Years Ago
"Kaito!" a young girl shouted.
Under the blooming cherry blossom tree, two children stood in the warm spring breeze — a young Kaito, messy-haired and full of boyish pride, and Sayuri, clutching a crumpled paper flower she had folded herself.
Sayuri took a deep breath, her cheeks pink. "Kaito… when we grow up, I'm going to marry you."
Kaito blinked in surprise, then smirked. "Only if you become cool first."
Sayuri gasped. "Huh?! I am cool!"
He crossed his arms, pretending to think. "Then prove it. When we're older, if you're still cool… I'll marry you. Promise."
Sayuri grinned, sticking out her pinky. "Fine! You better not break your promise, dummy!"
Kaito hesitated for a moment, then tilted his head, looking at her curiously. "Sayuri... why do you like me anyway?"
Sayuri's grip on the paper flower tightened. She glanced down, then up at him, eyes shining with sincerity.
"Because you always run ahead like nothing scares you... because you stand up for other kids even when you get in trouble... and because... when I cry, you never laugh."
Kaito blinked, taken aback. He didn't know how to respond to that.
Sayuri smiled shyly. "You're like the sun, Kaito. Loud and warm... and you make me want to be brave too."
Kaito scratched his cheek, feeling a little embarrassed. "That's kinda embarrassing, y'know…"
Sayuri giggled. "Then hurry up and grow up cool too, or I won't marry you either!"
He smirked, holding out his pinky again. "Alright, I promise, when we're older, I'll marry you, and you'll be the coolest girl around."
They sealed it with a pinky swear under the falling blossoms, too young to know just how much weight those words would one day carry.
Years Later — Present Day
The sleepy town bathed the streets in golden warmth. Kaito strolled toward school, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder, the breeze ruffling his dark hair. Cherry blossom petals floated down like soft snow, dusting the sidewalks in pink, a peaceful backdrop to the otherwise mundane morning.
This was the day that changed everything.
Halfway down the cracked pavement, a wild shout shattered the morning calm.
"Kaito! Wait up, man!"
Turning, Kaito saw his best friend — Koji — sprinting toward him, arms flailing like he was escaping a bear.
Kaito slowed, an amused smirk tugging at his lips. "Overslept again?"
Koji skidded to a stop beside him, panting. "Obviously! Dude, we wiped for like, three hours last night. I think my soul ascended."
Kaito chuckled. "Maybe you just suck at the game."
"Oi!" Koji clutched his chest like he'd been mortally wounded. "Betrayed by my own party member."
Kaito shrugged. "Get better."
Koji grinned sheepishly. "You joining tonight, right? New event drops. We need your busted DPS, man."
"Maybe," Kaito said, pretending to think. "If I finish my homework."
"Ugh, nerd." Koji groaned. "You're supposed to abandon education for gaming greatness!"
They laughed, weaving through other students heading to the school gates.
Suddenly, Kaito heard the soft rustle of footsteps behind them. He glanced back, and to his surprise, Sayuri Fujimori was walking behind them, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
"Fujimori?" Kaito called, raising an eyebrow.
Sayuri, looking a little caught off guard, smiled nervously. "Uh, good morning, Kaito. Koji."
Koji looked at Kaito, then back at Sayuri. "You walking with us today?" he asked, clearly curious.
Sayuri's eyes darted between the two of them. "Yeah... I figured I'd walk with you guys today. Is that okay?"
Kaito shrugged. "Sure, why not?"
Sayuri's smile grew a little more comfortable, and she fell into step beside them. For a moment, the three of them walked in silence, the peaceful atmosphere of the morning carrying on around them.
Koji broke the silence first, nudging Kaito with an exaggerated elbow. "Hey, so are you going to join us for the raid tonight or what?"
Kaito shot him a side glance. "Maybe, if I finish my homework."
"Ugh, you're so boring, man!" Koji groaned, but Sayuri laughed lightly, her soft giggle catching them both off guard.
"You two are pretty funny," she said, her voice a bit quieter but still warm.
Kaito couldn't help but smile at her reaction. "We try," he said, giving her a small nod.
"Yeah," Koji chimed in with a grin. "Kaito here thinks he's too cool for games, but we'll get him to join eventually."
Sayuri's eyes sparkled with interest. "What game are you guys talking about?"
Kaito, though still a bit taken aback by her interest, answered casually, "A new event for an MMO tonight. It's nothing special."
Koji chimed in, his excitement palpable. "Nothing special? Dude, this event's gonna be epic. You have to come!"
Kaito glanced over at Sayuri, who had been listening intently. "You play games, Fujimori?"
Sayuri hesitated for just a second before answering, her voice quieter. "I... I play a little. Nothing serious though."
Kaito chuckled. "Well, if you want to join in tonight, we're always looking for extra players."
"Yeah, join us!" Koji added eagerly.
Sayuri's cheeks flushed again, though it looked more from surprise than embarrassment. "Maybe..." she said softly. "I'll think about it."
As they neared the school gates, the bell signaling the start of class rang in the distance. The moment of peace before the day's hustle and bustle was already fading.
Reaching the entrance, the trio stopped for a brief moment.
"Later, Koji," Kaito said, raising a hand in farewell.
