After that grievous day, I continued living my life as usual—or so it seemed. In truth, I was just hiding the pain, pretending everything was fine. A month passed like that.
Ring, ring!
"Mmmhh… what is it now…?"
"Himeya! Wake up!"
My sister's voice jolted me awake. Groaning, I dragged myself out of bed, washed my face, and headed to the kitchen. Haruka had already prepared breakfast for me.
"Dig in, come on!" she said cheerfully.
I froze for a moment, staring at the plate. An omelet?
"Whoa… It looks perfect. But how about the taste…?" I cut a piece, took a bite, and my eyes widened.
"W-what is it?" she asked nervously.
"It's delicious! So good!"
Haruka blinked in surprise before grabbing a fork to taste it herself. "Is it? Uhmm… Whoa, it really is delicious!"
"Oh yeah, where's Mom?" I asked, shoveling down more of the omelet.
"She's out buying ingredients for dinner tonight," Haruka replied, taking a seat.
"I see…" I continued eating until the plate was spotless.
"Thanks for the food," I said, standing. "I'm heading for a bath now."
"You don't need to announce it, you know," she shot back, rolling her eyes.
In the bath, my thoughts wandered back to that day. The memories I wanted to forget came rushing back, as relentless as the water streaming down my face.
"Did I make the right decision?" I muttered to myself.
"What if… what if she hadn't made it? Dammit…"
The thought made my chest tighten unbearably. Trying to shake off the feeling, I finished up and returned to my room to get dressed.
"I'm off," I called out to Haruka as I headed for the door.
"Be careful out there," she replied.
Arriving at the school parking lot, I sighed. "Finally…"
"Senpai, you didn't get enough sleep again, did you?"
A voice called out behind me. Turning my head, I saw them. My chest tightened, the ache in my heart growing unbearable.
Without a word, I turned back and walked away, pretending I hadn't noticed them. I headed straight to my classroom and sat in my usual seat, sinking into the role I knew too well—the role of a loner.
"Hey, Himeya!" a voice called out, but I ignored it.
Bonk!
"Ouch!" I yelped, rubbing my head.
"Don't ignore me, dumbass," Touka said, standing beside my desk.
"Oh, it's just you…" I muttered, slumping back into my seat.
"Hey! Don't just go back to sleep!" she snapped.
"Ugh… What do you want?" I groaned.
"Do you seriously have nothing better to do?"
"Nope," I replied bluntly.
"Then follow me after class."
"Ugh… Fine…" I mumbled, knowing I couldn't win.
When class ended, Touka grabbed my arm before I could escape.
"C'mon, let's go!" she said, practically dragging me along.
"Where are we going?" I asked, half-exasperated.
"Just shut up and follow me," she replied, her grip firm.
Before I knew it, we were at the library.
"Why are we here…?" I asked, puzzled.
"Just wait," she whispered, motioning for me to stay quiet.
Not long after, I spotted two familiar figures—Hiro and Senpai—engaged in a serious conversation.
"Hey, let's go somewhere else," I whispered, unease creeping in.
"Shh. Listen," Touka insisted.
From our hiding spot, we overheard their exchange.
"Takamine, the reason I asked you here is…" Senpai began, but Hiro interrupted her.
"I know, Senpai…" Hiro said softly, placing his hand on Uguisu's shoulder and leaning closer to her.
"I… I can't watch this," I whispered, the ache in my chest intensifying.
"No," Uguisu said, stopping Hiro in his tracks. She raised a hand to block him.
"Umm… Senpai, did I just… get rejected?" Hiro stammered.
"I'm sorry, but I need to talk about our relationship," she said, her tone steady but firm.
"Huh?"
"First, thank you for being my boyfriend. But… I think we should break up," she said plainly.
"Wh-what? Don't joke about something like that!" Hiro's voice cracked, disbelief etched across his face.
But Uguisu's gaze didn't waver.
"Oh…" Hiro murmured, his voice falling to a whisper.
"The truth is, I only accepted your confession because I wanted to experience what people call romance," she continued, her words cutting through the air like a knife.
"What are you saying?"
"After experiencing it… I realized that what I feel isn't love."
Hiro stood frozen, her words rendering him speechless.
"Thank you," she said, bowing slightly. "Thank you for letting me experience this."
Hiro's shoulders slumped. "Alright… Thank you for accepting me in the first place…" he muttered, turning to leave.
"Wait," Uguisu called out.
"What is it now?"
