Unspoken words

The next day, Ryota woke up feeling sick.

He had a headache, and he felt dizzy. It was hard to breathe, and his mouth was dry. He struggled to get out of bed, and it took him a while to stand up.

He walked over to his desk, picking up a few items. He needed to leave the house soon. If he didn't hurry, he would be late for class.

After a few minutes, he was ready to go.

He stood still in the living room, staring at the house. There was an empty feeling in his chest. He couldn't explain it. It was like a heavy weight was pressing down on his body.

He took a deep breath and left the house, heading toward school.

"Ah!"

He remembered he didn't have class for the first period. He needed to go to the clubroom.

He walked as fast as he could, trying to ignore his dizziness. He reached the school and rushed toward the clubroom. When he arrived, silence greeted him. No one was there.

He felt relieved, but he was also disappointed. He wanted to talk to Mai about what happened yesterday, but he couldn't find her.

"..."

He sighed and sat on the chair, thinking about what he should do next.

He looked around the place, and something caught his eye.

On the desk, there was a red envelope.

"A letter?" He picked it up and looked at it.

Seeing "Asano Ryota" written on it made his heartbeat quicken. He didn't understand why his heart was pounding like this. It was just a letter, but he felt excited.

"It's... a Valentine's Day Card!"

He opened the envelope and saw the card inside. It was pink with white hearts. He could see the words "To Asano Ryota" written in cursive.

"I guess she made one for each member," he said to himself.

He read the card and smiled. The message inside was simple. Just one sentence.

"Chocolate is tasty, but not as tasty as you."

It was a creative message, and it was sweet. Ryota was surprised Mai would write such a thing, but he didn't mind. He was happy to receive it.

But what he didn't know was that this was just the beginning.

Minutes later, there was a knock at the door.

"I'm here."

Mai stepped into the room. She was wearing her uniform and carrying a small box in her hand.

"Good morning, prez!" he exclaimed.

"Morning," she replied. "You received my card, I see."

He nodded.

"I'm glad you liked it."

She set the box down on the table with a thud and eagerly pried it open. The box contained a delightful mixture of chocolates and candy in every shape and size.

"Wow! They look great!" he exclaimed.

"I made them myself. You're the first one to get one, though."

"Really?"

She grabbed a chocolate from the box and tossed it into her mouth with a smile.

Finally, Sato came to the clubroom.

"Where is my chocolate? I want my chocolate!" he exclaimed.

Mai picked another chocolate from the box, handing it to him.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Idiot 1," she said with a smile. "I hope you enjoy it."

Sato looked at her, then at the chocolate in his hand.

"It's nothing special," Mai said. "It's just an ordinary chocolate. But it's made by yours truly."

Sato nodded. A wide smile spread across his face as he bit into the chocolate.

"This is great," he said. "Your chocolate is delicious!"

"Thank you," Mai replied. "I'm glad you like it, Idiot 1."

"Um, prez," Ryota said, speaking up.

"Yes?"

"What's with that ‘Idiot 1’? That's a weird way to call him, don't you think?"

She looked at him, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh?" she said, smiling. "Idiot 2, are you jealous?"

"..."

"She's angry," Sato whispered, leaning closer to Ryota.

Ryota turned around and looked at Mai. He remembered her expression yesterday. He knew he shouldn't say anything.

She was upset.

The young man thought about the events of the past few days. The conversation they had at the café, the way she had been acting, the way she was treating him...

He knew that he had done something wrong, and he didn't understand what it was.

Maybe it wasn't his fault. He shouldn't have asked her out yesterday.

"Earth to Lazy_ I mean Idiot 2!"

"Huh?"

"Did you fall asleep?"

"..."

"Are you upset about something? What's wrong?"

Mai sighed, walking toward him. She stared at him with an expressionless face.

"What is it, prez?"

"Nothing," she replied, looking down.

"Huh? Then why did you say-"

"I want to ask you something," she said. "And you need to be honest with me."

"What is it?"

She looked up, staring into his eyes.

"What am I to you?"

Ryota gulped, wondering what she meant by this.

"What do you mean, prez?"

"Do I mean something to you? Or not?" she asked.

She sounded sad.

"Of course you do," he replied. "I mean, we've known each other for a long time. Since kindergarten."

Mai shook her head. "That... is not what I meant."

Deep down, he knew what she was talking about. He could feel it. But he didn't want to say it out loud. This conversation was something he wished to avoid at all costs.

He looked at Sato, asking for help with his eyes.

"Hey, what is this all about?" Sato asked. "Why are you asking him these questions?"

Mai sighed and walked away. She opened the door and glanced back at them.

"I... see..."

She walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"You know, I like the name Idiot 1 better than Lazy-kun," Sato said.

"Shut up."

"You should talk to her," he added.

"..."

"I think you should tell her the truth."

Ryota sighed, shaking his head.

"Guess we should have some bro talk sometime in the future."

Ryota turned to him, unable to hold back a smile.

"Who would want to do that?" he said. "Thanks."