After hanging up, Hōjō Suzune dabbed the corner of her mouth with a tissue, removing a trace of oil from her ramen. She slipped her earphones in and carefully replayed the phone call she'd just recorded.
Through the headphones, the young man's voice filled her ears. A satisfied smile bloomed on her fair, pretty face. She tapped the screen twice, noting the date.
After a moment, as if craving more, she opened another audio file from a private, password-protected folder.
"Suzune... I like you. No matter what, I'll be by your side. Always supporting you..."
Listening to those words, Hōjō Suzune felt an electric current run through her body. Her hands clenched suddenly.
Her legs, beneath her skirt, pressed tightly together. Even her toes, wrapped in their white school socks, curled involuntarily.
Whew~
A delicate blush crept across her usually pale features. Her chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths.
She looked like a rose just beginning to bloom.
Click.
Unable to contain the heat building in her chest any longer, the girl suddenly stood, clutching her phone like a lifeline, and walked into her bedroom.
She drew the curtains. The room plunged into dim, comfortable shadows.
Opening her wardrobe, she reached to the very back and pulled out a beige men's jacket.
Plop.
Suzune kicked off her slippers and eagerly climbed onto her bed, white socks disappearing into the soft duvet.
From beneath her pillow, she retrieved a photograph. Shiratori Seiya's face smiled up at her. She arranged the jacket—still faintly carrying a scent only she could detect—over her pillow, hugging it close.
With the recording playing softly in her ears, the girl pressed her flushed face deep into the fabric and inhaled.
"Suzune... I like you. No matter what, I'll be by your side. Always supporting you..."
The audio quality was rough. The cadence was wrong. If you listened closely, you could tell it had been crudely spliced together from different recordings. But Suzune didn't care. Not one bit.
About ten minutes later, she emerged from the pillow, gasping softly. Her right hand, which had been gripping the fabric, relaxed. Her cherry-colored lips parted, breath warm and uneven.
The hair at her temples was damp with sweat.
For a while, the aching emptiness in her chest—the chasm that had been gaping open—felt filled. Whole again.
But slowly, inevitably, the void returned. And this time, it felt even larger than before.
The harsh reality crashed back down. The fantasy shattered. She was plunged into darkness, wrapped in a suffocating loneliness.
Hōjō Suzune turned her head expressionlessly. Her fingers pinched the edge of the photograph, tracing the outline of the young man's smiling face. Her gaze grew distant.
Some people are like magnets and iron. Destined to attract. Once they meet, it's nearly impossible to pull them apart.
She had fallen hopelessly, irreversibly in love with Shiratori Seiya before she even understood what love meant.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call him her first love.
She had met him even before her sister had.
Back then, after she'd graduated middle school, her parents had been constantly fighting. Petty arguments about things she couldn't understand. Their promise of a family trip to Hokkaido kept getting postponed. Her sister was always busy with kendo club competitions and training.
Meanwhile, her friends were posting vacation photos all over social media.
"Hōjō-chan, didn't you say you were going to Hokkaido? I haven't seen any updates—did something happen?"
"No, it's fine. Just... delayed a few days. Some stuff came up."
"You should go soon, though! In a couple days, all the summer events will be over. It won't be as fun."
"Ah, okay..."
"But if you go before next week, you can still catch the kendo tournament there. I heard it's really exciting..."
"You might even meet someone interesting! Risa met this guy Kawasaki in Hokkaido last year. You haven't had a boyfriend yet, have you?"
"Boyfriend? Isn't that... too early for me?"
"Come on, just try it! It's gonna happen eventually anyway. Didn't the math teacher say experience is something you build up slowly?"
"..."
Hōjō Suzune couldn't quite remember what she'd been feeling at that moment. Maybe it was a stubborn, foolish pride. A refusal to let anyone know how broken her family situation really was.
So she'd run off to Hokkaido alone.
That naive hope and excitement had been crushed almost immediately by the crushing anxiety of being by herself in an unfamiliar place.
She'd mechanically taken photos of the long, boring coastline. The deflated event balloons. She'd tried to find that martial arts hall her friend mentioned, but it was too crowded. Too hot. She'd snapped a quick photo from outside—proof she'd been there—and left.
That evening, she'd sat by the shore, waiting impatiently for the sun to sink below the horizon.
One last photo of the sunset, she'd thought. Then I'll go home.
But summer days are cruel. Long. No matter how long she waited, that golden orb refused to dip into the sea.
By the time the sky finally darkened, twilight fading to black, the streetlights flickering on above her, she realized the clouds had rolled in. There would be no sunset to photograph.
Before the disappointment could even fully settle, a rough voice scraped against her ear.
"Hey... you're alone, aren'tcha?"
Hōjō Suzune froze. Her entire body locked up.
She turned stiffly. A face loomed close—too close. Beady eyes, glazed and hungry. The stench of alcohol made her stomach lurch.
*Picture Blackbeard…. Zehahahaha
She didn't hear what he said next. Fear flooded her veins. She just ran.
"Oi!"
A hand grabbed the strap of her bag. Suzune yanked her arm free, like a gecko sacrificing its tail to escape.
Behind her, the man cursed. Vicious, ugly words.
Suzune ran. Eyes squeezed shut. Legs pumping. Nowhere. Anywhere.
She didn't know how long she ran.
Ten seconds. Maybe a minute.