"Later, man! Don't leave me hanging tonight!" Koji called as he headed toward the B-Class wing.
Kaito smiled, shaking his head fondly. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered under his breath as he turned to head up the stairs to the A-Class building.
Sayuri stood there for a moment longer, glancing at Kaito. "I'll see you later," she said softly, her voice a little uncertain, but warm.
"Yeah," Kaito replied, giving her a small wave as he disappeared into the building.
The shrill bell rang, signaling the release of students for a brief respite from their classes. Kaito leaned back in his chair, stretching. He patted his pockets — a small clink of coins answered. 500 yen. Just enough.
He wandered down to the canteen, bought a simple bun and a bottle of water, and returned to his desk.
As he unwrapped his bread, a soft voice startled him.
"K-Kaito..."
He looked up.
Standing there, trembling slightly, was Sayuri Fujimori again. Her long black hair cascaded over her shoulders, and her hands twisted the hem of her skirt nervously.
"Fujimori-san?" Kaito asked, blinking in surprise.
Sayuri glanced around, as if making sure no one else was watching. Her cheeks were burning red.
"After school..." she whispered, barely audible. "Can we meet... on the rooftop?"
Kaito tilted his head, confused but curious. "Sure," he said casually, not expecting much more from the conversation.
Sayuri's eyes widened a fraction — she hadn't expected such an easy answer. With a tiny squeak, she bowed quickly and rushed back to her seat, her face glowing.
Kaito scratched the back of his head.
Girls were weird.
Shrugging, he returned to his bread, pushing the strange encounter to the back of his mind.
The last bell echoed through the hallways, signaling the end of the school day. The students dispersed in every direction, but Kaito, for once, didn't immediately follow the crowd. His mind wandered back to Sayuri's request. Why did she want to meet on the rooftop? He couldn't help but feel a little nervous.
The rooftop was quiet, almost sacred in the fading light. The sun painted the clouds in brilliant hues — scarlet, amber, violet — a burning canvas across the sky.
He leaned against the railing, watching the sun sink lower.
Minutes slipped by.
Five. Ten. Fifteen.
No Sayuri.
The breeze tugged at his uniform. The rooftop felt lonelier with each passing second.
Kaito sighed, kicking at the floor.
Maybe she forgot.
Maybe it was a joke.
The thought stung more than he expected. He glanced at his watch, frustration creeping in.
His stomach churned.
Disappointed, he turned and headed for the exit, the golden light casting his long shadow before him.
Meanwhile — The Rooftop
Sayuri sprinted up the stairwell, nearly tripping over her own feet. Her chest ached, her breath came in ragged gasps. She clutched tightly in her trembling hand a carefully folded love letter — the one she spent hours writing the night before, erasing, rewriting, pouring every ounce of her feelings into it.
She slammed open the rooftop door.
"Kaito...!" she gasped, eyes darting frantically.
Empty.
Her heart dropped into her stomach.
"No... no, no..."
She stumbled forward, tears welling in her eyes.
Running to the fence, she scanned the school grounds below. There — near the gate — a familiar figure was walking away, bag slung over one shoulder.
"Kaito!!" she screamed, her voice raw and desperate.
At the School Gate
Kaito froze mid-step, head snapping up at the sound of his name.
He squinted against the sunlight.
For a split second, their eyes met.
She smiled through tears, chest rising and falling.
Far above, on the rooftop, he spotted her — Sayuri — standing at the edge, clutching something white to her chest.
"What?!" he shouted back, confusion and guilt surging through him.
For a moment, everything around him faded — the students chattering, the cars passing by, the world itself.
There was only her.
Sayuri cupped her hands around her mouth, voice trembling but clear:
"I LOVE YOU, KAITO!!"
The words rang out, cutting through the distance like a blade.
The world slowed.
Kaito's breath hitched.
His heart skipped — then thundered.
He opened his mouth to reply, to say something — but he saw it.
A shadow.
A man — dark, smiling cruelly — emerging behind Sayuri.
"Sayuri!! Behind you!!" Kaito screamed, but his voice was ripped away by the wind.
The man pushed.
Time fractured.
Sayuri's foot slipped. Her hand reached for something — anything — but found only air.
The love letter slipped from her fingers like a paper petal.
"No… not yet…"
Her mind whispered.
"I didn't even hear your answer..."
As she fell, the wind whipped around her, catching her hair, her skirt, her scream — all of it swallowed by the heavens.
Kaito's world collapsed.
Sayuri's body tilted forward — arms flailing, face frozen in horror.
She screamed — a sound that would haunt Kaito forever.
The love letter slipped from her fingers, fluttering down like a dying bird.
Kaito's legs moved without thinking, sprinting toward the building — but he was too far.
Far too far.
Time collapsed into a single, unbearable moment.
Sayuri fell.
The sunlight caught in her hair, turning her into a falling star.
Then — silence.
> "Let's get married when we're older, okay?"
"Only if you become really cool, Sayuri chan!"
"Deal! Promise?"
A pinky finger wraps around another beneath the cherry blossoms.
And now — a paper flower wilts on the rooftop.
A promise, once whispered with hope…
...now shattered forever.