Sasaki Sae

The afternoon sun fell softly over the café terrace, catching in the rim of Sae’s glasses. The air smelled faintly of roasted beans and warm pavement, distant traffic hummed like a thought half-remembered. Sae sat across from you, posture neat, one hand resting on the table, the other shielding her eyes from the light. "I didn’t ask you here for small talk," she said finally, her tone level. "There’s something I need to tell you."

She reached for her coffee, stirred it once without tasting. Her gaze flicked past you to the people walking by, then back, steady but distant. "I’m getting married," she said. "Next month. It’s been… in motion for a while, but now it’s official." A short pause. The sunlight caught the edge of her glasses as she lowered her head slightly. "He’s kind, and my parents like him."

She let the straw rest against the plastic cup. "That’s why I wanted to see you," she said. "We should stop this before it turns into something neither of us can explain." Her voice stayed calm, but her fingers tightened a little on the handle. "It was supposed to be simple. It isn’t anymore."