Taiki and Sato emerged from the changing area, with Sato enthusiastically explaining his new quick attack strategy. Taiki nodded along, fiddling with the sleeves of his dress shirt as they walked into the main room.

  "So if we time the jump just right, you could-" Sato's strategy talk faded into background noise as Taiki's eyes landed on Shiori.

  She stood by the window, her dark blue dress caught the light in a way that made it shimmer, laughing at something stupid Maki had just probably said.

  Without even processing what his body was doing, Taiki spun around, yanked open the changing room door, and slammed it behind him. His heart hammered against his ribs as he pressed his back against the door, sliding down until he sat on the floor.

  What was wrong with him? Two weeks ago, he could talk to her normally. They'd eaten curry together, watched terrible movies, argued about whether pineapple belonged on pizza.

  But now? Now he couldn't even look at her without his brain cutting short. It was ridiculous. Completely ridiculous. She was the same person. The exact, same person.

  "This is stupid," he muttered, running both hands through his hair. "So stupid."

  A knock on the door made him jump.

  "Dude," Sato's voice came through the wood, "you okay in there?"

  "Fine!" Taiki called back, his voice cracking. "Just... forgot something!"

  "Your dignity?" Sato suggested helpfully.

  Taiki let his head thunk back against the door. "Shut up."

  He finally emerged from the changing room. And their room suddenly felt way too small for four people.

  Then everyone just... stared.

  Maki's eyes widened as she took in Sato's tailored black suit, her usual snappy comebacks apparently lost somewhere between her brain and mouth.

  Shiori's gaze drifted to Taiki, lingering on how his blazer actually fit properly for once instead of hanging off him like his usual school uniform.

  Sato couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from Maki, who'd traded her usual ponytail for loose waves.

  And Taiki? Taiki was having an existential crisis because Shiori in a formal dress was apparently his kryptonite.

  The four of them stood there in painful silence, a perfect tableau of teenage awkwardness.

  "This is weird, right?" Taiki finally blurted out. "Like, objectively weird?"

  "So weird," Maki agreed immediately, relief flooding her voice. "The weirdest."

  "Monumentally weird," Sato added, tugging at his collar.

  Shiori just nodded.

  Taiki drew in a deep breath, trying to settle his nerves. Actually, he realized with a small surge of relief, that's exactly why it was so weird. One minute they're splashing around in a hot spring like kids, the next they're trying to act like proper adults in formal wear?

  "You know what?" Taiki said, mostly to himself but loud enough for the others to hear. "It would be weirder if this wasn't weird."

  Maki stopped fidgeting with her dress to squint at him. "What?"

  "Think about it," he continued. "We went from hot springs to fancy dinner in like, what, thirty minutes? If anyone wasn't feeling awkward right now, that would be the actual strange part."

  Sato's face scrunched up in concentration. "I... think I almost followed that logic?"

  "No, no, he's got a point," Shiori chimed in. "It's like... the weirdness makes it normal?"

  "Exactly!" Taiki pointed at her. "The awkwardness is the most normal part about this whole situation."

  "Only you could make being weird sound logical," Maki laughed.

  Sato clapped his hands together. "Well, if we've established that being weird is normal, can we go eat? I'm starving!"

  "Food sounds good," Maki agreed, already heading for the door. "I saw someone carrying what looked like tempura earlier, and I've been thinking about it for the last hour."

  "Of course you have," Taiki muttered, earning himself an elbow to the ribs as Maki passed by.

  Sato held the door open with an exaggerated bow. "Ladies first!"

  "Such a gentleman," Maki rolled her eyes but smiled as she walked through.

  Shiori followed, the hem of her dress brushing the doorframe.

  "After you," Sato gestured to Taiki with another theatrical bow.

  "You're enjoying this way too much," Taiki grumbled.

  "Someone has to!" Sato grinned, letting the door swing shut behind them. "Now, let's go see if this fancy place lives up to its reputation. I heard they have five different types of curry."

  Taiki's head snapped up. "Five?"

  "And here we go," Maki laughed from ahead of them. "Taiki's about to forget all about being awkward now that curry's involved."

  Dinner turned out to be exactly what they needed to break the lingering awkwardness. The restaurant's soft lighting and elegant atmosphere somehow made their formal wear feel less costume-like and more natural.

  "Okay, I take back every complaint about the dress code," Taiki admitted, sampling his third curry of the night. "This is actually incredible."

