The pain didn’t fade.
Not the next day.
Not the day after that.
Every part of Hina’s body ached.
The bruises hurt.
The cuts hurt.
Even breathing hurt.
Yet, as evening approached, she still made her way toward the large tree where she always met Ryu.
Slowly.
Carefully.
One step at a time.
When she arrived, the tree stood exactly as it always had.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
Familiar.
But Ryu wasn’t there.
Hina sat down and waited.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.
Thirty minutes.
The sun began to set.
Still no Ryu.
Maybe he was late.
That was all.
At least, that’s what she told herself.
Eventually, she stood up and returned home.
The next day, she came back.
Again.
No Ryu.
The day after that.
No Ryu.
A week passed.
Then another.
Still nothing.
No footsteps.
No smile.
No voice calling her name.
Nothing.
Every day, Hina waited beneath that tree.
Every day, she left disappointed.
And with each passing day, a strange fear grew inside her chest.
Where are you…?
Ryu…
Eventually, she couldn’t wait any longer.
One evening, Hina made up her mind.
She would go to his house.
She had never done it before by herself.
But she needed answers.
She needed to know why he had disappeared.
The walk felt longer than usual.
Her heart beat faster with every step.
When she finally arrived, she stared at the house.
Something felt wrong immediately.
The windows were empty.
The yard was quiet.
No lights.
No sounds.
No sign of life.
Hina slowly approached the door.
Then knocked.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
No answer.
She waited.
Nothing.
Confusion filled her eyes.
She looked around and eventually approached a nearby neighbor.
“Excuse me…”
The woman looked down at her.
“Yes?”
Hina hesitated.
“The family that lived there…”
The woman immediately understood.
“Oh.”
Her expression softened.
“They moved away.”
Hina froze.
“…Moved?”
The woman nodded.
“A few weeks ago.”
“A bigger city.”
“Tokyo, I think.”
The world stopped.
For a moment, Hina couldn’t hear anything else.
The sounds around her faded.
Her thoughts disappeared.
Only one sentence remained.
They moved away.
Tokyo.
Without telling me.
The woman continued speaking, but Hina wasn’t listening anymore.
She turned around.
And ran.
She didn’t know where she was going.
She only ran.
Tears blurred her vision.
The wind stung her face.
Her chest hurt.
Her heart hurt even more.
Eventually, she collapsed beneath the tree.
The same tree.
The place where they had laughed together.
Talked together.
Spent countless afternoons together.
The place where he promised—
“I’ll be your protector.”
A sob escaped her lips.
Then another.
And another.
Soon, she couldn’t stop crying.
Why…?
Why didn’t he tell me?
Why didn’t he say goodbye?
Why didn’t he take me with him?
Why did he leave?
At eight years old, Hina couldn’t understand complicated situations.
She couldn’t understand family problems.
She couldn’t understand sudden moves.
She couldn’t understand circumstances.
All she understood was pain.
And to her…
It felt like betrayal.
The one person who made her feel safe was gone.
The one person who made her feel less alone was gone.
The one person she trusted more than anyone was gone.
And he left without a word.
That day, something inside Hina broke.
The memory shattered.
And the present returned.
Tokyo.
Christmas night.
The cold alley.
The falling snow.
Hina’s tears wouldn’t stop.
“You left.”
Her voice trembled.
Ryu stood silently before her.
“You left me.”
“Hina…”
“When I needed you the most.”
The pain she had buried for eight years poured out all at once.
“You promised.”
Her shoulders shook.
“You said you’d protect me.”
Ryu’s expression darkened.
Not with anger.
With guilt.
With regret.
“Hina…”
“I didn’t want to leave.”
“Don’t.”
Her voice cracked.
“Don’t make excuses.”
“I’m not.”
“You are.”
“Hina, listen to me.”
“No.”
Tears streamed down her face.
“You disappeared.”
“You vanished.”
“You never came back.”
“You never even said goodbye.”
Ryu clenched his fists.
“My family was forced to move.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“It does.”
“No!”
Her voice echoed through the alley.
For a moment, silence followed.
Then Ryu spoke softly.
“My situation back then…”
He looked down.
“It was complicated.”
“You wouldn’t have understood.”
“Then explain it now.”
Ryu opened his mouth.
Then closed it again.
There were things he still couldn’t say.
Things he wasn’t ready to tell her.
And that silence only hurt Hina more.
Fresh tears rolled down her cheeks.
“You see?”
She laughed bitterly.
“You still won’t tell me.”
“Hina…”
“I’m sorry.”
The words sounded genuine.
Painfully genuine.
But they couldn’t erase eight years of loneliness.
Ryu slowly stepped closer.
This time, Hina didn’t move away.
She was too exhausted.
Too broken.
Too tired.
And before she realized it—
Ryu wrapped his arms around her.
For a second, she froze.
Then everything collapsed.
The anger.
The resentment.
The loneliness.
The pain.
All of it burst out at once.
Hina grabbed his coat.
And cried.
Harder than she had in years.
“You left me…”
Her voice broke.
“I needed you…”
“I’m sorry.”
“You weren’t there…”
“I’m sorry.”
“I was alone…”
Ryu gently held her while she cried.
The snow continued to fall around them.
Quietly.
Endlessly.
Eventually, Hina’s crying slowed.
Her breathing steadied.
And reality returned.
She stepped back.
Slowly.
Wiping her eyes.
The distance between them returned.
Not as large as before.
But still there.
Ryu looked at her.
“Hina…”
She shook her head.
“No.”
Her voice was quieter now.
But firm.
“I can’t forgive you that easily.”
Ryu lowered his gaze.
“I know.”
Silence.
Then Hina turned around.
“Please don’t come looking for me.”
The words hurt both of them.
She knew it.
He knew it too.
But she said them anyway.
Then she gently pushed him away.
Not hard.
Just enough to create distance.
And without looking back—
Hina walked away.
Leaving Ryu alone beneath the falling snow.
And for the first time in eight years…
Neither of them knew what would happen next.
End of Chapter 4.