How To Lose A Crush In 10 Texts

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I stood there with Rin still caged in the shimmering sphere of magic, her golden eyes flickering as the faint light danced across her fox-like features. Her tail swayed lazily behind her, though the tightness in her shoulders betrayed that she wasn't as relaxed as she wanted us to believe.

Her gaze shifted from face to face before finally pinning me down, sharp and accusing.

"Why?" she asked, voice low, steady. "Why did you lock me up like this?"

The room was silent. No one wanted to answer. Even Ayame, who usually carried herself with steel in her voice, avoided Rin's eyes.

I swallowed. My throat felt dry. "Because… we didn't know what else to do."

Rin tilted her head, ears twitching slightly. "Not an answer, Ren."

I clenched my fists at my sides. She wasn't going to let this go, and maybe she had every right not to. "You—" I hesitated, then forced the words out. "You got aggressive. When you woke up… you attacked me. And the others. We had to stop you before you hurt anyone—or yourself."

Her expression flickered—confusion, then disbelief, then something almost like hurt. "Aggressive? I don't…" She trailed off, looking down at her hands. "I don't remember any of that. All I remember is your room… and then pain. And then waking up here."

"Rin, listen—" I began, but she cut me off.

"I am listening. And what I hear is that you think I'm dangerous." Her golden eyes narrowed, gleaming in the dim light. "Look at me now. Do I look dangerous? Am I snarling? Am I clawing at you? No. I'm calm. I'm talking. I'm—me." She pressed a palm against the barrier wall. "So let me out. Or do you really plan to treat me like some monster?"

The words hit me harder than I expected. Monster. She had said it so casually, but I felt the weight in it, heavy and raw.

Mei shifted uncomfortably, her fingers twitching like she wanted to argue but couldn't find the right words. Elira frowned, glancing at me as though silently asking what to do.

Ayame broke the silence with her usual bluntness. "It's a risk."

"And so is breathing," Rin shot back. "But you don't see me demanding you stop."

Sora sighed softly. "She has a point."

The group turned to me. Of course they did. Somehow, the decision was mine.

I rubbed the back of my neck, staring at Rin through the fading shimmer of the cage. Her ears flicked, her tail curling with impatience.

"…Fine," I muttered. "We'll release you. But—" I raised a hand before she could smirk, "—you prove you're calm. One wrong move, Rin, and I won't hesitate to put you back in there."

"Understood," she said smoothly, though the flicker of mischief in her eyes made my gut twist.

The others wove their hands in practiced gestures, threads of magic unraveling. The glow fractured, then dissolved with a soft crack, shards of light falling away like broken glass.

Rin stepped out, stretching her arms overhead with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "Finally. You have no idea how cramped that was." She smirked. "See? Perfectly fine. Not even a growl."

We all exhaled, some more visibly than others. Mei looked especially relieved—until Rin suddenly lunged forward with a sharp laugh, her hands curled into claws.

The reaction was instant. Ayame nearly drew her sword, Akane's eyes flared with magic, Mei stumbled back with her hands raised in a warding spell.

Then Rin burst into laughter, doubling over. "Oh—oh man—the looks on your faces! Absolutely priceless!"

"Not funny," Mei snapped, her cheeks flushed.

"Not funny?" Rin wiped a tear of laughter from her eye. "It was hilarious."

I pinched the bridge of my nose, trying to keep my irritation in check. "Rin, seriously—"

But then I noticed something strange. Her laugh faltered mid-breath. Her tail, which had been flicking behind her, twitched oddly—then thinned. Shortened. Began to vanish altogether.

Her ears flattened, shrinking against her skull, then receding entirely.

"Wait—" Sora whispered, eyes wide.

"What's happening?" Elira breathed.

Rin blinked at them all, confusion spreading across her face. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

I didn't answer. None of us did. We could only watch.

Her claws dulled, nails smoothing back to human shape. The golden hue of her eyes dimmed, softening into her usual shade. Her tail vanished completely, leaving only bare skin where it had swayed moments ago.

Rin frowned. "What's wrong with you all?"

Then she followed our stares—downward.

Her eyes widened. She froze. "Wait—"

Her body was bare. Utterly, completely bare.

Her fox form had shredded her clothes when it manifested, and now there was nothing left to shield her.

"Oh damn—" Her voice was a broken whisper, then it rose into a horrified shout. "Oh damn!!"

The room went deathly silent.

