Miyako
I sat on my bed, staring at the ceiling.
Last night, Mom gave me a letter.
I read it… ten times, maybe more.
It felt so real. So sincere.
I almost replied.
But then this morning, everything flipped upside down.
A message.
From Yuki — a girl from our class.
We never really talked.
> "Hey. Don't be mad, but I thought you should see this."
An attachment: a photo.
Kurume.
And Sayo.
Her head on his shoulder. He's looking away.
A sharp pain gripped my chest.
I couldn't breathe.
"He… let her? He really…"
I gripped my phone so tight my knuckles turned white.
A voice in my head started screaming:
"You were just the backup. He already chose her."
I stood up.
No. Enough.
ENOUGH.
30 Minutes Later
I stood outside the school gates.
My fingers were trembling.
I didn't know what I'd say when I saw him.
But I couldn't hold this in any longer.
At School
Noise.
Laughter.
Voices.
I walked up the stairs.
Stopped in front of the classroom door.
Pressed my palms against it.
Took a deep breath.
And walked in.
Kurume
— "Miyako?.." I stood halfway up.
She was standing in the doorway.
Looking straight into my eyes.
— "We're going to talk," she said calmly. "Right now. And you're going to tell me everything."
Sayo bit her lip.
The classroom went quiet.
And me…
For the first time in a long while,
I felt like I could breathe.