The livestream had been shared across every major social media platform within hours of ending, and by Tuesday morning, Aiko couldn't escape it. Students at Stellar Academy were talking about "that Spanish guy looking for the Japanese girl," professors were mentioning it in passing, and her phone was buzzing with messages from friends who had seen the video.
"Did you see this crazy romantic story?" Mari asked, bursting into their dorm room with her laptop. "This Spanish athlete is looking for some girl he helped years ago, and he's become like this international phenomenon."
Aiko's stomach clenched as she watched Mari pull up the livestream on her computer. There was Javier's face, older but unmistakably him, speaking with that same gentle intensity she remembered from the park.
"It's so romantic," Mari continued, oblivious to Aiko's growing panic. "The way he talks about her, like she changed his whole life. I hope he finds her."
"Yeah," Aiko managed weakly. "Me too."
But the livestream had done more than just go viral—it had made Javier's search impossible to ignore. The comments were filled with people from the Japanese beauty industry sharing the video, promising to spread it through hairstyling networks, discussing the mysterious girl who might be somewhere in their community.
That evening, Aiko sat in the café where she and Hiroshi always met for their Wednesday dinners, trying to figure out how to begin a conversation that could change everything between them. He arrived a few minutes late, apologizing for getting caught up in a project meeting.
"Sorry about that," he said, settling into the seat across from her with his usual warm smile. "How was your day?"
"Hiroshi," Aiko began, then stopped, her courage failing her. How could she explain that the person she'd told him she'd moved on from was now actively searching for her across international platforms?
"What's wrong?" Hiroshi asked, immediately picking up on her distress. "You look like something's bothering you."
"I need to tell you something," she said quietly, her hands trembling as she pulled out her phone. "About... about him. The person from the park."
Hiroshi's expression grew serious as she showed him Javier's livestream. He watched in silence, his face unreadable as Javier spoke about his search, his determination, his belief that their connection ran deeper than a chance encounter.
"So this is him," Hiroshi said when the video ended. "The person you went to Spain to find."
"Yes." Aiko's voice was barely audible. "Hiroshi, I thought he was dead. When I came back from Spain, when we started dating, I believed I'd said goodbye to him forever. But now he's awake and looking for me, and I don't know what to do."
Hiroshi was quiet for a long moment, processing what this meant. "How long have you known about this?"
"A few days. Hana sent me the link." Aiko felt tears starting to gather. "I wanted to tell you right away, but I was scared. I was scared you'd think I'd been lying about my feelings, or that you'd leave me, or..."
"Aiko," Hiroshi said gently, reaching across the table to take her hand. "I'm not going to leave you because someone from your past is looking for you. But I need to understand something."
"What?"
"How do you feel about this? About him searching for you?"
The question she'd been dreading. "I don't know," she admitted. "I'm confused and scared and... and maybe a little guilty? He's built his whole recovery around finding me, and I'm here building a life with someone else."
"Do you want to contact him?"
"Part of me does. Part of me wants to know what he needs to tell me, wants to make sure he's really okay." Aiko's voice grew smaller. "But part of me is terrified that if I reach out, everything between us will change."
Hiroshi nodded slowly, and Aiko could see him working through his own complex emotions. "And what about us? If you did contact him, what would that mean for our relationship?"
"I don't know that either," Aiko said honestly. "Hiroshi, I care about you so much. You've been wonderful to me, and we have real plans together. But seeing him again, knowing he's been searching... it's bringing up feelings I thought I'd processed."
"What kind of feelings?"
Aiko closed her eyes, trying to sort through the tangle in her chest. "Love, maybe. Or the memory of love. Or guilt about moving on when he was unconscious. I don't know the difference anymore."
They sat in heavy silence for several minutes, both processing the complexity of the situation. Finally, Hiroshi spoke.
"Aiko, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest."
"Okay."
"If he contacted you tomorrow, if he asked to meet you, what would you do?"
The question hung between them like a blade. Aiko felt her heart racing as she considered it seriously.
"I think... I think I'd have to see him," she said quietly. "Not because I want to hurt you or because I don't value what we have. But because there are things unresolved between us that I can't ignore forever."
Hiroshi nodded, though she could see the pain in his expression. "And what if seeing him changes everything? What if you realize your feelings for him are stronger than what we have together?"
"Then I guess we'd have to deal with that when it happens," Aiko said, tears flowing freely now. "But Hiroshi, I don't want to lose you. I don't want to throw away something real and good for something that might just be memory and guilt."
"But you also can't pretend this isn't happening," Hiroshi said gently. "And I can't ask you to ignore it just because it scares me."
As they walked back toward their respective campuses, both lost in thought about what this meant for their future, Aiko felt the weight of an impossible choice settling over her. Stay loyal to the person who had been there for her when she needed it, or follow the pull toward someone who had never really left her heart.
The decision would have to be made soon. Javier's platform was growing too large, his search too public, for her to remain hidden much longer.
And deep down, she wasn't sure she wanted to remain hidden anymore.