Chapter 13

"Hey..."

"..."

"I said, hey!"

Mia forcibly pushes my hand away.

I stop and turn around. There stands an angry Mia.

"What are you thinking? Did you forget that we broke up!?"

I remove my mask.

"I haven't forgotten. But, just for now, I want you to be with me."

I bow my head to Mia.

"No. I'm dating Kaito, you know?"

"That guy! He can't make you happy!!"

Mia's expression while being with Kaito tells the whole story.

He only cares about himself. He doesn't care about Mia.

"...He's better than you. Kaito smiles at me. He holds my hand. He hugs me. And you, you didn't do any of that."

"...That's because I..."

"I don't care! You didn't want to get dirty? What's that? I didn't ask for that!"

Mia screams hysterically.

Why would she say that...?

"...You're no longer with me."

"...!?"

My heart tightens at Mia's cold words.

Mia goes back to Kaito.

It's so painful to be rejected by someone you love.

It's unbearable.

It's hopeless.

Yeah, it's my own fault.

"...I wanted to start over."

"...I shouldn't have run away."

"...I wanted to tell you that I really loved you."

I want to cry.

I should just go home.

I lift my head.

"Huh? ....Why?"

My vision blurs.

"...If you give me that look, it'll leave a bad taste in my mouth."

***

The festival is far from lively,, it's quiet and dark within the shrine's premises. Trees surround the area, blocking the view. But countless stars and the full moon watch over us without any obstructions.

"I was scared. Scared that you'd be taken away from me. So, I deliberately kept my distance."

Mia and I sit against a tree, gazing at the night sky, the moonlight softly illuminating the ground.

"And then, that day, you broke up with me. I was relieved. Finally, I was free."

Mia listens to my monologue without interjecting.

"One day, someone told me. It was an excuse, they said. I was laughed at. It was true. I really ... made my environment an excuse. I didn't make any effort just because I thought you'd be taken away, and I couldn't do anything."

The fireworks will start soon. Will the protagonist come?

"I woke up. And then, I realized, pathetically ... that I'd liked you all along."

I stop talking.

Silence envelops us.

The wind blows, and the leaves rustle.

"And then? I didn't understand. Why did you think I'd be taken away? And yet, why didn't you just dump me? But I guess you must have had your reasons, right?"

I look at Mia's profile.

Mia, still looking up, calmly speaks with a gentle expression.

"Even so, I'm with Kaito."

That's Mia's answer.

My heart tightens again.

But it's okay.

It's already okay.

I stand up.

"I'm not going to let you overwrite it. This is a place of memories for me and Mia."

"Hmm? What are you talking about?"

Whoosh....

"Ah, this place....."

Mia looked up at me vigorously. Mia's clear black eyes had turned vermilion.