I'm sorry Natsumi

At school, there was a tension between them—not the usual awkward kind. It was heavier than that. Natsumi noticed it right away during break.

"Hey," she said, setting her lunch down next to Hikari's. "You two okay?"

Kazuki didn't answer.

The classroom was warmer than usual, but Kazuki's hands were freezing. He had already made up his mind—today, they were going to tell Natsumi.

Hikari had spent the last few days debating the idea, but in the end, she couldn't keep it from her best friend any longer. Some truths needed to be shared, no matter how much they hurt. And this one hurt more than any other.

After school, they waited for Natsumi in their classroom.

When Natsumi finally arrived, smiling as always, Kazuki could barely look her in the eyes.

"Hey," she said, brushing hair from her cheek. "What's going on? You both sounded serious in your text."

Hikari looked at Kazuki, silently asking for strength. He gave a small nod, even though his insides were twisted in knots.

"Natsumi," Hikari began, her voice almost cracking. "I need to tell you something… but promise me you won't freak out, okay?"

Natsumi tilted her head. "You're scaring me already. What is it?"

Hikari took a deep breath. "I'm going to die. In about sixty-five days."

The words landed like thunder in the silent corner of the school. Natsumi blinked slowly, waiting for the punchline, the joke, the anything.

"W-What?" she asked, voice trembling.

Kazuki stepped forward, wanting to help carry the weight. "It's true. I… I can see when people are going to die. It's like a timer, above their heads. I don't know why I can see it, but it's never been wrong."

Natsumi stared at him, the color draining from her face. "That's… That's not funny."

"I know it's not," Kazuki replied. "It's not meant to be."

Hikari touched Natsumi's arm gently. "I didn't believe it at first either. But everything he's told me has come true. We've seen it happen."

Natsumi looked back and forth between the two of them, eyes wide. "No. No. This can't be real. Please tell me this is a sick prank. Hikari, please!"

Kazuki looked down, then turned toward the field beyond the fence. "Do you remember that stray cat that always wandered around the school? The orange one with the limp?"

Natsumi nodded slowly. "Yeah. Everyone called it Mikan."

"It died two days ago," Kazuki said. "I saw its timer. I didn't want to believe it. And then… it just collapsed. Right near the school gates."

"I… I didn't see anything," Natsumi whispered, almost to herself.

"I did," Hikari said, her voice hollow. "Kazuki was right. It's always been right."

A long silence stretched between them. Natsumi's breathing grew sharp. Then, suddenly, she slapped Kazuki—hard. The sound echoed against the class walls. He didn't flinch.

"You knew? You knew all this time?!" she screamed, her voice raw with pain. "And you didn't tell me?! Do you have any idea what it's like to hear this from you now? When there's nothing I can do?!"

Tears flooded her eyes, but she didn't stop.

"I'm her best friend!" she sobbed. "You should have told me! You both should've told me! How could you keep this from me?!"

"I'm sorry," Kazuki said quietly, not meeting her gaze. "We didn't know how. We didn't want to hurt you."

"But you did," she whispered, stepping back. "You hurt me more than I thought possible."

Hikari took a shaky step forward. "Natsumi, I was scared. I still am. I didn't want you to look at me differently. I didn't want to cry every day with you. I didn't want you to pity me."

"Don't you get it?" Natsumi shouted. "I don't pity you! I love you! You're my best friend! If I had known, I could've… I don't know! I could've done something, anything to help! You shouldn't have gone through this alone!"

Hikari was crying now too. "I didn't want to break your heart."

"You already did," Natsumi whispered, her voice cracking.

They stood in silence for a moment, until Natsumi wiped her face and walked over, wrapping her arms around Hikari.

"You idiot," she whispered into Hikari's shoulder. "You should've told me sooner."

Hikari sobbed harder. "I'm so sorry, Natsumi."

Kazuki turned away, guilt carving deep wounds inside his chest.

"I'm going to be here," Natsumi said, her voice steadier now, still holding her. "I'll stay by your side until the very end. I won't let you go through this without me."

They held each other like that for a while.

" Natsumi's I don't want you to die."

"I don't want to die either," Hikari whispered. "But I'm glad you know. I don't want to lie anymore."

That evening, they tried telling Hikari's parents.

It didn't go well.

Her father, Megumi, stood from the dinner table, anger darkening his face. "What kind of sick fantasy is this? You're telling me my daughter is going to die because some boy sees numbers over people's heads?"

Kazuki stood his ground. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth."

Her mother, Aiko, looked more confused than angry. "Hikari, why are you saying this?"

"Because I wanted to tell you before it's too late," Hikari said. "Before you regret not believing me."

"Enough." Megumi pointed to the door. "I don't want to see this boy in my house again."

"But—"

"Get out."

Kazuki left. He didn't look back.

Hikari sat on her bed that night, staring at her phone. There were a dozen unsent messages in her drafts. Apologies. Promises. Goodbyes.

She deleted them all.

Instead, she typed one message.

Hikari: Kazuki, thank you for staying.

Kazuki: Always.

She smiled at the screen, then closed her eyes. The countdown never left her mind.

That night, as Kazuki lay in bed, he kept staring at the ceiling.

He whispered to himself.

"I will still try. No matter what."

But deep inside, a small part of him—one he hated—was starting to break.

The part that knew some things can't be undone.