  Maki leaned over to steal a bite from his plate. "Right? Though I still think we should be allowed to try the wine list. We're practically adults."

  "We're literally sixteen," Shiori pointed out, hiding her smile behind her water glass.

  "Practically adults!" Maki insisted, making grabby hands at Sato's plate now. "Let me try that one too."

  Sato pushed his plate toward her. "The perks of having a family business that owns resorts, I guess. Though I should probably mention this is definitely not normal for most locations."

  "Well, we appreciate it," Shiori said sincerely. "This is... really special."

  "Yeah, thanks man," Taiki added, already eyeing the dessert menu. "Even if we're stuck with juice instead of wine."

  "Such hardship," Maki sighed dramatically. "Oh! Speaking of juice, try mixing the orange and the berry one. It tastes like summer."

  They spent the rest of dinner sampling each other's dishes, laughing at Taiki's determined mission to try every curry variation available.

  For a few hours, they weren't athletes or students or awkward teenagers in fancy clothes. They were just friends sharing an unexpectedly perfect meal together.

  Taiki flopped onto his futon, watching Maki dramatically roll around on hers while clutching her stomach.

  "I'm dying," Maki groaned. "This is what death feels like. Someone write that on my tombstone - 'Here lies Maki, defeated by curry.'"

  "You didn't have to try every single one Taiki ordered," Shiori pointed out, rummaging through her bag. She pulled out a deck of cards and what looked like Uno.

  "Yes, I absolutely did," Maki argued from her horizontal position. "It was for science. Very important food science."

  Sato snorted, already settled cross-legged on his futon. "What exactly was the hypothesis there?"

  "That I could eat more than Taiki," Maki said proudly. "And I succeeded."

  "By one bite," Taiki reminded her. "And now you're dying."

  "Worth it," Maki declared, finally pushing herself up to sitting. "What games did you bring, Shii?"

  Taiki and Sato both froze, exchanging confused glances.

  "Shii?" Taiki echoed, the nickname sounding foreign on his tongue.

  "Since when do you call her that?" Sato asked.

  Shiori's hands stilled over the card deck, a slight pink tinging her cheeks. "Oh, um-"

  "Since forever!" Maki declared, suddenly energized despite her curry-induced misery. "Well, since recently. We had a whole bonding session during our sleepover. Very emotional. There were snacks involved."

  "You can't just decide nicknames during snack-fueled sleepovers," Taiki protested.

  "Watch me," Maki stuck out her tongue. "Besides, Shiori likes it. Right, Shii?"

  Shiori ducked her head. "It's... kind of nice, actually."

  "See?" Maki grinned triumphantly. "I'm amazing at nicknames. I should do everyone's."

  "Please don't," Taiki groaned.

  "I brought Uno, regular cards, and that silly Jenga knockoff Jin gave me last week," Shiori said quickly, spreading the games out on the floor.

  Taiki leaned forward, picking up the Jenga box. "So what's the actual plan while we're here? Three days is a long time to just sit around playing cards."

  "Oh, don't worry, I've got everything mapped out!" Maki perked up, whipping out her phone. "Tomorrow morning we're hitting the nature trails, then lunch at that sushi place Sato mentioned, followed by shopping in the village. Day two is the ski slopes - don't give me that look, Taiki, they have beginner courses. And day three we're doing that weird meditation garden thing and-"

  "You planned literally every hour, didn't you?" Taiki interrupted, already looking exhausted just hearing about it.

  "Obviously! Can't waste premium resort time!" Maki scrolled through what appeared to be a detailed spreadsheet. "I even scheduled snack breaks."

  "Speaking of..." Sato stretched, a mischievous grin spreading across his face. "There's this little shop about ten minutes away that doesn't card for sake. If we wanted to make one night interesting..."

  "Sato!" Shiori looked scandalized.

  "What? We're at a fancy resort, we should celebrate properly!"

  "We're underage," Taiki pointed out.

  Maki fixed Taiki with a withering stare, the kind that made him feel like he'd just suggested they all do their homework for fun.

  "Really, Taiki? You're going to play the age card?" She crossed her arms. "Like any of us actually waited until we were legal."

  Taiki shifted uncomfortably on his futon. "I mean..."

  "Okay, show of hands," Maki declared. "Who here has never had alcohol before? Come on, be honest."

