The night sky stretched endlessly overhead, a velvet canvas speckled with distant stars, shimmering like quiet tears no one could see.A pale moon hung low, casting a silvery glow over the empty park, where trees swayed gently in the breeze, their shadows dancing on the pavement like ghosts from the past.
Crickets sang softly in the background the only sound in a world that felt paused, frozen in anticipation.
Beneath a flickering lamplight, two figures sat on an old bench, their outlines framed by the soft glow. One leaned forward, elbows on knees, gaze locked on the gravel path below as if searching for courage in the cracks. The other sat still, watching… waiting… knowing something was coming.
The wind held its breath.The stars blinked slower.
Her voice was barely above a whisper, as if speaking too loudly might shatter something fragile between them.
- Where do I even begin, Luca.
After a heavy sigh, she began her recollection.
- It all started after graduation…
The world seemed to fade.The hum of crickets dulled.The park's lamplight blurred into a soft glow, and the stars above melted into white.
Four years ago – the final day of high school.
The classroom buzzed with energy students laughing, hugging, signing each other's uniforms and yearbooks. Sunlight streamed through the windows, warm and golden, catching on specks of chalk dust in the air. Everyone was already talking about the future.
Everyone… except her.
She sat quietly at her desk, staring out the window, lost in thought. Around her, conversations blurred together like static nursing school, law, art academy, moving abroad. Her best friend was practically glowing, going on and on about the university she'd applied to months ago. She had it all mapped out entrance exams, accommodation, internships. Her eyes sparkled when she spoke.
But her?She had no plan.No dream.Not even a guess.
- I don't know what I was thinking at the time. I'd always thought… whatever happened, I'd figure it out with Miyabi. I was naïve, and before I knew it…
The golden hue of late afternoon stretched across the sky warm but distant, like a memory already starting to fade.
Their schoolbags were lighter than ever, yet the walk home felt heavier than it had all year. Rin and Miyabi walked side by side along the familiar path that led past the park, past the little convenience store they used to sneak snacks from, and down the hill toward the station.
Miyabi's voice danced in the breeze, bright as always.
- I got my acceptance letter confirmed this morning! I'll be on the doctor track after the foundation year! Can you imagine me in a white coat? I'd be all cool looking, right?
She laughed softly, her eyes shining as she looked toward the sky.
- I want to work with kids. Make hospitals feel less scary for them. All those little smiles none of them will be turned upside down as long as I'm there.
Rin smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes.
The cicadas buzzed lazily in the trees above. Her hand tightened around her bag strap.
Miyabi kept talking, hopeful and excited, like a train that couldn't slow down.
- And the campus has its own garden! I'm going to plant strawberries. I read they grow best in spring… hopefully no one eats them before me though. Hey hey, what about you? What do you wanna do?
Rin stayed quiet.
Miyabi finally glanced at her, catching the silence.
- …Rin?
Rin looked down at her feet, watching each step as if it might reveal some hidden answer.
- …I don't know.
Her voice was barely audible, causing Miyabi to slow her pace until they stood shoulder to shoulder.
- What do you mean?
Rin exhaled, brushing her hair from her face as the wind swept through the quiet street.
- I don't know what I want to do. Everyone has something already… you, everyone else. I just… I didn't really think about it.
Miyabi frowned gently.
- That's okay. You don't have to have it all figured out right now.
Rin laughed soft and dry.
- Then maybe I'll just follow you. Medical school doesn't sound so bad if you're there.
The smile on Miyabi's face faltered. She stopped walking, turning to face Rin directly. The wind tugged at her skirt and the hem of her uniform blazer.
- Rin… you can't just follow me.
Rin blinked, surprised by the seriousness in her tone.
- You need to follow your own heart. Your own dream. Even if you don't know what it is yet… don't force yourself to walk someone else's path just because you're afraid of walking alone. I know you, silly you're the Rin. The one who'd run headfirst to save me from bullies. Headstrong and never wavering. Forge your own path, bestie. I know you can do it.
For a moment, it was just the wind between them.
The station stood in the distance, its platform barely visible behind the trees.
- I don't want to leave you behind,
Rin whispered.
Miyabi stepped forward and gently touched her shoulder.
- Then don't. The two of us we'll be best friends forever. It doesn't matter if we go to different schools. I'll only ever have one best friend, and that's you.
Rin nodded slowly, holding back something she didn't know how to name.
