After the funeral, Miko stopped being herself.
At school, she still came every day. She still wore her uniform properly. She still sat in her seat and answered when teachers called her name. To everyone else, she looked the same.
But inside, she was completely empty.
She no longer laughed.
She no longer teased Tenkei in her mind.
She no longer waited for his shy smile.
Every time she looked at the empty seat beside her, her chest tightened painfully. Sometimes she would unconsciously turn her head, expecting to see him there, quietly organizing his books, nervously glancing at her, waiting for her to talk first. But there was nothing.
Only silence.
Only absence.
At night, she couldn't sleep.
She lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying everything again and again.
His confused eyes.
His trembling voice.
"I didn't do anything."
Her slap.
Her cold words.
"I trusted you… and you betrayed me."
Each memory stabbed her heart like a knife.
"I killed him…" she whispered one night.
Her hands covered her face.
"I didn't listen… I didn't believe… I pushed him away…"
Tears soaked her pillow.
Every morning, she woke up exhausted.
She stopped eating properly.
She stopped caring about her appearance.
Her grades dropped.
Teachers noticed.
Friends noticed.
But no one knew how to help.
Because her pain was too deep.
One evening, Miko visited Tenkei's house again. She sat in his room, holding his letter tightly.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…" she murmured.
"I should have protected you… like you protected me…"
She looked at his photo on the desk.
"Why didn't I run faster… why didn't I trust you…" she cried.
"I love you… I always did… and I was too blind to say it…"
Her heart felt heavy every second.
Living itself became painful.
Meanwhile, Airi's world began to collapse.
After Miko exposed her at the funeral, rumors spread quickly. Students started connecting the dots. The three boys were questioned by teachers and parents. Under pressure, they finally confessed everything.
The drink.
The acting.
The lies.
The plan.
Everything.
The school administration took action immediately.
Airi was called into the office.
Her parents were summoned.
The truth was revealed.
She was suspended.
The boys were punished.
Some were transferred.
Some were expelled.
Students who once admired Airi now avoided her. They whispered when she walked by. They looked at her with disgust.
"That's the girl who ruined him."
"She lied and destroyed his life."
"How cruel can someone be?"
Airi stopped smiling.
Her confident face disappeared.
She walked through the halls alone, hearing every word, feeling every stare.
One afternoon, she sat alone on a bench outside the school, staring at the ground.
"I didn't mean for it to go this far…" she whispered.
"But… I wanted him…"
Her hands shook.
"I just wanted him to choose me…"
For the first time, she felt real fear.
Real guilt.
Real loneliness.
No one was on her side anymore.
One day, she saw Miko standing near Tenkei's classroom.
Miko looked thin.
Tired.
Broken.
She was holding his letter.
Airi's chest tightened.
She slowly approached.
"Miko…" she said quietly.
Miko turned.
Her eyes were empty.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly.
"I… I'm sorry," Airi whispered. "I ruined everything… I ruined him… I ruined you…"
Tears filled her eyes.
"I was jealous… selfish… I didn't think about the consequences…"
Miko stared at her.
Then she spoke.
"You didn't just hurt me," she said softly. "You destroyed someone who trusted you. Someone who loved me more than his own life."
Her voice trembled.
"He's gone," she continued. "And no apology can bring him back."
Airi fell to her knees.
"I know… I know…" she cried. "I'll regret this forever…"
Miko looked away.
"Live with it," she said.
"Because I have to."
And she walked away.
That night, Miko sat by her window, watching the stars.
"Tenkei…" she whispered.
"I'm still here… even if you're not…"
"I'll carry you in my heart forever…"
"I promise… I won't waste the life you couldn't live…"
Tears slid down her face.
But for the first time, she didn't hide them.
She let herself cry.
She let herself feel.
She let herself remember.
And slowly, painfully, she began learning how to live with love, loss, and regret.