Tears

The vision before my eyes blurred as it receded.

"What...?"

Before I knew it, tears began to flow, rolling down my cheeks uncontrollably.

Passerby's cast suspicious glances my way.

"Why...?"

Sayu Ogihara murmured, wiping her tears with her shirt sleeve, yet they continued to stream down her face.

She was haunted by the image of that unknown girl embracing Yusuke Kato.

"Is she the one with the floral fragrance?"

As this question surfaced in her mind, a wave of discomfort quickly followed.

Realizing what this meant, Sayu chuckled bitterly.

"No way."

Despite the tears, she couldn't help but laugh coldly.

A feeling of jealousy lingered in her mind, jealous of a girl she didn't even know, jealous of her closeness to Yusuke Kato.

Sayu even thought arrogantly, 'I wish Yusuke belonged only to me.'

"I'm really...such a..."

The pain in her chest felt as though it would burst, overwhelming and intense.

"Fool..."

She sobbed softly and started to run.

"I have to leave..."

Where to go?

She didn't know, only that—

"You must never go back there."

Otherwise…

"If I stay, I might prevent Yusuke from being happy one day."

Lightning flashed, illuminating the sky, as the rain began to fall gently.

A sad smile appeared on Sayu's face as she ran into the night against the rain, running aimlessly, just choosing a direction and not stopping until exhaustion took over.

She found herself on a dimly lit, sparsely crowded avenue with a fork in the road ahead: one path leading downhill into darkness, the other a staircase leading upwards to what seemed like a brighter, more open area.

She held onto the railing and climbed the steps.

As she ascended, the street lights became more frequent, and her surroundings grew brighter. At the top, she found a neatly maintained park with lush grass and rows of wooden benches.

Apartment buildings surrounded the area, their windows glowing with thousands of lights. Nearby, there was a cement open space, likely a common area for the residential community.

"Ah..."

Relief washed over Sayu Ogihara as the rain soaked through her clothes, bringing a chill that seeped into her skin.

Her skirt clung to her legs, making each step heavy. She walked to a bench, ignoring the puddle on it, and sat down.

Another flash of lightning streaked across the sky, followed by the continuous sound of rain pelting the leaves, branches, and the bench where she sat, curled up and trembling uncontrollably.

Time passed unmeasured.

"Running away again..."

Sayu murmured.

"It's not because of misfortune...it's because I'm too happy," she said haltingly. "But thinking that one day he might not need me anymore...that he might leave me..."

Overwhelmed by sadness, her fingers whitened from gripping too tightly.

"So I can't go back, can't think about it, can't burden him anymore..."

"That's why I run, just like last month...no, it's been even longer... I've always been good at running."

She sniffed, managing a smile and said in a forced cheerful tone, "Running from the things I fear, never knowing where I might end up, just to avoid sitting still and facing them..."

"Sayu, haven't you always done this? So this time, it must be..."

Tears mixed with raindrops fell from her face to the ground.

"…what?"

She lowered her gaze, looked at the tears caught in her palm, and quickly wiped her eyes with her hands.

"I can't...why am I crying? I've made my decision. If Yusuke saw me like this..."

She paused, her voice breaking.

"...Yusuke..."

Her voice was thick with emotion.

"I want to go back, I want to go back to him..."

She buried her face in her hands, warm tears seeping through her fingers.

"I'm so unwilling...I don't want to be apart from him like this, please...please..."

Her small body shook uncontrollably, a whimper escaping her lips.

"...Yusuke, please find me..."

Her words, a sincere plea, drifted into the rain, carried by the wind, destination unknown.

Suddenly, a jacket was draped over her, carrying a hint of residual warmth and a fresh mint aroma—a familiar scent.

Peeking through her fingers, Sayu saw a pair of mud-spattered dark brown leather shoes.

Looking up, she met a pair of eyes as black as ink, the face belonging to someone who was either sweating or drenched in rain.

He was still in his dark blue work shirt, soaked through like he'd been caught in a storm.

With an expression she'd never seen before, he looked directly into her eyes and said calmly, "Let's go home."

Then, he reached out, supporting her back and knees as he lifted her into his arms.

With a mixed expression of crying and laughter, Sayu stared deeply into his face, as if to memorize every detail.

"Yusuke..."

She sobbed, nestling into his arms and wrapping her hands around his neck, then leaned in and pressed a kiss.

Their lips met, slightly cold from the rain.

Kato Yusuke froze

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