Chapter 1: A fool's final goodbye

Hotaru clutched the small,wrapped gift in her hands,her fingers tightening around the ribbon. Today was her one year anniversary with Ren. She had spent the whole day thinking about what to say,what to wear, and

how to make the evening special.

But now, sitting across from him at thier usual cafe, she felt invisible.

Ren was smiling – just not at her. His phone rested on the table,screen lit up with messages. His fingers danced over the keyboard as he typed something, his lips curving into a soft smirk.

"Ren?" she called,forcing a smile

No response.

She swallowed. "Ren?"

He exhaled sharply, finally looking up,

"What?"

She hesitated." I...I was talking about our anniversary. Did you–"

"You're so clingy," he muttered, shaking his head and returning to his phone."you always need attention. It's exhausting, Hotaru."

Her chest tightened. She wasn't being clingy, was she? Wanting to talk to her boyfriend on thier anniversary... that wasn't wrong, was it?

His phone buzzed again, at this time, Hotaru caught a glimpse of the name on the screen.

AKANE

Her best friend.

She laughed weekly. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

But deep down, something inside her cracked.

The truth hit her hard like a solid slap on her face days later, when she entered the classroom after school.

Whispers. Laughter. The sound of a kiss

Hotaru froze at the door.

Ren leaned against the desk, his hands resting on Akane's waist. The same hands that used to hold hers. Akane was whispering something in his ear, her hands trailing over his collar.

It was a joke, right? Some kind of mistake?

Hotaru stepped forward, her voice barely a whisper "Ren...?"

They turned. Akane smirked. Ren sighed.

"You weren't supposed to see this," Ren said, his tone almost bored." But whatever. Now you know."

Hotaru's voice tightened. "You... You said you loved me."

Ren scoffed. "Yeah well. You were convinient. You helped me get close to Akane."

Akane leaned against him, her lips brushing his ear. "You didn't really think he was into you, did you?"

Her voice was so sweet, yet every word stabbed Hotaru in the heart.

Ren wrapped an arm around Akane's waist.

"You were just.... too easy to fool. A little too dumb, honestly."

Her world spun.

Her bestfriend. Her boyfriend. The people she trusted most— laughing at her, throwing her away like she was nothing.

Her fingers clenched at her sides. "I trusted you."

"And that," Akane said with a snug smile, "was your biggest mistake."

The betrayals didn't end there.

The following week, Hotaru rushed to her professor's office, gripping the printed manuscript of her novel. The story she had poured her heart into for three whole years.

She had been working under professor Takeda, her mentor, who had always encouraged her writing. He had promised to help publish her book, to make her dreams come true.

But when she entered his office, a new literary magazine sat on his desk.

The cover bore the title of her novel.

And below it...

Written by Takeda Ayame

His only daughter.

Her hands trembled as she grabbed the magazine, flipping through the pages.

Her words. Her story. Her characters.

Her future.

Stolen.

She lifted her eyes, voice shaking.

"Why...?"

Professor Takeda leaned back in his chair, his expression calm. You're young, Hotaru.

No one would have cared about your book.

But Ayame... she has name,status. She can make this story famous. You don't even have parents."

Hotaru felt something shatter inside her.

"You said I was talented."

"You are," he said smoothly. "Which is why I used you."

She could barely breathe. "You lied to me. For three years."

Professor Takeda sighed, rubbing his temples. " You being dramatic. It's just a book."

Just a book.

Just a boyfriend.

Just a bestfriend.

Just everything she had cared about, torn away.

And in that moment,she realised— she had nothing left.

The wind howled as Hotaru stepped onto the mountain cliff.

She had come here many times before.

When she needed peace, when she wanted to escape.

Tonight, it would be her final visit.

She stood at the edge, staring down at the abyss below. Her hands trembled, her

heart numb.

No one cared.

No one ever did.

Would the world even notice if I disappeared? Hotaru thought to herself.

Hotaru exhaled softly, closing her eyes.

Then—

A sound.

A groan.

Her eyes snapped open, and she turned sharply.

A man lay sprawled on the ground, barely breathing, his body soaked in blood.

Her heart pounded. Was he dead?

She hesitated, then stepped closer,

kneeling beside him. His face was covered by the shadows, but his body was littered with deep gashes, wounds that looked fresh.

Hotaru's suicide plan was completely forgotten.

She reached out, pressing a shaky hand on his shoulder. "Hey.... are you okay?"

No response.

Her chest tightened. Is he dead?!!

Panicked, she did the first thing that came to mind—

She slapped him across the face.

The man's eyes snapped open.

"You," he muttered, voice laced with irritation. "Are way too loud."

~~~~~~~~~ End of chapter 1~~~~~~~~~

Hotaru's assassin © 2025 by Hanagaki ryuka is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0