The days passed.
Then one morning, Tyouro noticed something strange.
The seat beside him was empty.
He looked toward the classroom door.
"She isn't here?"
The teacher continued the lesson as if nothing had happened.
Tyouro waited.
Maybe she was sick.
Maybe she would return tomorrow.
But tomorrow came...
And she didn't.
Neither did the day after.
Her seat remained empty.
For the first time, Tyouro began to feel something he couldn't explain.
He tried asking around.
Nobody knew where she was.
He even asked Hero.
"Do you know where she went?"
Hero shrugged.
"No idea."
Tyouro forced a smile.
"She's probably just sick."
But deep inside, something felt wrong.
---
Several Days Later
The sun had disappeared beyond the horizon.
Tyouro walked alone beside the river.
The night was unusually quiet.
He kicked a pebble into the water.
Plop.
He sighed.
"I wonder where she is..."
He stopped.
Then—
"HELP!"
Tyouro froze.
His eyes widened.
That voice...
He knew it.
"...Her?"
Another scream echoed through the darkness.
Tyouro's heart began pounding.
He followed the sound and stopped behind a group of trees.
There, he saw several older men surrounding the girl.
Tyouro couldn't understand what was happening.
His entire body became cold.
He wanted to move.
He wanted to run toward her.
He wanted to scream for help.
But his legs wouldn't listen.
"HELP!"
The girl's voice trembled with fear.
Tyouro grabbed the tree beside him.
"Move..."
His knees shook.
"Come on... move!"
But he couldn't.
He was terrified.
The men attacked the girl, and Tyouro could only watch from where he stood.
Every instinct inside him screamed at him to do something.
But fear had completely taken control.
His breathing became faster.
His vision blurred.
"I..."
He swallowed.
"I can't..."
Then the girl screamed one final time.
The men fled.
Silence returned to the river.
Tyouro remained frozen.
He couldn't even understand what had just happened.
Then he saw the girl disappear into the dark water.
"...No."
His voice was barely audible.
"No..."
He finally moved.
Tyouro stumbled toward the river.
"NO!"
He dropped to his knees beside the water.
His hands trembled violently.
He stared at the river.
The same river where they had once sat together.
The same river beside which she had laughed at his stupid jokes.
The same river where he had promised himself that he would always make her smile.
But now...
She was gone.
Tyouro stared at his trembling hands.
"Why...?"
Tears began falling from his eyes.
"Why didn't I move?"
He punched the ground weakly.
"I could've helped her..."
Another tear fell.
"I could've called someone..."
His voice broke.
"But I was scared."
He covered his face.
"I was scared..."
Tyouro began crying uncontrollably.
"I'M STUPID!"
His voice echoed across the river.
"I should've saved her!"
He kept blaming himself.
He knew he was only a child.
He knew he couldn't possibly have fought those older men.
But none of that mattered to him.
In his mind, there was only one thought.
I should have done something.
That night, Tyouro's childhood ended.
The boy who used to make everyone laugh...
Could no longer find anything funny.
---
Later That Night
Tyouro wandered through the streets without knowing where he was going.
His eyes were red from crying.
His clothes were covered with dirt.
He didn't care.
He didn't even notice the group of children gathered near a small building.
Among them stood a young man.
He was calm.
He was surrounded by several children who were listening to him talk.
Then he noticed Tyouro.
The young man stopped.
His expression changed.
"...That boy."
He walked toward him.
Tyouro didn't look up.
The young man crouched down.
"Hey."
No response.
"Tyouro."
Tyouro suddenly looked up.
His eyes widened.
"How... do you know my name?"
The young man gave him a gentle look.
"I've heard about you."
Tyouro looked away.
"Go away."
The young man didn't leave.
Instead, he sat beside him.
For several moments, neither of them spoke.
Then the man asked quietly,
"Something happened, didn't it?"
Tyouro's lips trembled.
He tried to hold his tears back.
But he couldn't.
"I..."
His voice broke.
"I couldn't save someone."
The man remained silent.
Tyouro continued.
"I was scared."
He clenched his fists.
"I hate myself."
The man looked at him carefully.
He understood.
Not because Tyouro had explained everything...
But because he could see it in the boy's eyes.
Fear.
Regret.
And a crushing sense of helplessness.
The man placed a hand on Tyouro's shoulder.
"You're not a coward because you were afraid."
Tyouro looked at him.
"You're a child who witnessed something no child should have to face."
Tyouro's eyes widened.
"But..."
"No."
The man's voice remained gentle.
"You don't have to carry all of this alone."
Tyouro stared at the ground.
For the first time that night...
Someone wasn't telling him to stop crying.
Someone wasn't laughing at him.
Someone wasn't blaming him.
Someone simply stayed.
And that man was named—
Shougo Takahano.
Tyouro didn't know it yet...
But meeting Shougo that night would change his entire life.
The boy who had lost his smile...
Was about to meet the person who would teach him how to smile again.