Chapter 6- Echoes in the rain

As Koji stepped out of Hana’s home, the voice of her aunt still echoed faintly behind him, cursing beneath her breath. Her bitterness faded into the murmuring crowd, but the weight inside Koji remained.

He didn’t leave his guilt behind.

He only buried it. Suppressed it.

Like everything else.

The town was quiet as he returned to the apartment. Every step felt heavier than the last. He reached his door, keys fumbling in his hand—then paused.

From the adjacent hallway, Yumi appeared. She looked like she had something to say—words half-formed on her lips—but before either could speak, a third presence interrupted.

The landlord.

He stood at the top of the stairs, a hammer in one hand, his eyes tired and stern. He glanced at Koji, then at Yumi.

With a grunt, he walked over to the concrete shade by Koji’s door and laid the hammer down with a metallic clink.

“Koji, is it?” he asked.

Koji nodded, barely meeting his gaze.“Your friend Kenji came by. Paid the last three weeks of your rent.”

A pause. Then, more quietly—“Would’ve been nice if you could’ve stayed here a little longer.”

Koji said nothing. He wasn’t in the mood. Not to explain. Not to pretend.

The landlord’s gaze shifted to Yumi, who stood stiffly in the doorway.

“And you mam,” he said. “This month’s rent is still pending. My patience is running thin.”

“I—I get paid today,” Yumi stammered. “I’ll pay it tomorrow, sir. I swear. I just… it’s been hard for me—”

“We all have hard times miss,” the landlord interrupted coldly. “Be on time from now on.”

With that, he turned and walked away, leaving the hammer resting near Koji’s door.

Yumi lingered. She looked at Koji again, as if wanting to reach out, to say something—anything—but his expression made it clear: not now.

He entered the apartment and shut the door behind him with a hollow click.

And then—silence.

Koji leaned against the door, breath catching in his throat. The guilt—the shame—rushed in like a flood.

His knees buckled.

He slid to the floor.

His face crumpled as tears streamed down his cheeks."You promised."

"Coward."

"You're the reason I'm not here."

Hana’s voice echoed in his mind like a curse, stabbing through every moment of quiet. Her image—her eyes, her smile—flashed across his vision like a broken film reel.

Koji clutched his head, trembling, drowning in memories as he lays down in the fetal position.

It was sometime past midnight when he woke. Rain pounded outside, thunder rumbling in the distance.

Sweat clung to his skin, hands trembling. Even breathing hurt.

 Everything did.

He couldn’t do this anymore.

He stumbled out of his room, disoriented. The hallway was dim, quiet.And there it was—

The hammer.

Still lying where the landlord had left it. Cold. Waiting.

Koji stared at it for a long time. His shadow stretching across the floor.

 His breath, shallow.

And then—

The scene cuts to black.

**FLASHBACK – Afternoon, Outside Koji’s House**

Hana stood awkwardly near the gate, her fingers nervously fidgeting with the hem of her sleeve. A faint blush colored her cheeks. Ever since that day on the mountain, something inside her had shifted. Koji had seen her—truly seen her—beyond the mask she wore for everyone else.

 Around him, she didn’t feel the need to pretend. The weight she always carried—fear, shame, guilt—felt a little lighter.

The door creaked open. Koji's mother peeked out, blinking in surprise at the sight of a blonde-haired girl with striking blue eyes standing on her porch.“Oh! Hello, dear. Can I help you?”

Hana gave a small bow, her voice soft. “I’m here to see Koji. We’re going shopping for the Fire Festival.”

Koji’s mother raised a brow, visibly impressed. “He’s getting ready upstairs. Come on in.”

As Hana stepped inside, she could hear Koji’s mother mutter under her breath, amused, “Damn… he actually has friends. I thought he was just making it up. And it’s a foreign girl, no less. My boy’s scoring. I thought I will not meet my grandchildren.”

She followed Hana into the living room, only to find the girl standing silently in front of a framed photo—an older man, smiling faintly, with incense burning softly beside it.

Hana turned slightly. “Is that?”

Koji’s mother approached, her smile dimming. “ Yeah that’s Koji’s father. He passed away from cancer when Koji was little. It’s just been the two of us since then.”

She paused, glancing fondly toward the stairs. “He’s always been a quiet kid. Doesn’t open up to many people. I worried he didn’t have any friends… But I guess I worried too much.” Her voice softened. “He’s all I’ve got. I don’t want anything bad to happen to him. So… if you’re his friend, I hope you’ll look out for him.”

