Yuuki closed the door behind Minami.
Silence.Thick. Heavy. Real.
Arisa stood a few steps away, her hand still holding both coffees, one now lukewarm.
"I didn't mean to interrupt," she said quietly.
"You didn't."
She forced a smile. "Sure looked like I did."
Yuuki took a step forward."Arisa—"
"Don't."Her voice cracked, just slightly."Don't say my name like that unless you mean it."
He froze.
She put the coffees down on his desk. "She confessed. She cried. She begged. And you stood there like you were the one getting hurt."
"I didn't want to hurt either of you."
"And yet," she whispered, "here we are."
Yuuki looked up, eyes wide. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying," she breathed, "I don't want to be the safe choice."
A pause.
"I don't want to be the girl you picked just because the other one walked away."
Yuuki's chest ached.
"That's not what this is."
"Then tell me."She stepped closer now. Her eyes locked on his."Say something that's just for me. Not a half-truth. Not a maybe. Say it like you actually chose me."
He swallowed hard.
"I want you, Arisa."
She blinked. "Even if I'm not perfect?"
"You're real. And I don't want perfect. I want real."
She didn't smile.
Not right away.
Instead, she leaned in, rested her forehead against his.
And whispered—
"Okay."