---
Mika stood in the locker hallway, her phone in her trembling hand, screen lit up with messages she couldn't unsee.
> Kaito: "She's cute, sure, but boring as hell when she talks." Kaito: "I only picked her because she's easy. Better than the effort chasing other girls."
She stared at the text. A screenshot forwarded anonymously—no sender. Maybe someone who saw the truth long before she did. Her heart dropped. Her knees weakened.
Kaito… said that about me?
The words repeated in her head like a cruel joke. The person she'd clung to—the person she thought had saved her—was the one breaking her without even knowing.
She backed into the wall, eyes blurring.
---
The Pain of Realization
Later that day, Mika met Kaito behind the gym, the place they used to sneak snacks and whisper small talk.
"Kaito… did you mean those things you texted?"
Kaito looked up from his phone, annoyed. "What are you talking about?"
She held up her screen. "These. You said them, didn't you?"
He rolled his eyes and muttered, "So what if I did? Don't be so sensitive, Mika. I thought you were more fun than this."
A slap rang through the empty air. Mika's hand trembled as it fell to her side. Her lips quivered, but she didn't cry.
Not this time.
"I thought you were someone who saw me," she whispered. "But all this time, I was just a body to you."
She turned and walked away—no goodbyes, no final words.
Her heart had been broken twice now. But the second time? It opened her eyes.
---
Meanwhile: Harukoo's World
Harukoo stood in the school courtyard as the sun dipped over the horizon. Rina hung beside him, her arm brushing his.
"People keep asking if you're single," she said with a grin. "Should I be jealous?"
He chuckled. "I think that's a question I should be asking you."
Rina flushed. "Maybe I'd like it if you were jealous."
He smirked, playful and relaxed. He never thought he'd have such conversations. There was warmth around him now—genuine warmth. And it showed in the way he carried himself.
But even in that joy, a shadow hung behind his eyes. His heart had scars, and he hadn't forgotten where they came from.
---
Maria's Guilt
At home, Maria prepared dinner in silence. The table was set for three. Harukoo's chair remained empty. Again.
She stirred the soup absentmindedly, her reflection rippling in the pot.
"He didn't even message today," Yuki said from behind her, arms folded.
Maria didn't respond.
Yuki's voice rose. "You used to say he was unwanted. That he should've never been born. Now you miss him?"
Maria flinched.
"I never said—"
"You did," Yuki interrupted. "And I stood there and let it happen."
Maria turned away, eyes glossy. "I thought loving you was honoring the man who died to save you."
Yuki's eyes widened.
"I lost my husband and my best friend in that crash. You were all I had left of him. I thought if I gave you everything, maybe it would ease the pain."
"But you lost him too," Yuki whispered. "You just didn't notice until he was already gone."
---
Harukoo's Resolve
That night, Harukoo walked past a mirror in his room and stopped. He looked into his own eyes.
"I don't need to go back," he told himself. "They had their chance."
His phone buzzed with a message from Silva:
> Can't wait to see you tomorrow. I miss you already.
A smile tugged at his lips.
---
Mika: Alone With the Truth
Mika lay on her bed, her eyes hollow. She scrolled through old messages with Harukoo—ones she'd ignored, replied to late, or brushed off.
She found one she never opened. A long paragraph he sent the night she had confessed her crush on Kaito.
> Mika, even if he makes you happy, please remember I'll always care about you. No matter what. Just… don't forget me.
Tears dripped onto the screen.
"I forgot you," she whispered. "You saved me that night, not Kaito. And I walked away."
---