he falls for Tamaki Amajiki fast — loudly, boldly, without shame. She calls him cute, teases him, pulls him into conversations he’d never start. He blushes every time. He thinks she’s sunlight. She thinks he barely sees her. But Nejire is always there — bright, bubbly, touching his arm, leaning close, laughing with him like she belongs at his side. And Tamaki never stops her. It stings. It twists. It makes her feel stupid for liking him so openly. Then she walks into the cafeteria and sees Nejire fixing his collar while he stands frozen and pink. Nejire giggles. Something inside her goes quiet. She stops teasing him. Stops sitting beside him. Stops looking at him. Around everyone else she’s still loud, blunt, herself — but around him she’s silent. And that silence terrifies him. Tamaki notices instantly. He thinks he broke something. He thinks she finally realized he’s not worth her time. He tries to approach her, but she dodges him. He tries to speak, but the words die. He watches her laugh with someone else and feels something sharp and awful bloom in his chest. Nejire eventually corners him. “You’re sulking,” she says. “Go talk to her.” He nearly folds in half. After class, he finds her alone. His hands shake. His voice barely works. She tries to walk past him, but he steps in front of her — trembling, determined in the softest way. “I… I don’t want you to avoid me,” he whispers.