Chapter 1 : It Wasn’t Supposed to Be Serious

“If we’re adults someday… will you marry me?”

“Haha… sure.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

We hooked our pinkies together. Just two tiny fingers sealing a massive deal. We pressed so hard our fingertips turned red, making this clumsy, squished little heart between them.

Back then, I didn’t understand what it meant. I thought marriage was just the next level up from Best Friend Forever. He didn’t know it was a promise that would carve itself into my memory—and refuse to leave.

***

“SIX—SEVEN!!! WOOOOOOO!!!”

The nostalgic memory shattered instantly.

“Quiet, Satono.” Mr. Bahliel’s exhausted voice boomed across the classroom, entirely failing to cut through the chaos. “You scored a sixty-seven and you’re celebrating?”

“Hehe, just being grateful, sir!” Satono shot back, leaning back in his chair like he'd just won a gold medal. “Man, these old folks don’t understand the internet.”

“You’re the one who’s way too online,” I muttered under my breath, physically restraining myself from covering my burning face. My childhood friend—my childhood friend—was screaming nonsense in the middle of class.

Satono’s head snapped toward me, his messy black hair flopping over his eyes. “Whoa… ninety-five? That’s insane, Nao.”

“—!!” I flinched, instinctively pulling my test paper closer to my chest. “H-Hmph… it’s not that big of a deal.”

Ugh. Why am I acting like a tsundere right now?!

“But still not as legendary as my SIX-SEVEN score, hahaha!”

“Shut up, Satono—!”

Smack.

Right in front of my eyes, a chalky board eraser flew across the room and nailed him square in the forehead. A small cloud of white dust puffed into the air.

***

I was still staring at the faint white chalk mark on his face when the afternoon bell finally rang. Ting. Tung. Ting. Tung.

Students immediately began shuffling desks and shoving books into their bags. Satono swung his backpack over his shoulder and strolled over to my desk.

“Nao, I’m not heading home yet. Got computer club. Hehehe.”

I didn't look up from packing my own bag. “Like I’d want to walk home with you anyway.”

Why did I say it like that?!

“Eh? I would, though. Hehehe.” He rubbed the back of his neck, completely unbothered by my hostility. “Alright then, bye. Don’t miss me.”

“What is wrong with you…” I grumbled to the empty space he left behind.

From across the room, a dramatic sigh cut through the noise.

“Naooooooo! Let’s go home together!”

I looked up to see Ruri leaning against the doorframe, her colorful nails tapping a rhythm on the wood.

“Yeah,” I breathed out, grabbing my bag. “Let’s go.”

***

The late afternoon sun cast long, orange shadows on the pavement as we walked toward the station.

“What was Satono saying earlier?” Ruri asked, adjusting her stylish shoulder bag.

“I don't know. Something about walking home together.” I stared straight ahead, keeping my voice as small and casual as possible. “I-I mean… it’s not like we ever walk home together. Not since we started middle school.”

Ruri laughed, a bright, knowing sound. “But in elementary school you two walked home together all the time.”

“That was when we were kids.”

“We still walk home together. The three of us used to.”

“…Yeah.”

“And we’re still ‘kids,’ you know.”

“Haha, what are you talking about?” I quickened my pace slightly. “We’re basically adults. We’re in our second year of high school.”

As we turned the corner, Ruri suddenly grabbed my arm, her nails digging slightly into my sleeve.

“Eh, that’s Satono, right?”

I glanced over, pretending not to care, but my eyes immediately scanned the street.

“…Yeah.”

“He’s with a girl.”

“Huh?!”

The word tore out of my throat much louder than I intended.

Ruri slowly turned her head toward me, one eyebrow perfectly raised. “…What?”

“I mean—so what?” I corrected immediately, frantically trying to smooth out my voice. “He can walk with whoever he wants.”

We both looked down the street again.

Satono was walking beside a girl I’d never seen before. She had her phone held out between them, showing him something on the screen. He leaned in close—too close—to look.

Then, they both burst out laughing.

It wasn’t a normal laugh. It was that unhinged, wheezing, breathless type of laughter where you physically have to bend over to survive it.

Ruri narrowed her eyes, watching them from a distance. “Why are they laughing like villains?”

“I don’t know,” I muttered, my feet moving forward almost against my will.

As we got a little closer, the chaotic audio from the phone reached us.

“BRO,” Satono choked out between wheezing gasps, clutching his stomach. “WHY DID THE CAT TURN INTO A HELICOPTER?!”

“I TOLD YOU IT WAS ABSOLUTE CINEMA,” the girl wheezed back, her shoulders shaking. “The editing was so bad—his face just stretched and—WOOOOSH—”

She made a wild, spinning motion with her finger in the air.

Satono laughed so hard he almost dropped his own phone on the pavement. “WAIT, WAIT, WAIT—play the tung tung sahur one again.”

“NOOO, that one’s cursed—”

They both dissolved into another fit of uncontrollable laughter, completely oblivious to the rest of the world.

I stopped walking.

What on earth am I looking at?

Beside me, Ruri blinked slowly, her expression a mix of awe and utter confusion. “Is that… brain rot?”

“Yes,” I said flatly, adjusting my glasses to hide the sudden, uncomfortable twist in my stomach. “Advanced stage.”