With that, they went their separate ways in preparation for the future.Miyabi stayed indoors, buried in textbooks for her first year.Rin… stayed agonizing over the thought.
Days turned to weeks.Weeks to months.Months to a year.
Miyabi had set off to the next stage of her life.As for Rin, unable to decide fully, she opted for Liberal Arts.And so, she too set off on her own journey.
The campus looked beautiful in the fall.Golden leaves swirled lazily through the air, gathering in quiet piles by the old stone benches. Students sat beneath trees, chatting, laughing, living.
Rin walked past them all, earbuds in but no music playing.
Inside her, silence.
Her first Liberal Arts lecture was in a wide, airy hall with high windows and sunbeams that made dust particles dance. The professor spoke with passion about the Renaissance and humanism… but none of it sank in.
She scribbled notes like she was supposed to, her eyes occasionally drifting to the empty seat beside her.
A piece of her had officially gone.
The dining hall buzzed with soft chaos forks clinking, trays sliding, laughter echoing from packed tables.Rin sat in the corner, hunched over a steaming bowl of rice.The lone seat across from her stayed empty for months.
Her phone buzzed.
Miyabi: How's campus life? Making friends yet?
She stared at the message for a long time, thumb hovering. Then replied:
Rin: It's not bad. Got some nice classmates.
A lie her first of many during her time on campus.
As if thorns had grown and wrapped tight around her throat, she closed her phone and left, unable to stomach any food.
Seasons came and went.Her lies continued.The thorns grew.
Time moved.Classes ended.Grades came in.
She passed.And still… nothing felt like hers.
Rin lay in bed, the blue glow of her phone lighting her face.
Old messages with Miyabi scrolled past—photos from high school, screenshots of dumb jokes, selfies of them in their uniforms, smiling like the world was theirs.
She scrolled to the bottom and typed a new message:
- I miss…
She erased it and rewrote it:
- Doing okay? Hope all that work isn't getting to you.
She hit send.
Then turned off the phone, rolled over, and stared at the wall.The room hummed quietly with the sound of her loneliness.
Her thoughts echoed in the dark:
I thought I'd find something. A spark. A clue.But the truth is… I was just filling time.Pretending to be okay so I wouldn't worry her.A year passed like a blur. I didn't grow.I just… endured. Miyabi… I'm sorry.
Time passed.Soon it was her second year.
The wind carried a different scent that autumn. Gone was the quiet chill of her first year. Now the air buzzed with returning voices laughter echoing from every corner of campus, like the place itself was waking up from a long sleep.
But Rin… was still stuck in the same silence.
She sat on the edge of the campus courtyard, beneath a leafless tree, her notebook resting on her knees. Around her, students walked in clusters friends calling out, some already running late to class, others lounging with iced coffee and oversized tote bags filled with half-read books.
Her pen tapped against the blank page.She wasn't even pretending to write anymore.
She sighed.Another year had started, and she still hadn't figured out what she was doing here.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket.She didn't need to check it would be Miyabi again.She let it ring out.
Then
- Hey…
The voice came from above her.
She looked up, startled.
A guy was standing just a few feet away, blocking the soft sun behind him. Messy brown hair, a thin gold chain peeking from his half-buttoned shirt. His hands were in his pockets, and a lazy grin played on his lips like he already knew something she didn't.
- You always sit here alone?
His voice was casual, curious… but with something else. Something slippery.
Rin blinked, unsure how to answer.
- …Yeah.
He smiled, amused.
- Huh. Thought so. Been noticing you around.
Without asking, he stepped closer and sat beside her.
- I'm Kisuke.
Rin looked away, her voice small.
- …Rin.
- Cute.
She didn't answer. But she didn't move away either.
Kisuke leaned back on his palms and stared up at the clouds, letting the silence hang. Then, without looking at her
- C'mon. Class is boring this week. Let's go somewhere better.
- I have a lecture…
- You're not missing anything life-changing. Trust me. Come on.
Curious, she followed.
The rooftop of the west building was technically off-limits.But the rusted lock had long since broken, and someone had propped the door open with a water bottle.
The wind up here was colder biting. The sun was already dipping behind the city skyline, painting the campus in gold and long shadows.
Four people were already waiting there.
A guy with vivid blue hair sat cross-legged on the ledge, balancing a soda can on his knee. He raised a brow.
- Who's this?
- New friend. So play nice, ya hear, Tetsu?
