The next morning felt strangely quiet.
Kaito walked through the school gates like he always did.
But everything felt different now.
The letter Hikari left him was folded carefully inside his pocket.
He had read it countless times during the night.
Each word still echoed painfully in his mind.
I think I fell in love with you.
Even now, his heart tightened just remembering it.
If only he had confessed sooner.
If only he had told her.
Maybe things would feel different.
Maybe this heavy regret wouldn't exist.
When Kaito entered the classroom, the empty desk near the front caught his attention immediately.
Hikari's desk.
It was still empty.
Just like yesterday.
Just like the day before.
The classroom felt strangely incomplete without her bright voice filling the space.
Kaito quietly sat down at his seat by the window.
He tried to focus on his notebook.
But his thoughts kept drifting.
Memories of the library.
The rainy day when they shared the umbrella.
The way she smiled when he finally smiled back.
Each memory felt heavier now.
The day passed slowly.
Classes ended one by one.
Eventually, the final bell rang.
Students packed their bags and left the classroom.
Soon only a few people remained.
Kaito stood up quietly, preparing to leave.
But just as he reached the door—
"Kaito."
He stopped.
The voice came from behind him.
He turned around.
Mika and Yui were standing there.
Their expressions were serious.
Very different from their usual cheerful faces.
Something felt wrong.
Mika spoke first.
"…Did you read Hikari's letter?"
Kaito nodded slowly.
"…Yes."
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Then Mika clenched her fists.
"She didn't transfer."
Kaito froze.
"…What?"
The room suddenly felt very quiet.
Yui looked down for a moment before speaking.
"Hikari didn't move to another city."
Kaito's heart began beating faster.
"Then… what happened?"
Yui hesitated.
It looked like the words were difficult to say.
Finally, she spoke softly.
"Hikari had a heart disease."
The words hit Kaito like a sudden shock.
"…A heart disease?"
Mika nodded slowly.
"She's had it for years."
Kaito's mind struggled to understand.
"But… she looked completely fine."
"She wanted it to look that way."
Yui's voice trembled slightly.
"The doctors told her a long time ago that her condition was serious."
Kaito's hands slowly tightened.
"She knew her time might be limited."
The world suddenly felt distant.
Kaito remembered every moment with her.
Her bright smile.
Her laughter.
The way she always acted cheerful.
And suddenly…
Everything started making sense.
"She didn't want people to worry about her," Mika continued quietly.
"So she never told anyone in class."
"Only a few people knew."
Kaito felt like the ground beneath him had disappeared.
"She always said she wanted everyone to remember her smiling."
Yui looked toward the window.
"But recently… her condition got worse."
Kaito whispered slowly,
"…So she didn't transfer."
Yui shook her head.
"She had to move to a hospital in another city."
The silence in the classroom felt heavy.
Kaito stared at the floor.
All this time…
While he was thinking about confessing…
Hikari had been quietly fighting something far more serious.
And she never told him.
Mika reached into her bag.
"There's something else."
She pulled out a small folded piece of paper.
"Hikari asked us to give this to you… if she couldn't come back."
Kaito slowly took the note.
His hands were trembling again.
The handwriting was the same.
Hikari's gentle writing.
He opened it carefully.
Inside were a few simple lines.
Kaito.
I wanted to stay at school longer.
I wanted to keep studying with you.
I wanted to walk home together again.
Kaito's vision began to blur.
He continued reading.
But more than anything…
I wish I could hear you say my name one more time.
A tear fell onto the paper.
Then another.
Kaito couldn't stop them.
The weight of the truth finally crashed down on him.
All the moments he had taken for granted.
All the words he never said.
All the feelings he kept hidden.
He had been so focused on waiting for the perfect moment.
But Hikari…
She never had that much time.
Kaito slowly sank to his knees.
The quiet classroom echoed with the sound of his breathing.
For the first time since he met her…
Kaito cried openly.
Not just because she was gone.
But because he finally understood something.
Hikari had always been trying to live every moment fully.
Because she knew those moments might disappear.
And now…
The chance to tell her how he felt might disappear too.
Outside the classroom windows, the sun slowly began to set.
Painting the sky in shades of orange and red.
Kaito held the letter tightly against his chest.
And for the first time.
He truly realized something painful.
He had learned to love Hikari.
But he had learned it far too late.