  The room fell silent. Taiki glanced around, expecting at least Shiori to raise her hand. But seconds ticked by, and not a single hand went up. Even Sato was looking slightly sheepish.

  "That's what I thought," Maki said triumphantly. "Told ya."

  Taiki's jaw dropped. "Wait, even you, Shiori?"

  Shiori suddenly became very interested in reorganizing the card deck. "There may have been... some champagne. At basketball victory celebrations."

  "More like half a bottle," Maki muttered under her breath.

  "Maki!" Shiori protested. But Maki was already doubled over laughing, clutching her stomach. That's some quick curry recovery.

  Taiki shrugged. His dad had always been pretty casual about letting him try sake during special occasions - birthdays, New Year's, that sort of thing.

  Looking at Sato, who was already typing something into his phone, Taiki figured his friend probably had similar experiences. With all those fancy client dinners Sato attended with his father's company, there had to have been more than a few drinks involved.

  "Well then," Sato announced, pocketing his phone. "I know a guy who knows a guy. We could have ourselves a proper little celebration tomorrow night after the hiking?"

  "As long as we're not doing anything crazy," Shiori added quickly, still looking slightly mortified about her champagne confession. "Just... you know, keeping it casual."

  "Oh please," Maki rolled her eyes. "Like any of us are wild party animals."

  Sato clapped his hands together. "Alright, who's ready to get their ass kicked at UNO? Fair warning - I'm undefeated against my cousins."

  "That's because your cousins are eight," Maki pointed out, already reaching for the cards.

  Taiki pushed himself up from his futon with a groan. "Actually, I think I'm gonna take five in the hot spring again. Privileges of having a private one, you know? Can go in whenever."

  "Didn't we just-" Maki started, but Taiki was already grabbing his swimsuit from where it hung drying.

  "Some of us didn't stuff ourselves with seven different types of curry," he said, heading for the door. "Besides, my shoulders are still sore from practice."

  "Coward!" Maki called after him. "You just don't want to face the UNO champion!"

  "I thought you said his cousins were eight," Shiori mumbled, helping Sato shuffle the deck.

  "Details, details," Maki waved dismissively. "The point is, he's clearly running away from certain defeat."

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  The door slid shut behind Taiki, muffling Maki's continued proclamations.

  Sato watched the door slide shut behind Taiki, brow furrowing slightly. He turned back to Maki and Shiori.

  "Hey, is he okay?" Sato asked, keeping his voice low. "He's been acting... weird. Well, weirder than usual."

  "How so?" Shiori asked.

  "I mean, he straight-up refused to come on this trip at first," Sato pointed out. "Like, him not wanting to come? I talked with him, I understand his point but…"

  Maki set down her cards. For once, her expression seemed more thoughtful. "Maybe he just needs a moment alone," she simply said.

  Taiki sank into the hot spring, letting the warm water envelop him. He hadn't actually planned to come out here - it was just the first excuse that popped into his head to escape the room.

  "Get it together," he muttered to himself, sliding deeper into the water until it reached his chin. "She's just being nice. That's literally her whole thing. Being nice to everyone."

  A cool breeze rustled through the trees. He could picture them up there - Maki probably dramatically accusing Sato of cheating, Sato defending his UNO honor, and Shiori...

  Taiki dunked his head under the water. When he surfaced, water dripping from his hair, he forced himself to focus on the stars above his head instead.

  But even as he tried to relax, Taiki couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed between them. Everything felt different now. That talk with Sato, the fact he actually got… Angry? At least Taiki knew one thing. He was absolutely lost.

  After their third game of UNO, during which Sato proved his championship status wasn't just limited to beating eight-year-olds, Maki glanced towards the sliding door leading to the hot spring.

  "Okay, this is getting weird," she said, tossing her cards onto the tatami mat. "He's been out there forever."

  Shiori checked her phone. "It's been forty-five minutes."

  "Exactly! He's probably turned into a human prune by now." Maki stood up, stretching her arms overhead. "Someone should check if he drowned."

  "He didn't drown," Sato said. "But yeah, it's kind of weird."

  Maki crossed her arms, looking between her friends. "So... who's going to check on him?"

  "Not it," Sato said immediately, raising his hands.

  "Real mature," Maki rolled her eyes. "Shiori?"

  Shiori suddenly became very interested in straightening her already perfectly arranged cards. "I don't think... I mean, wouldn't it be awkward if..."