The girl noticed us first. She gasped, quickly lowering the phone. “Oh—hi!”

Satono looked up, blinking away tears of laughter. The chaotic, wheezing boy vanished in an instant.

“Oh. Nao. Ruri.”

Why does he sound normal now? He quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, but he wasn’t fast enough. I caught a glimpse of the screen: a violently saturated, poorly edited AI video thumbnail. Of course.

“Oh, yeah—this is Airi,” he said, gesturing loosely to the girl. “Internet Club.”

Airi gave a polite, small bow, though her eyes were still bright with leftover laughter. “Nice to meet you! Sorry if we were loud.”

“You were loud,” I replied automatically.

Why did that sound so sharp?

If she noticed my icy tone, she didn’t show it. Instead, she just grinned. “Sorry. He’s the only one who laughs at the same stupid stuff I do.”

Satono pointed an accusatory finger at her. “Excuse me, YOU sent me the grandma doing an iShowSpeed backflip over a moving car!”

“IT WAS SYMBOLISM!”

“OF WHAT?!”

“I DON’T KNOW!”

They started laughing again. It was smaller this time, contained, but entirely in sync.

Something uncomfortable and heavy twisted deep in my chest. I gripped the strap of my bag tighter.

Ruri crossed her arms, thoroughly amused by the spectacle. “So..... Brain damage club?”

“It’s called culture,” Satono said proudly, lifting his chin. “And I’m a man of culture.”

“It’s called algorithm poisoning,” I corrected, my voice crisp.

Airi gasped dramatically, placing a hand over her heart. “You’re one of those clean-feed people, aren’t you?”

“…What does that even mean?”

“No brain rot. No nonsense edits. No cursed AI voices.”

I stared at her. “…Yes?”

Airi slowly turned her head to look at Satono. “She’s too powerful.”

“I KNOW,” he whispered back loudly.

Why are they whispering?!

Ruri leaned close to my ear. “You look like someone just told you Santa isn’t real.”

“Don’t be stupid.”

Satono cleared his throat, shifting his weight awkwardly. “Anyway—we’re heading to Orion Mall. There’s a Mob Legends tournament today.”

He tried to sound casual, but the slight stiffening of his shoulders gave him away. He failed.

“Our team’s already there,” Airi added cheerfully. “Three others are setting up.”

“You didn’t mention that,” I said, the words slipping out before my brain could stop them.

Satono blinked, looking genuinely confused. “…Mention what?”

“The tournament.”

He scratched his cheek, looking away from me. “I mean… you don’t really care about that stuff.”

It wasn’t accusatory. It was just matter-of-fact. The words landed lightly, but to me, they hit like a physical weight. It was that careful distance again—like he’d already categorized me, boxed me up, and placed me safely outside of his world.

“…I never said I don’t care.”

He looked surprised.

Ruri’s eyes flickered between the two of us, practically gleaming. “Oh?” she said lightly. “Since when?”

“Since always.”

That was a lie. Or maybe it wasn’t. My chest felt so tight I didn't even know anymore.

Airi brightened, entirely missing the suffocating tension between us. “You should come! The crowd gets crazy. Last time, someone brought a plastic sword and started screaming like it was a war.”

“That was ONE GUY,” Satono defended quickly.

“It was iconic.”

He grinned at her. She grinned back.

I hated that I noticed.

“It’s loud,” Satono said, his attention snapping back to me. “You probably wouldn’t like it.”

There it was again. That invisible wall. Like he’d already decided my answer for me.

I lifted my chin. “…Maybe I’ll decide that myself.”

Satono paused, his eyes widening a fraction.

Beside me, Ruri smiled slowly. “Wow.”

“What,” I muttered.

“Nothing. I just didn’t know you liked helicopter cats.”

“I don’t.”

“Sure.”

Satono adjusted his backpack, breaking the silence. “Well. We’re gonna head there now. Match starts in an hour.” He hesitated. Very slightly, his eyes darting to the pavement. “If you… want to come, it’s open venue.”

His tone was totally casual. He wasn't looking directly at me. Like it didn’t matter.

It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter.

“Maybe,” I said.

Airi waved cheerfully. “See you!”

They turned and started walking again. This time, I didn’t look away. I watched their backs as they moved down the sidewalk.

Ruri waited until they were completely out of earshot before speaking.

“…Okay.”

“What.”

“You don’t like her.”

“I don’t know her.”

“You don’t like that she laughs at the same things he does.”

“That’s not—”

“You don’t like that he didn’t tell you about the tournament.”

I snapped my mouth shut, staring straight ahead.

Ruri’s voice softened just a fraction, losing its teasing edge. “You know he only acts that stupid when he’s comfortable, right?”

My chest tightened so painfully it was hard to breathe. “…I don’t care who he’s comfortable with.”

Ruri hummed softly. “Sure.”

A dozen yards ahead of us, Satono and Airi were already arguing again, their voices carrying back to us on the afternoon breeze.

“Your build was trash.”

“It was experimental!”

“It was grief!”

“It was art!”

They bumped shoulders as they walked. Laughing. Easy.

For some reason, my vision blurred for a split second. It felt like watching him stand safely inside a bright, noisy world that I wasn’t a part of anymore.

And I hated that it bothered me. Because it shouldn’t.

It really shouldn’t.…Right?