The bottle spun again and nded on Ayane.

  "Dare," she said softly, almost to herself, but her voice was steady.A hush fell. Before anyone else could, Arashi spoke up in his usual calm voice. "Okay. Your dare is simple: look everyone here in the eye and tell them what you really think of them."A ripple of excitement went around the circle. Ayane took a breath and began."You, Lyanna," she said first, smiling despite herself, "you're full of energy. Sometimes too much, but you make everyone ugh. "Lyanna beamed and puffed up with pride. "I'll take that."Next Ayane looked at Era. "You're sharp — you notice things nobody else does. You joke a lot, but you'd go to the end for the people you care about. "Era pretended to scoff, then let out a small, pleased ugh. She nudged Lyanna and said, "Hey, be nice. I'm sensitive." The tease hid the smile.Ayane then turned to Aurelia. Her voice softened. "Aurelia… you calm everyone down when things get loud. You see what's unsaid and somehow make it easier. I… I admire that. "Aurelia's expression warmed. She gave Ayane a brief, approving nod and a small, encouraging smile that felt almost like permission.When Ayane reached Seraphine she smirked a little. "You act all innocent, but you're the one who starts trouble—and does it with style. "Seraphine clutched her chest in mock outrage. "Me? Never!" The room exploded with ughter.She moved on to Ren. "You're loud and impossible to ignore, but you keep the energy alive. It wouldn't be the same without you. "Ren grinned widely. "I'll take that as a compliment."Finally, Ayane's gaze dropped to Arashi. The air felt different for a second; even the teasing voices dimmed. Her hands twisted in her p, and she took a breath before speaking quietly. "You… you're different. When I'm around you I feel… safe."For a heartbeat there was stunned silence. Then the circle erupted — whistles, pyful shouts, and teasing comments. Lyanna squealed, Aurelia cpped softly, Era covered her grin, and Seraphine let out a delighted whoop. Ren leaned over to Arashi and muttered with a grin, "Bro, you're in trouble."Ayane's cheeks fmed, and in panic she quickly added, "B-but! You also… um… talk too much sometimes."For a second, everyone froze. Then Ren suddenly chuckled—an actual ugh, soft and low.Ren cpped his hands, still ughing. "Arashi? Talk too much? That's gold!" Lyanna nearly rolled over ughing, and Seraphine covered her mouth dramatically. Even Aurelia smiled gently, but her eyes lingered on Ayane knowingly.Ayane hid behind her hands, her cheeks burning, wishing the floor would just swallow her whole. But when she dared to peek through her fingers, she saw Arashi ughing — not cruelly, not mockingly, but in a way that felt light and genuine. Somehow, that ugh made her chest feel warm. Instead of embarrassment, she found herself smiling too, relieved that he wasn't making fun of her… he was enjoying the moment with her.The bottle spun again and nded on Arashi. This time, he said calmly, "Truth."It was Aurelia who leaned forward, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. "Arashi, tell us something good from your past. We've never really heard about your old days… share a story with us."Arashi stayed quiet for a moment, his gaze drifting down. Finally, he muttered, "There's nothing that special."Ren smirked and couldn't resist."Come on, Arashi. Tell them why you were so popur back at your old school."Before Ren could finish, smack! Arashi's hand struck his arm."Can't you ever keep your mouth shut?" His voice was sharp, his gre cutting through the room.The air grew tense. Then Era broke the silence softly. "Arashi, you can trust us. If you don't want to answer, that's fine — we'll change the question. But don't make the game boring for everyone. Just… tell us something. Anything."Arashi sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. Guilt flickered across his face."…Alright. Sorry. I'll tell you."The cousins exchanged gnces, intrigued but sensing there was more he wasn't saying. Ayane, especially, found herself staring at him—wanting to know the truth behind that distant look in his eyes.Arashi took a deep breath, leaning back a little as all eyes stayed fixed on him."I used to be pretty famous in my old school," he began quietly. "The story is kind of long—if no one minds."But instead of objections, his cousins leaned forward with eager faces, waiting for him to continue.Arashi gave a small, almost shy smile before going on."It all started back in third grade. At that time, I was a topper in my css. My seat partner was a girl named Anum. We used to talk sometimes, just casual things—nothing serious. To me, she was just an ordinary cssmate.One day, both Ali and I were assigned css duty to clean the cssroom after school. That was actually the first time Ali ever spoke to me properly. He suddenly asked, 'So… which girl do you like in css?'I remember freezing. I told him, 'No one.'Ali raised an eyebrow and said, 'Really? Not even Anum?'I frowned and said, 'Ew, no. Why would I?'And then he ughed a little and said, 'Well, does she likes you?'I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. This was the same guy who had never even greeted me before—and suddenly, out of nowhere, he was talking to me like we were close friends, telling me things I never expected to hear.Back then, I was extremely introverted—more than I am now. I could barely talk to people, let alone handle something like this.Then Ali pulled out a folded piece of paper and said, 'Can you do me a favor? Will you give this letter to Anum?'I agreed without thinking and asked, 'What's in it?'He said, very seriously, 'It's a love letter.'I blinked in confusion. 