  "Oh for crying out loud," Maki threw her hands up. "Fine! I'll go make sure our resident overthinking champion hasn't boiled himself into curry."

  She grabbed her jacket from the hook near the door, muttering under her breath about useless friends and their obvious crushes.

  Maki slid open the door to the hot spring area, immediately getting hit with a wall of steam. Through the mist, she could make out Taiki's silhouette sitting at the far edge of the spring.

  "You know, most people don't use hot springs to become one with the universe," she called out, making him jump.

  "Maki! What are you- I mean, I'm still-"

  "Relax, you're wearing shorts and I'm fully dressed." She plopped down on a rock near him, keeping her feet well away from the water. "So, want to tell me why you're out here having an existential crisis instead of watching Sato destroy us all at cards?"

  Taiki sank lower into the water, blowing bubbles with his mouth. "Just thinking."

  "Shocking." Maki pulled out a candy bar from her jacket pocket. "About Shiori?"

  "What? No! I mean... not exactly." He ran a wet hand through his hair. "Everything's different now. You and Shiori are best friends, Sato's actually kind of cool when he's not being intense about volleyball, and I'm... still just me."

  "Just you?" Maki snorted. "You mean the guy who went from total sports disaster to starting setter in three months? That 'just you'?"

  "That's different-"

  "Nope, not letting you do the self-doubt spiral thing." She unwrapped her candy. "Things change. People change. That's kind of the whole point of this weird mandatory sports experiment, isn't it? Breaking down barriers and all that stuff?"

  Taiki sighed. If there was anyone he could be honest with, it was Maki. She'd been there since day one, literally falling into the desk in front of him before dragging him around on their ill-fated sports club hunt.

  "I'm lost," he admitted. "Two weeks ago, everything was fine-"

  Maki snorted loudly, nearly choking on her candy bar. Yeah right, if only he knew. Shiori was anything but fine two weeks ago.

  "What?"

  "Nothing, nothing. Continue your completely inaccurate assessment of 'fine.'" She made exaggerated air quotes with her fingers.

  Taiki frowned but pressed on. "Since that winter festival, everything feels... weird. Like I'm stuck in some bizarre alternate reality where nothing makes sense anymore." He splashed the water absently. "And I can't even figure out if I'm happy about it, or terrified, or just... I don't know, disgusted with myself for feeling this way?"

  "Disgusted?" Maki raised an eyebrow. "That's strong."

  "See? I can't even get my emotions right." He sank deeper. "I don't know what I'm feeling anymore."

  "Is this about Shiori ? Or us ?"

  Taiki's head snapped up so fast he created ripples in the hot spring. "What?"

  "You heard me." Maki unwrapped another candy bar. "Are you actually worried about group dynamics changing, or is this about your feelings for a certain basketball player who keeps dropping things whenever you enter a room?"

  "I..." Taiki's mouth opened and closed like a fish. "That's not... she doesn't..."

  "Oh my god," Maki groaned, flopping backwards. "You're both literally the worst at this."

  Taiki blinked. "Both? What do you mean 'both'?"

  Maki's eyes widened as she realized what she'd let slip. "Uh..."

  "Maki." Taiki's voice had that dangerous edge to it. Maki knew well enough she wasn't getting out of this easily. "What exactly did you mean by 'you're both the worst at this'?"

  "Would you believe I was talking about... card games?" She gave a weak laugh, already backing away from the spring. "You know, because you and Shiori both fold too early in poker..."

  "We never played poker."

  "Right! Which is exactly why you're both terrible at it!" Maki was now practically speed-walking backward. "Boy, is it steamy out here! I should probably get back inside before my hair gets all frizzy-"

  "Maki Yoshida." Taiki was fully upright now. "What do you know?"

  "Would you look at the time!" Maki practically squeaked, fumbling for the door. "I think I hear Sato calling! Something about... more cards! Or curry! Or... literally anything else!"

  Before Taiki could process what was happening, Maki had vanished back inside.

  Taiki sat cross-legged on his futon, occasionally shooting death glares at Maki.

  "Your turn, Taiki," Shiori said, nudging his knee with her foot.

  He jumped slightly, nearly dropping his cards. "Right, sorry." He played a card without really looking at it, earning a groan from Sato.

  "Dude, you just gave her exactly what she needed!"

  "What? Oh." Taiki watched as Shiori happily collected the pile, adding it to her growing stack of wins.

