The final bell of Sakura High rang out like a starting pistol, sharp and decisive.
Paulo Satoshi slung his navy school bag over one shoulder; the weight of textbooks light compared to the anticipation humming in his chest.
Another day done, another step closer to the weekend.
He adjusted the cobalt-blue hoodie he had thrown on over his uniform, comfort over conformity, and scanned the thinning crowd in the atrium for a familiar face.
Alexis Smith leaned against a cherry-blossom-painted pillar, green hoodie half-zipped, red eyes flicking up from his phone, "Yo, Paulo. Walk home together?"
Paulo grinned, "Thought you would never ask. Miya said she had 'student council stuff' again."
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, "Third time this week."
Alexis snorted, "Girl's gonna run for prime minister at this rate."
He pushed off the pillar, falling into step beside Paulo as they crossed the atrium's polished floor.
Sunlight slanted through the high windows, scattering pink petals across the tiles, someone from the gardening club must have been pruning the Sakura trees on the roof again.
Outside, the air smelled of spring and distant rain.
Students spilled onto the sidewalks in clumps, laughter echoing off the school's beige walls.
Paulo and Alexis took the long route, the one that looped past Luminos Café and under Tokyo Bridge.
It added ten minutes, but the river view was worth it, especially when the cherry blossoms were in full riot.
"So," Alexis said, kicking a pebble, "you and Miya still good?"
Paulo's smile faulted for half a heartbeat, "Yeah. Why wouldn't we be?"
Alexis shrugged, "Dunno. She has been… distant. In class, anyway. Always texting under the desk."
"She's just busy." Paulo's voice was firm, but a tiny knot twisted in his gut.
He shoved it down.
Miya loved him. She had said it just last week, whispered against his ear behind the gym, her fingers laced through his.
***
They reached Luminos Café.
The outdoor tables were packed with Sakura High students nursing iced matcha lattes.
Paulo's eyes snagged on a flash of bubble-gum-pink hair, Mizaki Kirazaka, laughing with Marina Satō and Shizuka Suzuki.
Mizaki's violet eyes flicked up, locking onto Paulo's like heat-seeking missiles.
Her smile curved, slow and syrupy.
Paulo nodded politely. Mizaki's gaze lingered too long. Alexis muttered something about "yandere vibes" under his breath.
They kept walking.
The café's chatter faded, replaced by the hush of the river path.
Tokyo Bridge loomed ahead, its red arches glowing in the late afternoon sun. Beneath it, the water moved slow and dark, reflecting the sky like a mirror.
Paulo's phone buzzed. A text from Miya, "Meet me under the bridge? Need to talk."
His heart did a little flip, "Hey, change of plans. Miya wants to meet."
Alexis raised an eyebrow, "Under the bridge? That's… romantic?"
Paulo laughed, "She is dramatic. Probably wants to take couple selfies with the sunset or something."
Alexis hesitated, then clapped Paulo on the shoulder, "Text me when you get home, yes? Do not do anything I would not do."
"Which is basically nothing," Paulo shot back.
Alexis flipped him off, grinning, and veered toward the main road.
Paulo watched him go, then turned toward the bridge's shadow.
***
The path narrowed, gravel crunching under his trainers.
The air grew cooler, damp with river mist. Paulo ducked under the bridge's belly, where graffiti bloomed in violent colours across concrete pillars. Miya stood near the water's edge, back to him, navy skirt fluttering in the breeze. Her cherry-blossom hair clip glinted.
"Hey," Paulo called softly.
Miya turned. Her face was pale, eyes red-rimmed, "Paulo."
He frowned, "You okay? You look—"
"I'm fine." Her voice was flat.
She stepped closer, and Paulo noticed her hands trembling, "We need to talk."
The knot in his gut tightened, "About what?"
Miya's gaze slid past him. Paulo followed it and froze.
Rin Itō leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, violet hair catching the last rays of sun. Shin Takahashi stood beside him, towering in his purple hoodie, expression unreadable. And behind them, Alexis? No, wait. Alexis had left.
But there he was, stepping out from the shadows, red eyes fixed on Paulo with something cold and unfamiliar.
"Alexis?" Paulo's voice cracked, "What the hell—"
"I'm sorry," Alexis said quietly, "I really am."
Miya's hand brushed Paulo's arm, feather-light. "It's over, Paulo."
