Chapter 73: Unspoken Goodbyes and Lingering Whispers
The gentle hum of cicadas echoed in the warm air of early summer. Hoshikawa City was drenched in golden light, yet inside Naoto's heart, the sunlight never quite reached. After that night under the stars with Rika, things felt warmer, yes—but also more dangerous. The boundary he had drawn between what was and what should never be… was beginning to blur.
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[Naoto's Perspective]
"Why is it," Naoto thought as he stood in front of his house's creaking gate, "that the moments I cherish most… are the ones I'm afraid to keep?"
The air around him was still. Behind him, the voices of his friends were faint echoes. Ahead of him, the house stood quiet—his mother's room at the end of the hall, always dim, always still.
He slid the door open and stepped in. The scent of old wood and medicine clung to the air.
"Mom," he called softly.
A weak but warm voice replied, "Naoto… is that you?"
He walked into her room. Hana Hayashi lay on the bed, her frail body wrapped in soft quilts, her face pale but smiling.
"I brought the new medicine," he said, placing the bag on the side table.
"You're always doing so much," she whispered. "But your eyes… they're heavy, Naoto. What burdens are you hiding from me?"
Naoto froze. How could he possibly answer that? That he was falling for a girl he couldn't allow himself to love? That every time Rika laughed, he felt like he was betraying someone else?
He looked down. "Nothing you need to worry about."
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[Himari's Perspective]
From the rooftop of her small apartment building, Himari stared out across the city. The sun dipped just beyond the horizon, painting the sky in streaks of lavender and orange. But her eyes weren't on the sky. They were on a message still unread on her phone.
"Call me when you can. —Naoto"
She hadn't responded. Couldn't. Because she knew—deep down—that he wasn't calling her just to talk. There was something shifting. A storm coming.
"I knew this would happen," she murmured to herself. "I knew letting myself care again would come with a price."
Her phone buzzed.
Rika Hayato: "Hey! Naoto mentioned something about all of us going to the Summer Firework Festival. You in?"
She stared at the message. Rika… the girl whose name Naoto now said with ease. The girl who was becoming more than a friend to him.
With shaking fingers, she typed:
"Yeah. I'll come."
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[Scene: The Group Planning the Festival]
The next day, the group gathered at their usual meeting spot under the cherry blossom tree near school.
"I'm telling you, we need yukatas," Aiko said excitedly, clutching Rika's arm.
"Yukatas…?" Souta raised an eyebrow. "Do guys even wear those?"
"Of course!" Aiko said. "Naoto, you're wearing one too."
Naoto blinked. "Uh… okay?"
Rika watched him with a small smile. There was something different in his voice lately. Softer. Warmer. But also… distant.
As the others debated snacks and stalls, Rika gently tugged Naoto aside.
"Are you okay?"
He paused.
"I don't know," he finally whispered.
Her heart sank. "Naoto… you can talk to me, you know? You always act like you have to carry everything alone. But you don't. Not anymore."
He looked at her, his eyes dark pools of uncertainty.
"You… make me want to believe that," he said.
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[Flashback — Naoto & Himari, One Year Ago]
The pier was lit by paper lanterns, and waves lapped softly beneath them. Naoto and Himari sat side by side, the scent of summer clinging to the breeze.
"If something ever happens," Himari said suddenly, "and we're apart… promise you won't forget me."
"I won't," he said, gripping her hand tightly.
"No matter who comes into your life, no matter how much the world changes—you'll remember this version of me. Right?"
He nodded. "Always."
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[Back to Present — Firework Festival Night]
The festival lit the town in bursts of color and joy. Crowds moved through lantern-lit streets, laughter echoed, and the scent of grilled corn and sweet candy apples filled the air.
Naoto stood with the group at the edge of the riverbank, yukata slightly loose around his shoulders.
Rika looked stunning in a light blue yukata with silver patterns. Himari stood quietly nearby, wearing deep crimson—like a memory that wouldn't fade.
He couldn't look at either of them without guilt clawing at his chest.
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[Inner Monologue — Naoto]
This is all wrong. I'm standing here with two girls who mean everything to me. One I owe everything to. One I promised everything to. But I can't hold them both.
And no matter who I choose, someone's going to break.
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[Dialogue Scene — Naoto and Himari]
As the fireworks exploded above them, Himari tugged Naoto's sleeve, pulling him aside from the others.
"Naoto," she whispered, "do you still remember that night at the pier?"
He looked into her eyes. "I do."
"Then why do I feel like I'm losing you?"
His lips parted, but no words came.
"You're changing," she continued. "And maybe… that's okay. But I need to know if the Naoto I loved is still in there somewhere."
He swallowed. "He's here. But he's… scared."
She nodded slowly. "Then tell me, Naoto. Who do you see when you close your eyes?"
He hesitated.
"…I see the girl who taught me how to live."
Himari's voice trembled. "And is that enough?"
"I don't know anymore."
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[Mini-Scene — Rika Watching From Afar]
Rika saw the two talking from a distance. She didn't hear their words—but the silence said more than words ever could.
She turned away, a bittersweet smile on her lips.
I knew… I always knew. I was never his beginning. Maybe I'll never be his end either. But I just wanted to be a part of his middle.
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[Closing Scene — Naoto Alone by the River]
Later that night, long after the fireworks had ended and the streets had emptied, Naoto stood alone at the river.
The water shimmered with reflections of a thousand memories.
"I don't know what the right choice is," he whispered to the night. "But I don't want to lose either of them."
The breeze picked up, carrying the last echo of the fireworks into the sky.
And with it, the lingering whispers of unspoken goodbyes.
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