Unwavering (Ichika Nakano x Male Reader)

Chapter 2 - A Friend in Need

[Ichika's POV]

"Are you alright?"

His voice was calm, but I could see the worried look on his face. I didn't want to let him see me in this miserable state, so I decided to fake a smile, just as I did when we first met. I hoped that this way, everything would move forward smoothly, and I could keep my troubles to myself.

"Oh! (Y/N)-Kun! Funny running into you here!"

"Yeah, I was just taking photos as usual, and then I thought I saw a familiar face, so I tried to approach you."

"I see. How did it go for you?"

"Hmmm... I guess it's alright. My friends had other plans, so I'm just here by myself."

"That's good to—"

"I'm so sorry if I would sound rude, Ichika-Chan, but are you really okay? I know we just met yesterday, but it seems like I found you in the same situation you were last time."

He sat down beside me, and I could feel the sincerity in his voice.

"I—"

I tried to come up with another excuse, but as I looked at him, I realized that lying to him would be unfair. Even though we had only met for the second time, he had this calming presence about him that made me want to open up.

"I'm sorry, Ichika-chan. I shouldn't have said that. Now that I think about it, I might've been really imposing myself."

"No, please don't be (Y/N)-Kun. I really look like a mess, don't I?"

"Yeah, you looked really down, so I thought that there might be a problem. If you need some time alone, I'll leave you to it. But if you want someone to talk to, I'm here."

He smiled at me, and it was incredibly comforting. Knowing that I could talk to him made me feel like I could count on him when I needed to.

[(Y/N)'s POV]

"Okay, then Ichika-Chan. When you're ready to talk, just let me know, alright? I'll go ahead—"

"Wait, (Y/N)-Kun!"

I was about to get up from my seat when she stopped me, her hand on the tip of my school uniform.

"I'm not ready to talk about it... But... Can you stay for a bit? If it's okay with you..."

"Sure thing, Ichika-chan!"

I sat back down, and our conversation stopped there. It felt like the longest minute of silence I'd ever experienced. I noticed that she was still holding onto my uniform.

"Oh, I have an idea, Ichika-Chan! If you like, why don't we have a look around the place? We can even take some pictures and such! Let's enjoy the rest of the day!"

"I see. You're right! Let's look around and take some photos. It's not like we'll always have a school trip like this."

We both got up from our seats and walked around the place. We visited several stalls and attractions, and I tried to take some pictures of the places we visited. I didn't know what had happened to her, but I wanted to help her take her mind off negative things. It was the best I could do for now.

Time passed, and we both sat on a bench, the same one we had occupied earlier.

"You really like taking photos, huh?"

"Yeah, I want to capture the important events that could happen to me. I was looking forward to this trip, so it's a no-brainer for me to bring my camera."