Leo didn't sleep the night before.
He watched the ceiling turn from grey to silver, listened to the ticking of the clock, and rehearsed a hundred ways to say the same thing:
I want to stay.
But now, standing at the school gate, all those words scattered like dry leaves in the wind.
His parents looked older than he remembered.
His mother smiled first. She always did.
His father didn't.
"Leo," his father said. "Let's talk somewhere quiet."
---
They sat in the small park across the street from the school.
Autumn leaves rustled around them.
Leo sat on a bench between his parents. His hands trembled in his lap.
"You've grown," his mother said softly. "Taller. Sharper."
Leo didn't respond.
His father was the first to break the silence.
"We received your call," he said. "And we came. But your decision—it's not yours alone to make."
Leo clenched his fists. "Why not?"
"Because you're still a student. A minor. You're not thinking long-term. This school—it's fine for a year, maybe two. But what about university? What about connections?"
Leo looked down. "What about what I want?"
His father's tone tightened. "What you want isn't always what's best."
And then Leo said it.
Calmly. Clearly.
"I don't want to transfer back. I want to stay here. I've made friends. I've found something I care about. Someone."
His mother's eyes softened. "You mean Rin?"
Leo nodded.
His father's expression darkened. "So you're choosing a girl over your future?"
"It's not just about her. It's about me. I finally feel like myself here."
"Leo—"
"You never asked me what I wanted. You just expected me to obey. To fold myself into whatever plan you had. I've done that my whole life. This time—I'm choosing."
His mother reached for his hand. "Leo, we just want you to have stability. Safety. The best path."
"I know," Leo whispered. "But maybe that path isn't the one you picked."
Silence stretched.
Birds chirped above them.
A breeze stirred.
His father stood. "We'll give you a week to think about it. If you're serious, we'll talk again. But know this—this choice has consequences."
Leo looked up. "So does staying silent."
His mother opened her mouth, but no words came out. Instead, she gave his shoulder a squeeze.
They walked away.
His mother turned back once.
Her eyes held worry.
But also something else.
Pride.
---
Leo stayed in the park long after they left.
The wind played with his sleeves. His heartbeat slowly calmed, but the tension in his spine refused to loosen.
He replayed the conversation over and over. Wondering if he could've said something different. Softer. Smarter.
But he knew it wouldn't have mattered.
Some decisions came wrapped in pain no matter how you worded them.
---
He wandered without thinking.
By the time he looked up again, he was standing near the school greenhouse, a quiet place no one visited during weekends.
And Rin was there.
She had her back turned, watering a row of small potted herbs. Her hair was tied back, and she wore a navy hoodie too big for her frame.
He almost walked away.
But then she turned.
And she saw everything in his face.
She didn't speak.
She just walked over, slowly, and wrapped her arms around him.
Leo didn't cry.
But something inside cracked—like a door swinging open in a storm.
"I said everything," he whispered. "Everything I wanted to say. And it still wasn't enough."
Rin didn't answer right away.
She simply held him.
"I'm proud of you," she said quietly. "Even if they're not."
He nodded against her shoulder.
"But what now?" he asked. "What if they make it impossible for me to stay?"
Rin leaned back, looked him in the eyes.
"Then we fight," she said.
"You make it sound easy."
"It won't be."
She touched his chest.
"But you're not alone."
---
The following day, Leo returned to the literature club. Everyone greeted him like nothing had happened, but Kai gave him a silent look—one that said, "You good?"
Leo gave a small nod.
At lunch, Yuki passed him a handmade pin with a star on it.
"For luck," she said, smiling. "In case the universe is listening."
Hana threw an arm around his shoulder. "Let me know if I need to intimidate anyone. I got scary arms."
And in the quiet moments between class bells, Rin sat beside him, not asking for details, just… being there.
Leo didn't know what would happen in a week.
But for the first time—he believed he could face it.
Not because he was brave.
But because now, when the road split—
He wasn't walking it alone.