Hakuto sighed and walked into the alley, slowly approaching Eriri from behind.
"...Shiratori... I'm sorry, Shiratori. I can't even bring myself to say a proper apology..."
Eriri was still muttering to herself, so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice Hakuto standing behind her.
"If you really have something to apologize for, you could always just tell me directly..."
Crouched on the ground, Eriri's body trembled slightly when she heard Hakuto's voice. She turned around in disbelief.
"Shiratori..."
"It's me..." Hakuto started to say something else but stopped when he saw Eriri suddenly stand up as if she was about to run away again.
"If you run away this time, I won't chase after you again."
"I... I'm not..." Eriri frantically shook her head upon hearing Hakuto's words.
"When did you get here..."
"I've been here the whole time. And I heard everything." Hakuto didn't try to hide it.
"You must have a lot you want to tell me. But before that, why don't you wipe away those tears first?"
As he spoke, Hakuto pulled out two tissues from his pocket and handed them to Eriri.
"...Okay."
Eriri shakily took the tissues and wiped her face. But just as she finished, she looked at Hakuto again, and the tears almost started flowing once more.
"Alright, stop crying. I'm here now. If you have something to say, just say it. At least for now, I'll listen to you... patiently."
At least... for the sake of your mother.
"...Okay."
Just then, Eriri's stomach let out a protesting growl.
Guuuuurrrgle~
"Hungry?" Hakuto asked.
"No... I was just crouching on the ground for too long..."
"Tsk. You're in no state to be seen like this. Wait here for a bit."
Hakuto took off his jacket and draped it over Eriri's shoulders before turning around to buy her something to eat.
"Oh, and one more thing. If you run away again, then this will be the last time we ever meet."
"I got it."
Wrapped in Hakuto's jacket, Eriri watched his departing figure. Despite her tear-streaked face, she found herself smiling.
Honestly, she never expected Hakuto to come after her, let alone comfort her and be willing to listen.
For the first time in a long while, a glimmer of hope flickered in Eriri's heart. The only reason she had avoided seeing Hakuto was because she feared her nightmares would become reality.
But now...
A while later, Hakuto returned with a cup of hot cocoa and some fried chicken.
"There aren't any supermarkets nearby, but this should be enough to fill your stomach, right?"
"Yeah, it's enough."
Eriri took the food from Hakuto's hands, just like she used to. But this time, her heart wavered like never before.
Hakuto simply stayed by her side, quietly waiting for her to finish eating.
No one knew how much time had passed before Eriri finally spoke while holding the cup of hot cocoa.
"Shiratori..."
"I'm here."
"I'm sorry..."
"(;一_一)... I don't know what you think you need to apologize for, but go ahead and say it all."
Hakuto didn't think Eriri had done anything she needed to apologize for, though she clearly saw things differently.
"I wasted two years of your life. Even though you were always so good to me..."
"I did it willingly, so it wasn't a waste. You don't need to feel guilty."
Hakuto knew that most of Eriri's struggles stemmed from guilt. If he wanted to help her, he had to break that mindset.
And that guilt—at its core—was about those two years. There was only one way to deal with it: guiding her out of it, step by step.
"If you're apologizing because you think you treated me badly for two years, then I accept your apolo—"
Before Hakuto could finish, Eriri interrupted him.
"No... It's not like that!"
"No rush. You can take your time."
Eriri took a deep breath, staring at Hakuto with hesitation before finally pulling something out of her pocket—a small badge.
"Do you remember this? You were the one who gave it to me, Shiratori..."
Hakuto glanced at the badge in her hand and nodded.
"I remember. Honestly, who else besides me would give you something this old-fashioned..."
Truth be told, Hakuto was a little surprised to see the badge. He thought Eriri hadn't even noticed it.
"My mom said... this was the heart I once threw away. And now... I don't know if I can get it back."
Eriri's grip on the badge tightened, her pale fingers turning slightly red.
"That was a long time ago. I forgot all about it."
Hakuto acted indifferent—after all, it was just a cheap little badge.
There was no reason to care.
But Eriri didn't mind his response. To her, just having Hakuto stand there and listen to her was already a miracle.
"Shiratori... Do we still have a future?"
"You know... the figures and teddy bear you gave me, I keep them by my bed. I read the artbook you gave me. I wear the bracelet and the badge every day..."
As she spoke, Eriri showed him the bracelet on her wrist. It was simple, yet had an elegant charm to it.
Her eyes welled up with tears again.
"I ate all the candy you gave me. I kept the movie tickets too... even though they've already expired... but I... I..."
Eriri couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence. She didn't know if she even had the right to.
Clutching her chest, she gazed at Hakuto with tear-filled eyes and spoke from the depths of her heart.
Hakuto simply listened in silence. At this point, he fully understood what Eriri was going through.
Watching her slightly panicked breathing, he softly spoke.
"Eriri... you've fallen for me, haven't you?"
At those words, Eriri gave a heavy nod and clutched at Hakuto's sleeve.
Hearing her confirmation, Hakuto let out a helpless sigh.
"Eriri... you're really selfish like this."
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