Years went by, but the memories of Hikaru never left Miyuki. She tried to move forward with her life, but no matter how much time passed, she couldn't shake the feeling of unfinished business—the weight of all the words she had never said. Often, she found herself returning to the places they had once shared—the small café where they had first met, the park bench where they had sat for hours, and the quiet streets they had walked together. Each visit brought a mix of comfort and pain, a bittersweet reminder of the man she had loved yet never had the chance to tell.
One day, years after she had left the city, an ache in her heart brought her back to the place where their story had begun. She wasn't sure what she was looking for—perhaps a glimpse of the past, some sign that would help her make sense of the feelings she had kept buried. Her first stop was the house where Hikaru had once lived. She stood nervously on the front steps, her heart pounding as she knocked on the door. A stranger answered, and when she asked about Hikaru, they told her that the family who had lived there had moved away six years ago, after a tragic death in the family.
The news left her shaken, and a terrible suspicion began to form in her mind. She couldn't bring herself to accept it, not without knowing for sure. Desperation drove her to track down one of Hikaru's old friends—someone who might have answers. But when she found him, he told her that they had lost contact with Hikaru shortly after she had moved away. There were no more leads, nothing left to guide her, but Miyuki's resolve only hardened. She needed to know the truth, no matter how painful it might be.
Finally, she did the only thing left—she reached out to Hikaru's father. The conversation was awkward, strained by the weight of years and unspoken history. But when Miyuki asked about Hikaru, the truth was revealed. His father told her about the accident that had taken Hikaru's life so many years ago—the same day he had been rushing to meet her at the café. The weight of his words hit her like a physical blow. All the questions, the doubts, the confusion—it all made sense now. The person she had been waiting for, the person who had always been there for her, had been gone for years.
Miyuki's world collapsed around her. She felt an overwhelming wave of grief, a sorrow so profound that it seemed to swallow her whole. She thought of all the times she had wondered why he never came, why he never answered her messages. Now, she knew that Hikaru had never abandoned her—he had been taken away before he had the chance to tell her goodbye. Her heart broke as she realized she would never be able to tell him how she truly felt, that she had loved him too, even if she had been too afraid to admit it at the time.
But the story didn't end there. Hikaru's parents, recognizing Miyuki as the girl their son had cherished, welcomed her into their home. They understood how much she had meant to him, even if she had never fully known it herself. They allowed her to see Hikaru's room, untouched since his death, and to go through his belongings. It was a quiet, almost sacred space, filled with the remnants of his life—the books he had loved, the notebooks he had scribbled in, and the photographs of places they had visited together.
Among his things, Miyuki found letters—unread and unfinished letters addressed to her. They were filled with Hikaru's thoughts, his quiet, tender words of love that he had never been able to voice. There were small gifts too, tokens he had kept for her, things he had wanted to give but never had the courage to. With each letter she read, the depth of Hikaru's feelings became painfully clear. He had loved her with a patience and devotion she had never understood, and she realized just how much she had meant to him.
Sitting in that room, surrounded by the echoes of a life she had only partially known, Miyuki allowed herself to cry for the man she had lost. She cried for the love that had been real but unspoken, and for the words she had been too late to say. In those moments, she finally understood that Hikaru's love had been there all along, quiet and constant like the passing of time. It was a love that had remained, even in his absence, and it was a love that she would carry with her, always.