Chapter 263: Separation and Return

As night fell, the Hotel seemed unusually quiet.

It was partly because they'd been exhausted by a Ren's revelations, and Kogoro had spent the entire afternoon trying to talk to them.

"Kogoro sure is enthusiastic."

Yumi Horikoshi looked slightly troubled.

"That guy's always been like this, you know that."

Nakamichi Kazushi laughed carefreely beside her, though his smile held a trace of bitterness.

"I really didn't expect you to have such serious psychological issues."

"Same here. I didn't expect you to be thinking of getting rid of me entirely."

Yumi shot back without hesitation.

But she wasn't really angry anymore. In truth, she had often thought of suicide in the past. Her emotional instability and the tendency to hurt others might have come from an unconscious desire for self-destruction.

Now that things were out in the open and the difficult words had been spoken, she actually felt somewhat relieved.

"My thoughts were extreme. I just wanted to change the direction of my life. My fiancée agreed too. Also, don't pretend you're innocent. I didn't even bring up your harassment over the last six months."

Kazushi looked a bit embarrassed when she pointed that out. He truly had thought about ending things entirely. But it had been Yumi's behavior that pushed him to that point.

"These past six months… I was confused too."

"Weren't we all?"

For both of them, the last six months had been a whirlwind of emotional chaos. Under such high mental stress, they had made all the wrong choices.

Neither of them wanted to dwell on the past any longer.

Yumi looked up at the night sky, where stars were still visible. It felt like there was still hope glimmering in her otherwise dark life, and her mood lifted just a little.

She began reflecting on the past six months.

She had always hoped her partner would be someone she loved, someone who could accept the parts of her that were hard to face. But she had been afraid that revealing her past would lead to rejection.

At the same time, her past experiences had made her deeply wary of men.

It was because of that wariness that she could never bring herself to accept Kazushi's marriage proposal. The closer he pushed for marriage, the more withdrawn and unstable she became. When he finally walked away for good, her nerves snapped.

Her mind turned manic and violent, and the dark thought that "if I can't have it, I'll destroy it" took root deep in her heart.

Now that she looked back calmly, it terrified her.

I really should see a doctor.

Yumi wasn't sure if she'd ever had that realization before, but she knew now—under that manic influence, she would've continued acting impulsively, following thoughts born of pain.

What surprised her most was that today, in that moment of conflict, she didn't feel any mania at all. Instead, her heart was calm.

She didn't know how it happened, but the spiritual peace she felt right now was the most relaxed she had been in a long time.

Because of that tranquility, she was finally able to think clearly and acknowledge that her mental state was unstable, and that she needed proper treatment.

"Well, that's enough of this topic. Kogoro's going to catch on if we're gone too long."

Turning back, Yumi made her decision—to part ways with her former self.

"This should be the last time we meet. From now on, let's stay out of each other's lives."

After learning that Kazushi had once considered killing her, Yumi understood that her mental condition had affected many people.

Regardless of how much her mental state influenced others, the moment Kazushi had such thoughts, it meant their relationship had reached its end. The best outcome now was to go their separate ways and never cross paths again.

"Yeah."

Kazushi didn't try to stop her. After 18 years of love, he had only now learned about Yumi's traumatic past—from a friend of Kogoro's daughter, no less.

Maybe he should've realized it earlier.

But there's no such thing as "maybe" in the real world.

As Yumi turned the corner, she bumped into someone.

"You…"

It was Omura, the most honest and sincere person in their old judo club.

But right now, his face was filled with sadness. Yumi immediately realized that Omura had overheard her conversation with Kazushi.

She chuckled.

"Omura, I'm not dead, so don't look so miserable. Didn't Kogoro already guess everything from your expression?"

"Yumi, your mental health…"

Omura still looked at her with concern.

"Well, I think it can be treated. After this class reunion, I plan to see a psychologist and start therapy. Though I might have to rely on medication going forward."

Yumi didn't think it was a big deal.

Mental illness needs to be addressed. After experiencing this rare moment of peace, she could no longer accept being the unstable version of herself. Even if it meant relying on medication, she refused to be ruled by emotions for the rest of her life.

Mental illness could be treated—it just required long-term care.

As for how long it would take, Yumi didn't know.

For 18 years, she never once believed she had a problem. After such a long delay, who could say how long recovery would take?

"Yumi, would you go out with me?"

"…"

The sudden confession caught Yumi completely off guard. She turned and looked at Omura, who seemed anxious after saying something so bold. She couldn't help but laugh.

"Omura, I'm not a good woman. I'm not as innocent as I seem. I toyed with someone's feelings for 18 years."

"…I know."

"???"

"I knew you and Nakamichi were dating back in college."

Omura's words stunned Yumi even more. She stood in silence for a moment.

"Omura… are you serious?"

"Yeah. From the moment we first met… I had a crush on you."

Yumi never imagined that Omura, always so quiet and unassuming, had such feelings for her.

"You still say that after hearing everything I've been through?"

"I… don't want to see you suffer. I didn't know before, but now… I don't want Yumi to end up like that."

Yumi could feel the sincerity in his words.

"I don't know when my condition will get better."

"That's okay. I want to stay with you."

"…"

Yumi sighed and looked away.

"Then stay with me for a while. If you get tired of it, leave whenever you want. I'm not a good woman."

(To be continued.)

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