Morning sunlight filtered through the soft haze above the shrine, turning the falling cherry blossoms into drifting specks of rose-gold light. Toshio and Airi stood there, their foreheads still touching, breaths mingling in the quiet calm of a promise renewed.
Airi's fingers remained curled into his shirt, as if afraid letting go would make everything disappear again.
"Toshio…" she whispered.
He brushed his thumb across her cheek. "I'm here."
She exhaled shakily, eyes softening with relief. "Good. Because this time… I don't want to run anymore."
"Then don't," he murmured.
"I won't," she said, voice trembling but certain.
A breeze swept through, scattering petals between them like a blessing.
Airi stepped back slightly—not to put distance between them, but to take him in, really see him. Her gaze traced the faint worry lines under his eyes, the hints of sleepless nights, the markings of someone who'd spent too long grieving someone he never stopped loving.
"Toshio-kun…"
"Hm?"
"You look tired."
He huffed a small laugh. "Kind of hard not to be tired when the girl you love vanishes, returns as someone else, disappears again, and then reappears in your arms."
Airi winced. "That's fair."
He softened. "But it doesn't matter now. You're here."
Airi looked down, twisting her fingers together. "But I hurt you. I hurt myself too. Mina… she was the only way I knew how to survive. And while she protected me… she also trapped me. I thought if I became someone else, maybe I could escape the shadows of what happened."
Toshio moved closer. "Hey…"
She looked up, eyes shimmering.
"You found your way back," he said gently. "That's all that counts."
"But don't you hate me a little?" she asked in a tiny voice. "For lying? For pushing you away? For pretending I didn't remember you—didn't love you?"
"Airi." He cupped her face with both hands. "If I had hated you… I wouldn't have spent years searching for you."
Her breath hitched.
"I don't need explanations anymore," he continued softly. "I just need you."
Airi blinked fast, then stepped forward and buried herself against his chest, holding onto him with trembling arms.
"Thank you," she whispered against his shirt. "For always being my safe place."
He rested his chin on her hair. "Always."
THE WALK BACK HOME
Hand in hand, they descended the shrine steps.
The world below greeted them with gentle sunlight, chattering birds, and the faint smell of early spring. Airi walked slightly behind Toshio at first—still hesitant, still learning how to move as herself again.
But when he loosened his hand for a moment, she hurried forward and clung tightly to his arm.
"Toshio-kun?"
"Yeah?"
"Can we… slow down?"
He smiled. "Of course."
They walked leisurely through the neighborhood—past the bakery that once sold them star-shaped bread as kids, past the old park swings, past the alley where Toshio used to walk her home.
Airi looked around quietly.
"Mina never came here," she murmured. "Only I did."
"You don't have to be Mina anymore."
She nodded. "I know. But… part of me still feels like she's watching from inside. Waiting for me to collapse again."
Toshio squeezed her hand. "Then I'll hold you up."
She stopped walking.
"Toshio…"
"Hm?"
"Don't make promises you can't keep."
He turned to face her fully. "I'm not."
Airi lowered her gaze—then slowly lifted her hand to his cheek.
"…Okay," she whispered. "Then I'll believe you."
He covered her hand with his own.
"Good."
BACK AT TOSHIO'S APARTMENT
The moment they stepped inside, Airi inhaled deeply.
"It still smells the same."
"What, like disaster toast?" he muttered.
She giggled. "No. It smells like home."
Her gaze drifted across the room—the sofa where she had cried as Mina, the window where she once stared at the moon, the kitchen where Toshio nearly burned down the toaster.
She walked to the counter and gently touched the half-burnt loaf of bread.
"…You really tried."
He groaned. "Don't remind me."
Airi smiled softly. "It's sweet."
"Burning toast is sweet?"
"No." She turned to him. "The fact that you wanted to make breakfast for me."
A pink flush rose across her cheeks.
Toshio scratched the back of his neck. "Well… I wanted to do something nice."
She stepped closer, lips curving. "Then let me repay you."
Before he could respond, she reached up and brushed her lips against his cheek.
Toshio froze.
"A-Airi—"
"That was for the burnt toast."
He blinked rapidly. "I… I need to burn breakfast more often."
She smacked his arm lightly. "Don't you dare."
They laughed, a warm, easy sound that melted the heaviness between them.
THE LIVING ROOM
Airi curled up on the sofa, hugging her knees.
"Toshio-kun?"
