212 I have a piece of good news

"Man child!" Kinoshita Iori grumbles and scrubs off the ink on her face. That man-child was smiling when he waved at her. Only that man-child can do that. She wipes her face clean and looks at the reflection. Her appearance hasn't changed much. But Takeshi has changed so much. Though he looks the same, his aura is not the same. 

She exhales. If she had reacted in a different way when he confessed to her, would they be together now? Did she lose something precious due to her naivety? Even if she regrets not acting in a sensible way back then, nothing can change now. He seems like he has forgotten the past and has moved on. 

When he was in love with her, she was one step behind him. When he told her, she was surprised by his confession. Before she could come to terms with her feelings for him, he was already out of her reach.