  Maki snickered behind her cards. "Someone's distracted."

  Taiki kicked her foot, but she dodged, sticking her tongue out at him.

  The games continued, with Sato dominating most rounds except when Shiori pulled off surprise victories.

  Around midnight, Sato's endless energy finally started to fade. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Maybe we should call it?"

  "Aww, one more round?" Maki cried.

  "You just want revenge for losing the last three games," Shiori teased.

  Taiki sat cross-legged on his futon, occasionally shooting death glares at Maki.

  "Your turn, Taiki," Shiori said, nudging his knee with her foot.

  He jumped slightly, nearly dropping his cards. "Right, sorry." He played a card without really looking at it, earning a groan from Sato.

  "Dude, you just gave her exactly what she needed!"

  "What? Oh." Taiki watched as Shiori happily collected the pile, adding it to her growing stack of wins.

  Maki snickered behind her cards. "Someone's distracted."

  Taiki kicked her foot, but she dodged, sticking her tongue out at him.

  The games continued, with Sato dominating most rounds except when Shiori pulled off surprise victories.

  Around midnight, Sato's endless energy finally started to fade. He yawned, stretching his arms above his head. "Maybe we should call it?"

  "Aww, one more round?" Maki cried.

  "You just want revenge for losing the last three games," Shiori teased.

  Taiki stared at the ceiling, listening to the soft breathing and occasional snores from his friends. The futon was comfortable enough, but his mind refused to shut down.

  Fifteen minutes crawled by. He rolled onto his side, then his other side, then back again.

  Thirty minutes. Sato mumbled something about volleyball in his sleep, and Maki let out a tiny snore.

  An hour passed, and Taiki was still wide awake. He sat up quietly, running a hand through his messy hair. The hot spring had been surprisingly nice earlier - maybe another dip would help clear his head. At least it beat lying here overthinking everything.

  "Fuck this," Taiki muttered, carefully extracting himself from his futon. He tiptoed past his sleeping friends.

  Taiki slipped into the warm water, immediately feeling some of his tension dissolve again. He found his favorite spot against the rocks and settled in, tilting his head back to look at the stars.

  Just him and the quiet night and the soothing heat of the spring.

  Moments later, he froze at the soft sound of the glass door sliding. He remained perfectly still, hoping whoever friends of his it was wouldn't actually come for a dip.

  No such luck. Footsteps padded closer to the water's edge.

  "Oh!" Shiori's voice made his heart stop. "Sorry, I didn't- I can go-"

  "No, it's fine!" Taiki said too quickly, then winced at how stupid he sounded each time. "I mean, it's your hot spring too. Well, not yours specifically, but you know what I mean."

  He heard her shift uncertainly by the edge. "Are you sure? I don't want to intrude if you wanted to be alone."

  "Couldn't sleep?" he asked instead of answering.

  "Yeah." There was a pause, then the soft splash of her entering the water. She settled on the opposite side, maintaining a respectful distance. "You too?"

  "Something like that," Taiki muttered.

  "It's past one in the morning, you know," Shiori said softly.

  Taiki let out a small laugh. "Well, you're here too, so..." He trailed off, realizing how defensive that sounded. "Sorry, I didn't mean-"

  "No, you're right," Shiori chuckled. "Can't exactly lecture you about being up late when I'm doing the same thing."

  Shiori traced patterns in the water with her fingertips. The question had been burning in her mind all evening.

  "Have you..." she started, then stopped. The words felt heavy and awkward but she had to ask. "I mean, lately, it seems like..." She let out a frustrated sigh. "Are you avoiding me?"

  The moment the question left her mouth, she wanted to sink beneath the water and disappear. What kind of hypocrite was she? For weeks, she'd been the one sprinting to Maki's apartment at the slightest hint of interaction, and practically living in her room to minimize contact.

  Stupid, stupid Fujisawa. Of all the questions she could have asked...

  "No," Taiki said simply, cutting through her spiral of self-criticism. "I'm not avoiding you."

  Shiori shifted in the water. "Really? Because it feels like..."

  "I've just been..." Taiki searched for a plausible excuse. "Processing stuff. You know, sports and everything. It's been a lot of changes."

  "Right. Changes."

  Taiki picked at a loose thread on his swim shorts, desperate for something to focus on.

  "You know," Shiori started again, "when I first found out we'd be roommates, I thought it would be weird."

