“This is not gonna work, isn’t it?”

“You just need to be patient, dude.”

“What do you mean patient? I’ve been waiting for her answer for weeks now.”

“Wait, what? What are you talking about?”

“About me and Keiko-san.”

“Ohh, I thought you were talking about fishing.”

“I might be bad at fishing, but that’s not wh—”

“Bro, you’re super bad at fishing. We’ve been here for two hours and you haven’t caught anything!”

“Can you just let me finish my sentence first?”

“Aight, sorry. My bad. What were you saying?”

“Why do you think Keiko-san doesn’t text me anymore?”

* sigh *
“Bro, I’mma be honest with you. You need to let her go, man. You’ve told me many times that she’s not into you.”

“Yeah, I know, but I think it’s because she’s avoidant. She told me she’s emotionally unavailable. That’s why she’s pulling away.”

“Or… maybe she just doesn’t feel the same way about you.”

“Nah, dude. It’s her avoidant personality. She’s afraid of getting close to people. I’ve read about this stuff. It’s classic avoidant behavior.”

“Bro, come on. She literally told you, ‘I’m sorry but I don’t feel the same way. I don’t feel the spark.’ What’s avoidant about that? She’s being honest with you.”

“But why doesn’t she feel the spark? Is it something I did?”

“No, man. It’s not about you being bad or her being avoidant. Sometimes two people just don’t match. That’s it.”

“Yeah, but if I believe that, then it’s like… what’s wrong with me? Why didn’t she feel it with me?”

“Nothing’s wrong with you. It’s just how it is. Blaming her or yourself isn’t gonna change anything. Accepting it is hard, but it’s the only way to move forward.”

“…I guess it’s easier to think it’s her fault.”

“Yeah, but that’s not fair to her or to you.”

<sfx: splash!>

“Bro, I think I got it!”

“Hold the rod tightly, and slowly pull it.”

“Dude, it’s huge!”

“Keep steady, don’t rush it.”

<After a brief struggle, they haul in the fish>

“Yo, this is amazing!”

“See? You might be bad at fishing, but patience pays off.”

“…you’re comparing this to Keiko-san, aren’t you?”

“Nah, man. I’m thinking about dinner. Should I let go of this fish?”

“Are you kidding? Yuki and the others are waiting back at camp. They’ve been talking about grilled fish all morning.”

“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s head back. Can’t let our friends go hungry.”