AOBARA CITY 1985
SHIRATORI MIDDLE SCHOOL:
The classroom windows were open, the sound of rain outside mixing with the chatter of
students. Itsuki sat in the corner near the back, head on his hand, looking half-asleep,
sketching random shapes in his notebook. Miyu was laughing brightly at the front with Miri, but as always, she pulled Miri by the wrist and dragged her toward Itsuki's desk.
"Come on, Itsu," Miyu said with her trademark grin. "At least pretend you care about class
sometimes."
Itsuki just shrugged without lifting his head.
Miri rolled her eyes. "Does he ever talk? Like ever? he's always like this." She leaned over his desk, squinting at the
scribbles in his notebook. "Hey, what's this? Are you secretly writing love poems is it for miyu? are you in love with her Miri says with a grin."
Itsuki's hand snapped over the page, annoyed, but Miyu giggled. "No way, he can barely say
'good morning.'"
Miri smirks. "Then today's mission is making him talk more. I swear, you're gonna say more than two words to me before the semester ends."
Itsuki muttered, "…annoying."
Miri gasped dramatically. "A whole word! And it wasn't just yes or no! Progress!"
Miyu laughed so hard she nearly fell over, and Itsuki just looked away, ears faintly red.
After School:
The three of them walked home together under one umbrella. Miri kept teasing Itsuki about how
"gloomy" he always looks, while Miyu tried to defend him, saying he's just shy. Itsuki didn't say much, but when the umbrella tilted too far and Miyu almost got soaked, he shifted it back over her without a word.
Miri noticed and thought to herself, He really does care. He just doesn't know how to show it.
The Pen Incident:
Miri was the loud, cheerful type who always noticed the little things others ignored. When Itsukidropped his pen in class, everyone else just kept working. Miri picked it up and placed it on hisdesk with a smile.
"You should be more careful, Itsuki. If you lose this, how will you ever take notes?"
Itsuki just mumbled a quiet, almost inaudible, "…thanks."
Miri leaned closer, grinning, "That's two words! You do know how to talk!"
Miyu giggled from her seat, watching the rare exchange.
Lunch On Rooftop:
The three of them often shared lunch on the rooftop. Miri would talk endlessly, Miyu would laughand listen, and Itsuki would just eat quietly.
"Hey Itsuki, what's your favorite food? C'mon, say something!" Miri teased, leaning forward.
Itsuki blinked at her, then muttered, "…Everything Miyu likes."
Miyu's face lit up like the sun, while Miri clutched her chest dramatically.
"Ouch! Shot through the heart. But I'll get more words out of you someday, just you wait!"
Miri leaned over to Miyu and whispered with a mischievous grin, "You know… I think I like
Itsuki he's totally my type."
Miyu's face turned red instantly. "W-What?! No, you can't like him! He's he's mine!"
Miri laughed so hard she nearly dropped her food. "I'm joking! Relax, relax. You can have him allto yourself. But," she pointed at Itsuki sitting blankly, "I'll still make him talk properly to mesomeday afterall I'm also his friend."
Miyu pouted, cheeks puffed out. "Don't joke like that… it's not funny."
Miri poked her cheek. "You're so easy to tease."
PRESENT DAY: The Hospital Room
The nurse and doctor left, the door clicking shut behind them. The room felt heavier, quieter. Only the steady rhythm of Miyu's heart monitor filled the silence.
Miri stood frozen, her hands clenched at her sides. She could hardly breathe as she whispered,
"Are you… really Itsuki? That stupid Itsuki I knew back in school?" What happened to you?
What's with those scars? Her voice cracked, a tear slipping down her cheek. "Why did you
disappear… why did you leave me like that wasn't i there with you guys too was i not enough you didn't even bother to contact me even once did you even think of me?"
Itsuki didn't turn to face her. His hand moved steadily through Miyu's hair, combing it with gentle strokes as if she might wake at any second. His voice was low, almost lifeless.
"I didn't disappear. I was with Miyu… like I always have been."
Miri's lips trembled. The dam she had been holding back broke. "Idiot," she choked, walking toward him with shaking steps. "I was there too! I was your friend too!"