The words hit like a slap, "What?"
"I don't love you." Her voice did not waver, "I never did."
Paulo stared at her, the world tilting, "You're joking."
Rin pushed off the pillar, golden eyes gleaming, "She's not."
Paulo's gaze snapped to him, "You—"
Rin smiled, sharp as a blade. "We have been together for months. You were just… convenient."
The betrayal sank in like teeth. Paulo took a step back, trainers scraping gravel, "Miya, look at me. Tell me this is not real."
Miya's eyes were glassy. "I'm sorry," she whispered, but it sounded rehearsed.
Shin cracked his knuckles, "Time to wrap this up."
Paulo's Taekwondo instincts flared. He dropped into a stance, weight balanced, fists raised, "Stay back."
Rin laughed, "Four against one? Even your black belt will not help."
Alexis stepped forward, voice low, "Just let it happen, Paulo. Do not make it worse."
"Worse?" Paulo's laugh was bitter., "You're my best friend."
"Was," Alexis corrected, "Past tense."
The first blow came from Shin, a brutal hook to Paulo's ribs. Air exploded from his lungs.
He staggered, blocking Rin's follow-up kick with his forearm. Pain flared, white-hot.
Miya watched, arms wrapped around herself, expression unreadable.
Paulo spun, lashing out with a roundhouse.
His foot connected with Shin's thigh, eliciting a grunt. But Alexis was there, grabbing his arm, twisting it behind his back.
Paulo roared, elbowing backward, crunching into Alexis's nose. Blood sprayed.
"Damn it!" Alexis snarled, shoving Paulo forward.
Paulo stumbled, catching himself on a pillar. Gravel bit into his palms.
Rin's fist slammed into his jaw, snapping his head sideways. Stars burst across his vision. He tasted copper.
"Stop," Miya said suddenly. Her voice was small. "Just… stop."
But no one listened. Shin's boot caught Paulo in the stomach, folding him in half. Rin's knee drove into his spine.
Paulo hit the ground hard, cheek scraping concrete. The world blurred.
Through the haze, he saw Miya turn away. Saw Alexis wipe blood from his face, expression twisted with guilt and something darker. Saw Mizaki Kirazaka step out from behind a pillar, bubble-gum hair glowing like a halo.
She had not been part of the fight. She had been watching.
Mizaki knelt beside Paulo, fingers brushing his hair back with terrifying gentleness.
"Shh," she murmured. "It is okay now. I will take care of you."
Paulo tried to speak, but Shin's foot pressed between his shoulder blades, pinning him. Mizaki's violet eyes filled his vision, manic and adoring.
"You're mine," she whispered. "Finally."
Then Shin and Rin hauled him up. Paulo's legs would not hold. The river loomed, black and hungry.
"No—" he rasped.
Rin's smile was cruel. "Sayonara, Paulo."
They swung him. Once. Twice.
The world flipped. Frigid air rushed past his ears. Then, impact.
The river swallowed him whole.
***
Darkness.
Pressure.
Cold that clawed into his bones.
Paulo sank, lungs burning, the current tugging at his hoodie like greedy fingers. His fingers scrabbled for purchase, finding only silt and stone.
"Can't breathe—"
A spark of fury ignited. Miya's face. Alexis's betrayal. Mizaki's sick smile. He kicked upward, legs pistoning through the murk. His chest screamed. Black spots danced at the edges of his vision.
"Not dying here."
His head broke the surface. He gasped, choking on river water and rage. The bridge's underbelly glowed above him, a cruel silhouette. Voices drifted down, laughter, fading footsteps.
Paulo clung to a jutting rock, knuckles white. Blood streamed from his scalp, mixing with the water. His ribs throbbed with every breath. But he was alive.
He dragged himself onto the bank, collapsing in the mud. The sky above was bruised purple, stars pricking through the clouds. Somewhere, a night bird called.
Paulo coughed, spitting river water and bile. His phone was gone. His bag, too. But his hands, his hands still worked. He pushed himself to his knees, then to his feet. The path back to civilization stretched ahead, dark, and endless.
He took one step. Then another.
Behind him, the river kept flowing, carrying his old life downstream.
Ahead, Sakura High waited. Miya waited. Alexis. Rin. Mizaki.
Paulo's fingers curled into fists, nails biting crescents into his palms.
This was not over.
Not by a long shot.