There's a strange thing about people.
They change, but they don't.
They lie, but they think they're telling the truth.
They say they care, but they disappear the moment it's inconvenient.
It's something I've known for a long time. Something I had already accepted.
So why…
Why was I hesitating?
Saiki Ai was still standing there.
She didn't say anything.
She didn't make a move.
She just stood, looking at the sky with that same unreadable expression.
If I were a more dramatic person, I'd say she looked lonely.
But that was impossible, right?
Someone like her—someone who always had people around her, someone who was always believed—how could she possibly understand loneliness?
And yet, for some reason…
I was still watching her.
Still waiting for her to say something.
She didn't.
It was irritating.
"If you have something to say, say it." I finally muttered.
She blinked, looking at me as if she had forgotten I was there.
"I don't."
Tch.
Then why are you still here?
I should've said that. But I didn't.
Instead, I leaned back against the railing, closing my eyes.
The wind brushed against my face, cool and indifferent.
We stayed like that for a while.
Two people. Two sets of unspoken words.
But neither of us left.
And that was the most irritating part of all.
The Past Always Finds You
When I finally left the rooftop, I ran into another familiar face.
"Kazama."
The voice made my stomach twist.
Sakamoto.
One of the guys who had tormented me after Saiki's lie in elementary school.
I hadn't spoken to him in years.
Hadn't even thought about him.
But the second I saw him leaning casually against the hallway wall, a smirk on his face—
It was like I was back in that classroom, back in those suffocating days.
"What do you want?" I said, my voice sharper than I intended.
His smirk widened. "Relax. I just wanted to see if it's really you. Man, you look different. Guess time changes people, huh?"
I said nothing.
Sakamoto sighed, scratching the back of his head. "You still mad about what happened back then?"
…What kind of stupid question was that?
I wasn't mad.
I had already decided not to care.
But that didn't mean I forgot.
That didn't mean it didn't shape me.
Sakamoto chuckled. "Man, you really don't talk much anymore. I guess you're still the same after all."
His voice was casual, like we were old friends reminiscing about some harmless childhood memory.
Like it wasn't his words that helped ruin my life back then.
Like he wasn't one of the reasons I stopped trusting people.
"Tch." I clicked my tongue and turned to leave.
But then—
"Oh yeah, I heard Saiki's been hanging around you lately."
I froze.
His smirk turned knowing. "What, she finally feel guilty or something? That's cute."
I clenched my jaw.
"Don't talk about things you don't understand."
Sakamoto raised an eyebrow but didn't push it.
Instead, he just laughed. "Still touchy, huh? Whatever, man. Just don't let history repeat itself."
He walked away, leaving his words lingering in the air.
I stood there, unmoving.
And for the first time in a long time…
I wasn't sure if I had really moved on.
Why Are You Still Here?
That night, I found myself in front of my mirror.
I stared at my own reflection, searching for something.
Had I really changed?
Or was I just pretending to be someone different?
The past had already shaped me into who I was.
I thought I had left it behind.
But if that was true…
Then why was Saiki Ai still here?
Why was she still standing by me, even after I shoved her away?
Why was I letting her?
I didn't have the answers.
And maybe…
That was the problem.