  Taiki let out a short laugh. "It is weird. But like, a good weird? Most of the time, anyway."

  "Even with.. me being me ?"

  "Even with that," he admitted. "Though I could do without the love letters they keep sliding under our door."

  Shiori groaned. "Oh god, I'm so sorry about those. I've told them to stop."

  "It's fine. They make decent bookmarks."

  Taiki's mouth moved before his brain could stop it. "Why aren't you reading those letters or accepting them?"

  What an idiot.

  Shiori went very still on her side of the spring.

  "I mean-" Taiki backpedaled. "You don't have to answer that. It's none of my business. I just- forget I asked."

  "No, it's..." Shiori's voice was quiet. "It's a fair question." She shifted in the water. "They don't really see me, you know? They see the basketball star, or the popular girl, or whatever version of me they've built up in their heads."

  "It's exhausting trying to live up to everyone's expectations. Being this perfect image they've created."

  Taiki finally risked glancing up, catching the moonlight reflecting off her expression. Troubled maybe ? Anyway, she looked way more vulnerable than he'd ever seen her.

  "Besides," she added, "most of them just want to date 'Fujisawa the basketball prodigy.' They don't care about whether I actually like curry, or that I'm terrified of moths, or that sometimes I just want to wear sweats and watch bad movies."

  "That's why I like hanging out with you guys," Shiori continued. "Maki treats me like I'm just another disaster-prone teenager. Sato's too focused on volleyball to care about my basketball reputation. And you..."

  She trailed off, and Taiki found himself holding his breath, waiting for her to finish that thought. When she didn't, he prompted, "And me?"

  "You've never once asked me about basketball stats or championships," she said. "You just... share your curry, complain about sports and treat me like a normal person."

  "Well, yeah," Taiki said, scratching the back of his neck. "Because you are a normal person. I mean, obviously you're amazing at basketball, but that's not... that's not all you are."

  The water rippled as Shiori shifted closer. "You really think that?"

  "Of course I do," he managed, trying to keep his voice steady. "You're just Shiori. Who happens to be really good at basketball. And apparently really bad at dealing with moths."

  Her laugh echoed softly. "They're terrifying! All that erratic fluttering..."

  "Says the person who can literally jump higher than my head."

  "That's different! Moths are unpredictable. Basketball follows rules."

  "Unless Maki's playing," Taiki pointed out.

  The laughter faded into comfortable silence.

  "Still," Taiki said quietly, "sometimes it's weird. Not because of you," he added quickly. "Just... I know you say I treat you normally, but the facts are still there, you know? You are amazing at basketball. You are popular. And sometimes..."

  He trailed off. The words felt stuck in his throat, but something about the context made them easier to voice out.

  "Sometimes it's hard not to feel like I'm just... not on your level?" He winced at how pathetic that sounded. "Like, objectively, you're this incredible athlete who's going places, and I'm the guy who picked up his first sport three months ago. It's hard to feel like I deserve to be your friend, let alone your roommate."

  Taiki let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I mean, half the school probably thinks there was some kind of administrative error putting us together."

  He could feel Shiori's eyes on him.

  "And I know it's stupid," he continued, his voice getting quieter. "Because you've never once made me feel less than. But sometimes my brain just... can't help comparing."

  Shiori was quiet for so long that Taiki started wondering if he'd completely ruined everything.

  "You know," Shiori finally said, "for someone so observant, you can be really dense sometimes."

  Taiki blinked. "What?"

  "Do you think I spend hours watching bad movies with just anyone? Or share my favorite curry spots? Or..." She made a frustrated sound. "Did you ever consider that maybe I like spending time with you because you're the only person who sees past all that other stuff?"

  He opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out.

  "You're right that half the school probably thinks there was an administrative error," Shiori continued, voice getting slightly stronger. "But not for the reasons you think. They're probably wondering how I got lucky enough to room with someone who actually treats me like a real person."

  She shifted closer in the water.

  "So stop comparing yourself to some imaginary standard," she said firmly. "Because the person I want to spend time with is the disaster-prone setter who gets way too excited about curry and makes terrible puns when he's nervous."

  "Maybe..." he started, then had to swallow hard before continuing. "Maybe you're just being nice because of the program? Because we got stuck living together and you're trying to make the best of it?"

  The words tumbled out before he could stop them, each one feeling more pathetic than the last. But now that he'd started, he couldn't seem to shut up.

