She simply stopped answering Yuto’s texts.
"I just like you instead of her."
In Japanese culture—where indirectness is often politeness—this phrase is brutally direct. It’s rarely said aloud because it’s so hurtful. But when it is said, it’s a confession of emotional convenience, not love. Three months in, Mika noticed the cracks. ano ko no kwari ni suki na dake
Mika tried. She dyed her hair lighter. She practiced laughing louder. She stopped finishing people’s sentences and started interrupting—because that’s what Saki did. She simply stopped answering Yuto’s texts