As much as they tried to move on with their lives after that intense night, deep down... everyone knew nothing would ever be the same again.
Yume had offended her friend.Sayuri had her heart broken for the first time.Jun felt like crap.And Kenji was still trying to understand what had happened.
They all pretended not to talk about it, or at least avoided remembering it.
Jun believed there wouldn't be any consequences for his actions and that everything would go back to normal. For him, it would be easy to move on, to focus on his own goals without obstacles in his way... just like he had always done.
But as the days went by, he realized something was missing. A quiet emptiness began to grow inside him. As if suddenly nothing made sense anymore. And even though he tried to ignore it, there was something he couldn't deny: he missed her.
He missed the way she looked at him, missed her smile and her kind words. And most of all... he missed that feeling of being important to someone.
On a quiet night, alone in his room, Jun let his fingers slide over the guitar strings, lost in a random melody. With each whispered verse, a single image kept coming back.
He started writing down the words that came to his mind. A song was being born right there.
He wouldn't admit it, but it was for her. It was as if his heart was speaking louder, stubborn... betraying his own reason.
The song talked about the kiss, about their first moment together, and how beautiful she looked—even when she seemed sad that afternoon when they ran into each other.
When he finished, he set the guitar aside and lay back on the bed. The half-open window let the cold breeze in.
He stared at the sky, at the distant stars... but his mind was even farther away.
"Enough..." he muttered, suddenly getting up.
He grabbed his jacket and left.
"My dear, are you going out?" his grandmother asked softly.
"I'm just going for a walk, Grandma. Don't worry."
He put on his boots and stepped outside. Without realizing it, his steps led him to a tavern. As soon as he walked in, he found Kenji.
"So you're here..." Jun said, approaching. "You didn't even call me."
Kenji looked up, surprised, but quickly smiled.
"It was kind of... last minute."
Jun glanced at the table. Three glasses.
"You're not alone, are you?"
Kenji cleared his throat.
"I was with Yume... and Sayuri. But they already left."
For a second, Jun looked around, trying to hide it—but not well enough.
"So now you're avoiding me?" he said, looking away.
"Of course not. I told you, it was last minute. You know how Yume is... impulsive," Kenji replied, trying to play it off. "I'll grab more drinks."
"The usual."
"I know. Be right back."
Hours later, outside, on their way home, Jun—slightly affected by the alcohol—asked, almost without thinking:
"How was she?"
Kenji glanced at him.
"Sayuri?... She seemed fine."
Jun nodded slowly.
"Good... that way I don't feel guilty."
Kenji stopped for a moment.
"You really don't care... if she stops liking you?"
Jun took a deep breath.
"It's better this way... for both of us."
Kenji didn't reply. He just kept walking.
When they arrived, he helped Jun up to his room. As he laid him on the bed, his eyes fell on a crumpled paper beside the guitar.
Curious, he picked it up and read it. Then he looked at Jun, already asleep.
"How long are you going to keep denying your feelings..."
The next morning, he woke up to his grandmother's voice. As he stepped out of his room, he found a note stuck to the door:
"Practice this afternoon. Don't be late!"
"Of all days..." he muttered, still sleepy.
"Good morning, Grandma."
"Good morning, dear. Want some coffee?"
"Sure."
While drinking his coffee, he said:
"I've got practice this afternoon, Grandma. Do you need anything?"
She thought for a moment.
"No, just finishing some cookies for a friend."
"I can help."
"No," she said with a smile. "Go have fun. You've been too alone lately, always locked in that room."
"Alright," he replied, finishing his coffee.
"Oh!" she called out. "Before you go, take these cookies to our neighbor."
"Our neighbor?"
"Yes. Tell her that next week I'll make the vanilla ones."
"Sure..."
Around three in the afternoon, he left in a hurry. He wanted to deliver the cookies before Sayuri got home... but fate wasn't on his side.
Sayuri's mother opened the door.
"Good afternoon."
Instant relief.
"Good afternoon, ma'am. My grandmother sent these cookies and asked me to tell you that next week she'll make vanilla ones."
"Oh, wonderful. Thank you. Come in for a bit."
"No need, I'm in a hurry," he said, trying to avoid staying longer.
As he turned to leave, he couldn't believe his eyes.
She was there. Their eyes met again after so long. The world seemed to stop for a moment.
But before he could say anything, she looked away and walked inside... ignoring him completely.
As if he didn't exist.
Jun stood there, frozen. And in that moment, something inside him hurt in a way he didn't expect.
A silent rejection... but deep.
Dazed and confused, he started walking toward practice. On the way, he tried to convince himself that it was a good sign.
That it was exactly what he wanted. She was pulling away. Doing the right thing, just like he asked.
So... why did it hurt so much?