It felt like half a day.
BEEP BEEP BEEEEEP!!!
A deafening horn exploded in her ears. Suzune's eyes flew open. Headlights blazed—blinding, impossibly bright—bearing down on her slender frame.
Her mind went blank.
Am I... going to die?
SCREEEECH!!!
Tires screamed against asphalt.
When Suzune's senses returned, she was wrapped in someone's arms. Held tight against a warm chest. She looked up.
A young man's face came into view. Handsome. Calm. Unfamiliar.
"Are you okay?"
His voice was gentle. Even the hot summer wind seemed to cool at the sound.
The truck driver leaned out his window, face purple with rage. "If you wanna die, go jump in the ocean! Don't drag innocent people down with you, you idiot!" He spat, rolled up his window, and roared away into the night.
For a long moment, Suzune just stood there, trembling slightly in the stranger's arms. Then, slowly, she shook her small head.
"I think... I'm okay..."
"Can you walk?"
At her nod, he released her carefully. The moment his arms left, her legs gave out. She crumpled to the ground, knees scraping against the pavement.
"Well," he said, observing her predicament, "that's not gonna work. You can't get a cab around here. Want me to carry you?"
Without waiting for an answer, Shiratori Seiya crouched in front of her, presenting his back.
On some strange impulse—fate, maybe, or just shock—Suzune found herself climbing onto the stranger's back.
He was slender but tall. Lean. But the moment her arms looped around his neck, she felt something unexpected: safety. His hands were broad, his grip steady. He walked without swaying, as if carrying her weighed nothing at all.
"What's your name? Where's home?"
"Kyoto..."
"Kyoto?" Surprise colored his voice. Then, after a pause, a soft chuckle. "Small world. I'm from Kyoto too."
Coincidence? Or something else? As they passed beneath streetlights, one by one, Hōjō Suzune's dark eyes sparkled. She chose, instinctively, to believe him.
"I'm here for a competition, actually."
"A competition?"
"Kendo. The IH preliminaries. Our school's a strong contender for the championship this year."
Suzune had no idea what "IH" meant. It sounded important. Embarrassed to ask, she stayed quiet.
As if sensing her confusion, he explained unprompted: "IH stands for the Inter-High School Athletic Meet. Kendo's one of the main events. You're still in middle school, right? You'll learn about it when you get to high school."
I'll be in high school soon.
For some reason, his assumption that she was still a child irritated her. She almost corrected him. Almost. But arguing with a stranger she'd just met would leave a bad impression, wouldn't it?
So instead, she offered a simple: "You're amazing."
He shook his head, smiling. "Not me. My girlfriend. She made it to IH in her first year. She'll probably sweep every kendo competition this year."
Girlfriend.
The word stabbed into her chest like a needle.
At that age, Suzune hadn't yet experienced what it truly felt like to like someone. The sudden pang of... something... was confusing even to herself.
"That's amazing," she managed, forcing the words out.
"Yeah." His voice shifted. A strange note crept in—frustration? Exasperation? "Amazing, but... doesn't pay much."
He stopped himself, clearly deciding the rest wasn't for her ears. He changed the subject smoothly. "Don't be jealous. You'll get your own competitions when you're in high school. You're in a club, right?"
"Brass band."
"Thought so. You've probably got real talent for instruments. Keep at it. You'll be famous someday."
He spoke with such certainty. More confidence in her future than she'd ever mustered herself. As if he could already see it—the path laid out before her.
For reasons she couldn't explain, Suzune's mood lifted. She rested her chin against his shoulder, soft as a kitten.
"Mhm."
Silence fell between them. Comfortable, but urgent in its own way. She wanted to know more. Everything. But the words wouldn't come.
They walked until streetlights gave way to shop signs. The sound of traffic grew closer, announcing their inevitable parting.
Her heart raced.
She had to see him again.
Absolutely.
Her breathing quickened. Her fingers, resting on his shoulder, tightened unconsciously.
"Your... your name?"
"Shiratori Seiya."
"And yours?"
"Hōjō... Hōjō Suzune."
>>>>
That first encounter had been like a dream. And ever since, Hōjō Suzune had been unable to wake from it.
After graduating middle school, she didn't hesitate. She chose the same high school as Shiratori Seiya.
When she learned he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she'd been so happy she couldn't sleep all night. She'd sent him comforting messages—genuine concern, yes—but behind her phone screen, her mind was already racing with strategies. With plans.
When they finally started dating, she'd throw herself into competitions too. She wouldn't be outdone by some ex-girlfriend.
But reality had other plans.
One beautiful, sunny morning.
Her sister brought Shiratori Seiya home for the first time. Her eyes were shining with happiness as she made the introduction.
"Suzune, this is Shiratori Seiya. He's my boyfriend now."
>>>>
The memories crashed over her like waves. Lying in her bed, years later, Hōjō Suzune curled her small body into a tight ball.
Crystal tears slipped from the corners of her eyes, soaking into her pillowcase.
"Seiya..." Her whisper was barely audible, swallowed by the darkness. "You're mine."
"Just wait for me a little longer. Just wait."
"No one's taking you away from me. Not even my sister."
The girl's murmurs dissolved into the dust-filled air. But in her tear-streaked eyes, something new had taken root.
Determination.
A fated encounter demanded a fated conclusion. She and Seiya would end up together.
They had to.