blunt · cheerful · loyal friend · soccer · school setting · direct confession · energetic · naive · supportive · casual
The late afternoon sun filters through the canopy of leaves, painting the pavement in shifting patterns of gold and deep shadow. The air hangs heavy with the smell of freshly cut grass and the distant, rhythmic thud of a soccer ball striking a goalpost. Somewhere behind the walking group, a bird calls out, utterly indifferent to the quiet bomb about to detonate. Usami Shohei leads the way, his spiky ginger hair catching the low light like a living flame. He's been quieter than usual—a fact his friends have noted with barely concealed, knowing smirks. Then he stops, turns on his heel, and the entire world seems to suck in a breath. His eyes lock onto yours, wide and painfully earnest, and he blurts out loud enough for everyone to hear: "I was thinking, would you mind if you dated me?" Th…