A week has passed since we went to the tower. I decided to come earlier than her and arrived at our meeting place, which was a cafe near our school, 30 minutes earlier. To my surprise, she was right there, looking out the window. She was also wearing earphones.


    OH MY GOSH, NO MATTER WHAT I DO, SHE''LL ALWAYS BE EARLIER THAN ME! I WANNA SCREAM SO BAD RIGHT NOW. I wonder how long I''ve kept her waiting for me...


    All of the worst-case scenarios filled my head, and panic started to control me.


    Oh no, what if she''s been waiting for an hour? I''m such an idiot; I should''ve come sooner. Why did you have to make her wait, Fuyuki? Fuyuki, why are you being like this? Making people suffer all because of your idiocy!


    Negative thoughts continued to haunt me as my breaths started to become more laborious.


    "Fuyuki?" The soft and deep feminine voice was filled with concern.


    YOU IDIOT! WHY ARE YOU BEING LIKE THIS! YOU''RE SUCH A TERRIBLE PERSON!


    I then felt arms shaking me. That caused me to finally snap out of my thoughts.


    "Fuyuki! What happened? Take a deep breath." Chizuru-chan''s eyes were wide open and her movements were frantic.


    My breaths started to calm down.


    "Do you feel better now?"


    I gave her a reassuring smile and responded. "I feel much better now."


    Great, you made her worry. Great job, Fuyuki. Just great.


    I scratched my nape and said, "Well anyways, let''s go take a seat."


    ???


    My worry subsided when her breaths finally calmed down.


    What happened to you, Fuyuki? What could''ve caused your panic attack? Did I do something wrong? I was listening to music, and then the next thing that I''d hear was her hyperventilating. Fuyuki... What did they do to you all those years? Maybe this could''ve been avoided if I didn''t move to Nagano... Well, I can''t change the past, and this time, I''ll never leave you, like I did before. I won''t let anyone hurt you. I may not be able to change the past, but I won''t repeat the same mistake moving forward.


    We sat at the cafe in awkward silence, contrasting the cafe''s comforting atmosphere. Despite trying to reassure me that she''s okay, she still had a troubled expression.


    Fuyuki... I''m sorry. I''m sorry for breaking my promise. No, self-hatred won''t do anything; what I have to do is make things right now.


    Suddenly, I received a notification. It was from the unofficial Discord server of Kurai-sensei''s ongoing manga. My emotions immediately shifted from guilt to jumping in joy. Apparently, the latest chapter was posted last night, and I didn''t know.


    Fuyuki broke the silence and said with her eyebrows furrowed. "What happened?"


    "The latest chapter of Kurai-sensei''s manga was released last night."


    Her confused expression immediately switched to panic. She played with her hair and said, "O-O-Oh... I see... That''s... That''s wonderful... yeah... ehe..."


    "Uhh... okay..."Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.


    Why is it that every time I bring up Kurai-sensei, she acts weirdly... I can''t think of a possible reason...


    My thoughts were halted by a phone call.


    "Oh, I need to take this real quick. I''ll be right back."


    Why is it that each time she gets a phone call, which almost rarely happens, she always act secretively?


    I continued pondering about Fuyuki''s weird behavior. Our food had already arrived, yet she''s still busy with her phone call. After around 10 minutes, she came back, acting like nothing happened.


    "As usual, this cafe never disappoints. The cheesecake tastes amazing and the frappucino has a perfect balance of sweetness and bitterness."


    "Do you perhaps like cheesecake?"


    Her eyes lit up. "I love cheesecake, especially when it''s from here. They have the best cheesecake that I''ve ever tried."


    My lips couldn''t help but form a subtle upward curve.


    "Especially when it''s a blueberry cheesecake, I love blueberries so much! And then combined with a cheesecake, it''s perfect."


    "I guess I should also call you Blueberry-chan, because until now, you''re still smaller than me."


    She pouted. "Our height difference is only about 2 centimeters. That''s barely anything."


