After that day, I told myself to forget her.
Airi.
The girl who changed everything.
The girl who made me believe in people again—
Only to vanish from my world.
I tried to move on. I really did.
But every time I closed my eyes, her smile came back.
That bright, honest, stupidly kind smile…
The one that reached places inside me I didn't know still worked.
Still, I kept going.
I stopped staring at her empty seat.
I tried to laugh with myself, like always.
Then—three weeks later—I heard a rumor:
> "Airi broke up with Subaru."
I felt a strange, guilty flicker of joy.
But I told myself it was probably just gossip.
People always talked.
Then came the next day.
---
She was back.
Airi walked into class like a ghost of herself.
Her friend Sakura rushed to her side.
"Are you okay, Airi?"
Airi nodded, but her eyes didn't shine.
She sat down slowly, shoulders slumped.
"He doesn't deserve you," Sakura said. "You should've dumped him first."
Airi gave a faint reply.
"…Yeah."
I couldn't hear her well.
But her voice—it wasn't the Airi I remembered.
That sparkle. That warmth.
That smile she gave me when she said, "You can trust me."
It was gone.
She was like something broken.
I thought maybe it was just the breakup.
Maybe she needed time.
But little by little… she started disappearing.
---
She stopped smiling.
She stopped talking.
Then—
She stopped coming to school.
A week passed.
Then two.
Then three.
A month.
That's when the rumors started again:
> "She's missing."
"Her parents filed a report."
"The police are investigating."
I couldn't believe it.
Missing?
What do you mean, missing?!
I felt sick.
My heart pounded in my ears.
Something was wrong.
Something was seriously wrong.
They had to ask Subaru, right?
He must know something.
I ran.
---
I stormed into Subaru's class, panting, desperate.
"Where's Subaru?" I asked.
His classmates looked at me strangely.
"Didn't you hear…?"
"…Hear what?"
They exchanged glances.
"…He committed suicide. Last week."
My whole body froze.
The words didn't make sense.
Subaru… is dead?
Airi… is missing?
What is happening?
Why…?
Why does it feel like I'm being dragged into something much bigger than heartbreak?