---
The rooftop was quiet.
Classes had ended early for club activities, and most students had gone home, but Mika remained.
She stood alone, gripping the cold metal railing, wind brushing her face. Her fingers were pale, her nails dug into her palm.
She had tried everything—messages, calls, asking Silva, even visiting Harukoo's dorm once.
Each time, she was either ignored, declined, or gently turned away.
But not this time.
This time she would say everything. One last chance.
---
Flashback: The Breaking Point
She had followed Harukoo after school one day. Not out of spite. Not out of obsession. Just out of regret.
She saw him and Silva in the park, sharing ice cream, laughing over something trivial.
And then it happened.
He leaned in and kissed Silva—softly, confidently. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.
It felt like someone stabbed her.
But what broke her was Silva's laugh afterward, how Harukoo pulled her closer and whispered into her ear, making her blush.
Mika had never seen him that way before.
Not with her.
Not ever.
---
Now
The rooftop door creaked open.
Mika turned. Her heart slammed against her ribs.
Harukoo stood there, hands in his pockets, expression unreadable.
"You said it was important," he said, stepping into the open air.
She nodded, her throat tightening. "Thanks for coming."
He didn't respond, just waited.
Mika took a breath, words trembling out. "I've made so many mistakes, Harukoo."
He raised an eyebrow slightly.
"I thought I knew everything back then. I thought… Kaito saved me. I thought I was in love with him because he was there that night."
Harukoo's gaze didn't change.
"But it wasn't him. It was you."
The wind rustled her hair, but she didn't move.
"You saved me. And I didn't even see you."
Harukoo stepped forward, slowly. "What made you finally realize that?"
"I asked Kaito," she said, eyes downcast. "He admitted it. Said he took credit because I wouldn't have believed you anyway."
Silence.
Tears welled in her eyes. "I broke your heart. I know I did."
"You did more than that," Harukoo said softly. "You made me feel invisible."
Mika nodded, wiping her eyes. "But I see you now."
He looked at her.
And for the first time in a long time, he truly saw her.
Not the girl from his past.
Just… Mika.
"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm sorry I didn't love you when you needed it most."
She stepped closer. "But I do now."
He studied her. His voice was calm. "And what am I supposed to do with that?"
Mika opened her mouth, but no words came.
"I begged for scraps," Harukoo continued. "While you gave everything to someone who didn't deserve you."
She blinked rapidly.
"And now I have someone who does see me. Every part of me. And loves it."
Mika's voice cracked. "But we had so much—"
"No," Harukoo interrupted. "We could've had so much. But you chose someone else."
His expression hardened.
"I'm not your second choice, Mika."
---
She Broke Down
"I was stupid," she whispered. "I let fear choose for me."
Harukoo exhaled, soft and sad. "And I let my hope die waiting for you."
She reached out, just barely touching his sleeve.
"I miss you," she said. "The boy who brought me ice cream when I cried, the one who patched up my bruises."
"That boy's gone," Harukoo said, not unkindly.
"And the man standing here?" she asked, trembling.
He smiled faintly. "He belongs to someone else now."
---
Later That Night
Harukoo told Silva everything.
She didn't get angry. She didn't panic. She just held his hand, rested her forehead against his, and whispered, "Thank you for choosing me."
"I didn't choose," he said. "You just stayed when no one else did."
Silva kissed him then—slow and deep, like a promise.
---
Elsewhere
Mika lay in bed, staring at her ceiling.
Tears streamed silently as she clutched her pillow.
She had loved Harukoo in her own quiet way, buried beneath fear, doubt, and cowardice.
But love that's hidden too long becomes regret.
And regrets never hold hands with the future.
---