Arriving by train back in Karakura hit me like stepping into a chapter of my life I wanted buried. The exact same cityscape, the stagnant river smell clinging to everything. And just like that, the raw reminder of myself slammed into me - Keigo, forever the hopeless nerd, striking out with every single girl he’d ever dared approach. The pain was just as fresh as it was back then.

My grand scheme was pretty basic: crash temporarily at my folks’ place, hunt down some kind of work meanwhile. Ichigo, with his usual bad temper but loyal streak, insisted I crash at his apartment. According to him, it was just simpler if I stayed under his roof while I found my footing.

That’s Ichigo. The one who had effortlessly drawn girls to him even before we hit adulthood. Of course, he’s married now. Still, seeing him brought back the old ache and envy simmering beneath the surface.

So here I am, stuck between my past failures and a future nobody promised me, depending on the guy whose life looked so much better than mine. Can staying here rewrite my story, or am I just spinning my wheels? Jump right in, feel the tension, and maybe, just maybe, carve out a new path.