---
The sterile smell of hospital corridors clung to Arashi's clothes as he walked toward the private room.
His father, once a sharp and powerful businessman, looked fragile now — propped up against pillows, an oxygen tube running beneath his nose. But his eyes still held that same commanding fire.
Beside the bed sat Mr. Nakamura, a longtime friend of Arashi's father. The two men smiled tiredly as Arashi stepped in.
"Son," his father said hoarsely, "I won't be here forever."
"Don't talk like that," Arashi replied quickly.
"I'm serious." His father's gaze was unwavering. "There's something I want before I die."
"…What?"
"A wedding."
Arashi stiffened. "Whose?"
"Yours."
Arashi stared, stunned.
"I want to see you settled," his father continued. "And Nakamura's daughter, Reina… she's a sweet girl. Well-raised. The two of you could—"
"Dad, I…"
"Just one date," his father pleaded. "Please. Humor your old man."
Arashi swallowed down everything he wanted to scream. This wasn't the time to tell him about Ken. About what they were. What they could be again.
"…Okay," he whispered. "One date."
---
Six months passed.
Arashi never reached out to Ken. And Ken never reached out to Arashi.
Maybe they were both waiting for something. Or maybe they were both too scared.
But Arashi kept his promise.
He met Reina at a quiet café in the city. She was elegant, polite, and dressed in soft tones. She smiled easily and listened with patience.
But Arashi wasn't really there.
His heart was elsewhere.
That fact hit him like a truck when he glanced past Reina's shoulder — and spotted Ken.
Ken stood near the entrance, laughing with a man Arashi didn't recognize. A bouquet of white tulips was tucked into his arm. He looked relaxed, handsome… glowing.
Arashi's throat tightened.
Was he dating?
Had he moved on?
Arashi's grip on his cup tightened. He couldn't breathe for a second.
"Arashi-san?" Reina tilted her head. "Are you okay?"
"…Yeah. Sorry."
He didn't approach Ken.
He couldn't.
Because in that moment, jealousy wrapped itself around him like barbed wire — cutting deeper because he couldn't even blame Ken.
They were never official.
They were never public.
They were just almost.
Arashi finished the date quietly. He smiled. He nodded. He even paid the bill like a gentleman.
But his heart was screaming.
---
That night, as he lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, Arashi whispered into the dark:
> "I didn't move on. I just paused everything… but you didn't wait."
He didn't know that the man Ken met at the café was a publishing agent.
And the flowers?
From his students — for Teacher Appreciation Day.
---