Even though he was confident, he knew that to win Sayuri over, he would have to face a difficult obstacle: his friend. Kenji knew Jun better than anyone, and because of that, he knew that on the outside Jun looked cold and strong, but on the inside, he was just a scared and sad boy.
Knowing their friendship might not survive intact, he needed to lay his cards on the table.
"We need to talk. See you at the studio at 6 PM." — Kenji
Jun found it strange. The tone was serious, but he didn't think too much about it—especially if it had anything to do with Sayuri.
Later, when he arrived at the studio, he sat on the couch waiting for Kenji.
"Hey… how are you?" Kenji said, tossing him a beer.
Jun caught it.
"Fine… any news?"
"Everything's good," Kenji replied, opening his beer. "It's been a while since we talked like this."
Jun gave a small smile.
"Yeah… so what was so urgent?"
Kenji sat beside him, took a sip, and sighed deeply.
"So, Jun…" he began, running a hand through his hair. "You know I care about you a lot. You're like a younger brother to me."
Jun frowned slightly.
"Younger? Haha."
"You know…" Kenji gave a short laugh. "And I always want to be honest with you."
A brief silence filled the room.
"So just say it already, man," Jun said impatiently.
"I want you to hear it from me first… I'm going to start seriously dating Sayuri."
Jun turned his head toward him.
"What do you mean? Dating?"
Kenji slowly exhaled.
"Things changed. We got involved, feelings developed. It was inevitable."
Another sip.
Jun was already not liking where this was going.
"And… she… I mean, she also…"
Kenji hesitated… but decided not to hide it.
"You want to know if she developed feelings for me too? Yes. We fell in love."
He lied to Jun, thinking it would make things easier. Jun would step away, and the path would be clear for him.
"No one's at fault, Jun. It just happened. I'm sorry…"
Jun couldn't believe it. It felt like the ground had disappeared beneath him. Nothing made sense anymore; a feeling of abandonment and betrayal took over his entire being.
"Jun? Are you okay? Say something…" Kenji asked, worried.
The air grew heavy. Jun looked down and said coldly:
"I'm fine. No need to apologize."
Kenji studied him carefully.
"I just wanted to be honest with you."
"Okay," Jun said, standing up. "So that was all you wanted to say?"
He took another sip of beer as if it meant nothing.
"Yes… I guess that's it."
"Then I'll head out. And Kenji, you don't need my permission for anything."
The words came too easily, as if they were true—but they weren't.
"Are you really okay?"
Jun finally looked at him and smiled.
"I'm fine. Go ahead… don't worry about me. I won't get in your way."
But the way he clenched the can in his hand made it obvious he was lying—especially to himself.
"I'm too tired today. See you around. If you need anything, call me."
"We'll rehearse tomorrow? We haven't played in a while," Kenji insisted.
"Sure. See you tomorrow."
Kenji stayed in the studio. Part of him felt bad—maybe his lie had gone too far. But on the other hand, the path to Sayuri was now easier.
Meanwhile, Sayuri felt alone. As she stared at the bouquet of flowers beside her bed, sadness filled her chest. It was beautiful, perfect… but it wasn't from him, and because of that, it didn't fill the emptiness.
Even though she had promised herself to forget Jun, the tears always came—especially at night. She tormented herself, reliving every moment she had been close to him. She cried every night until she fell asleep.
The next morning, she woke up weak. Her throat burned and her body felt heavy. At breakfast, her mother noticed she wasn't well.
"You don't look good at all. You should stay home today."
"But mom, I can go. It's just a sore throat."
"No way," she said firmly. "You have a fever. Go back to bed."
"What's going on?" her father asked, sitting down.
"Sayuri has a fever."
"I told you not to go out in the cold," he said, flipping his newspaper. "Now you're going to miss class because of stubbornness."
"I can go to class! Cough, cough, cough!"
Her mother interrupted.
"No chance. It'll get worse. Take this medicine and go to bed."
So Sayuri went back to sleep. The house stayed silent all morning, with only the sound of drizzle outside.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Who could that be…?" she murmured, slowly getting up.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"I'm coming… I'm coming…"
She opened the door, surprised.
"What are you doing here, Jun?"
"Sorry. My grandmother asked me to bring this to your mother."
