Five years had passed since Ryo had left without a word, and Aoi, along with their friends, had moved on in their own ways. Aoi and the others were now in university, living their lives, but the gap Ryo had left in her heart still lingered.
She had changed a lot over the years, her once youthful appearance now more mature, her eyes holding both the innocence of the past and the weight of the time apart. Her relationship with her friends—Miyu, Hina, and others—had remained strong, but the absence of Ryo in her life remained a painful, unspoken truth.
It had all started when Ryo had left suddenly without telling anyone. Aoi had convinced herself that his departure was because of her—that maybe something about her had made him leave without a word. Her heart had broken the moment she realized that he wasn't coming back, and despite the passing years, she still carried that wound.
Ryo had never sent a message to any of them. No explanations, no goodbyes. His abrupt departure had left everyone in the dark. Aoi wondered if his leaving had been a form of rejection. Had he left because of something she did or said? Had their relationship as childhood friends meant nothing to him?
As Aoi sat in the park, her gaze fixed on a photo of her university days mixed with memories from school—memories with Ryo—tears welled up in her eyes. She was still holding on to that photo of him, but the emptiness in her heart was undeniable. She missed him more than she cared to admit.
Ding! Her phone buzzed, an unexpected message appearing from an unknown number.
"Why sad?"
Aoi blinked, confused. She stared at the message for a moment before another one followed quickly.
"Turn around."
Her heart skipped a beat. Who could this be?
With a mix of hesitation and curiosity, Aoi turned around, her breath caught in her chest.
There, standing before her, was a tall, handsome man with a warm, familiar smile. It was Ryo.
Aoi's breath caught in her throat, her eyes widening in shock. She hadn't seen him in five years. He hadn't messaged anyone, and he had left so suddenly, without a word. The shock of seeing him again after all this time left her speechless. She started to cry, the emotions she had buried for so long flooding back all at once.
Ryo stepped forward, his eyes full of concern, but Aoi didn't say anything. She couldn't. She was angry—so angry that he had disappeared without even telling her why.
Ryo stood there for a moment, waiting for her to speak. Finally, he broke the silence.
"I… I'm sorry, Aoi," he said softly. "I didn't know what to do. I was confused about my feelings back then, and when my father told me to go abroad for my studies, I didn't argue. But I should have kept in touch. I should have explained everything."
Aoi remained silent, still unable to look at him. The hurt and anger were too much to put into words.
"I couldn't send any messages when I first left because my phone died, and I had left my phone. By the time I got a new phone, I didn't even remember your number. I didn't know what to do or how to reach you…" Ryo continued, his voice soft, full of regret.
Aoi wiped her eyes, still processing his words. He didn't know my number? He really couldn't message me?
"How did you get my number?" Aoi asked, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and curiosity.
Ryo smiled faintly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his old phone. "When I came back, I turned on my old phone and found all my contacts. Including yours."
Aoi looked at him, her heart conflicted. She wanted to be angry, but there was something about his sincerity, his vulnerability, that made it harder to stay upset. She wanted to yell at him, to ask why he hadn't tried harder to reach her, but instead, she just stayed silent.
"I know I should've done more," Ryo admitted, his voice quiet. "I should've sent a message, at least told you where I was, but I was a fool. I didn't think things through."
Aoi shook her head, her anger still simmering beneath the surface. "You left me without a word, Ryo. You didn't think about how I would feel? About how your friends would feel? We were all left hanging."
Ryo's face tightened with regret. He knew she was right, but he couldn't change the past. He had made his decision back then, and now he had to face the consequences.
"I was selfish," Ryo admitted, his voice almost a whisper. "I thought I needed time to figure things out, but all I did was hurt the people I care about."
Aoi stared at him for a long moment, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. She had been so angry, so heartbroken when he left, but seeing him now, standing in front of her, she realized something. She had never stopped caring about him. She never had.
But it didn't make it any easier.
She finally spoke, her voice soft, almost as if she was speaking to herself. "I don't know if I can forgive you just like that, Ryo. You left. You didn't even say goodbye. You don't know how hard it was for me to move on from you."
Ryo nodded, accepting her pain. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I just needed you to know the truth. I'm sorry for everything."
The silence stretched between them for a moment, thick with unspoken words. Aoi wasn't sure what to say, but the weight in her heart slowly began to lift. There was still a part of her that wanted to hold onto her anger, but another part of her couldn't deny the relief of hearing the truth.
Then, Ryo gave her a small smile, one that she remembered from the past, and said something that completely caught her off guard.
"If you're still angry, why not just marry me?" he said, his voice playful, though there was a hint of vulnerability behind it.
Aoi froze, her eyes wide with surprise. Did he just…
Ryo's smile grew, his eyes warm and teasing. "I'm serious. If you're so mad at me, maybe the only way to fix things is for us to get married, huh?"
Aoi stared at him, her heart pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe it. After all these years, all the pain, Ryo was standing in front of her, asking her to marry him as though it was the simplest thing in the world.
For a moment, she was speechless. The weight of everything, all the anger, all the love, came rushing back at once.
But despite everything, Aoi couldn't help but smile, a tear slipping down her cheek.
The scene was surreal. After everything, after five long years, here he was—still the same, still Ryo.
The end.