Chapter 63: Petals in the Storm
Setting: A quiet night in Hoshikawa. The garden behind the Hayato estate is dimly lit with paper lanterns swaying gently in the wind. The scent of blooming chrysanthemums floats through the air.
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[Perspective: Naoto]
The soft crunch of gravel beneath his shoes matched the beat of his restless heart. Naoto stood still in the garden, hands tucked into the pockets of his dark hoodie, his breath curling in the air like unsaid words. The festival was over, yet his mind lingered on the laughter, the colors, the flickering warmth that had nothing to do with the lights.
And everything to do with her.
"You shouldn't stay out too long. It'll get cold," came a soft voice behind him.
He turned slowly. Himari stood there, her hands wrapped around her arms as though shielding herself from something colder than wind. Her long hair shimmered faintly under the moonlight.
"I couldn't sleep," Naoto admitted. "Too many thoughts."
She took a step closer, her eyes gentle. "Still thinking about Rika?"
Naoto hesitated. His fingers curled slightly. "Not just her. I..."
His voice caught in his throat. There was too much to explain, too many layers to peel back. But Himari, as always, waited patiently.
"Do you ever wonder," he began again, slower this time, "what would have happened if I had met you a little later? If the timing was different?"
Himari tilted her head. "We were children. That version of us still lives in me."
[Flashback: Ten Years Ago]
Little Naoto, sitting on the roof of his house, legs swinging. Himari beside him, handing him a bent daifuku she had made herself. He had taken it and smiled, despite the taste.
"Even if the whole world hates you, I won't," she had said.
He hadn't known what that meant back then. Now, it echoed louder than any promise he could remember.
[Back to Present]
Naoto closed his eyes. The weight in his chest shifted, like something inside him was pulling him in two directions.
"You know about the letter, don't you?" he asked quietly.
Himari nodded. "The one Rika found in your room? Yes."
He flinched. "I didn't mean for her to see it. It was from my mother... before she got sick. She was explaining why she wanted me to stay with the Hayatos. Why I had to help their daughter."
"And why you had to hide who you truly love," Himari added, her voice barely a whisper.
Naoto looked away. "It's not that simple."
"Isn't it?" Her tone wasn't accusatory, but it held weight. "You still call me at night, Naoto. You still hold my hand like you never let go. But every day, you stand beside her."
The silence grew between them, heavy and taut like the string of a bow.
"She doesn't know the whole truth," he said finally. "She thinks I'm here just to teach her. Just to keep her company. But I was placed here... because I owed her father a debt."
[Perspective Switch: Rika]
From the balcony above the garden, Rika leaned against the railing, her knuckles pale.
She hadn't meant to listen. But the moment she saw the two of them in the garden, her body had moved on its own.
Still hold my hand like you never let go...
Those words echoed in her ears louder than any thunder.
Her mind reeled back to the riverbank, the sleepover, the festival games. The moments she'd begun to think meant something.
Was it all just a lie?
She bit her lip hard. The taste of iron grounded her. Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
What did I mean to you, Naoto? she wanted to scream. But the words never left her.
"Miss Rika," a soft voice startled her. She turned. It was Souta, holding a tray of tea.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop," he said, setting the tray down on the small garden table.
Rika wiped her face quickly. "I wasn't... I just needed air."
Souta didn't press. But after a pause, he asked quietly, "Do you want to talk about it?"
She shook her head. "There's nothing to say."
He looked at her, his usual humor replaced by quiet understanding. "Sometimes, silence says everything."
[Back to Naoto and Himari]
Himari turned to leave. "I should go."
"Don't," Naoto said quickly.
She paused.
"Himari, I never stopped loving you. But I can't pretend that what I feel for Rika is fake either. It's different. But real."
She looked back at him, her expression unreadable. "Then you have a choice to make. And you're running out of time."
With that, she walked away.
Naoto stood there, unsure if the cold he felt was from the wind or the emptiness inside.
[Perspective Switch: Rika - Later That Night]
She walked quietly to her room, but sleep was a stranger. The words she'd overheard spun endlessly.
He never told me. Never trusted me. He just smiled...
She sat at her desk, staring at the letter she had taken from Naoto's room.
Her hands trembled. Should she confront him? Demand answers? Or would that only break what little connection they had left?
Why did I fall for someone who already belonged to someone else?
She closed her eyes and saw his smile. Not the fake one. The rare, genuine one he showed when he was lost in a memory.
And it wasn't a memory with her.
[Mini Monologue: Rika]
Maybe I was too late. Maybe I was just the shadow standing next to the light he could never forget. But I won't walk away. Not without trying to be someone worth staying for.
She wiped her tears and opened her notebook.
One word at a time, she began to write a letter.
To him.
[Scene Shift: Next Morning]
The house stirred awake, but three souls moved through it like ghosts.
Himari left before breakfast.
Rika didn't touch her food.
And Naoto sat silently, torn between guilt and longing.
When Rika passed him by the hallway, she didn't stop.
But she slipped the folded letter into his hand.
And for the first time in days...
She didn't look back.
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