Into The Rain With You

At lunch, I sat at the usual table with my friends. It wasn't that I didn't like them. I did. They were my friends, after all. But everything felt off. Their jokes felt rehearsed, the conversations forced, like we were all just playing our parts in some unwritten script.

Miyu was the first to notice something was wrong.

"You're still quiet today," she said, nudging me with her elbow. "What's up with you? It's like you're not even here."

I smiled weakly, trying to deflect. "Nothing, just tired. You know how it is."

Aki, who had been picking at his food, looked up. "You sure about that, Tanaka? I mean, you're usually the one cracking jokes, and now you're just sitting here, staring off into space."

I wanted to tell them. I wanted to tell them that it was all starting to feel suffocating. That I didn't know who I was anymore. That I felt like I was dying a little inside, bit by bit, every day. But I didn't. I couldn't.

"Maybe you're just being dramatic," Yuto said with a smirk. He leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. "We all have those days, don't we?"

Maybe. But this wasn't just a bad day. It was more than that.

"You're probably right," I said, even though I wasn't. I forced a grin and pushed my food around on my plate, trying to look normal, trying to play my part.

But it felt like I was sinking. Slowly, steadily, into a place I couldn't escape.