The rest of the night was calm, but Sayuri couldn't stop thinking about Jun. She was worried about his injury. The image of blood running down his hand kept replaying in her mind, making her uneasy.
"Hey… are you okay?"
She sighed.
"Yeah… just a little tired."
He pulled her into a hug, gently stroking her head.
"Come here… it's been a long day, huh? I think I should take you home. Let's just wait for Yume to get back from the carousel."
A light drizzle began to fall over them. Soon, Yume came running back.
"Come on, come on!! I can't get my hair wet!" she shouted, rushing to the car.
On the way, Yume asked where Jun was. She hadn't seen what happened, and Sayuri decided to hide it.
"He left… you know how he is."
"Ugh… that boy…" Yume muttered. "Probably went after some girl…"
Kenji stayed quiet. Despite everything, he was worried about his friend… maybe he had gone too far.
"We're here, Say," he said, parking.
"Thank you… I had a really good time," she said, opening the car door.
"Let's come back tomorrow!" Yume said excitedly.
Kenji laughed, glancing at her.
"We just got back and you already want to come again?"
"Well! I didn't even eat half the stuff here!"
They laughed.
"I can't go…" Sayuri said. "I have to do something with my mom."
"Me neither," Kenji added. "I'm traveling with my parents. It's my grandma's birthday."
"You guys are boring," Yume complained.
"Love you too," Sayuri said, laughing.
Kenji got out of the car.
"Let me walk you to the door."
"You don't have to… you'll get soaked. Take Yume before she gets hungry again," Sayuri said, laughing.
"Alright… sleep well, Say. I'll call you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow… good night."
Sayuri watched the car drive away, and her eyes went straight to Jun's house.
"I wonder if he's okay…" she murmured. "I really want to know…"
Later, in her room, after her shower, she dried her hair while staring out the window. The wet street… Jun's silent house…
Her heart told her to go.
Without thinking too much, she grabbed a coat and some bandages and slipped out quietly.
Just as she was about to knock, a voice stopped her.
"It's a little late to be knocking on people's doors."
It was Jun, sitting on the porch… his hand still covered in blood.
"Jun…"
Her eyes went straight to the wound.
"I came to see how you're doing."
He smirked slightly.
"I'll survive."
She walked over, sat beside him, and gently took his hand.
"What are you doing?" he asked quietly.
"You should be more careful… this could get infected."
Jun didn't react. He just watched her as she carefully cleaned the wound.
"Sorry…" he whispered. "Sometimes I lose control…"
"You don't need to apologize to me… but you should apologize to your friend."
The more he felt her touch, the more his guard dropped… and suddenly, fear took over.
Fear of ruining that moment.
"Sayuri…" he said, lifting her chin. "My world doesn't make sense anymore… nothing does…"
She held her breath.
"Jun…"
He cut her off.
"This stupid heart…" he let out a weak laugh. "I think I fell in love…"
The drizzle fell around them, cold and steady… but between them, nothing felt cold.
He leaned in and kissed her.
A sincere kiss. Deep. Real.
She closed her eyes, giving in.
But then she pulled away… slowly.
"I… I need to go, Jun…"
He held her waist.
"Stay."
"I want to…" she whispered. "But I really have to go."
She leaned in a little closer.
"Promise me you'll take care of that wound?"
He smirked.
"If I don't… will you come back?"
She didn't even have time to answer. He pulled her in again, kissing her deeply.
To Sayuri, it felt too good to be true. Like a dream she didn't want to wake up from.
"Hey… what's wrong?" he asked, noticing her expression.
"I'm scared this is a dream… and tomorrow you won't want me anymore…"
Jun hugged her tightly, like never before, and whispered in her ear:
"I'm never letting you go again. I want you… and no one else."
He pulled back slightly, looking into her eyes.
"Meet me tomorrow at 6 PM… at the festival. I'll prove it to you."
She smiled softly.
"I'll be there."
Jun woke up feeling lighter, humming to himself, actually happy. His grandmother noticed.
"Wow… you're in a good mood today," she said, curious. "Mind telling me why?"
Smiling, he walked over and kissed her good morning.
"For the first time… I feel good. Life feels lighter… and I want to enjoy it."
Mrs. Midori watched him warmly.
"It's so good to see you like this… I hope whatever is making you happy lasts a long time."
He lowered his gaze for a second… but the smile didn't fade.
"Me too, Grandma… me too."
Sayuri woke up differently too. There was a new light in her eyes.
She was happy… but her heart felt tight, worried about what she would say to Kenji. She didn't want to hurt him… but she couldn't ignore what she felt.
"Sayuri! Come on, we have to go!" her mother called.
Her eyes widened.
"Crap… the meeting with the suppliers…"
She rushed to get ready.
When she grabbed her phone, there was a message:
Good morning, love. I can't wait to see you today.— Jun
That simple message made her smile like never before.
"It wasn't a dream…" she whispered, holding the phone close to her chest. "It was real… so real."
But before she could get lost in that feeling, another notification appeared:
Good morning, Say. I already miss you.— Kenji
Her smile faded instantly, like a light had been turned off inside her.
Not wanting to think about it, she left her phone at home.
"Sayuri!!!"
"I'm coming!" she said, grabbing her coat.
The day went by too fast. Jun was anxious and nervous. He had never asked a girl out before.
And this wasn't just any girl.
It was the one he liked.
That made everything worse.
At exactly 6 PM, he was at the park near the stalls. His hands were sweaty, he was restless, looking everywhere. Every time he saw someone with hair like hers, his heart raced.
"Come on, Sayuri… let's go have dinner with the suppliers," her mother said.
Sayuri checked the time.
7 PM.
"I can't, Mom…" she said, distressed. "I have something important."
"More important than this? Reschedule it."
Sayuri, clearly anxious, said a quick goodbye and ran.
"Sorry, Mom… I really have to go…"
She ran as fast as she could, rushing into the subway, out of breath, her heart pounding.
"Please… don't leave…" she whispered to herself.
Jun checked his phone.
Nothing.
He ran a hand through his hair.
Maybe…
Maybe she wasn't coming.
The smile faded.
7:30PM
He lowered his head.
"So… that's it…"
He adjusted his jacket, ready to leave—
When someone grabbed his arm.
He turned.
And there she was.
Hair slightly messy, breathing fast.
"Sorry I'm late…" she said, trying to catch her breath.
He let out a breath—and without thinking, pulled her into a hug, relieved.