She tried to answer but coughed.
"You okay?" he asked, sounding concerned.
"I'm… fine… I'll… I'll take it…"
But as she turned, everything spun.
"Hey," he caught her. "Careful."
"I'm okay…"
"No, you're not."
He held her more firmly and noticed she was burning with fever.
"You've got a fever. Come on, I'll help you."
"I don't need—" she tried to pull away.
"Stop being stubborn," he said, picking her up and carrying her to the room.
He placed her gently on the bed and covered her carefully.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
He rushed to the kitchen, worried.
"Where are the teas…?"
He searched everywhere but couldn't find them. So he went out to buy some, returning quickly. He prepared it carefully and brought it to her.
"Here… this will help."
Sayuri sat up slowly, holding the cup with shaky hands.
"It's good… what is it?"
"Lemon and ginger. My grandma used to make it when I got sick."
She took another sip and noticed a bag he had hidden on the floor.
"What's that?"
"Oh, this…" he tried to hide it. "I brought it for you. They say it helps you recover."
"A nurse teddy bear," she smiled. "How cute. Thank you, Jun…"
Seeing her smile, Jun realized everything was still there—alive and even stronger. He gently moved a strand of hair from her face.
"I should go… take your medicine properly."
"No… stay," she whispered.
"Sayuri… I can't…"
"Please…"
He tried to pull away, but she grabbed his hand. In that moment, he lost balance and fell onto her.
"Sorry… did I hurt you?"
"No…"
They were too close. Breathing mixed, hearts racing, no space for reason. He didn't move away. He gave in—and kissed her.
"Are you crazy? You'll get sick too," she said.
"You're right… sorry…"
Then she kissed him back. A warm, intense kiss after so long. There was feeling. There was love.
"You… shouldn't…" he murmured against her lips.
And he kissed her again.
And again.
But when he saw the bouquet beside the bed, he stopped.
"I need to go…"
He stood up, looked at her—he didn't want to leave, but he had to. He said goodbye without looking back, leaving a burning heart behind.
"Jun…" she whispered.
"I shouldn't have done that," he told himself as he crossed the street. "They're dating. I'm not that kind of man."
That same day, worried about Sayuri, Kenji went to her house with medicine.
"Can I come in?"
"Come in," she said, sitting on the bed.
As soon as he entered, he felt the scent in the air. He knew exactly whose it was. Seeing the medicine bag and the teddy bear, he had no doubt: Jun had been there.
"I see you were already well taken care of," he said, a hint of jealousy in his voice. "Want me to bring you tea?"
"No, thank you. I already had some… lemon and ginger. Have you tried it? It's delicious."
He looked at the teddy bear.
"Funny… I know someone who used to get a nurse teddy bear whenever he was sick. He thought it helped him recover."
Sayuri smiled.
"I heard the same thing," she said, hugging the bear tightly.
Kenji sat beside her and tried to cheer her up, but the more he tried, the more distant she seemed.
"I should go soon… I have rehearsal today."
"Take care."
He held her hand.
"Say… when you feel better… I'd like to take you out."
"Like… a date?"
"Yes."
"Kenji… I…"
"You don't have to answer now," he said quickly. "Just give me a chance."
She looked at him. She didn't want to hurt him, but she was too tired to think.
"Okay… I will."
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
"Good night."
Kenji arrived at the studio out of breath.
"Sorry I'm late. I was with Sayuri."
Jun missed a chord.
"You should've told me."
"You know how it is… when I'm with her… time flies. I lose myself in her arms."
Jun didn't respond.
"Jun… I've never felt like this before. It feels so good to like someone…"
Jun looked at him.
"Funny," Jun said coldly. "You talk like it's your first relationship."
"It's not my first… but this one is different, I know it."
"How?"
"I don't think you'd understand… you've never dated…"
"Enough," Jun cut him off. "Let's rehearse."
During rehearsal, Jun kept messing up the chords.
"Damn it!"
"Focus, Jun!"
"I need a break. I'm a bit rusty."
He went to the balcony, frustrated. Kenji followed.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm messing up too much. I never do this… we need more rehearsal."
"Tomorrow afternoon I can't. I'm going out with Sayuri, but we can rehearse at night."
Jun answered without looking at him:
"I hope you enjoy it."