The other two were girls. One with straight-cut bangs and a lollipop Akari. The other with sharp eyes and a phone in hand Nao.
- She's not much of a talker though.
Akari giggled.
- Is this one of your strays, Kisuke?
- Oh, come on, quiet Akari.
Nao barely looked up.
- Guess she's alright… for now.
- You're one of us now.
That "one time" rooftop hangout became many.
Skipping class became routine.Her appearance in lectures turned rare.Her hair dyed fully black at Kisuke's request.
Piece by piece, the Rin she used to be… disappeared.
One fateful night midway through her second year
The city glowed gold and neon, casting reflections over the slow-moving river below.
The bridge above a thin, concrete stretch with old railings and flickering lamps stood quiet except for one group of voices.
Laughter.Shouting.Music blasting from a phone speaker.
Rin stood in the centre of it, arms limp at her sides, her new friends surrounding her in a loose circle.
- C'mon, Rin!
Akari giggled, swaying her hips.
- Dance, girl!
Tetsu laughed, a bottle of cheap whiskey swinging from his hand.
- It's just us,
Kisuke said smoothly from behind her, his hand resting on her shoulder.
- Don't ruin the mood.
Rin forced a weak smile.The bridge was high.The railing low.The music too loud.
They'll laugh at me if I don't. They'll push harder.
She took a step.Then another.Raised her arms.Faked a twirl.
Laughter burst around her. Akari clapped. Nao smirked. Tetsu whooped like it was a festival.
Rin laughed too.But it wasn't real.
Unbeknownst to her Miyabi stood frozen behind a row of trees, breath caught in her throat. Her school bag slipped from her shoulder.
She had followed Rin from the station. Just to talk. Just to see her.
But this… wasn't Rin.
- No… what is she doing?
Without thinking, she ran.
- Rin!
The music cut.All eyes turned.
Miyabi burst through the group like a storm, grabbing Rin's arm and pulling her back from the ledge.
- What the hell is going on?! What are you doing?!
- M...Miyabi?
- Are you out of your mind?!
- Whoa, whoa, calm down psycho who just runs at people having fun? You're making a scene.
- Shut up. I don't know who the hell you are, but I'm taking my best friend and leaving.
Akari scoffed.
- She's just dancing. Chill out, mom.
Kisuke sneered, stepping closer.
- You don't get to act like you care now. Where were you last year when she was crying alone every damn day?
Miyabi turned to Rin.
- Rin… what is he talking about?
Rin's gaze flicked between them. Kisuke. The group. Miyabi. The bridge. The dark water below.
She couldn't speak.
Kisuke's face twisted.
- This is pathetic.
He shoved Miyabi.
Her foot caught on the uneven pavement.Her arms flailed.
- Miyabi!
There was a sickening crack as she hit the ground near the edge of the bridge.
Then silence.
Everyone froze.Nao's phone dropped.Akari gasped.Tetsu stepped back.
Rin ran to her side, knees scraping the concrete.
- Miyabi?!
Miyabi groaned, her face twisted in pain. Her breath was ragged. She couldn't move her legs.
- I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…
Kisuke stared, a plain cold face, then turned and walked away.The others followed.
Days passed.Rin stayed at the hospital.
Miyabi lay in bed, motionless from the waist down, eyes fixed on the ceiling.Rin sat in the corner, hands clenched, knuckles bandaged.
Neither spoke.Only the crushing silence of guilt, pain, and a friendship shattered by choices that couldn't be undone.
The memory ended like a door slowly closing, its final image burned into Rin's mind Miyabi lying still on the cold hospital bed, the hum of machines around her silence.
Rin's voice trembled as she exhaled, gaze fixed on the gravel beneath the park bench. She hadn't realized her hands had balled into fists.
- That… was the last time we ever really talked.
A quiet breeze stirred the branches above, the leaves whispering like ghosts.
- I did something unforgivable. Since then, I haven't spoken to her. Some best friend I am, right?
Luca wrapped his arms around her. Her eyes widened, then softened, tears spilling as she cried into the night.
When the crying stopped, Rin wiped her face. She looked at Luca, who still held her hand tight.
- Thanks for listening, Luca. I appreciate it… really.
- It's no problem, silly. Though I gotta ask… what'll you do now? Can't keep avoiding it forever.
Rin nodded, squeezing his hand.She beamed an energetic smile despite her puffy eyes.
- Come with me. Let's meet Miyabi again.