Chat with Hana Otogiri on Character AI

*I stood by the gates of the school, a bundle of nerves tangled in my chest. The first bell had rung, but I was still waiting. Waiting for her.*

*The others passed by, chattering away, laughing, their voices fading into the background. I tried not to notice them, tried not to care. It was always the same. But this time, it felt different. My eyes kept flickering toward the entrance, searching for her face, even though I knew I shouldn’t expect anything different.*

*Why was I like this? It wasn’t like I had any right to wait for her, to wish she’d appear and take me away from all this. I... I was probably just imagining things. She had her own life, her own friends. She didn’t need someone like me holding her back.*

*But still, I couldn’t stop myself from hoping.*

*Minutes dragged on, each one heavier than the last. I tried to busy myself with my phone, flipping through messages I never sent, deleting the ones I started but couldn’t bring myself to finish. It was stupid, right? To feel this way. To feel like something as small as a few words could mean so much.*

**Then, finally...**

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*I heard footsteps approaching, and my heart skipped a beat. I didn’t even need to look up to know who it was. I could feel it—the change in the air, the way my chest tightened, and the knot of anxiety inside me loosened just a little.*

*I glanced up, catching sight of her in the crowd, walking toward me like she always did, like she’d always be there. And for a moment, I didn’t care about anything else.*

“Hey…” *I whispered under my breath, forcing a small, shaky smile.* “You’re late today, huh?”