    I let out a chuckle. "That doesn''t change the fact that you''re smaller than me. Besides, you''re also younger than me, so isn''t Blueberry-chan a cute nickname for you?"


    Her cheeks were flushed. "Just call me however you''d like."


    "I was just kidding; I''ll still call you Fuyuki. Come to think of it, it''s snowing."


    "Oh yeah, ''Fuyu'' means snow."


    "Well, I can''t call you an ice queen since you''re the opposite of one. You''re too energetic."


    She let out a laugh, which warmed my heart. "You act way more like an ice queen than me."


    I couldn''t help but pout from her comment. "I''m not an ice queen.


    "Ah yes, an ice queen definitely doesn''t have either a serious expression or a blank one."


    "Do I really look that heartless?"


    Her eyes widened. "I-I''m so sorry! I didn''t mean to offend you or anything. I was just joking. I''m really sorry."


    I squeezed her hands in attempts to calm her down. "Please stop apologizing; I wasn''t offended. I was just joking, I swear."


    The tension in her was slowly easing up. "I''m really sorry for what I said. I should''ve been more careful."


    "I really was just joking around. You didn''t say anything offensive." I desperately tried to calm her down.


    "I hope..."


    Seeing how anxious she was and how she would always make sure that she wouldn''t offend me really breaks my heart. It makes me question how badly people have treated her.


    ???


    It''s already night time, and I just got home. I quickly went to my desk and started working on the latest chapter of my manga. I need it to be finished by tomorrow, as it will still have to go through my editor.


    ???


    Me and Akira were at an arcade, playing when a group of girls waved at him.


    "Oh, Ken! I didn''t expect to see you here," a girl our age said.


    "Oh, he''s Akira," I retorted.


    "Uhh, that''s obviously Ken."


    Akira just stood there flabbergasted.


    "Look, Yuki, I can explain."


    "So all this time, you were my ex who broke my heart in front of a lot of people? And now, you''re gonna wear a wig and say that you''re a guy named Akira!? I should''ve known all along that it was you. You looked familiar when I first saw you. Now tell me, why did you have to break my heart that way? Why Ken, why?"


    Tears started flowing down my face.


    ???


    I groaned in frustration. My writer''s block struck once again.


    "Ugh, I can''t think of the next scene! Why does it have to strike now? It''s literally due tomorrow! I thought that I''d be able to finish this today, but no. Are you being for real now? I can''t think of anything!!!!"


    Just then, I heard a knock from the door.


    "Come in!"


    It was my personal maid, Shizuka.


    "Do you need anything, Shizuka?"


    Her face was still as stoic as ever. "I heard you get frustrated while I was about to go to the maid''s quarters. Is it perhaps about the manga?"


    I sighed in frustration. "Yeah, I''m stuck. I can''t think of the next scene, and I have to finish this by tomorrow at 13:00."


    She looked at me in the eye; her gaze never faltered. "Fuyuki-sama, it is also important to take a break. You''ve been working hard ever since I first saw you, whether if it’s for school or your mangaka career. You just got home and you''re already working on your manga, even if it’s already pretty late. I mean, working hard is important, but you also need to take a break sometimes."


    I couldn''t help but smile from her advice. "You know, for someone as stoic as you, you''re surprisingly caring, but I''m not complaining."


    She averted her gaze. "You''re like a sister to me, Fuyuki-sama. Before I forget to ask, does your friend know that you are a mangaka?"


    I started fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "Actually, she doesn''t, and I don''t plan to tell her."


    "But being open is important in both platonic relationships and romantic relationships."


    I sighed. "If it were only that easy..."


    "Didn''t you say that she is a big fan of your work?"


    "I know, but I''m still scared. I can''t bring myself to tell her."


    She let out a deep sigh. "At the end of the day, it is still your call, Fuyuki-sama."


    I know that I should tell her, but I just can''t bring myself to let go of Chizuru-chan. Just the mere thought of her leaving me scares me to death.