After the rooftop incident, Tenkei avoided Airi as much as he could. He never looked at her directly in class, never walked near her in the hallway, and always stayed close to Miko. Even though Airi had smiled and said it was okay, he could still feel something strange whenever she was nearby. It was like a quiet pressure that made his chest uncomfortable. He kept telling himself that he was just overthinking, that she had accepted his feelings honestly, and that everything was fine now.
But everything was not fine.
From the very next week, Airi began to change her behavior.
She started sitting closer to Miko in class. She joined Miko during lunch. She laughed with her, helped her with homework, and walked home with her sometimes. To everyone watching, they looked like close friends who had always been together. Miko, who was naturally kind and trusting, didn't think much about it.
"Airi is actually really sweet," Miko said one day while eating lunch. "She listens well. I didn't know we'd get along this easily."
Tenkei forced a small smile. "Y-Yeah… she seems… nice…"
But inside, his heart felt uneasy.
Sometimes, when Miko wasn't around, Airi would quietly approach him.
At first, she acted gentle.
"Are you okay today, Tenkei?" she would ask softly. "You look tired."
"O-Oh… I'm fine," he would reply.
She would smile and walk away.
But slowly, her words began to change.
One afternoon, while Tenkei was putting his shoes away, Airi stood beside him.
"You know…" she said casually, "Miko is really popular."
"Y-Yeah…" he nodded.
"So many boys like her," she continued. "Even seniors."
His fingers froze.
"I heard one of them confessed last week," she added. "She rejected him, but still… don't you think she might get tired of waiting for someone so weak?"
Tenkei looked up sharply.
"W-What…?"
She tilted her head innocently.
"I'm just saying. You're always sick, always anxious, always needing her support. Isn't that exhausting for her?"
His chest tightened.
"I-I… I try my best…"
"I know," she smiled. "You're kind. But kindness isn't enough in love."
She walked away, leaving those words behind like invisible knives.
From that day on, Airi began planting doubts inside him.
Whenever he failed a test, she would say, "Miko studies so hard. Don't you feel bad slowing her down?"
Whenever he felt tired, she would whisper, "If you collapse again, she'll just worry more."
Whenever he looked sad, she would murmur, "Strong people don't cry so easily."
Each sentence was soft.
Each sentence was polite.
Each sentence hurt.
And Tenkei believed them.
Little by little, his confidence began to break.
At the same time, Airi grew closer to Miko.
She praised her constantly.
"You're amazing, Miko."
"You're so responsible."
"You always protect Tenkei."
"You're like his guardian angel."
Miko smiled shyly whenever she heard that.
"I'm just doing what anyone would," she replied.
But Airi's words were carefully chosen.
One evening while walking home, Airi spoke quietly.
"Sometimes I worry about you," she said.
"Eh?" Miko asked.
"You always put Tenkei first," Airi continued. "You never think about yourself. Aren't you tired?"
Miko stopped walking.
"Tired…?"
"Yeah," Airi nodded. "You're like his shield, his nurse, his support. But who supports you?"
Miko stayed silent.
That question stayed in her heart.
Meanwhile, Tenkei's mental state worsened.
He began apologizing more.
He began walking behind Miko instead of beside her.
He began refusing help.
"I-I'm fine," he would say even when he wasn't.
At night, his panic attacks returned.
Stronger.
Longer.
More painful.
He would curl up in his bed, hugging his pillow tightly.
"I'm useless… I'm weak… I'm just a burden…" he whispered again and again.
And Airi knew.
She watched.
She waited.
One afternoon, she found Tenkei alone in the library.
He was staring at a book without reading.
She sat beside him quietly.
"You look lonely," she said.
He flinched.
"I'm not…"
"You are," she replied softly. "Because you're afraid."
He looked at her.
"Afraid… of losing her."
His lips trembled.
She leaned closer.
"You know what's sad?" she whispered. "You love her so much… but you don't believe you deserve her."
Tears filled his eyes.
"I… I don't…"
She smiled gently.
"Let me help you," she said.
"Only I understand you."
And somewhere inside Tenkei's heart, something cracked.