One afternoon, after classes ended, Miko and Airi stayed behind in the classroom to clean the board. The sun was slowly setting outside the windows, painting the room in soft orange light. Most students had already gone home, and the school felt quiet and peaceful. As Miko erased the last line on the board, Airi suddenly spoke.
"Miko… can I ask you something?" she said gently.
"Hmm?" Miko replied while putting the eraser away.
"You've known Tenkei since you were little, right?" Airi asked.
Miko smiled softly. "Yeah. Since elementary school."
Airi leaned against a desk and looked thoughtful. "What was he like back then?"
Miko paused for a moment, then laughed quietly.
"He was… really different," she said. "He wasn't this shy before."
Airi looked interested. "Different how?"
Miko walked toward the window and stared outside, memories slowly rising in her mind.
"In elementary school, Tenkei was brave," she said. "Not loud or popular, but brave in his own way. He always tried to help others, even when he was scared."
She turned back and smiled sadly.
"Once, when we were in fourth grade, some older boys were bullying me behind the gym. They took my bag and threw it on the roof. I was crying and didn't know what to do."
Airi listened quietly.
"Then Tenkei appeared," Miko continued. "He was shaking, his knees were trembling, but he still stood in front of me. He told them to stop. His voice was small, but he didn't run away."
Her hands tightened slightly.
"They laughed at him and pushed him," she said. "He fell down, scraped his arm, and started bleeding. But he stood up again. He climbed the wall and got my bag back for me."
Airi's eyes widened a little.
"He did that…?"
"Yeah," Miko nodded. "After that, he fainted from pain and fear. We both went to the nurse's room. I held his hand the whole time."
She smiled faintly.
"That day, I thought he was the strongest person in the world."
Airi stayed silent for a few seconds.
"And then?" she asked softly.
Miko's expression darkened.
"Then… his parents died," she whispered.
The air became heavy.
"After that accident, everything changed," Miko continued. "He stopped smiling. He stopped talking. He started blaming himself for everything. He became scared of people. Scared of being alone. Scared of losing anyone."
Her voice trembled.
"He wasn't weak before," she said firmly. "He became weak because he was hurt too deeply."
Airi looked down.
"So he was strong… once," she murmured.
"Yes," Miko replied. "He still is. He just forgot."
Airi slowly smiled.
"That's amazing," she said. "You're lucky to have someone like him."
Miko blushed slightly.
"I… I just want him to be happy," she said.
Meanwhile, Tenkei was walking home alone.
He held his bag tightly, his head lowered.
Airi's words kept repeating in his mind.
"You're weak."
"You're a burden."
"You don't deserve her."
Each sentence stabbed his heart again and again.
He stopped near a park and sat on a bench, breathing heavily.
"I wasn't always like this…" he whispered.
Memories suddenly appeared in his mind.
Him climbing a wall.
Him standing in front of bullies.
Him holding Miko's bag proudly.
Him smiling.
Tears fell from his eyes.
"I used to be brave…" he said quietly. "Didn't I…?"
His chest hurt.
He hugged himself tightly.
"But… I'm scared now… Mom… Dad… I don't want to lose anyone anymore…"
At the same time, from a distance, Airi watched him silently.
Her eyes were calm.
Calculating.
"So… you were strong once," she thought. "Then I'll break that memory too."
And in Tenkei's heart, the battle between his past strength and present fear began