Ep 28: The Quiet Goodbye.

Episode 28: The Quiet Goodbye

The screen fades in with silence. The kind that presses down on your chest.

Naoki sits outside the hospital room, unmoving. Ren is beside him, silent, eyes on the closed door where the doctor had delivered the words:

> Doctor: "Her kidneys failed... multiple clots... inflammation in the brain. I'm sorry."

Those words repeat in Naoki's head like a skipping record.

He hasn't cried. Not yet. Not really.

Ren gently says,

> "Naoki... you can go in. You don't have to hold it all in."

Naoki stands. Pushes the door open.

Inside, the room is too quiet. His mother lies still, the last warmth already slipping away. Flowers from yesterday now feel like they belong to a different world.

He sits beside her, whispers:

> "I'm sorry I wasn't here. I should've been."

He clasps her hand in his, cold and pale.

---

Later, Ren walks him out of the hospital.

The hallway lights blur as they pass nurses, stretchers, silence.

Outside, the world is still.

Naoki pulls his scarf closer. The same scarf his mom had fixed for him last winter.

> "She told me… to live like she would if she were my age. She said I'm stronger than I think."

Ren doesn't say much. Just places a hand on his shoulder.

---

That evening, Hana is in her room when her phone buzzes.

Naoki: She's gone.

She stares at the message, heart sinking. She calls immediately.

No answer.

Ten minutes later, she's at the hospital courtyard.

Naoki sits on a bench, still in his coat. Ren stands a short distance away, giving him space.

Hana sits beside him.

> "I'm here," she says simply.

Naoki doesn't respond. But her presence grounds him.

After a pause, he mutters,

> "They're starting funeral prep tomorrow... There's so much to do. I don't even know where to start."

Hana nods, eyes soft.

> "You don't have to do it all alone. We'll help."

---

Back at Naoki's apartment, his room is messier than usual. There are notes on the desk. A photo of his mom when she was younger. A sticky note on the mirror in her handwriting:

> "Don't forget to eat. And smile, dummy."

He stands there, staring at it. The note flutters slightly from the fan's breeze.

---

Final Scene:

Ren walks home with Hana. Snow begins to fall again — soft and quiet.

> "He's holding it in," Hana says.

"I know," Ren replies.

"We should stay close to him."

Ren nods.

> "We will."

As they reach Hana's house, they say goodnight quietly.

Ren watches the snow fall for a moment longer before walking off into the night.

Inside, Hana sits by her window, phone in her lap. She types something to Naoki.

> Hana: I'm here. Whenever you need.

She looks out the window, the snow blanketing the world again.