Inside the room, the atmosphere remained quiet after Kiyotaka finished talking about his first love.
Yuzuki was still on top of him, staring seriously at his face.
“Then… what happened after that?” Yuzuki asked softly.
Kiyotaka let out a long sigh.
“…Alright, I’ll continue.”
The Past
Back then, after confessing his feelings beneath the cherry blossoms, Kiyotaka and Fumino’s relationship went well.
A few days later, Kiyotaka made a major decision.
He returned home and immediately spoke to his parents.
“Dad, Mom… I want to be serious about my relationship with Fumino,” he said without hesitation.
His parents exchanged glances before smiling.
“If that’s your decision, then we support you,” they replied.
Without wasting any time, Kiyotaka went to see Fumino.
Back to the Present
Yuzuki frowned.
“Why did you jump that far ahead? Meeting the parents and everything?”
Kiyotaka answered calmly.
“At that time… I wanted a serious relationship. I didn’t want to lose her.”
Back to the Past
At school, Fumino looked at Kiyotaka in surprise.
“Kiyotaka-san… why do you want to take things so seriously?”
Kiyotaka gave a small smile.
“I want to make sure no one takes you away from me, Fumino-chan.”
Fumino fell silent, her face turning slightly red.
Not long after that, the two of them went to Fumino’s house.
When they arrived, Fumino immediately invited her parents into the living room.
She spoke firmly.
The room fell silent.
Fumino’s parents exchanged glances.
However, their answer was cold.
“No.”
Both Kiyotaka and Fumino froze.
“What do you mean…?” Fumino asked.
Her father replied seriously.
“Kiyotaka is not suitable for you yet. You’re our only child, and we want a partner who is already prepared—financially and in terms of responsibility.”
Kiyotaka tried to explain.
“I’ll do my best—”
But he was interrupted.
“Doing your best isn’t enough.”
The atmosphere became even heavier.
Even though Kiyotaka continued trying to convince them, their decision never changed.
Eventually, Fumino’s parents left the living room.
After that…
There were no words left to say.
Kiyotaka and Fumino simply looked at each other in silence.
“…I’m sorry,” Fumino whispered.
“…It’s okay,” Kiyotaka replied.
That day, their relationship came to an end.
Back to the Present
Kiyotaka stared at the ceiling.
“After that… I tried to change. I studied harder and worked on improving myself…”
“But even then, I was still considered not good enough.”
Yuzuki listened quietly without interrupting.
“In the end, I gave up… and focused on myself.”
Kiyotaka continued in a low voice.
“Actually… my grandfather once contacted Fumino’s parents to discuss an engagement.”
Yuzuki’s eyes widened.
“Seriously…?”
“Yeah. But… everything failed.”
Kiyotaka turned toward Yuzuki.
“…Because you came into my life.”
Yuzuki fell silent.
“So…” she hesitated, “do you still like Fumino?”
Kiyotaka didn’t answer immediately.
“…Those feelings are still there.”
He closed his eyes for a moment.
“But more than that… I’m still carrying the scars from it. That’s why I choose to keep my distance now.”
Yuzuki slowly climbed off of him and lay down beside him.
The room became quiet once again.
A few seconds later, Yuzuki finally spoke.
“Actually… there was someone I loved too.”
Kiyotaka turned toward her.
“…Who?”
Yuzuki stared at the ceiling, hesitating for a moment.
“…He was—”
And so, the story continued.