I clicked on the link saved in her bookmarks.
What I found was a page titled simply—"Diary."
"This... is a diary about Uguisu-san?"
And so, I began to read.
The heartfelt thoughts of the girl named Kanemoto Uguisu slowly unfolded before me...
April 12
The Literature Club has new members!
I'm a second-year now. I have juniors.
I have to be a good senpai!
April 20
I'm always the first to arrive at the clubroom.
It's a secret pride of mine.
Maybe… if someone sees me reading by the window, they'll think I'm a cool upperclassman.
But I hope they don't think I'm just… lonely.
April 28
I noticed something odd. The second person to always arrive… it's always the same.
That boy—Shin. He always comes second.
Could he be trying to take my first-place clubroom arrival title?!
I must stay vigilant…
July 7 – My Birthday
Everyone threw a party for me at the club.
I was so happy.
But…
How many more of these will I have?
I got emotional. I told a story about a shooting star I saw in elementary school.
Shin-kun listened… so seriously.
I don't write novels like the others.
But maybe… maybe I can still tell stories.
Maybe I'll volunteer to read at the culture festival this year.
August 5
I went outside. It was hot. I came back in five minutes
July 7 – Another Birthday
This year my birthday was on a Sunday. Still, everyone sent me messages.
At night, I got a strange message from Shin-kun.
"Can you see the lighthouse?"
When I looked outside—A small light was blinking.
It was Morse code.
If I'm not mistaken… it said Happy Birthday.
Could that have been him?
Just a small light. And yet...it lit up my whole path.
I felt truly happy.
"Yes, my novel is not done yet. There's a deadline for contests and all, right?"
"Mine's not for that. I'm in no rush."
"No… I want you to read mine's. I really do."
I could tell right away—His story, The Girl from the Lighthouse, was about me.
His feelings reached me. I was happy… but I couldn't accept them.
I've turned down confessions before, but none hurt this much.
...
"You drink your coffee black, senpai?"
"Does it suit me?"
"Totally. You're very… senpai-like."
"Heh, well… truth is, I don't really like coffee."
"Eh? Then why order it?"
"I like the taste, but… hot drinks burn me."
"…Oh. You're a cat-tongue?"
"The struggle is real."
Even though I turned him down… I still wanted time with him. Maybe that was selfish. Cruel, even.
But I was about to leave Japan. I didn't want him burdened by my circumstances.
All I wanted was a memory.
...
"Shin-kun, this is embarrassing…"
"It's okay. School's almost empty now."
"R-Really…?"
"Ah…""What is it?"
"No, don't worry."
"…Wait, a princess carry?!"
Y-You said no one was around!!"
"I said almost no one!!"
He found out about my illness. But honestly, being held like that… meant more to me than I expected.
Maybe I had always been drawn to his earnest gaze.
...
"Would you ring this bell with me?"
"Huh…?"
"I've dreamed of this."
"Of ringing it with someone."
"If you're okay with someone like me—"
"Let's ring it. Together."
He told me I could be selfish. He said it was okay to be normal.
I had never been so happy.
...
We began walking to school together. He'd wake up an hour early—just to meet me.
He said that's what lovers do.
He made me feel like a normal girl.
...
"Let's watch the Super Blue Moon together someday."
I hope that day will come. Until then, please, body of mine, hold on.
...
This is probably the last diary I'll ever write.
How do I even begin to end it?
Himeya said "ending" is the hardest part.
He's right.
But without an ending, this story will never be complete.
This diary… Himeya-kun... is our love story.
Like the story of The Girl at the lighthouse, he wrote for me.
This is my love letter to the boy who accepted all of me.
Even when I was selfish. Even when I was scared.
He showed me a special kind of happiness,
A scenery only he could offer.
I wore a mask for so long. The strong girl, the composed girl, named Kanemoto Uguisu.
But Himeya-kun peeled it off. And showed me what it means to live.
He might remember me and cry. And I won't be there to comfort him.
That breaks my heart.
But I want him to promise me something,
Never let your heart freeze. Keep shining, like the sun.
And now, for the final words of my story,
The words that best capture everything I felt,
I was truly happy. Until the very end, I loved you.
Thank you.
From Shin Uguisu,
To Shin Himeya.
...
...
"…Uguisu-san."
At some point, I could no longer keep my eyes on the screen.
The glowing words blurred behind the haze of tears. I kept wiping at them, but they wouldn't stop—not for a while.
I read anyway, clinging to every sentence as if her voice were speaking through each letter.
And by the time I realized it, the sky outside the window had begun to pale with the coming dawn.
My heart was still crying, screaming even… yet the tears had already dried up.
Still… the ache in my chest screamed for release.
"Uguisu… san…"
Even then, no more tears would come.
But suddenly, deep in my chest, something warm surged.
My fingers twitched, my soul trembled.
I wanted to write.
...
After that day, I always came to the café to write my novel about her.
"Heyysu~!"
A cheerful voice rang through the café's entrance.
"Ah, welcome~!"
"Huh? Where's Himeya?"
"He's over there. Writing again."
"Back to writing novels again, huh?" Kousuke said
I look up and it's Hiro and Kousuke.
"Yeah. A little bit. Just starting to get into it again." I said
"Could've fooled me. You looked totally absorbed."
"Sorry, I honestly didn't even notice anyone come in."
"Seriously! I had to call you like five times!" Kousuke said
"Himeya had been so deep into writing, he didn't even notice us. Poor Kei-chan had been running around on her own all morning." Hiro said.
"I'm trying to be more careful, but once I focus, I lose track of everything…"
"It's fine, it's fine! If you're writing, then keep writing!" Hiro said as he smiled.
"Exactly! It's good that you feel like writing again." Kousuke replied.
"Alright then! We'll help out in the shop for a bit."
"You sure?" Kei said.
"Can't make coffee like a pro, but dishes and taking orders? Easy." Kousuke said
"If it's coffee. Leave it to me." Hiro said.
"Thank you for your help Nii-san's friends." Kei said as she teased me.
"Then I'll handle the dishes!"
"I'll handle the customer's order."
"Alright, leave the café to us. Himeya, you keep writing!"
"…Thanks, guys. I've leaned on you all so much already."
"Don't worry about it. Just make sure you write something amazing, yeah?"
"…Yeah."
And so, with the gentle support of my friends—
I kept writing.
...
"Fuuuh…"
I leaned back in my chair, stretching.
"Huh. It's already this late?"
The world beyond the windows had shifted from dark to gray-blue. Morning.
Out there, the sky still drowsy, hung a pale sliver of the moon.
"…Uguisu-san."
Just seeing the moon made her come to mind.
And somehow… just that thought calmed me.
It felt like she was still watching over me from somewhere beyond the sky.
Maybe she was.
Maybe she still is.
"Guess I'll keep at it a little longer."
The moon had always been there, silently watching over me.
It changed shape each day,
Just like her smiles.
And so, I wrote, counting the moon's cycles as if they were our shared calendar.
...
"Uguisu-san, I've made progress."
Today marked another month since she passed.
It had become a quiet tradition, visiting her grave and reporting my writing progress.
"I'm… still trying, somehow."
I offered a soft smile to the silent headstone.
I had promised myself,
No matter what,
I would only show her my smiles.
I didn't want her to worry.
"Once I finish this story… will you read it for me again?"
She had always been my first reader.
And that… would never change.
Even now, I still wrote because I wanted her to read it.
The pages piled up slowly but surely.
Word by word, the story continued to unfold...
Just like the moon's waxing light in the quiet dawn sky.
Because in every chapter,
In every sentence,
She still lived with me.
Watching.
Smiling.
Listening.