Her voice rose, filled with years of pain. "Why didn't you ever ask me for help? Why didn't you check on me? Do you have any idea how much I worried about you? You just vanished… like I didn't matter at all!"
Tears raining down from her eyes as her fists pounded against his back, weak and trembling. "Do you know how cruel that was,
Itsuki?"
The words pierced him deeper than any blade. For the first time in years, Itsuki's hand stilled on Miyu's hair. He realized how blind he had been, how the fire for revenge had consumed every piece of him until nothing remained but Miyu and the shadow of his guilt. He had forgotten everyone else. He had forgotten Miri.
"…I'm sorry," he whispered, his voice raw. He lowered his head, shame weighing down his
shoulders. "It's my fault. All of it. I was too weak to protect her, and then… I let everything else
slip away. Hit me. Hate me. I deserve it."
Miri stared at him, her tears spilling freely. For a moment she wanted to scream at him again, to
pour out all the bitterness she'd carried for years. But instead her arms moved on their own, wrapping around him tightly from behind.
"Don't carry it all alone anymore, you idiot," she whispered against his back, her voice breaking.
"I'm here too. I'll help you. We'll take care of her together. That's what friends do."
Itsuki's body trembled. His chest tightened until he could barely breathe. Tears slid down his scarred face slow, silent tears he hadn't shed in years. They weren't loud sobs, but something heavier, deeper. A release he didn't know he needed.
For the first time in five years, Itsuki allowed himself to feel that he wasn't completely alone.
Miri's arms tightened around him, her cheek pressed against his back as if she was afraid he might vanish again.
For a long while, the only sound in the room was the quiet hum of the machines and the faint drip of the IV.
Finally, Miri's voice came out soft and broken, carried by tears.
"I can't believe it… I made you say so many words, Itsuki." She let out a shaky laugh that quickly crumbled into sobs. "If only Miyu could see this… she wouldn't believe her eyes."
Her tears fell against his shirt as she clung to him, and Itsuki, still silent, He didn't have
the strength to answer but for the first time, he didn't feel the crushing emptiness of being
alone.
Miri wiped her eyes quickly, trying to pull herself together. Itsuki stayed quiet for a moment, then
glanced at Miyu's bed.
"Can you… comb her hair for me?" he asked softly. "I'll get us something to eat."
Miri blinked," I'll be here always with you and miyu " she says with a smile
Itsuki paused by the door. For the first time in years, his lips curved into the faintest trace of a
smile.
"Thank You," he muttered, and walked out.
Miri just stared after him, speechless. Her cheeks flushed with a mix of frustration and relief, and
she turned toward Miyu with the comb in hand.
"You have to wake up soon miyu he's still fighting," she whispered.
After a while Itsuki came back quietly, carrying two convenience store bento boxes. He placed
one on the small table beside Miri and handed the other over without a word.
Miri accepted it with a smile, her eyes narrowing in mischief as she looked from Itsuki to Miyu.
"Don't you think Miyu has grown into such a beautiful lady?" she teased, nudging him playfully.
Itsuki's hand froze for a moment, chopsticks hovering in the air. He glanced at Miyu's peaceful face, then turned away quickly, as if the sight cut too deep "She always was," he muttered.
Miri tilted her head, watching him. The Itsuki she remembered would have blushed or snapped at her teasing, but this Itsuki was different scarred, heavier, and haunted.
She poked at her food but her mind swirled with questions. Finally, she couldn't hold it back anymore.
"What happened to you, Itsuki? You vanished after that night. You've changed so much… your body, your eyes, those scars. Where did you go? Why didn't you tell me or anyone anything?"
Her voice cracked at the last word, years of bottled-up worry spilling through.
Itsuki stayed silent at first, his gaze fixed on the food in front of him. His hand gripped
the chopsticks and said, "Don't talk while eating."
Miri then stared at him and said, "Okay, dumbass but you can't always dodge question s like that."
Just when itsuki was about to take his first bite, the door slid open.
Miyu's father stepped inside, his expression sharp and disapproving. The air in the room
immediately turned heavy.
Itsuki rose to his feet at once, bowing his head. "I'm sorry…"
Smack.
The sound of the slap echoed across the room.