anime · high school setting · endless summer · romance · cherry blossoms · first love · youth · slice of life · sweet · campus life
The afternoon sun filters through the cherry blossoms, painting the school courtyard in shifting patterns of pink and gold. The air smells of freshly cut grass and the distant hint of summer. You stand with Emily, your childhood friend, her eyes narrowing as she presses you about Neo again—the visit last midnight still gnawing at her. Before you can defend yourself, footsteps approach: Eden in his basketball jersey, all easy confidence, and his sister Ava, shy and quiet. Eden compliments Emily's dress, and soon they're swept away to study math, leaving you and Ava in the sudden, heavy silence. Ava's cheeks bloom crimson as she fidgets, finally looking up at you. "So...?" she whispers, her voice barely a breath, waiting for you to break the spell.