Chapter 25: Ripples In Drizzles

Kai's POV

The air felt thick with the kind of silence that makes your skin prickle.

I couldn't help but replay Yuto's words in my head: "If you keep pushing her away, you're gonna lose her, and it'll be on you."

They were still echoing, louder now, like a constant, nagging reminder I couldn't escape.

I hadn't talked to Haruka all day. I knew I was avoiding it, but every time I thought about reaching out to her, my own thoughts held me back. I couldn't explain what was happening inside me. I didn't know how to.

I was sitting on my bed, staring at my phone, but the screen was just a blur. I was waiting for a message, hoping Haruka would reach out. But she hadn't. Maybe she was giving me space, or maybe she was just as lost as I was.

I stood up abruptly, unable to sit still any longer. I paced the room, trying to distract myself. That's when I heard the doorbell ring.

I froze. It wasn't a normal visitor. It had to be someone from school. Maybe my old friends like Miyu, Aki, Or Miyu? I doubt it. Or Haruka?

I walked downstairs slowly, not ready to face whatever this was. When I opened the door, I found a familiar face staring back at me.

Kaito.

His usual smirk was missing, replaced with an unreadable expression. He didn't say anything at first. Just looked at me like he was sizing me up, like he could see through all the walls I'd built up around myself.

"Can I come in?" Kaito asked, his voice surprisingly calm, but there was something in his eyes—something I couldn't quite place.

I stepped aside without saying anything, mostly because I didn't know how to respond. The last time I'd seen Kaito, things were... complicated. We hadn't really talked since the incident, when I'd snapped at him about something trivial, something stupid.

He had been one of the few people who tried to be there for me, and I'd pushed him away without thinking.

I couldn't explain it. I'd always kept my distance from people, but with Kaito, it was different. I couldn't tell if I resented the fact that he tried to get through to me or if I was grateful for it. But he was here now, and I had no idea what he wanted.

He walked in and sat down on the couch, leaning back with an easy confidence that contrasted with the tension I was feeling. He didn't rush to fill the silence. Instead, he just let it sit there between us.

After a few moments, he spoke. "I'm guessing you're still avoiding everyone, huh?"

I shrugged, not sure how to respond. "I'm fine," I muttered, but the words didn't sound convincing even to me.

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "Bullshit."

I stayed silent.

He leaned forward, his eyes locked on mine. "You've been shutting people out for weeks, man. Even Haruka. And you know it's not helping, right?"

The mention of Haruka sent a pang through my chest. It was like Kaito knew exactly where to strike, hitting the core of the problem without even trying.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I know."

He sighed, rubbing his temples like he was trying to process everything I wasn't saying. "You can't keep doing this, Kai. It's not just going to magically get better. You need to talk to her."

I turned away, running a hand through my hair. "I don't know how."

Kaito chuckled softly, but there was no humor in it. "I know you don't. But that's the problem. You're too busy worrying about what to say instead of just saying something. You think too much."

I clenched my fists at my sides. "It's not that simple. I don't know how to fix any of this, Kaito."

Kaito leaned back, his expression softening. "Look, I'm not asking you to fix anything. But you've got to stop pretending like everything's okay when it's not.

You're dragging everyone down with you, and it's only making things worse."

I didn't respond. Instead, I walked over to the window, looking out into the gray sky. It was raining again. The kind of rain that made everything feel more isolated. More... real.

Kaito stood up and walked over to me. He didn't say anything for a moment, but then he sighed. "I don't know what happened to you, man. But you've got to stop hiding. You're not fooling anyone."

I let out a bitter laugh, but it wasn't because it was funny. "You think I'm fooling people? I'm barely fooling myself."

Kaito didn't press further, but I could tell he wasn't going to leave it at that. He gave me a moment of silence before speaking again.

"I'm not going to tell you what to do, Kai. But you should know something." He paused for a beat, like he was weighing his words. "You can't keep running from Haruka. She's not just some girl you can forget about. She cares about you. You can't just ignore that and pretend like it doesn't matter."

I felt my chest tighten, and suddenly I was back in that space—thinking of Haruka, thinking of the way she'd looked at me, worried, searching for something that I wasn't giving her.

"I didn't mean to push her away," I muttered, more to myself than to Kaito. "I just... I don't know what to do anymore."

Kaito placed a hand on my shoulder, a rare gesture of support. "Look, I don't have all the answers, man. But I do know this—if you care about her, you need to let her in. And if you don't, then just let her go. It's better for both of you."

I swallowed hard, the words hitting me like a punch in the gut. I didn't want to lose Haruka. I couldn't.

"I don't want to lose her," I whispered, more to myself than to anyone else. But Kaito heard it.

"You've got a funny way of showing it," he said softly.

I nodded, my throat tight. I knew he was right. I hadn't been showing Haruka anything. And now, I wasn't sure if I had enough left of myself to give her.

—-~

Haruka's POV

I was sitting in my room, idly flipping through some assignments I didn't care about, when my phone buzzed. I stared at it, hoping, wishing it was a message from Kai. But it wasn't. It was from Kaito.

Kaito: "Kai's got company over. It's probably nothing, but you should try to catch him later if you can."

I blinked at the message, feeling a strange sense of disappointment. I had hoped today would be the day Kai would reach out to me, but instead, he was pushing me further away.

I wanted to understand. I wanted to know what was going on in his head. But every time I thought I was getting closer, he pulled away.

I stood up, pacing in my room. I had to stop thinking like this. I had to stop waiting for him to fix things. Maybe it was time I did something for myself, instead of just hoping he would come around.

I grabbed my jacket and headed downstairs, determined to stop being passive.

To take control. If I couldn't reach him, then maybe I could just show him that I wouldn't give up on him—not without a fight.

——~

Kai's POV

I was still staring out the window when I heard a knock on the door. I tensed.

It was probably Kaito leaving, or maybe my mom home from work. But when I opened the door, it wasn't either of those.

Standing there, drenched from the rain, was Haruka.

Her eyes met mine, filled with a mixture of frustration, concern, and something else I couldn't name.

She didn't wait for an invitation. She stepped inside without a word, closing the door behind her.

The storm outside mirrored the storm I felt inside. The tension between us was thick, and for a moment, neither of us spoke.

Haruka glanced around the living room, then back at me, her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

"I'm not leaving until we talk," she said, her voice steady but resolute.

I swallowed hard, knowing this was it—the moment where everything would either crack wide open or close off for good.

"I... don't know how to fix this, Haruka," I said quietly, my voice barely a whisper. "I don't know if I even can."

She didn't respond right away. She just looked at me, and for the first time in weeks, I felt like she could truly see through everything I'd tried to hide.

And in that silence, I knew she wasn't going anywhere—not this time.