Miyuki's POV
Steam curled around me as I sank deeper into the bath, my chin resting on my knees. The water was warm, but my thoughts were anything but calm.
I should've felt relieved. Haruto had replied last night. He'd said he was fine, that he missed me. The words were there, typed in that same steady, quiet way of his. Words that once made my chest flutter.
But lately… why did they feel so fragile?
I pressed my forehead against my knees.
"Haruto feels different now…" The words slipped out before I could stop them. "Weaker. Like… like he lost something."
The thought tasted bitter, and I immediately slapped my cheeks, the sharp sting echoing in the quiet bathroom.
"No. Stop. Haruto is my boyfriend. My first… and my last."
My voice shook, but I repeated it again, louder this time.
"My last."
I exhaled, sinking deeper into the water until it nearly touched my lips. Still, even as I forced the words into my chest, another face lingered in the back of my mind.
Souta's smirk. Souta's laugh. Souta's words that always seemed to come at the exact moment my doubts appeared.
Why him? Why now?
I shut my eyes and stayed under until the world blurred into silence.
The next day at school, I tried to focus on the chalkboard, but my friends weren't helping.
"Miyuki," one whispered, leaning over, "seriously, why are you still with Haruto? He doesn't even stand out. He's gloomy, quiet, always off in his own head."
"Yeah," another chimed in. "Meanwhile, Souta literally makes every girl laugh. He's handsome, popular, smart he's like… the perfect guy. You should at least think about it."
I gripped my pen so tightly it nearly snapped. "I told you already. I'm not breaking up with Haruto."
They shared a look, rolling their eyes. "You're wasting your time."
Their voices cut like knives, but I stared at the board, refusing to let them see the crack forming inside me.
At lunch, Souta slid into the seat beside me without asking.
"Yo," he said casually, his tray clattering against the table. "You've been looking tired lately. Everything okay?"
"I'm fine."
"You sure?" He leaned back, smiling in that easy way of his, like he wasn't even trying. "Don't take it the wrong way, but… sometimes it feels like Haruto doesn't really get you. Not like your friends do. Not like…"
He stopped, letting the words hang.
"…Not like I do."
My heart skipped. I quickly looked away. "That's not true."
"Maybe not." His smirk widened just a little. "But you didn't deny it either."
Before I could reply, one of my friends walked past, smirking knowingly. "See? Even Souta knows."
Heat rose to my face. I wanted to scream at them. At him. At myself.
But instead, I picked up my chopsticks and forced myself to eat, even though every bite tasted like sand.
After school, it happened again.
I was carrying a stack of books back to the library when one slipped from my arms. Before it could hit the floor, Souta's hand shot out, catching it smoothly.
"You should be more careful," he said, his tone light but his eyes sharp, watching me too closely.
"I… I can handle it," I muttered, hugging the rest tighter to my chest.
"Yeah, but Haruto's not here, is he? Someone's gotta help you."
He said it like a joke, but I felt the weight in every word.
"Thanks," I whispered. I hated how small my voice sounded.
Souta grinned. "Anytime."
That night, I sat on my bed, staring at my phone. My reflection in the black screen looked tired, guilty.
But still… my fingers moved.
> "Haruto, did you eat dinner? I really wish I was there with you."
I hit send before I could stop myself.
The reply came faster than I expected.
> "Yeah, I did. Don't worry. I miss you too."
I pressed the phone to my chest, closing my eyes.
His words were kind. Gentle. Steady.
And yet… why did my heart feel like it was being pulled in two different directions?
I buried my face in the pillow, forcing myself to believe the same words I'd repeated in the bath.
Haruto is my first. He'll be my last.
But Souta's smile still lingered in the back of my mind.
Haruto's POV
The glow of my new phone painted the walls of my dark room.
Miyuki's message still sat on the screen.
"Did you eat dinner? I really wish I was there with you."
I read it twice. Three times. The words were warm, caring the kind of thing any boyfriend would want.
And still, a weight pressed against my chest.
Slowly, I typed back.
"Yeah, I did. Don't worry. I miss you too."
I stared at the message for a long time before setting the phone face-down.
To her, I was still the same Haruto. Gentle. Dependable. The boy who would never doubt her.
But I wasn't that boy anymore.
Not after what I'd seen. Not after the fragments.
I leaned back against the futon, whispering to the silence:
"Fragments of memory will reach you as you become worthy of my help… Right, Valkyrie?"
My chest tightened. Suspicion burned hotter.
Something was coming. Something she wasn't telling me.
And when the next fragment arrived… I'd be ready.