I Can't Call Your Name

Kaito hurried down the stairs, scanning the empty corridor on the ground floor. Most students were gone, and there was no sign of Misaki.

He dashed outside, his eyes sweeping the school courtyard—still nothing. Wasting no time, he jumped on his bike and took off.

"I must tell her the truth right away!" he thought in panic.

Riding through the streets, his eyes darted around, desperately searching for Misaki. The weight of his mistake, especially after his talk with Naomi the night before, pressed on him.

"Sucks, sucks, sucks!" he shouted, his frustration fueling each push of the pedals.

His legs burned, and he was drenched in sweat by the time he reached Naomi's café.

As Kaito slowed down, he spotted Misaki wiping tables, her expression distant and unreadable.

He had been determined to talk to her, to explain everything, but seeing her now filled him with sudden uneasiness and doubt.

As if that weren't enough, the weight of Izumi's blackmail crushed him, suffocating his every thought. He couldn't bear to face her—not now, not when the situation was still so fresh.

Heart racing with anger and regret, he fled, his breath shallow as he pedaled furiously, desperate to vanish into the distance before she could catch sight of him.

During his shift, Kaito's thoughts wouldn't settle. The fake kiss with Izumi and Misaki's cold, piercing stare replayed in his mind over and over.

Just when he was thinking of doing something good that day to fix their relationship, this mess should never have happened. The pit he was sinking into was pulling him deeper with every passing moment.

That night, Kaito came home earlier than usual, his mind racing. He sat on the couch, his foot tapping anxiously on the floor.

The tension in his body grew with every passing second as he waited for Misaki. In his mind, he kept rehearsing what he would say, like a broken record stuck on the world's most awkward apology.

After waiting anxiously for a while longer, Kaito jumped to his feet at the sound of the key turning in the door.

He quickly straightened his clothes and braced himself as she walked in, looking visibly exhausted.

She slipped off her shoes and paused by the door, locking eyes with Kaito. His guilty, trembling gaze met her tired, unreadable expression.

Without saying a word, she turned and walked to her room, gently closing the door behind her.

Kaito hesitated for a moment before quickly walking up to the door and knocking gently. Obviously, there was no response from Misaki.

"Uh... Okada-san—" he stammered, but before he could say anything else, he heard the unmistakable sound of the door locking.

His words caught in his throat. For a moment, he stood there, hand still raised, unsure of what to do.

On the other side of the door, Misaki leaned against it, listening intently to his every movement.

Kaito sighed heavily and slid down to the floor, his back resting against the door. His voice trembled with regret as he began to speak.

"I don't know if you're even listening, or if you want to... but I feel like I need to explain."

On the other side of the door, Misaki sat in silence, leaning against it as well. She listened closely, though she made no sound to show she was hearing him.

"What you saw up there today... I mean, I don't know how to explain it. It... it looked like we were—" Kaito stammered, his words tripping over each other in his desperation.

Suddenly, Izumi's threat flashed in his mind, and he hesitated. He swallowed hard, biting his lip and clenching his fist, his frustration growing.

But no matter how difficult it was, he knew he had to tell the truth. Pressing his head against the door, he took a deep breath and spoke in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Me and Izumi, I mean, we are—"

Just then, Misaki stood up and, unaware that he was sitting on the floor against the door, opened it abruptly, catching him off guard.

Kaito lost his balance and fell backward, hitting the floor with a loud thud. As he lay there, awkwardly staring up, he saw something he definitely should not.

Misaki froze for a moment, her face flushed with embarrassment. She quickly stepped back, crossing her arms over her legs.

Kaito scrambled to his feet, his face burning with humiliation. He rushed into the living room and sank onto the couch, trying to compose himself.

His gaze stayed glued to the floor, avoiding Misaki entirely as his hands clenched nervously in his lap.

She walked to the kitchen and poured herself a cup of coffee. Without turning around, she asked, "Do you want some?"

Kaito froze, stunned by her words. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or insulted.

"Yes, thank you," he stammered, his face turning red.

She set his cup down on the table, crossed her legs, and took a sip of her coffee. For a moment, the two sat silently, their gazes fixed on distant points.

Then, breaking the silence with a casual tone, Misaki said, "Look, I didn't see anything today, okay? So relax. Your secret is safe with me."

"What? No, it's not what you think, actually—"

"Let's drop it," Misaki interrupted, waving her hand dismissively. "I really don't care."

"But—" Kaito started, only to stop when she shot him a sharp look, clearly irritated by his persistence.

"I'm not here to judge, and honestly, it's none of my business. But I do have one question. Does your girlfriend know we're living together? I assume she doesn't, right?"

"No, but—"

"Good. Then let's keep it that way for now—at least until I find another place to stay."

"That's really not necessary!" Kaito protested quickly.

Misaki gave him a skeptical and slightly accusatory look, trying to figure out what he meant.

"I mean, everything is still new, and we both are not that serious—" Kaito's voice trailed off abruptly as he realized what he was saying.

His mind shouted, "You absolute idiot! Why would you say that?!"

His soul groaned in frustration, smacking itself mentally for his complete and utter failure at speaking.

"Not that serious? What the heck am I even saying? She caught us kissing, and I'm here saying we're not serious?"

He was mentally facepalming as if he were about to be sentenced to life in his mental prison for his ultimate stupidity.

"If you're not serious, you shouldn't be doing things like that," she said, her tone firm but uncertain, as if regretting her own words the moment they left her mouth.

Furrowing her brows in self-reproach, she quickly shifted the topic. "Anyway, like I said, it's none of my business."

She took another small sip of her coffee, then shifted the conversation to a calmer tone, deliberately avoiding eye contact.

"By the way, have you thought about what Kimura-sensei mentioned the other day?"

"Huh? What? Oh, you mean dream thing?" Kaito mumbled, clearly thrown off by the sudden shift.

He realized pushing the issue further wouldn't change anything, so he let out a defeated sigh and allowed the conversation to fade.

She nodded and added, "Yeah, have you figured out your purpose in life?"

"Well, I'm still working on it," he admitted, rubbing the back of his head.

"Honestly, I've been thinking about it all day, and I just realized... I've never really thought about it until now."

Misaki raised an eyebrow, her skepticism clear. Without a word, she stood up and disappeared into her room.

Not long after, she returned holding a book. The title, written in bold letters, read: Ikigai: The Key to a Happy Life.

She placed it gently on the table and said, "Maybe this will help you figure it out. I did some research and found this. It's said to have helped many people, so I thought it might help you too."

For a moment, Kaito was struck by how much Misaki's demeanor reminded him of a younger, more caring Kimura-sensei—but this version was softer, kinder, and far more genuine.

No one, apart from his family, had ever shown him such concern. Without realizing it, Misaki had touched a deep wound in Kaito's heart that day—one he hadn't even known was there.

"Thank you so much. If you say it's good, I'll read it at least twice. No, actually, I'll keep reading it until I find my purpose." he said, taking the book from the table.

Misaki must have found his enthusiasm a bit ridiculous, as a faint smile played on her lips which was enough to make Kaito's eyes light up.

"Idiot, reading it once is enough. We can discuss it later," she said as she walked back to her room.

Kaito wasted no time flipping through the pages, reading eagerly. This time, he wanted to give it his best effort—or maybe, for the first time in his life, he wanted to push beyond his limits.