'A… love letter? What's that?'Ali looked at me in disbelief and then expined it. That's when I understood. He then handed it over to me and said, 'Read it first. Tell me if it sounds okay.'So I opened it… and I swear, the things written inside—it wasn't something a third grader should even know how to write."Arashi shook his head slightly, as if the memory still surprised him even now.The cousins listened silently, hanging on to every word, their eyes widening with curiosity.Arashi rubbed the back of his neck, almost embarrassed as he continued."In that letter, Ali had written, 'Anum, I like you a lot. If you don't like me back, just tell me. It'll make me sad, but I'll respect your decision.'Like… who could expect something like that from a third grader? It was way too mature for our age.Arashi continued, his tone a mix of embarrassment and humor."The next day, I gave the letter to Anum. She looked at me seriously and said, 'Arashi, I've always considered you just a friend.'I remember standing there thinking, Bruh… I didn't even propose to her, and I still got rejected. And I didn't even like her in the first pce!"I quickly waved my hands and said, 'Wait—hello! It's not from me. Ali gave it.'Her eyes widened in shock. 'Oh… I see. So that's what this is?'She opened the letter, and the moment she read it, her entire face went red. Blushing, she mumbled, 'Tell Ali… thank you. I'll reply to him soon.'I shook my head and told her, 'Nope. You should tell him yourself. I'm not doing this again. You have to face him on your own.'She hesitated but then agreed.After that, I don't really know exactly what happened between them. But one day, I did see the two of them talking behind the school. I didn't stay—I walked away, because that was their personal matter, not mine.Later, Ali came to me with a big smile and actually thanked me. He looked so happy… so I can only hope things worked out between them."Arashi let out a small sigh, his voice carrying both amusement and a hint of regret."After that, Ali went around the css telling everyone that I helped him. And because of that, other boys started asking me to deliver their letters too.The thing is, when I was little, I had this really bad habit—I couldn't say 'no' to anyone. Even if I didn't want to do something, I'd just nod and say, 'Yeah, okay.'So when I started delivering letters… I somehow became famous. First it was just my css, but soon it spread. I was delivering letters all over the school.Because of me, a lot of people actually ended up together. But I also saw many of them get their hearts broken. I watched people cry, I saw them get rejected by their crushes… completely shattered. After witnessing that so many times, I guess I just stopped feeling much about it.But then one day, in fifth grade, a girl from my css—Akira—came up to me with a letter. She shoved it into my hands and said, 'Here, take this.'I asked her, 'Who do I give it to?'And she blushed, shook her head, and said, 'Read it yourself,' before running off.So I opened it… and inside, it simply said: 'I like you.'I froze. And, well… being the blunt idiot I was back then, I just wrote at the bottom: 'No, I don't like you.'Then I put the letter back in her desk."Arashi gave a helpless little shrug, as if even he couldn't believe his own actions.The cousins gasped and then burst into ughter, some covering their mouths in shock while others cpped their hands in disbelief.Arashi gave a short ugh, almost embarrassed."Man, I didn't even give her an expnation. No reason, no soft words. Just a blunt 'No.'I still remember… she cried a lot that day. She screamed, actually. But the school was almost empty, so no one else really heard it.And me? I just stood there, unmoved. Because by then, I had already seen so many people cry over crushes, so many hearts breaking… that I didn't feel anything anymore.After that, I quit delivering letters completely. And not long after, Akira transferred out of the school. I never saw her again.Man I hope that I get to meet her again, I want to say sorry for being rude it’s not like now I like her or something I just want to apologize to her.If I ever got the chance to go back in time, I'd probably beat up my younger self for being so stupid and heartless."He gave a small shrug, forcing a smile. "Anyway… that's enough of my past."The cousins sat quietly for a moment, some looking amused, some shocked, before the room slowly filled with ughter and chatter again.Era tilted her head, curiosity gleaming in her eyes. "Then tell us… why did you change schools, Arashi?"Arashi exhaled softly. "Because I wanted to leave my past behind. I thought maybe starting fresh somewhere else would help me forget it all."A faint smile tugged at his lips as he continued. "And here's the funny part—when I joined the new school, within just a few months, Satoru and Takumi became my friends. Honestly, at first, I only befriended them because I was bored. During breaks, I had nothing to do, so I figured—why not pass time with them?But I didn't even realize when… they became my real friends. Later on, Miyu and Hina joined our group too, and that's how it all began."His words carried an unspoken warmth, a quiet gratitude that even he didn't seem to notice.