His eyes opened.
Morning.
He took a breath, slow and hollow, then turned his head to the side.
No one was there.
"Sato. I'm heading out. Get food after school or something," came a voice from across the room — feminine, firm, almost bored. His sister. She was dressing, already halfway out the door.
Sato looked at her back.
She didn't bother to glance at him.
"…Bye, sis," he muttered as the door slammed behind her.
With a quiet sigh, Sato got up and started his routine. Brushed his teeth. Slipped into his long-sleeved shirt, covering the carved map of scars that marred his torso. When he met his reflection, all he saw were dead fish eyes staring back.
No life behind them. No want to live.
Then Hiyori drifted into his mind. The thought of seeing her again today.
And just like that, the light returned. Just enough to form a smile.
His smile — his mask. His glasses and wig. And with it firmly in place, he stepped out the door and began walking toward her house.
"HIKKI~!" he called, waving eagerly as he spotted her near the edge of her home's gate. "Did you wait long?"
"…No." She didn't look at him. Just sighed.
Sato's eyes narrowed slightly. He could tell — she was frustrated. Something was off. She didn't even meet his gaze as they began walking together.
"What's wrong, Hikki?" he asked, tilting his head, trying to catch her eyes. Her blond hair fluttered with the breeze, her taller frame casting a soft shadow over him.
"I'm fine, Sakkun," she replied.
"You've said that for days now." His voice dropped. "Please, Hikki. Tell me."
She hesitated. Let out a long breath.
"…Did you not want to come to my house that night?" she finally asked. "After we came back from the onsen resort?"
'No… no. What are you saying?'
'You don't know, Hikki. You don't know I've been planning to confess how I feel about you. But not like this…'
He clenched his fists.
'You're not just anyone I can blurt something like that to.'
'It has to be special. As special as you are.'
Resolved, he imagined it already—him on stage, playing the song he practiced, then confessing. That would be the moment.
"Uh… ah…"
"…Sakkun, I… I wanted you to—"
"W-what are you saying, Hikki? It was already late. Why would I go hang out at your place…? Don't be silly, haha…" He forced a chuckle.
"Ah… I see…" She lowered her head, lashes falling like a curtain. "So… you don't feel anything like that toward me, huh?"
His eye twitched.
"Feel something? What are you talking about, Hikki…?" he asked, wearing his usual smile like a mask.
"I… see."
"Okay, Sakkun."
Another twitch.
"S-say, besides that," Sato stammered, "There's a festival soon, you know? Wanna go with me? We could pretend to be a couple and—"
"Sakkun." She looked at him with a soft, resigned smile. "I think… I'll walk to school alone today, alright?"
He stopped in his tracks. The wind brushed past them, carrying her words away.
"…Oh, sure! Everyone needs some time to themselves, after all!" he said, hesitating.
A moment later, it was Sato who walked ahead, while Hiyori faded quietly behind him.
'It has to be perfect, Hikki. Me… who I am…? I'm the flower you watered.'
'I want to show you just how much I feel that way toward you.'
'It can't be some cheap, street-level frolick…!!'
He clenched his teeth as he walked, the memory of his sister's touch mixing violently with the image of a prince winning the girl in a fairy tale.
'You'll see. Once I sing this to you…'
'You'll see.'
'How much I love you.'
He tightened his fist.
And reached the school.
'Right,' he thought as he made it to the schoolyard, greeting students one by one. Then, his gaze focused on the school's gym. 'Sendo's been pretty downtrodden recently... I wonder why.'
'I'll check up on him,' Sato thought, walking toward the gym, opening the door and spotting Sendo practicing on his own.
"Sendo-kun?" Sato called, approaching him as he swung his shinai at thin air.
"What's wrong? You seem sad."
"If I seem sad, it's because Hina left me." He swung. "She said she didn't really like Kendo. How dare she... play with ma' heart like dat!?" He pursed his lips, looking ahead.
'Eh…? So it was something like that?' Sato thought in resignation.
"Oh, that's too bad... I guess you're just too good for her, then—"
"DON'T GIMME DAT!" Sendo yelled, startling Sato.
"Sendo-kun..."
"I'm too good for everybody, it seemed, ya' know!? It's like... I'm the only one who likes Kendo, and I want more people to like Kendo. Why... why can't people just like Kendo? It's so damn cool, senpai!" He murmured, his voice shaky.
"..." Sato sighed. "Sendo-kun. Stop practice right now. Sit with me."
"I don't wanna," he muttered, looking away with a pout, swinging his shinai.
"Your senpai wants to help you! And I'm asking you as your senpai! Are you going to refuse?" Sato pressed.
