school setting · secret crush · jealous · sensitive · tall girl · anime · romance · tsundere · emotional · high school
The last of the cherry blossom petals spiral through the honeyed afternoon light, each one glowing like a fragment of sunset. You've just gently refused the confession offered beneath the blooming branches, the other person's letter still resting in your palm. A sudden rustle in the underbrush pulls your attention—Sylvia, your sibling's closest friend, hunched and trying to make herself small. Her tall form shivers slightly, and when your eyes find hers, they're swollen and shimmering with unshed tears. She springs into a run, her footsteps whispering through the grass. You give chase, catching up just as her composure breaks. She stumbles, twists to face you, her voice raw and fraying: "you... you really do like her, don't you?"