Chapter 77: Beneath the Crimson Sky
The autumn wind rustled the leaves above the riverbank, and a golden hue colored the world as the sun began to descend. The friend group gathered once more under the large maple tree by the riverside, their quiet laughter mingling with the sound of the flowing water. It had been days since the intense confrontation and revelations surrounding Naoto's family, and though things had begun to settle, an undeniable tension still lingered in the air.
Rika sat a little apart from the group, her eyes following the drifting clouds. Souta noticed her quietness but didn't speak right away. He simply sat beside her, mimicking her gaze, his silence reassuring.
"It feels quieter today," she said finally, her voice soft, distant.
"Yeah," Souta replied, glancing sideways at her. "Maybe it's the calm after the storm."
She nodded, letting the breeze push her hair across her face. "I thought everything would fall apart. But somehow, we're still here. Together."
"It's because we chose to stay," he said gently. "Even when it got hard."
Meanwhile, Naoto stood near the edge of the water with Himari beside him. The light shimmered on the surface of the river, reflecting like fragments of the truth they'd all been forced to face.
"Are you okay?" Himari asked, breaking the silence.
"I don't know," Naoto answered honestly. "But... I feel like I'm finally breathing again."
He looked at her, really looked, and for a moment, all the memories came flooding back: their childhood promises, her laughter echoing in summer fields, the warmth of her hand when he was breaking apart.
"When I thought I lost you, I forgot how to live," he said. "But you... you never let go."
Himari took his hand. "Because I remembered for both of us."
From a distance, Rika watched them. Her smile was faint, almost bitter, but she didn't cry. Not anymore. The wound had stopped bleeding, but the scar would remain. Souta noticed her watching and nudged her shoulder.
"You okay?"
"I will be," she replied. "I think... I'm learning what it means to love someone without expecting anything in return."
Souta didn't speak. Instead, he pulled a book from his bag and placed it in her lap.
"What's this?"
"Your story," he said. "I found your notebook the other day. You've been writing everything down. I thought you might want to finish it properly."
Rika blinked, then slowly opened the cover. Her neat handwriting greeted her like an old friend. Every emotion she'd buried was written in those pages.
"Thank you," she whispered.
"You don't have to carry it alone," Souta said. "Let me be here. Let me stay."
Across the field, Aiko, Kenta, Yuuji, and Ayane were setting up a small bonfire. The light grew dimmer, and soon the stars would take their place. As night fell, warmth began to spread again through laughter and stories.
For now, they were still together. And that mattered.
Later, as they sat by the fire, Naoto stood up and looked around at everyone. His voice was steady.
"Thank you," he said. "For staying. For not turning away. I know the future might pull us in different directions, but... this moment will always be mine. Our bond. Our truth."
Himari leaned on his shoulder. Rika smiled, quietly, with Souta's hand resting beside hers.
Under the crimson sky, something ended.
But something else, something unspoken and resilient, began anew.
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