Haruto stared out of the train window, watching the rain streak across the glass like shattered memories. His new life was quiet, peaceful, but every so often, the past called to him, unbidden. One evening, as the city lights blurred into a stream of orange and white, his mind drifted back…
It had been six years ago, a time when his life felt like it was collapsing in on itself. Haruto was young, reckless, and drowning in debt — both financial and moral. He had no family to turn to, no friends he could trust, and no hope that things would ever get better. Nights were long, empty, and full of despair.
Then, one stormy night, everything changed. Haruto had been cornered by a group of men seeking repayment for debts he could never pay. Fear clawed at his chest as he stumbled through dark alleyways, the rain soaking him to the bone. Every step felt like the last, and he thought for certain that this would be the end.
That's when he met Takashi, Emi's father.
Takashi's car had pulled up, headlights cutting through the darkness. Without hesitation, he stepped out, authoritative and calm, and confronted the men. Haruto had frozen, unsure if this was real. But Takashi did not hesitate. In a few commanding words and firm actions, the danger was gone. Haruto was alive.
"You owe me your life now," Takashi had said, his voice firm but not unkind. "If you ever wish to repay me, do so with honor. That is all I ask."
Haruto had nodded, words failing him. He had no way to repay such a debt — and yet, he vowed in that moment that he would devote himself entirely to whatever path Takashi deemed necessary.
Months later, that debt became the reason he married Emi. It was never meant to be love at first, but devotion — a promise fulfilled, a repayment of life itself. Yet as he had grown to love her genuinely, that debt had evolved into something much more complicated, more human. Love had blossomed where obligation once stood.
Even now, years later, Haruto remembered the weight of that night. The rain, the fear, the hand that had saved him. It had set the course for everything — the marriage, the heartbreak, and even the years of silent suffering he endured.
Sometimes, he thought, life demanded a price for survival. And sometimes, that price came not in money, but in the fragile, enduring bonds of the heart.
Haruto sighed, closing his eyes. That night had given him life, and in turn, it had given him a chance to love… and to finally let go.