Her face turned crimson, heat radiating from her skin as she spun toward me, then back down at herself, then back at me. Her hands scrambled to cover herself, but she couldn't decide where to hide first. Her chest? Her legs? Everything was exposed.

Her golden eyes—no, her brown eyes now, her human eyes—snapped up at me.

"You—!!" she shrieked, her voice cracking. "Don't you dare look at me, Ren!"

I stumbled back, heat flooding my own face. "I—I'm not—I didn't—!"

"Everyone close your eyes!" Mei yelped, covering her own as she spun around.

Ayame coughed into her hand, looking away with stiff dignity. "How undignified."

Sora, ever composed, simply turned her back, though I caught the faintest twitch at the corner of her lips.

Elira slapped her hands over her face and squealed. "This is too much!"

Meanwhile, Rin flailed, twisting and turning as she tried to cover every exposed part of herself with too few hands. "This is—this is—aghhh!"

She finally crouched down, curling into as small a ball as she could, her face burning so brightly I thought she might combust on the spot.

"Someone get me a blanket!" she shrieked, her voice muffled by her knees. "Now!"

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The silence that followed was thick, awkward, almost suffocating. My heart pounded against my ribs.

I wanted to speak—say something, anything—but what words could fix this?

In the end, I just turned away, jaw tight. My thoughts raced. Rin had turned back into a human, yes—but at what cost to her pride?

And beneath all of it lingered one, unshakable truth.

We still didn't know what Rin truly was.

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Dinner was late. The kitchen smelled faintly of grilled meat and rice, and somewhere deeper in the mansion, I could hear Elira humming as she helped set the table. Everyone had drifted into the main hall to wait. The air was calm—too calm—until Rin walked in.

She bounced through the doorway like she had springs in her shoes. Her hair was tied messily, her cheeks flushed pink as if she'd been running.

"Guess what?" she blurted, spinning once before dropping onto the couch beside me. "I beat my record! Twenty stairs at a time—jump, jump, jump, all the way up!"

I blinked at her, half amused, half concerned. "That's… good? But also dangerous."

She waved me off, grinning ear to ear. "Dangerous is fun. And I feel amazing! Like I could run all the way to town and back before dinner's even ready."

Ayame raised an eyebrow. "You're awfully chipper tonight."

"Chipper? Pssh. I'm glorious." Rin struck a mock heroic pose, one hand on her hip, the other raised like she was brandishing a sword. "Your future champion! Rin the unstoppable, Rin the mighty, Rin the—"

"—Rin the loud," Sora cut in, covering one ear.

Rin laughed so hard she doubled over, nearly falling off the couch. I couldn't help smiling. For a moment, it was nice seeing her like this—alive, vibrant, even brighter than her usual self. It felt like a release, as though she had shaken off the fear of last night and was determined to be happy.

But then… it turned.

Elira walked past carrying a stack of plates, and one of them clinked a little too loudly. Rin's smile faltered.

"Can you not?" Rin snapped. "That's so annoying."

Elira froze mid-step, blinking. "Uh… sorry?"

The room went quiet.

Rin crossed her arms and slumped back into the couch, pouting like a stormcloud. "Ugh, why is everyone so noisy all the time? It's like you're doing it on purpose."

Sora gave me a look—sharp, questioning. I shrugged back. I had no idea what this was.

"Rin," I said carefully, "it was just a plate. She didn't mean—"

"Don't defend her!" Rin whipped her head toward me, eyes suddenly sharp. The warmth I'd seen moments ago was gone, replaced by a flash of anger that didn't fit her face. "You always take their side. Always. What about me, huh? Don't I matter?"

Her voice cracked, and I felt my stomach sink.

Ayame stood slowly, palms raised in mock surrender. "Hey, hey. No need to start a war over crockery. You were just laughing a second ago."

Rin glared at her, fists clenched in her lap. "Don't act like you get me. You don't."

I saw it then—her tail, flicking sharply behind her. Not playful, not soft, but twitching like an animal on edge. The mood swings weren't just her being emotional… something deeper was pushing at her.

The others must have noticed too, because Mei, who had been quietly pouring tea in the corner, finally spoke. "Rin… you're not yourself right now."

"I am myself!" Rin shot back instantly. "You just don't like it when I stop pretending. You all want me quiet and cute and—" She stopped, trembling, her breaths coming faster.

Nobody moved. The air felt heavy, suffocating.

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