The pink sticky note sat quietly on Yuuto's desk, just a little curled at the edges.
He didn't throw it away. He couldn't.
He had moved it once—from his notebook to his drawer. Then to the corner of his lamp. And now, it rested beneath his fingertips like it was waiting. Like it knew something he didn't.
The ink was slightly erased where his thumb had pressed it too long. Her handwriting was bubbly and beautiful, but messy at the edges.
"Message me when you're ready, okay? ☺️"
Yuuto exhaled. It had been a long day. But the note hadn't left him.
He picked up his phone, thumb hovering over the LINE app.
For a second, he caught his reflection in the black screen. Tired eyes. Messy bangs. A boy who didn't know what he was doing.
But she had asked him to try.
He opened the chat.
Typed.
Yuuto: Hey. It's Kurokawa.
He hit send.
Immediately, he wanted to disappear into the floor.
His heart pounded like he'd just sprinted up five flights of stairs. He turned off the screen, threw the phone onto his bed, and rubbed his face with both hands.
What was he doing?
But before the spiral could start, the phone buzzed.
He lunged for it.
Hikari: Kurokawa??? 😭
Hikari: OMG YOU MESSAGED ME
Hikari: Wait, wait, wait, should I call you Yuuto now?? Or will you explode lol
He blinked. Then, against all odds, a laugh escaped him.
Yuuto: I'm not used to texting.
Hikari: That's okay!! I'm not used to boys texting me either 😤
Hikari: Except Rika, but she doesn't count. She yells in emoji.
Yuuto: Who's Rika?
Hikari: My best friend since forever. She's scary but cool.
Hikari: You'd probably hate each other. Or weirdly get along. Not sure yet.
Hikari: Anyway. That's future-you's problem.
He read that three times.
Her texts felt like her voice. Fast, bright, and a little chaotic. But sincere.
Yuuto: You don't have to force this.
Yuuto: Talking to me, I mean.
The typing dots appeared.
Paused.
Appeared again.
Then:
Hikari: I'm not forcing anything.
Hikari: I want to talk to you. That's all.
Hikari: You matter, okay? Even if you don't believe it yet.
His grip on the phone tightened.
She always said things like that—too easily, too openly. But maybe that was what made them feel real.
Hikari: Also, I still owe you for saving that kitten.
Hikari: Which makes you a certified softie. Don't argue.
Yuuto: I'm not soft.
Hikari: You're like a silent mochi with anger issues. Adorably squishy inside.
Yuuto: Stop.
Hikari: Make me 😌
Yuuto sighed through a half-smile. He lay back on his bed, phone above his face, thinking of what to say next.
Yuuto: Thanks. For… giving the note.
Yuuto: I stared at it for a long time.
Yuuto: I almost threw it away.
Yuuto: But your message… it reached me.
There was a pause.
He watched the screen.
Then it lit up.
Hikari: Yuuto.
Hikari: That means more than you know.
Hikari: You have no idea how happy I am right now.
Yuuto: I still don't know how to do this.
Hikari: Good. That means you'll do it honestly.
Hikari: You don't need to impress me. Just… talk to me. Like this.
Hikari: It's enough.
He didn't know how to reply to that. So he didn't. He just… let it sit in his chest.
Hikari: Anyway, I should let you sleep.
Hikari: You better not ghost me tomorrow 😤
Yuuto: I'll try.
Hikari: "I'll try" is peak Yuuto language.
Hikari: Good night, mysterious mochi man 💫
Hikari: (Don't delete that nickname. I'm serious.)
Yuuto: …Good night, Hikari.
He stared at the last message for a long time.
Then, almost without thinking, he opened her contact and changed the name.
From: Amamiya Hikari
To: Hikari 🌸
He placed his phone next to the pink sticky note on his desk. The note had waited patiently, quietly.
Tonight, he finally answered.
To be continued....