Takeo stopped walking the moment he noticed her standing alone at the bus stop.
— Aoi...?
Aoi slowly lifted her face.
For a few seconds, she only stared at him in silence.
Behind Takeo stood a girl slightly shorter than him, wearing a long coat and scarf.
The girl blinked in surprise before stepping closer.
— You remember me, right? It's been years, but...
Aoi looked at her carefully.
Then her eyes widened slightly.
— Wait... Haruka?
Takeo let out a small laugh while putting his hands into his coat pockets.
— See? I told you she'd remember.
— Ah... hi. What are you two doing here?
— I should be asking you that — Takeo replied. — You disappeared after the performance yesterday. We even went to karaoke after that... and you didn't even read our messages.
Aoi looked away.
— I was... tired yesterday. I barely touched my phone.
— Yeah... we noticed.
Haruka tilted her head gently.
— Are you okay, Aoi? I know it's been a long time since we last met. I've been studying at a boarding school these past few years.
— Ah, Haruka... it's okay. I'm fine. Just still tired from yesterday.
Takeo quietly observed her face for a few moments.
Her eyes looked empty.
Like she was somewhere far away.
Then he spoke more softly.
— If you need someone to talk to...
Haruka suddenly smiled, trying to brighten the atmosphere.
— I'm staying in Hoshimi for a few days. What are you into lately? Onii-chan said you guys were playing games together.
— Ah... Eternal Aegis Online — Takeo answered. — We already finished almost all the main story though. Only the online stuff is left.
Haruka immediately puffed her cheeks.
— T-That's not fair! You should've invited me too—!
— Sorry, guys...
Aoi interrupted quietly before Haruka could finish.
She lowered her eyes.
— I really don't have the energy for this right now... I don't want to sound rude.
And then she slowly started walking away.
— Aoi... — Takeo called.
But she never stopped.
Haruka watched her disappear down the street before turning toward her brother.
— What happened to her?
Takeo sighed quietly.
— I don't know... but it feels like she doesn't want to talk about it.
He lowered his gaze.
— And after all these years... I learned I can't force Aoi to do something she doesn't want to do.
Then—
A memory resurfaced inside his mind.
Takeo was seven years old.
He had been sitting on the living room floor playing with his favorite toy car while Haruka ran around the house laughing.
Their mother was outside on the balcony.
Then the front door slowly opened.
Their father walked inside with his head lowered.
The atmosphere changed instantly.
His mother immediately stood up.
— What happened?
The man stayed silent for several seconds before finally speaking.
— They found Hiroshi...
Takeo froze.
— ...What?
His father clenched his fists weakly.
— He died. His car fell off a cliff.
The toy car slipped from Takeo's hands.
His eyes widened.
— N-no...
His father looked startled after realizing Takeo had heard everything.
— T-Takeo? I didn't know you were there...
But Takeo had already started running.
"No way..."
"Aoi..."
He ran across several streets without stopping until he finally reached Aoi's house.
He pressed the doorbell repeatedly.
When Yukiko opened the door, Takeo immediately spoke.
— Sorry, Aunt Yuki... I need to talk to Aoi!
— Wait, Takeo, Aoi is—
But he had already rushed inside.
He climbed the stairs as fast as he could.
Then opened her bedroom door.
And saw Aoi sitting on her bed.
Completely motionless.
Staring silently at a painting she had made.
Takeo tried to smile.
Even while breathing heavily.
Even without knowing what he was supposed to say.
— Aoi... look... I brought my toy car so we can play!
He held the toy toward her.
But Aoi didn't react.
She kept staring at the painting.
Takeo slowly lowered his arm.
— ...Aoi?
Then he looked at the drawing.
It was a picture of Aoi, Yukiko, and Hiroshi smiling together.
Takeo fell silent for a few moments.
After that, he grabbed a doll sitting nearby and started playing by himself.
— I need help over here. Can you hold the doll or the car?
Nothing.
Aoi only lowered her eyes toward the floor.
Takeo forced another smile.
— Come on, Aoi... smile a little.
Finally, she answered.
Quietly.
— I don't want to play, Takeo...
He became silent.
Then slowly walked toward the door.
— Okay... then I'll come back tomorrow.
When he opened the door, he saw Yukiko standing there.
Both hands covering her face.
Her shoulders trembling.
Takeo looked at her and tried to smile anyway.
Even though his own eyes were already burning.
— I'll leave the car here, okay? We'll play tomorrow.
Then he lowered his head slightly.
— Thank you for letting me come in, Aunt Yuki.
And after that—
he left.
The same thing repeated for days.
Every single day, Takeo visited Aoi.
He brought toys.
Talked about random things.
Tried to make her react.
But Aoi remained silent.
Expressionless.
Far away.
Until one day—
he simply sat beside her on the bed.
Without pretending.
Without trying to play.
Takeo stared at his own hands.
— I... don't know what to play anymore.
Silence.
Then he forced out a weak laugh.
— You could help me too, you know...? Haha...
Nothing.
He lowered his head.
And his voice trembled.
— I miss him too.
Aoi remained still.
— My dad misses him too... they were friends, right?
Still no answer.
Takeo shut his eyes tightly.
— But seeing you like this...
His voice cracked.
— It hurts way more... snif...
