"Some days… you're not the hero.
You just watch. And fall. And break."
---
Scene:
A worn-down path at the edge of Ningenai.
A cold breeze drifts through. The world feels… too quiet.
Saito walks alone — echoes of the Mirror House still burning in his chest.
Each step feels heavy.
Like guilt dragging at his heels.
---
Saito (inner voice):
"I'm changing… but is it enough?
If I can't save everyone…
Is my humanity incomplete?"
---
Ahead, he sees a small spot — broken benches, an old tree,
And a girl — Akari — sitting beneath it.
The same girl he promised he'd protect.
But today…
Her eyes are empty.
The light is gone.
---
Saito (runs to her):
"Akari! Are you okay? I thought you—"
Akari (no emotion):
"I'm not okay, Saito.
And you're late."
---
His heart splits in two.
He had promised.
Promised he'd pull her out of the dark.
But today… he failed.
---
Saito (shaking):
"I'm… I'm sorry.
I didn't hear you.
I didn't understand you…"
Akari (finally looks at him):
"You wanted to be a hero, Saito.
But I didn't need a hero.
I needed someone who'd listen.
Someone who'd cry with me.
Someone who'd just say…
'It's okay to not be okay.'"
---
Saito, broken inside, finally understands —
Sometimes, people don't want to be saved.
They just want to not be alone in the fall.
---
Saito (tearfully):
"I used to think if I could carry someone's pain, it would disappear.
But maybe…
Pain becomes lighter when shared.
Not hidden."
---
Just then, Mira walks in from behind the tree.
Her eyes… filled with guilt.
Mira:
"I was with her…
But I was silent too.
I laughed that day too —
Even when she asked me not to."
---
Now, the three of them —
Akari. Mira. Saito.
All sit on the bench.
No words.
No promises.
No "everything will be okay."
Just… presence.
Just… being there.
---
Saito's narration:
> *"That day, I didn't save anyone.
I wasn't strong.
I was just… present.
Just… human.
And maybe…
that was enough."*
---
Scene shift:
Late night.
Saito sits in a dim room — Ningenai's small shelter.
He opens a diary.
And starts writing to Akari.
---
> *"Dear Akari,
I don't know what I can do for you.
But if you ever feel broken again…
Remember —
I'll be the one who sits beside you.
Not a hero.
Just… someone real."*
---
A soft knock.
At the door — Aira.
Aira (gentle):
"You didn't fix Akari today.
But you stayed.
That's when you truly became human, Saito."
---
Tears fill his eyes.
But this time… he lets them fall.
Saito (soft smile):
"…Maybe that's enough for today."
---
Final narration:
> *"I'm still not perfect.
Maybe I never will be.
But if being human means feeling someone else's pain…
Then I want to live —
Flawed, real…
and beautifully wrong."*
---
TO BE CONTINUED…