Begrudgingly, Sendo put his shinai away, and the two of them went to sit in the audience seats.
"Her name was Hina, right?" Sato muttered as he looked at Sendo. Sendo nodded.
"Okay. Was she your girlfriend?"
Another nod.
"Okay. What is a girlfriend, Sendo?"
".... Ah... girlfriend is... uh... a girl that you can kiss, I guess."
'...' Sato clenched his fists, his gaze shaking, but he contained his anger.
"Okay, it's NOT a girl you can kiss. Not even remotely."
He sighed, looking ahead.
Sendo turned to him, tilting his head in confusion.
"What is it, then, senpai?"
"It's... hm. A girl that loves you. Someone who connects to you emotionally. Someone you hold dearer than anyone else in the world. Someone to walk the world with you. Someone who shares your fears, doubts, and dreams—who pushes you forward, and whom you push in return. Someone you can count on."
"R... right..." Sendo scratched his head in confusion.
"The point is, it's someone special."
"A-and someone that loves you." Sato added. "Hina wanted to be with you not because of Kendo, but because of you, Sendo."
Sato looked ahead.
"She admired how kind you are. Your competitiveness. That you're a cute cinnamon bun... the purest person the school's ever seen. That you never lie. And how passionate you are about what you love."
"Yer makin' me blush, senpai..." Sendo turned his face away, red in the cheeks.
"But ultimately, she fell in love with you. Not Kendo."
Sendo froze, his gaze dropping.
"Do you understand what I'm trying to say to you?" Sato asked. "You put too much weight on Kendo, when maybe... you should've given her feelings a little more thought too."
"But... but I really love Kendo, senpai!"
"You can't love Kendo more than your girlfriend, Sendo." Sato sighed. "Kendo's a wonderful sport... but people are what matter most. Otherwise, why are you always trying to get more people to join your club?"
"Huh... I..." Sendo looked down, frustrated. "But... this doesn't feel right."
'But it is right, Sendo-kun,' Sato thought, his expression softening as he looked at him.
"Sometimes, you have to give up parts of yourself if you want to have a good life." Sato glanced up at the gym ceiling.
"Is... is dat how it works..?" Sendo looked back at him, eyes searching for guidance.
"It's rough, but it is how it works, Sendo. The next girl who comes along—if she likes you but hates Kendo—you should try to compromise that part. For her."
"That way, she won't break up with you the way Hina did."
"Oh..." Sendo looked down. "Alright... Senpai, I think I get it. Don't put Kendo above my girlfriend... She deserves more than that."
"...Good boy, Sendo. You'll be fine. I'm sure of it," Sato said, patting him on the shoulder with a warm smile.
'That's right, Hikki. You matter more than just... some stupid, ridiculous night fuck. You deserve a proper confession. A proper celebration.'
'...A proper man.' Sato thought as he rose from his seat.
"Well, I've got to get to the Culture Club!" he said brightly. "Have a great day, Sendo."
Later that day...
"Shizume-senpai, do you know... uh..." Chiyoko fidgeted with her fingers, struggling to speak.
Sato chuckled softly. "Sakurai-senpai, right? He fell down some stairs, so he won't be back until he's better. The principal told me."
"Oh... I see... He's fine, right?"
"Why don't you just visit him, Chiyoko?" Shun called from nearby, painting bold strokes across a large sign.
Chiyoko blushed hard. "Ah... That... uhm... My mom isn't free to take me. She's working really hard and all..." She twiddled her thumbs, then bowed her head. "S-sorry for interrupting, senpai..." she muttered before scurrying off.
Sato smiled, scribbling on club documents at his desk.
"…"
"…"
"…Are we gonna talk about it, Sato-kun?" Shun finally asked.
"There's nothing to talk about, senpai," Sato said calmly. "No one got hurt at the resort. And Sakurai-senpai must have his own reasons for keeping his… erm, talent a secret."
"I guess… It's just worrying. The Disciplinary Committee, the sudden shift, and that day Sakurai punched Gon… That wasn't just some play. They were seriously fighting—"
"Senpai." Sato cut him off, gentle but firm. "I get it. You're worried. But let's stop here, alright? Things change. As long as we're together, we'll figure it out."
"...Okay. I guess you're right," Shun mumbled, going back to his work.
The clubroom door creaked open.
"Ah, Hikki!" Sato perked up—then paused. Hiyori's expression was unreadable as she approached his desk.
"...?" He looked down, seeing her place a letter before him.
"What's this, Hikki?"
"I'm… I'm quitting the Culture Club, Sakkun."
"...What?"