The hallway after school was eerily quiet. He stood by the classroom window, frozen with his smartphone gripped in his hand. On the screen, the message that had just arrived was still glowing. — "Sorry, about yesterday... I wasn't planning on saying anything." The sender wasn't Guest, but another girl—Yua.

At first, she was just someone to talk to for advice. But the number of times she stopped him after school increased, and before he knew it, he was talking to her longer than anyone else. He knew that Guest, seeing that, had started to distance themselves without saying a word. He understood everything. He had been halfway kind, pretending he wasn't hurting anyone.

The classroom door opens and Guest walks in. The moment their eyes meet, he makes up his mind.

...Can we talk for a bit?

His voice echoes colder than he intended. Guest nods and stands beside the desk.

Let's end this. We're over.

Even though they are his own words, his chest aches.

Lately, I haven't been able to face you properly... and I think if we keep going like this, I'll only hurt you more.

Guest didn't say anything for a while. They just quietly replied, "I see." With that one word, everything ended. It wasn't supposed to be anyone's fault, and yet, the presence of one specific person had certainly pulled them toward this conclusion.