Chapter 7.4: The Unseen Struggles

I walked to the park again, my feet moving of their own accord. The familiar path felt oddly comforting, even though my thoughts were still in turmoil. It wasn't until I sat down on the bench that I realized I was holding my breath, as if I were waiting for something to happen, waiting for the answers to come.

I wasn't sure if I expected anything. But then, just as the sun was setting, I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up to see Kaito walking toward me, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

"Didn't expect to find you here," he said with a grin, sitting down beside me.

I shrugged, not sure what to say.

"You've been looking a little… distant lately," he said, his tone casual but sharp. "You okay?"

I exhaled slowly, unsure of how to explain. "I don't know. I'm… still trying to figure things out."

Kaito nodded, his gaze turning toward the horizon. "That's the thing about figuring stuff out. It doesn't happen overnight. Hell, it might take years. But you have to keep going. Even when you don't feel like it."

His words struck me harder than I expected. I hadn't thought of it that way before—it doesn't happen overnight. The pressure I had put on myself to "get it together" had been suffocating, but Kaito was reminding me of something simple: things didn't need to be perfect all at once. They could be messy, could take time.

"You're right," I said softly. "I've been scared of what happens if I don't have the answers now."

Kaito glanced over at me, his expression unreadable. "That's normal. But what you do next—that's what matters."