81 days left

The following day. Kazuki entered the classroom without saying a word. As usual. He kept his gaze low, only glancing briefly at the seats ahead of him, his eyes brushing over the spot where Hikari used to sit. Empty.

Until it wasn't.

There she was.

She had returned.

Hikari was standing by her desk, laughing softly with Ren, of all people. Her back was to Kazuki, her hair slightly curled at the ends today. She looked... normal. As if nothing had happened. As if she hadn't disappeared for days without a word. As if she hadn't left him wondering if she would ever come back.

Ren leaned a little too close, and Hikari stepped away slightly, brushing her bangs behind her ear.

"I just wasn't feeling well," she said, her voice clear enough to reach Kazuki. "Nothing serious."

Kazuki's footsteps slowed. He didn't know what to think. Relief? Confusion? Anger?

Then she turned.

Her eyes found him instantly—those familiar brown eyes. Wide. Soft. Honest.

And then, without hesitation, she ran.

Across the room. Past desks and classmates who stopped to stare.

And into his arms.

The sound of the classroom disappeared. There was only the feeling of her arms around him, tight, trembling slightly. Her cheek pressed to his chest, and he realized his heart was pounding.

She didn't say anything. Not yet.

Kazuki stood frozen, his breath caught somewhere in his throat. His arms moved on their own, slowly, wrapping around her with the gentleness of someone afraid the moment might shatter.

"Glad to see you're doing well," he murmured, almost in disbelief.

She pulled back just enough to look up at him. Her smile was different. Not forced. Not hiding. It was the kind of smile you give someone you missed, someone you were scared you'd never see again.

He had never seen that smile on her face before. Not like this.

---

The classroom settled eventually. Whispers moved like wind between the desks, but no one dared to interrupt them again. Hikari sat beside Kazuki now. It felt like an unspoken agreement between them, even if the seat technically belonged to someone else. No one argued.

She tapped her pen against the desk absentmindedly. "You look tired."

Kazuki tilted his head slightly. "Haven't been sleeping much."

"Because of me?"

He didn't answer.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

The word weighed more than he expected.

"Why did you come back today?"

Hikari hesitated. "Because I realized something. Hiding doesn't change anything."

Her eyes flicked to the clock on the wall, just for a second. Kazuki noticed. He always noticed now.

---

Lunch came quicker than expected. Students poured out into the hallways, some heading for the cafeteria, others to the roof. Kazuki gathered his things slowly, not really thinking about where to go.

Then he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Come with me," Hikari said.

He followed without question.

They ended up behind the school, where the trees cast long shadows and the wind was softer.

"I thought about what you told me," she began.

Kazuki's chest tightened.

"About the countdown. My time. All of it."

She faced him, her arms crossed, but her eyes were vulnerable.

"I don't want to pretend it's not real. But I also don't want to let it control me. That's why I needed time. To decide who I want to be with what's left."

"And have you decided?"

Hikari looked at him for a long moment. The wind carried strands of her hair across her face, but she didn't brush them away.

"Not completely," she admitted. "But I want to spend more time with you. If that's okay."

Kazuki exhaled slowly, his shoulders lowering just a bit.

"It's more than okay."

---

Classes resumed. The day passed in a blur of chalk on blackboards, the rustling of pages, the buzz of fluorescent lights. But Kazuki didn't care. Not today.

When the final bell rang, students spilled out like water escaping a cracked vase. The hallway filled with noise and laughter, and for once, Kazuki didn't feel like an outsider. Not completely.

He turned to leave, when he saw Natsumi waiting by the door.

She smiled when she saw him.

"Hey."

"Hey."

He walked up to her slowly. Hikari was just a few steps behind him.

"Thanks," he said, surprising even himself.

Natsumi tilted her head. "For what?"

"For helping me. That day. You didn't have to."

Natsumi's smile softened. "You're Hikari's friend. And you looked like you needed someone. I just did what anyone would."

"Not everyone would," Kazuki replied.

"Well," she said, giving him a playful nudge on the arm, "I'm not everyone."

They laughed—just a little. But it was real.

"Come on," Hikari said. "Let's walk. All three of us."

---

The sky was turning orange, the sun dipping low behind the rooftops as the three of them walked side by side. Natsumi talked the most, as usual, recounting some story about a first-year who got stuck in the bathroom stall. Hikari laughed, the sound light and genuine. Kazuki mostly listened, but he didn't feel left out. Not anymore.

When they reached Natsumi's street, she waved goodbye and skipped off, promising to text Hikari later.

That left just the two of them.

They walked in silence for a while. Not awkward. Just quiet.

Hikari's hand brushed against his once, then again. And then she took it.

Kazuki looked at her.

"You don't have to be strong all the time," she said, her fingers tightening just slightly around his. "It's okay to let people in."

He nodded, not trusting his voice.

They reached her house first. She turned to him at the gate.

"See you tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"Goodnight, Kazuki."

"Goodnight, Hikari."

She lingered a moment longer, then stepped inside.

---

Kazuki walked the rest of the way home alone. The streets were empty now, the sky fading into a deep blue. When he reached his room, he dropped his bag by the door and collapsed onto his bed.

He stared at the ceiling, the familiar cracks in the plaster like veins above him.

He didn't feel hollow anymore.

He felt something else.

A fire.

He closed his eyes.

"I will save you no matter what."

And he meant it.