The Silence After
Mao had rehearsed every word.
He planned to find Emi early, before classes, pull her aside, and say everything clearly—gently. He wouldn't lie. He wouldn't make excuses. He would just be honest.
About what happened with Arisa.
About the confusion in his own heart.
About how things with Emi felt real… but complicated now.
But when he saw her that morning, everything fell apart—not because of what she did.
But because of what she didn't do.
She walked past him in the hallway without a glance. No pause. No flicker of recognition. Not even a polite nod.
Mao blinked.
"Emi," he called, low but audible.
She didn't stop.
At lunch, she sat at the far edge of the cafeteria with Natsumi and two classmates from another club. She laughed. She ate. She never looked his way once.
The group noticed it too.
"Did something happen?" Yuto whispered.
Mao shook his head.
Even he didn't know what to call it.
Was it anger?
Was it acceptance?
Was it... dismissal?
---
The day dragged. Mao barely heard the lessons. His mind replayed the way Emi used to smile at him mid-conversation, how she used to wait for him by the gates, how her voice used to light up when she said his name.
Now? Nothing.
No texts. No confrontation.
Just silence.
---
That evening, as the streets dimmed under the early spring sky, Arisa found him again.
Not dramatic this time.
Just quiet.
She met him outside the closed cafe near the station, hands tucked into her sleeves.
"You talked to her?" she asked.
"No," Mao said. "She didn't want to talk."
Arisa studied him for a moment, her gaze softer than before.
"That's her answer," she murmured.
"I didn't mean to hurt her."
"I know," Arisa said, stepping beside him. "But sometimes, not meaning to doesn't matter."
Mao nodded slowly.
They didn't touch.
They didn't speak again.
But they stood together, not as something defined—but as two people learning what silence could mean.