Several days had passed since the volleyball match, and I felt something within me starting to shift. Everything that had once been familiar — the cold, the isolation, the detachment — was slowly dissolving. I noticed again how Yuzuki sat next to me, her sincerity like a bright light in my dark life. More and more, I caught myself thinking that I was waiting for her to appear in class, waiting for her smile, for her simple words.
Today, as always, she approached me in class, and I felt how her presence had become important to me.
— You've been quiet today, Kaoru, — she noticed with a light smile, observing that I had once again withdrawn into my thoughts.
I didn't know how to answer. My thoughts were full, and words didn't come.
— I'm just… not used to being around people, — I said, trying to keep my voice cold, as usual.
Yuzuki didn't look away. Her eyes were warm and piercing, as though she was trying to see right through me.
— You don't have to be alone, Kaoru, — she said, and her words affected me more than I could have imagined. — You're not like everyone else, and you don't have to hide that.
I felt a strange warmth spreading inside me. I had always been afraid to be vulnerable, afraid to get attached, but Yuzuki seemed to break through my walls at some point.
— I don't want you to pity me, — I said, though I knew it wasn't exactly what I felt.
Yuzuki smiled slightly.
— I'm not pitying you, Kaoru. I just want you to know that you're not alone. And I'll be here if you want me to be.
Her words sounded sincere, and I felt something inside me breaking. It was more than just words — it was an invitation to be myself, to not hide my feelings, to not be afraid to be close to someone.
The next day, when I entered class again, I realized that I couldn't stay in my coldness anymore. I didn't have the strength to change everything at once, but I knew this was the beginning. I could be different. I could be the person I wanted to become. And this path started with not being afraid to open up.
Yuzuki was there, and now I didn't need to hide my feelings. I was ready to move forward, even if it meant opening myself to something new.