seen
The day everything began, the streets were quiet. Emma had just left school, said goodbye to her friends, and started walking down the empty road. I swallowed, then timed it so I’d come out from the street on the right and cross her path.
“Hi, Emma,” I said as I stepped in front of her.She stayed silent for a moment, but her smile never faded.
“I see you at school,” I continued. “And you always catch my attention. If you want… could we be friends?”
That was how everything started.I see your brother too, I thought to myself.
Emma was warm, effortlessly kind. That same day, she invited me to her house and introduced me to everyone. Amid the laughter and overlapping conversations, my eyes kept drifting to one person in particular.
The man I had loved from afar.Manjiro Sano.Sometimes Emma dyed her hair, sometimes we went shopping together. Most of the time, we were side by side, and we grew close quickly. At first, all I wanted was for Mikey to see me.
I had been in love with him for five years, yet he had never noticed me. I wanted him to see me — to love me — even though I knew it might never happen.
Still, as I started attending Toman meetings and hangouts with Emma, I caught Mikey’s attention. I made him curious. He grew more thoughtful, glanced at me more often.
Sometimes he’d quietly hand me something, share his food with me.It was another Toman meeting day. After Mikey finished explaining what needed to be said, he stepped down from where he stood. As he walked toward us, I felt my heart speed up, pressing hard against my chest. Without realizing it, I clutched the edge of my cardigan.
“Y/N-chan. Want to go for a ride on my bike?”
Emma couldn’t hide her surprise. I felt like I was choking on my own breath.
“H—what?”
At my stuttered response, Mikey just laughed.
“Hurry up. Or I’ll leave you behind.”Before I could fully process what was happening, I started following him. I threw Emma a brief apologetic look and kept walking. She smiled and waved. She already knew how this would go — she knew her brother.
Good luck, she thought, cheerfully heading toward Draken.Mikey looked thoughtful. His hands were in his pockets as he walked ahead of me, not looking back.
“You’re pretty close with Emma,” he said at last, his voice low. It wasn’t really a question — more like an observation.His pace slowed. Mine did too, unconsciously. Emma was always beautiful, always popular. I was quieter. Easier to miss. The only thing I was truly good at was playing the violin on summer evenings, singing softly to myself.But no one ever listened.
“I… love Emma,” I said, fiddling with the string of my cardigan. “She accepts me as I am. She really sees me.
”Mikey laughed.
“You think you’re invisible?”
The question froze me in place. I had always felt that way. Everything I’d done up until now was just so Mikey would look at me once.
“Yeah.”
The word left my mouth with a bittersweet ache. Mikey let out another quiet laugh and turned to face me.
“Then you’re wrong.”
As his bike came into view, he stepped closer and gently took my hand. The sudden closeness stole my breath. He guided me toward the bike, placed the helmet on my head, and smiled.
“I feel like that sometimes too,” he said. “Even when everyone’s looking at me, it feels like no one really sees me. Like no one knows what’s inside.”
I sat quietly on the bike. He looked at me, then climbed on in front of me before turning back again.
“I know you love me,” he said. “Emma told me. So don’t stay quiet. Not when I’ve seen you, not when you’re this close. It’s not that I didn’t notice you. I caught your looks. I always felt your presence in the crowd. But I didn’t give it a name. Ignoring it was easier. I can’t deny it anymore.”I held my breath, teeth clenched.
“I—”
“So let’s try, Y/N,” he said. “Because you’re the only one who truly sees me. We feel the same way.”
Before I could say anything else, he started the engine and we took off. The ride was silent. I slowly wrapped my arms around him, breathing in his scent. It made my head spin. He kept driving without a word, speeding up now and then as if trying to escape everything.
Eventually, we turned into familiar streets. My forehead was still pressed to Mikey’s back. Tears streamed down my face. I felt him tense — but he chose not to say anything.When we stopped in front of his place, the engine died down. I pulled away slowly and wiped my tears.
“Don’t cry,” he said. His voice sounded commanding, but it was full of pain. “Never because of me.”
“I just—”
“Don’t cry, Y/N. I’m sorry for every moment I didn’t see you.
”He pulled me into his room and shut the door. It was small and simple. He dropped onto his bed with a sigh.
“I’m tired.”
“Manjiro…”
“Hm?”
“Wasn’t this… too sudden?”
“Don’t worry,” he said casually. “You’ll get used to it in a few days.”
“But—”
“Come here.”
When I walked over, my heart was pounding hard in my chest. I just looked at him. He wrapped his arms around me, pulled me onto the bed, and covered us both.
“I’m tired. I want to sleep. Will you stay?”
I nodded.
“We’ll get through everything together,” he said.
And with a kiss, our promise was sealed.The kiss started slow — sweet, like an apology. Then it deepened. I clung to him desperately. My hands slid into his hair as I pressed against him. He bit my lip, pulled me beneath him in one swift motion, then stopped.
“From today on,” he said quietly, “you’re mine.”
As time passed, Mikey was always around whenever I was with Emma. He was gentler with me, more attentive. Even Emma started laughing and saying, “Looks like he fell for you. My brother doesn’t love easily."
Sometimes he bought me small gifts, took me places. We were like lovers, though we never put a name to it. We kissed, slept beside each other — but never went further.
One summer evening, I took out my violin in front of their house and started playing my favorite piece. As the strings bit into my fingers, I hummed along.
River Flows in You.
As the melody drifted into the air, I paused when I heard someone behind me. It was Mikey. He gestured for me to keep going and sat down beside me.
“You play beautifully,” he said.
“Thank you.”
He stayed quiet for a while.
“The more I notice about you,” he finally said, “the deeper I fall for you.”
Another kiss followed. He pulled away, breathing me in sharply — then kissed me again. And again.
“Manjiro.”
“Hm? Yes, baby?”
“I love you.”
“Idiot,” he said softly. “I love you too.”