Aiyumi couldn't take it anymore.
Days of guilt, sleepless nights, silent tears — it was all too much.
So one morning, before class began, she found him standing near the old staircase where they used to meet.
Her hands trembled, but she still took a deep breath and walked toward him.
"Ren…"
He looked up — calm, unreadable, cold.
The same boy who once smiled whenever she said his name now stood like a stranger.
"I'm sorry," she said softly.
No response.
"I didn't mean to hurt you. I was stupid… I—"
Her voice cracked, tears welling in her eyes.
"I'm really sorry, Ren. Please… talk to me once. Please."
He didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just stood there, watching her fall apart word by word.
"I said I'm sorry…" she whispered again. "Hundred times, thousand times, I'll say it forever if I have to—just don't walk away like I never meant anything."
For a moment, it looked like he was about to say something.
Then his gaze hardened.
And the words came out, sharp and final:
"We're just friends, Aiyumi. Not best friends. Not anymore."
Silence.
She froze.
The world around her blurred.
Those six words stabbed deeper than any fight, any mistake.
She thought — no matter what happened, he would be the one who'd never leave.
But even he did.
Ren turned away slowly and walked off, his shadow fading in the morning light.
She stood there, her eyes burning, her heart sinking until she couldn't even breathe.
It felt like everything ended right there.
The laughter.
The memories.
The bond that once felt unbreakable.
And as tears streamed down her face, she whispered one last time,
"You promised… you'll never go."
But promises… were just words now.