moping. You've got a conversation to finish."
---
That evening, Ayumi sat quietly in her room, scrolling through her phone.
Her fingers hovered over Kaito's name in her contacts. She wanted to text him — to ask if she'd done something wrong — but each time she tried, she second-guessed herself.
Was he avoiding her because of what she hadn't said?
Because she hadn't been able to say that she liked him too?
Frustrated, she set her phone down.
Moments later, there was a knock at her door.
"I'm coming in," Emi announced before Ayumi could respond.
"Emi?" Ayumi signed, surprised.
Emi flopped down on her bed without asking.
"You and Kaito are driving me insane," she signed dramatically.
Ayumi frowned. Did I... do something wrong?
"No!" Emi shot back. "But he thinks you're not interested."
Ayumi's eyes widened.
"He thinks you only see him as a friend," Emi continued. "And you're just sitting here doing nothing, letting him believe that?"
I... don't know what to say, Ayumi admitted.
"Then don't say it," Emi shot back. "Show him."
---
The next day, Ayumi waited for Kaito outside his classroom.
When he finally stepped into the hall, his expression faltered.
"Ayumi?" His voice was guarded.
We need to talk, she signed firmly.
Kaito's shoulders tensed. "Look... if this is about the letter, I get it. You don't have to say anything—"
Stop.
Her fingers moved faster now, driven by something deeper than words.
You're important to me. Not because you 'help' me. Not because you feel sorry for me. Because you make me laugh. Because you understand me, even when I don't know how to explain myself.
Kaito's breath hitched.
You thought I didn't care, but that's not true. I was just... scared, Ayumi admitted. Scared you'd think I wasn't enough.
"I never thought that," Kaito said quietly.
Ayumi hesitated, then reached into her bag and pulled out the folded letter — the one she'd found that night.
I kept this, she signed. Because I didn't want to forget what you wrote.
Her hand trembled as she added one last sign:
I like you too.
For a second, Kaito just stared at her, like he couldn't quite believe what he'd seen. Then — without warning — he laughed.
"God, I'm such an idiot."
Before Ayumi could react, Kaito grabbed her hand — warm, steady, familiar — and gave her fingers a gentle squeeze.
"Promise me something," he said. "Next time... don't let me run away."
Only if you promise not to give up on me, Ayumi signed back.
Kaito grinned. "Deal."
And just like that, the distance between them finally disappeared.
---
To Be Continue