"There's one more thing. I want you to become the next president of the Literature Club."
"Huh?" Hiro blinked in confusion.
"Please. I want you to lead this club after me," she said, her voice steady.
"Why me?"
"Because… I still want to be friends with you," she said.
Watching the scene unfold, something inside me stirred—a bitter, agonizing feeling I couldn't suppress.
"This route… it's—ugh!" A sharp pain shot through my head, cutting my thoughts short.
"Himeya? What's wrong?" Touka's voice rang out in concern.
"My… head… ugh…" My vision blurred, darkness closing in.
"Takamine… I want you to… and get back… him…"
Her voice grew faint, and then everything went black.
My vision was shrouded in darkness, and I couldn't hear anything. When I opened my eyes again, I found myself leaning on Touka's shoulder. Her expression was one of sheer terror, as if she had seen something unspeakably horrifying.
"Touka…" I murmured weakly.
"Himeya? You're awake?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Wh-what happened?" I managed to say.
"…"
"Touka?"
"Huh? Oh… it's nothing," she replied hastily. "It's just… I was startled when you fainted. You wouldn't even answer me…"
I looked around, noticing that Uguisu and Hiro were no longer there.
"Where are they?" I asked.
"They… left," Touka said quietly.
"Oh…"
A heavy silence hung between us.
"So… did they break up?" I asked after a moment.
"It seems so, yeah," she replied.
I noticed her making that expression again—one of unease and sadness.
"Hey, what's with that face?" I asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, I… I'm okay," she said, though her voice betrayed her feelings.
I didn't know exactly what had happened earlier, but my chest still ached. The dull throb in my head returned as I tried to piece everything together.
"I… still have a chance…" I muttered, mostly to myself.
As I recalled the moments from earlier, I opened my eyes and found myself at the end of a pier. I scanned my surroundings, searching for any signs of life. Then, in front of me, I saw a girl standing by a bell.
She turned to face me, a gentle smile spreading across her lips. My heart skipped a beat as I stepped closer, her features becoming clearer. Dark blue short hair, golden eyes, and that smile—one I could never forget.
Her name was—wait… what was it?
"I can't… remember her name…" I murmured, frustrated by the fog clouding my memory.
The girl approached me, her golden eyes full of warmth. She reached out and cupped my cheek, her touch as tender as I remembered.
"I'm sorry it took me so long," she said softly.
Tears welled up in my eyes, spilling over uncontrollably. I didn't know why. The emotions coursing through me were overwhelming.
"I…" My voice trembled, the words caught in my throat.
"I'll never leave you again, Himeya," she whispered.
Behind her, the bell gleamed under the light of a magnificent supermoon. Suddenly, everything became clear—her name, the memories, the feelings I thought I had lost.
"Uguisu…" I said, my voice cracking as I wrapped my arms around her.
"Welcome back, Himeya," she said, her voice trembling as she hugged me tightly in return.
"For so long, I've dreamed of this moment," she whispered.
"This isn't a dream, right?" I asked, still overwhelmed. "This feeling… it's real, isn't it?"
"Yes, it's real," she said, tears glistening in her eyes. "I really love you, Himeya."
I pulled her closer, holding her as if she might disappear.
"Senpai… do you remember when we were separated?" I asked.
"I do," she said, smiling faintly through her tears. "That moment when I hid and called out your name…"
"That's right. I turned around over and over, searching for you," I said.
"And each time you saw me, you smiled," she added, her voice soft but filled with emotion.
We both laughed, the bittersweet memory washing over us.
"I thought I'd never see you again," I admitted. "But I was wrong. Back then, I gave up… but not this time."
"Never again," she agreed.
Uguisu took my hand and led me toward the bell.
"This is…" I started, but she nodded before I could finish.
The legend from our school excursion came flooding back to me: When two people ring the bell together at this pier, their fates will be forever bound, inseparable until the end of time.
Together, we grasped the string and pulled. The bell rang out, its clear sound carrying through the night as the moonlight bathed us in its glow.
It felt as though we were being blessed by the heavens. Uguisu stepped closer, tears streaming down her face as she held my hand tightly.
"Himeya… I'm so glad… I'm back here with you," she said, her voice breaking.
"I'm glad I followed you," I said, my chest tightening with emotion.
"I'm glad I fell in love with you," she whispered, her gaze locked with mine.
I smiled at her, my voice steady as I replied, "Our feelings… they're not a mistake, Uguisu."