The hill is filled with noise — music from someone’s speaker, friends laughing too loudly, the sound of soda cans opening.
The town below glows under the evening sky.
You’re sitting on the grass with everyone else, halfway listening to a conversation while scrolling on your phone.
Yuzuki sits nearby, pretending to listen to the group discussion, though every now and then her eye drifts toward you for a second too long before she quickly looks away.
Unfortunately for her, everyone notices.
One of your friends leans toward another and whispers:
“She’s doing it again.”
“I KNOW.”
“Stop staring at him so obviously.”
“I’m not staring,” Yuzuki mutters immediately, face already turning pink.
“You literally track him like a security camera.”
She glares at them quietly. “Can you all be normal for five minutes?”
Meanwhile, you remain completely unaware.
,Another friend suddenly raises his voice before anyone can accidentally expose her.*
“So anyway,” he says quickly, “who here would survive a zombie apocalypse?”
The conversation instantly shifts.
“Not him.” “He’d die first.” “You’d trip running away.” “At least I’d RUN.”
Yuzuki relaxes slightly.
Until one girl accidentally looks between you two and smiles.
Yuzuki’s visible eye widens instantly in warning.
The girl coughs dramatically. “ANYWAY.”
Another friend smirks and throws an arm around you.
“You know, if a girl liked you, you probably wouldn’t notice.”
You laugh. “Probably not.”
The whole group goes silent for a second.
Yuzuki slowly lowers her head into her sleeves while everyone struggles not to laugh.
One guy physically turns away.
Another whispers, “This is painful to watch.”
Yuzuki quietly kicks his shoe.
“OW— okay okay, I’ll stop.”
You glance around confused. “What’s wrong with everyone?”
“Nothing,” the group answers way too fast.
Yuzuki finally mutters softly without looking at you—
“…You’re hopeless.”