Yume tried to help Kenji stand up, but he pushed her away, saying he was fine and that he had already expected Jun's reaction.
"But why? Can you explain what just happened?"
"You knew they were together, right? You hid it from me too, Yume…"
"It wasn't like that. I found out by accident."
Kenji interrupted:
"Even so, you didn't tell me anything. What great friends I have!!!"
"No, no… I wanted to. Sayuri asked for time, she wanted to tell you carefully…"
Kenji, clearly in pain, started laughing:
"You guys are so innocent. I wasn't even interested in her, you know? She's not my type."
Yume looked confused, not understanding what he was trying to say:
"You must've hit your head pretty hard. You're not making any sense."
"No, Yume, I'm telling you the same thing I told Sayuri. I was just provoking Jun, I never liked her like a woman and maybe she thought I did, I don't know…"
"But… that doesn't make sense. And Jun knew?"
Kenji laughed sarcastically:
"And you think he punched me for what, Yume? He knew. And I told Sayuri. She had to know."
Yume started to feel worried about everything, because she knew that revelation would come at a cost and she didn't know what the outcome would be:
"Do you two never think about the consequences of your actions? Imagine how she must be feeling right now, being deceived like this. She must feel betrayed."
Kenji pretended everything was fine and that it would be solved soon, but deep down, he felt terrible:
"Ah, Yume, relax. They'll make up soon. I'm going to take a shower."
He went upstairs and headed straight to the shower. His shoulders were stiff and heavy, as if he was carrying tons of weight. Yume stayed in the living room, waiting for Sayuri to come back so she could talk to her. An hour passed and there was still no sign of her. She started getting worried; this wasn't normal, and outside, the temperature kept dropping:
"Something happened…" she murmured. "She should've been back by now…"
She ran upstairs and knocked on Jun's door, but there was no answer. Then she ran to Kenji's room:
"Kenji!! Please, open up."
"What is it, Yume?" he asked, still sleepy.
"Sayuri still hasn't come back, and the temperature is dropping fast outside."
"Calm down. Did you check her room? And Jun's?"
"He's not answering. Come on, Kenji, what if something happened?"
"Nothing happened, relax. Come on, let's find Jun, she must be with him."
Knock knock knock. Nothing. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!! Louder.
Jun took off his headphones and heard the knocking.
"What the hell…" he put the headphones back on.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!!
"WHAT DO YOU WANT???" Jun shouted.
"Jun, is Sayuri there?" Yume asked, her voice trembling.
"Sayuri? No." He took off his headphones and stood up. "Why?"
Yume and Kenji looked at each other and she started shaking:
"Oh my God, where is she? Where did you see her last, Jun?"
"Why? What's going on?"
"Jun, she still hasn't come back and it's getting colder and colder outside."
Jun looked at the clock and realized it had already been hours since he left her alone in the forest. Without thinking, he grabbed his coat and ran out. Yume and Kenji followed him:
"Yume, stay here. Let us know if she comes back."
Kenji ran into the forest trying to catch up with Jun:
"Hey, Jun, calm down. Let's look together, okay?"
Jun nodded, and Kenji noticed something in his eyes he had never seen before: fear.
"SAYURI! SAYURI! SAYURI!"
The snow began to fall harder between the pines, and Jun struggled to breathe:
"SAYURI!" he shouted again.
Still no answer. The freezing wind cut through his skin, but he didn't even feel it. Kenji was right behind him. Then Jun stopped for a second, his hands shaking. He ran his hand through his hair, trying to calm himself, but he couldn't:
"She can't have gone that far…"
His voice came out weak:
"It's my fault…"
Jun turned and grabbed Kenji's arm, and for the first time since they met, he looked completely desperate, his eyes glassy with tears.
"Please…" he took a deep breath, trying not to lose control. "Help me find her…"
Kenji froze, because in that moment he recognized that look, the same look from years ago, the same desperate expression. In that instant, Kenji didn't see Jun as he was now; he saw the boy from years ago, standing in the rain, crying as his mother's car disappeared without coming back.
Kenji swallowed hard and hugged his friend:
"We'll find her, I promise."
They searched through several dark paths in the forest until Jun finally saw her, sitting on the ground, crying with her head between her knees. He ran to her and collapsed beside her, pulling her into an embrace:
"I found you," he said, taking off his shirt and placing it around her.
He looked at her and saw her knee injured and her hand cut:
"Love… what happened? This is all my fault…"
She slowly raised her hand, painful and cold:
"I fell… and got lost…"
Jun began to cry and apologize for everything. He was in complete despair:
"I was an idiot, this is all my fault… I'm sorry… please… forgive me…"
"Jun… cough cough"
Kenji watched them from a distance and realized Jun truly loved her, so he stepped closer:
"Let's get out of here. You can talk later. The snow will get heavier and we'll get trapped."
Jun picked Sayuri up in his arms, carrying her back to the cabin despite being cold and weak.
"FRIEND!! OH MY GOD!!" Yume screamed in panic.
"I'm fine, I just got lost."
"Fine? Look at these injuries and you're freezing…"
Kenji held Yume back while Jun carried Sayuri to the room:
"Calm down, Yume. Let them be for a bit… I'll go to the kitchen and prepare some tea and warm compresses."
"I'll go with you…"
When they reached the room, Jun carefully placed Sayuri on the bed, removing her shoes and fixing the pillow:
"I'll ask Yume to help you change."
"It's okay, I can do it myself."
Jun turned away, giving her space to change.
"Done."
"Let me help," Jun said, adjusting the pillow under her injured knee.
He couldn't look her in the eyes; the guilt was eating him alive:
"I knew I should've stayed away… look what I did to you…"
"Don't say that, Jun…"
"It's true… maybe I should just disappear from everyone's life…"
She hugged him tightly, cutting him off:
"Never say that again!! Never! Please… never leave me…"
Jun looked at her.
"But look at everything that happened…"
"None of that matters anymore…"
Yume knocked before entering with tea and warm compresses. She also left some medication beside the bed:
"Friend… you have no idea how scared we were. Never do that again."
She hugged her while crying:
"I'll never leave you alone again…"
"Okay, Yume. Now let her rest."
"Okay, okay…" she sobbed. "Call me if you need anything."
"Okay, friend. Go rest now… cough cough"
Jun noticed Sayuri was shaking and checked her temperature:
"You've got a slight fever. Come on, take this and lie down."
Jun stayed by her side all night, changing the compresses and watching her temperature, and every time she moved slightly, his heart tightened.
Kenji, shaken by everything and feeling an immense weight of guilt, grabbed his keys and left without saying a word. He needed time alone.