There’s No Such Thing as One Chance
“So could you stay out of my life? From now on, for the rest of your life?”
When Yuuki said that, Saya had been a little happy after he said he would forgive her, but her heart instantly grew cold and she felt the blood in her body slow. She tried to force her mouth open, yet no voice came out and her lips only opened and closed without a sound.
She only wanted things to go back to how they were a little while ago. She wanted Yuuki to return to the gentle boy he used to be, and she had started wishing that someday they could be close again like in middle school and maybe even become something like lovers.
Even though there was no way they could go back. Even though they had no right to go back.
Feeling the coldness in her fingertips, she tried to gather her thoughts and figure out how she should respond to Yuuki’s proposal.
And the answer she reached was.
“N-no. I don’t want that. I don’t want to not be involved with you, Yuuki-kun. I still haven’t apologized properly. I… about you, Yuuki-kun, I…”
As Saya forced out those words, Yuuki looked at her with eyes that were completely cold.
He didn’t understand why she was rejecting this suggestion.
It was a suggestion that would lead to a better outcome for both of them, so he could not understand why Saya would refuse it.
He didn’t understand anything.
Meanwhile, Saya desperately tried to think of any way she could keep her relationship with Yuuki. Because if she accepted his suggestion, she wouldn’t be able to be involved with him at all from now on.
She would have to throw away this faint crush, unable to resolve it, and live the rest of her life carrying the weight of her guilt.
Just about a month ago, she had been able to talk to him normally. Even though he had been dating Ayaka, part of her had believed that if he and Ayaka broke up, maybe she might be able to go out with him someday.
That was why the only answer she could give was no.
It was the only answer she had.
A long silence settled between them, and after several minutes passed with neither of them speaking, the bell signaling the end of lunch break rang. Yuuki quickly packed up the lunch he had spread out because he wanted to leave as soon as possible, and he walked toward the classroom.
As for Saya, she stood frozen in place just like Ayaka once had, and she kept replaying their conversation over and over in her mind.
“Yuuki-kun, good job at school today.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
He wasn’t physically tired, but emotionally, the incident during lunch had exhausted him and left him feeling weak.
Noticing the slight change in Yuuki, Yume sensed that something must have happened at school.
“Yuuki-kun, did something happen?”
When she asked him that, Yuuki began to say something, then murmured this.
“No, nothing happened. I’m fine.”
When he answered her that way, Yume couldn’t bring herself to push any further.
“I see. If anything happens, tell me, okay. I’ll do anything for you, Yuuki-kun.”
“…Thank you.”
Yume said it brightly, but Yuuki’s returning voice was low.
Yume wondered what might have happened at school, but the only person she could imagine troubling him now was Shinjou Saya, so she could guess that Saya was the cause, though she didn’t know anything beyond that.