"Yeah?" he said, bringing her a cup of warm tea.
She accepted it with both hands, letting the steam rise into her face.
"I've been thinking…"
"That's dangerous."
She rolled her eyes. "I'm being serious."
He sat beside her, folding his legs.
"Okay," he whispered. "I'm listening."
Airi toyed with the teacup rim. "Now that I'm… me again… I don't know how to start over."
"You already did," he said. "This morning."
"But there's still so much I don't know how to fix," she murmured. "People I hurt. Things I ran from. Memories I tried to erase."
Toshio touched her shoulder lightly. "Airi… you're not obligated to fix everything overnight."
"But I want to fix us," she whispered. "I want to be someone who can stand beside you without guilt or fear."
"You already are."
She looked at him, eyes shining. "You really think so?"
"Yes." He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Because the Airi I love doesn't need to be perfect. She just needs to be here."
Her breath trembled.
"Toshio…"
He leaned in, voice soft. "I'm not afraid of your past."
Airi's eyes widened.
"I'm afraid of losing you again."
Her lips parted—then she slowly leaned toward him until their foreheads touched once more.
"…Then hold onto me," she whispered. "As tightly as you want."
He did.
They stayed like that for a long, precious moment—no words, no pain, just quiet closeness.
AIRI'S FEAR RESURFACES
Later in the afternoon, while Toshio washed the dishes, Airi stood in the doorway watching him.
Her hands trembled.
"Toshio-kun?"
He turned. "Yeah?"
"Can I ask something?"
"Of course."
She hesitated. "Are you… angry at Mina?"
He blinked. "Why would I be?"
"Because Mina lied. She pretended not to know you. She pushed you away. She—"
"Airi," he said firmly, stepping toward her. "Mina wasn't your enemy. She was your shield."
Airi swallowed hard. "…But she wasn't me."
"No," he agreed gently. "But she protected you until you could come back."
She stared at him, eyes watering.
"Toshio… how do you always know what to say?"
"Because I know you," he whispered.
Her voice cracked. "What if I break again?"
"Then I'll stay until you heal again."
Airi covered her mouth, tears slipping down her cheeks.
Toshio pulled her into his arms.
"You don't have to be strong alone."
She clung to him tightly, sobbing softly into his chest.
"But I want to be strong for you," she whispered.
"You already are."
THE CHERRY BLOSSOM PROMISE
Evening fell softly, painting the sky in fading shades of peach and lavender.
Airi and Toshio stood on the balcony, watching the wind scatter petals across the streets below.
"Toshio-kun," Airi murmured.
"Hm?"
"Can I… say something selfish?"
"You can always be selfish with me."
She touched his sleeve shyly.
"Then… can you hold my hand?"
He smiled and intertwined their fingers.
Airi exhaled with visible relief.
"Toshio…"
"Yes?"
"When I was Mina, my world felt cold. Everything was blurred and distant. But whenever you looked at me, whenever you spoke to me—even when you didn't know it was really me—I felt warm."
He squeezed her hand gently.
"That warmth… it scared me," she admitted. "Because I thought I didn't deserve it."
"You did," he said softly. "You do."
Airi leaned her head against his shoulder.
"Then… stay with me," she whispered.
He kissed the top of her head. "Always."
She trembled slightly, tightening her grip.
"Tomorrow… I want to go back to school with you."
Toshio blinked in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Yes," she whispered. "Airi Hoshizora wants to walk beside you. Not Mina. Not anyone else. Just me."
Toshio smiled, heart full.
"Then tomorrow… we start our new life together."
Airi lifted her head, cheeks flushed.
"Toshio-kun…"
"Yeah?"
"Can I get that kiss I asked for earlier?"
He froze. "R-Right now?"
"Yes," she murmured, stepping closer. "Right now."
She rose on her toes—
And kissed him softly.
Not the trembling kiss at the shrine.
Not a desperate kiss of reunion.
But a gentle, warm, everyday kiss.
A kiss of normalcy.
A kiss of the life they were finally allowed to live.
When she pulled back, smiling shyly, she whispered:
"Goodnight… Toshio-kun."
Toshio touched her cheek lovingly.
"Goodnight, Airi."
And as the moon rose above them, silent and silver, the girl who had been lost between two identities finally found her way home.
Not as Mina.
Not as a ghost.
But as Airi Hoshizora—
The girl Toshio had always loved.