For the first time—
Aoi slightly lifted her face.
Not enough to look directly at him.
But enough for Takeo to notice.
He quickly wiped his eyes and forced another smile.
Then stood in front of her.
Using his fingers, he gently pushed the corners of her mouth upward.
— Smile, Aoi...
His voice trembled again.
— When you smile... it feels like everything gets a little better...
Tears started falling down his cheeks.
But he still tried to smile.
— So... come on... smile... snif...
Aoi's eyes widened slightly.
But she stayed silent.
Now—
Back in the present.
Takeo and Haruka walked quietly through the cold streets.
Haruka glanced sideways at her brother.
— You used to spend a lot of time with her back then, huh?
— Of course.
Takeo placed his hands back in his pockets.
— There's no way I could forget.
But deep inside his thoughts—
one feeling remained.
"Aoi..."
"Why does it feel like you became that girl again...?"
Meanwhile, Aoi kept walking alone.
Her phone continued vibrating inside her pocket.
Hina.
Mio.
"Want to hang out?"
"Aoi, answer us."
"What happened?"
But she never opened the messages.
By the time she arrived home, it was already late afternoon.
Yukiko was watching television in the living room.
Aoi quietly sat at the table.
Yukiko noticed immediately.
— Did something happen?
At first, Aoi stayed silent.
Then quietly asked:
— Mom... what would you do if someone you care about told you they caused you a lot of pain?
Yukiko frowned.
— Aoi...? What are you talking about?
Aoi looked away.
Silence.
Then Yukiko sighed softly.
— Well... if it was something recent, I probably wouldn't forgive them easily. Maybe I wouldn't even want to look at them.
Aoi listened quietly.
— But if it was something from a very long time ago... maybe it'd be different.
— Different how?
Yukiko rested her cheek against her hand.
— If I had already moved forward with my life despite everything... maybe it wouldn't really change anything anymore.
Then she smiled faintly.
— Maybe... it would only ease the guilt of the person who carried that regret for all those years.
Aoi's eyes widened.
And immediately—
she remembered Souma saying:
"I accepted the way people treated me... because I thought I deserved it."
Aoi suddenly held her head tightly.
Yukiko quietly watched her daughter.
— You know you can tell me anything.
— I know...
Her voice sounded exhausted.
— It's just... my mind is a mess right now.
Yukiko remained silent for a few moments.
Then gently spoke.
— February is your father's birthday...
Aoi slowly lifted her eyes.
— Will you visit the cemetery with me this year?
Silence.
— Will you come this time?
Aoi didn't answer.
She simply stood up slowly.
And started walking toward the stairs.
Then—
TOC TOC TOC.
Both of them looked toward the entrance.
Aoi walked over and opened the door.
— Konnichiwa!
Mio and Hina stood there smiling brightly.
Aoi blinked in surprise.
— M-Mio? Hina? What are you doing here?
Mio placed her hands on her hips.
— Can we come in first? Heh.
— Ah... sure.
Yukiko appeared from the living room.
— Ahh, Hatase-chan and Kanzaki-chan. I'll make some tea for you girls.
Both of them smiled politely.
Then Aoi crossed her arms lightly.
— So...?
Mio immediately got straight to the point.
— You stopped answering our messages. So I figured something was wrong.
She stared directly at Aoi.
— And I was right.
Hina tilted her head.
— Really? She looks normal to me.
Mio sighed.
— Look at her properly, Hina.
Hina looked at Aoi more carefully this time.
Aoi quickly turned her face away.
— C-Calm down, I'm not—
— Wanna go to your room later? — Mio asked.
— Yes, yes! — Hina replied excitedly.
Aoi sighed.
— It's my room, Hina.
— Ah... right.
A small laugh escaped from the corner of Aoi's lips.
Almost unconsciously.
Mio noticed immediately.
And smiled softly too.
— See? You still know how to smile.
Aoi lowered her eyes quietly.
Then whispered:
— ...Thank you for coming.
And together—
the three girls slowly walked upstairs
And in the room, Mio crossed her arms while watching Aoi sitting at the edge of the bed.
— What happened...? Can you tell us now?
Aoi looked away for a few seconds before answering quietly.
— It's just that... you two might end up influencing me...
Mio frowned.
— Influencing you about what?
Before Aoi could answer, Hina slowly lifted her face from her phone.
— They said they saw you with Souma after the performance...
Mio's eyes widened almost instantly.
— Don't tell me he wanted to see you again?
— N-No... it's not like that...
Aoi lightly gripped her skirt as she spoke.Her voice came out hesitant, almost as if she were trying to convince herself.
Hina tilted her head slightly.
— Then what is it?
The room fell silent for a few seconds.Aoi lowered her gaze.
— I... need a few days to think... then I'll tell you. It wasn't something simple, so... wait for me, okay...?
Mio let out a small sigh of defeat.
— Hmph... fine... But it was a confession, Aoi. You could already relax a little if nobody actually accepted anyone.
Hina simply scratched her cheek with a faint smile, noticing how confused Aoi seemed inside.
Then Aoi slowly raised her eyes toward the two of them.
— T-Thank you... for coming to see me. But it's more difficult than I can explain... at least for now...
For a moment, nobody answered.
But that silence already said enough.