  "I mean, you kind of have to get along with me, right? We share an apartment. It's not like you had a choice in the matter."

  Through the steam, he could see Shiori's expression go from surprise to something that looked dangerously close to hurt.

  Taiki mentally slapped himself.

  "Is that really what you think?" Her voice was quiet. "That I spend time with you just because I'm forced to? That I'm what - putting on some kind of act because we happened to get assigned as roommates?"

  "I don't know," he mumbled, sinking lower in the water. "It makes more sense than you actually wanting to hang out with me. I have zero confidence in myself Shiori. You should know that by now."

  Shiori suddenly felt horribly bad. All this time, she'd been worrying about her own feelings, her own awkwardness, while Taiki had been carrying this weight around.

  "Zero confidence," she repeated, more to herself. The concept felt completely new to her - she'd always known what she was capable of, always pushed forward with certainty. But Taiki...

  Then it hit her for real. While she'd been running away from her feelings, hiding at Maki's apartment, he wasn't just being modest or self-deprecating - he genuinely believed he didn't deserve to share the same space as her. Everything Sato said that night via texting Maki, was 100% true.

  "Taiki," she started, then stopped. How could she make him understand that his presence had become one of the best parts of her day? That his terrible jokes and quiet support meant more than any fan club or basketball trophy?

  "You really don't see it, do you?" Shiori's voice was soft. "How much you've changed since that first volleyball practice? How hard you work at everything?"

  Taiki let out a shaky breath. "That's different. That's just... stubbornness."

  "Is it?" She moved again, and was now right next to him. "Because from where I'm sitting, you're the only person who's ever bothered to look past all the basketball stuff and actually get to know me."

  "That's because I live with you," Taiki muttered. "Kind of hard to maintain the basketball star image when I've seen you trip over air on your way to the bathroom at 3 AM."

  "See? That right there." She laughed. "You make me feel normal. Do you have any idea how rare that is?"

  "I'm not-" he started. "You deserve someone who can match your level. Someone who actually knows what they're doing. Not... whatever this is." He gestured vaguely at himself.

  "What if," Shiori said slowly, "that's not what I want?"

  Taiki let out a small, frustrated noise. "It just wouldn't make sense though. Any of it." He gestured vaguely at the space between them. "I mean, logically speaking-"

  A soft chuckle cut through his rambling. Taiki glanced over to find Shiori shaking her head.

  "Then I guess I'll just have to help you build up that confidence of yours," she said simply. "Because you deserve to see yourself clearly, Taiki. You deserve to have confidence in who you are."

  The conviction in her voice made his chest tight. He opened his mouth to argue, to point out all the reasons why she was wrong, but she continued before he could start.

  "And don't try to tell me you don't," she added. "I've watched you go from completely hopeless at volleyball to making game-winning plays. You did that. Not luck, not other people - you did."

  The morning air slapped Taiki's face as he followed behind Maki and Sato, who were leading their little group up what felt like the steepest hiking trail in existence.

  "Pick up the pace!" Maki called over her shoulder, way too cheerful for this ungodly hour. "The sunrise view is supposed to be amazing from the top!"

  Next to him, Shiori matched his slower pace.

  "I can't believe we let her talk us into this," Taiki muttered, ducking under a low-hanging branch.

  "At least she packed snacks?" Shiori offered with a small smile.

  Up ahead, Maki turned to Sato, her voice dropping to a frustrated whisper. "I swear, if those two don't figure things out soon, I'm going to lose my mind." She gestured back at their friends. "Look at them!"

  Sato just grinned. "You can't rush these things."

  "Watch me," Maki grumbled.

  Taiki's complaints died in his throat as they reached the final ridge. The sky exploded in brilliant oranges and pinks, showing an absolutely stunning view.

  "Holy..." he whispered.

  "Worth it?" Shiori asked softly beside him.

  He could only nod. The valley below was still shrouded in shadows, but up here, everything glowed.

  Maki dropped her backpack and flopped onto a nearby rock, pulling out her phone. "This is definitely going on Instagram. Sato, get in the shot!"

  But for once, even Maki's chaos couldn't break the spell. Taiki moved closer to the edge.

  "You know," Shiori said, joining him, "sometimes the best things come after the hardest climbs."

  Taiki glanced at her. The moment felt stuck in time– just him, Shiori, and a sunrise.

  "Yeah," he agreed quietly. "I'm starting to figure that out."