The last day of school, the rooftop at dusk.
The sky is a bruised violet, the city lights flickering on one by one below.
The party downstairs is loud enough that the bass vibrates faintly through the concrete.
I stay in the shadows by the water tower, arms folded, silent observer.
I've learned from the real Kiyoshi how to disappear while still seeing everything.
Tada is pacing near the railing, big shoulders hunched, phone in one hand like it's burning him.
Kiyomi bounces up the stairs two at a time, ponytail swinging, eyes already sparkling with trouble.
Kiyomi (shouting across the roof)
YO, AHO!
Tada turns, the tension in his face easing for half a second.
Tada
There you are.
I've been looking everywhere.
Happy birthday, you demon.
Kiyomi (grinning like a cat)
Aw, you remembered!
Where's my gift, big guy?
Tada
Didn't buy one.
Figured I'd just give you whatever you asked for.
Within reason.
Kiyomi
Anything?
Tada
If it's in my power.
Kiyomi (eyes lighting up)
Stand naked in front of the whole school and scream "Kiyomi is the greatest human alive!"
Tada's face goes scarlet.
Tada
Absolutely not.
Kiyomi (laughing so hard she has to lean on the railing)
Relax, relax!
Then… give me your phone.
Five minutes.
Tada
My phone?
Why?
Kiyomi
Birthday privilege.
Come on, Tada.
Trust me.
She holds out her hand, fingers wiggling.
Tada hesitates, runs a hand through his hair, then hands it over.
Tada
Five minutes.
I'm counting.
Kiyomi immediately spins away, shielding the screen with her whole body.
Her fingers fly.
Tada tries to peek; she elbows him hard.
Kiyomi
No peeking!
You'll ruin the surprise!
Tada
What surprise needs my phone?
Kiyomi
The best kind.
Four minutes and fifty-nine seconds later, she hands it back with the smuggest grin in the prefecture.
Kiyomi
Done.
You're welcome in advance.
Tada unlocks the screen.
His face drains of color. She was on line, she messaged Hana that he loved her, wrote a big romantic letter type of thing. And the fact that he is in love with her for seven years
Tada (voice cracking)
Kiyomi…
What the hell did you just do?
Kiyomi (still proud)
I fixed your life!
You've been mooning over Hana since forever.
You never would've said it, so I said it for you.
Best wing-woman ever, right?
Tada
You said… seven years.
Kiyomi
Yeah!
Super romantic!
Like a drama
Tada
She transferred here four years ago.
Four. Not seven.
The grin dies on Kiyomi's face.
The rooftop goes dead quiet except for the muffled bass from downstairs.
Kiyomi (small)
…You're kidding.
Tada's phone buzzes.
He looks down like it's a live grenade.
Hana's reply lights up the screen.
"I have a boyfriend.
You're a week too late.
I did like you for a long time, but you never said anything, so I moved on.
Also, I've been at this school for four years, not seven.
If you don't even know that, you disgust me."
Tada just stares.
His hand starts shaking.
Kiyomi's voice is barely a whisper now.
Kiyomi
Tada…
I'm sorry.
I thought—He doesn't answer.
He slides down the wall until he's sitting on the concrete, knees pulled up, phone dangling between them like it weighs a thousand tons.
Kiyomi crouches beside him, reaching out, then pulling her hand back like she's afraid to touch him.
Kiyomi
Say something.
Please.
Tada's voice comes out broken.
Tada
You just destroyed everything.
Kiyomi flinches like he slapped her. He didn't slapped her, the words felt like he did
I stay in the shadows, unmoving.
I watch Kiyomi's eyes fill with tears she refuses to let fall.
I watch Tada stare at the screen until the words blur.
I watch the sky finish bleeding out into night.
And I say nothing.
Because some disasters have to happen exactly this way.
Some lessons can only be learned when the person you trust most in the world
accidentally breaks your heart in front of you.
The rooftop door stays closed.
The party goes on without them.
And I stand here, silent witness,
remembering my own confession that never happened,
my own promise I kept by breaking someone else's heart first.
Some stories aren't yours to fix.
Some endings have to hurt exactly this much
so the next beginning can mean something.
I turn and walk away before either of them notices I was ever there.
The wind carries the faint sound of Kiyomi's quiet, broken apology
and Tada's silence that answers louder than words ever could.