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Tombũ Street was quiet this evening. The wind blew gently, carrying the smell of grilled sausages from a stall down the lane.
Three uniformed boys walked slowly along the sidewalk — just another patrol. But inside Nirei’s head, nothing about today felt normal.
“Nire-kun are you okay?” Suo asked softly from beside him, voice careful.
Nirei flinched a little. He wanted to answer. Wanted to say something honest. But—
“HELP! SOMEONE’S CAUSING TROUBLE!”
A shout came from the small convenience store up ahead, cutting through everything.
The three of them turned — a group of delinquents were kicking trash cans, slamming the store’s door, and shoving an elderly shopkeeper who tried to stop them.
There was no hesitation — Sakura dashed forward. Suo followed right after.
Nirei… froze.
His legs felt heavy. His eyes could only watch as his two friends stepped into the chaos, just like always — calm, confident, strong.
Sakura blocked a punch, countered with a sharp strike. Suo dodged a kick, spun, and floored an attacker with one clean move.
It was all over in two minutes.
The shopkeeper stood trembling, bowing again and again.
“Thank you… thank you so much…”
Sakura and Suo just nodded. “Take care, sir.”
When they turned back — Nirei was still standing in the same spot.
His hands were clenched tight. His gaze was on the ground.
Suo and Sakura walked toward him. Suo noticed first.
“Nire-kun, you alright?”
Nirei shrugged. “I’m fine…”
Sakura looked at him a little longer. “You haven’t said a word since earlier.”
Suo glanced around, and his eyes landed on a small ice cream cart nearby.
“Let’s go.”
“Huh?”
“Ice cream. Come on.”
—
Sitting on a bench in front of the cart, Nirei held his ice cream — vanilla mixed with lemon. Still untouched.
Sakura had been devouring his since earlier. Suo, as usual, just watched.
And then—
“I’m useless, aren’t I?” Nirei finally said, voice small.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Sakura answered immediately.
“Every time there’s trouble, you two run forward. I… I didn’t do anything. I just watch. Why am I even here if I can’t help?”
Sakura set his cup down on the bench. “Helping doesn’t always mean throwing punches.”
“You do things we can’t,” Suo added. “You see things from afar. You notice stuff we overlook. You’ve always got our backs.”
Sakura nodded slightly. “And… you’re our friend.”
Suo added with a small smile. “If both the leader and assistant rep were serious all the time, our class would be insanely boring.”
Nirei let out a small laugh. But his eyes still stayed low.
Sakura reached over, scooped a spoonful of ice cream, and held it to Nirei’s mouth. “If you don’t eat it now, it’s gonna melt.”
“Ugh, I can feed myself…”
“Hurry up before I feed you again,” Sakura threatened.
Nirei finally picked up his spoon and took a bite. Cold. Sweet. And it made something in his chest feel… lighter.
“Thanks…”
“For the ice cream?”
“For seeing me… even when I’m not doing anything.”
Suo smiled. “You’ve done more than enough.”
Sakura: “And we’re not going to let you feel like you’re alone.”