Hana’s face turned red. She looked down and whispered, “I will.”Trying to lighten the mood, Koji’s mother asked, “What about your family, Hana? How are they doing?”

Hana hesitated. The familiar mask began to slip back over her face. “They’re… good,” she said quietly as she lied again.

Koji’s mother smiled, but her eyes said otherwise. “Hmm… that’s good to hear.” She didn’t believe a word of it.

Then, unexpectedly, Hana’s voice cracked.

“My Mom" Hana took a deep breath "She killed herself after my Dad left her for someone else. I live with my aunt and uncle now.”

Silence.

Koji’s mother froze for a moment, then placed a gentle hand on Hana’s shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, sweetheart. I hope your aunt and uncle are kind to you.”

Hana shook her head. “No. Not really. It’s like… I’m just trapped there.”

A long pause.

Koji’s mother looked at her, eyes now tender, something maternal stirring deep inside. “Well, if you ever need a place where you feel safe… you’re always welcome here. You’re my son’s friend. That makes you family. I’ll treat you like my own daughter.”

Hana looked up, eyes glistening, lips trembling in silence. For the first time in a long while, someone had offered her warmth without asking for anything in return.

At that moment, Koji stepped into the room. His gaze shifted between them, sensing the quiet emotion lingering in the air.

Koji stood in the doorway, watching the two of them—his mother and Hana—sitting quietly in the living room.

His mother broke the silence with a teasing smile.“So… since when did you start making friends with foreign girls?”

Koji sighed. “Mom, please stop.”

She laughed, brushing it off. “Alright, alright. Do you have enough money with you?”

“Yeah,” he replied, grabbing his bag. “Can we go now?”

“Sure,” she said. “Have fun—but don’t waste too much, okay? Just buy what you need. Clothes, maybe a few decorations.”

As Koji and Hana stepped toward the door, Hana suddenly paused. She turned back, looking at Koji’s mother.

“Would you… like to come with us to the Fire Festival?”

Koji’s mother blinked, caught off guard. “Me? But I thought it was just a friend thing.”

“They require one parent to come along so I thought you could come with us,” Hana said quietly, almost shyly.

His mother hesitated. “Are you okay with that, Koji?”

Koji looked at Hana, then back at his mom. “I’m fine with it, mom. Are you free that day?”

“I’ll take the day off,” she said, her voice warming. “I could use a break anyway. So… yes. I’d love to come.”

They stepped out into the street, the sun falling gently across their backs as they walked side by side. But Hana’s eyes didn’t meet Koji’s. She walked a little behind, unusually quiet.

Koji noticed.

“You’re quieter than usual,” he said softly. “Something wrong?”She hesitated. “No… it’s nothing.”

A lie.

Her mask was slipping again—but for once, she wanted to let it fall.“I didn’t expect what you did on that mountain,” she said at last. Her voice trembled slightly.

Koji gave a small nod. “Yeah. Me neither.”

He looked straight ahead, voice low but steady.“I was always scared to say what I really thought. Scared of being left alone. But… hiding yourself—it’s the same thing, isn’t it? You end up losing people anyway.”

He glanced at her.“I think I learned that from you. To be brave. To say it—even if it's the wrong thing.”

Hana stopped for a moment, her voice small.“I’m not brave.”

Koji looked at her, eyes calm and sincere.“You are. You’re just not brave enough… to be see that within yourself.”And in that moment, they both kept walking. Neither said another word—but the silence between them was different now.

It wasn’t empty.

It was honest.

As they entered the mall, the soft buzz of chatter and footsteps echoed through the air. Hana turned to Koji with a teasing smile.“Do you remember why we’re here?”

Koji gave a small sigh. “To buy kimonos. For the Fire Festival.”

“Right,” she said. “Let’s get to it. And don’t buy anything too expensive.”They wandered through racks of colorful fabric, the bright festival patterns glowing beneath the mall’s white lights. Hana found hers first—a beautiful yellow kimono with a soft lavender with faint waves embroidered along the hem. As she paid, she glanced back to find Koji still browsing.

But something felt off.

Across the store, Koji stood with a navy-blue kimono in his hands—simple, elegant he liked it. Just as he turned to go buy it, another boy—older, louder—stepped in.

“Hey,” the boy said, pointing. “I like that kimono colour. Mind giving it here?”

Koji’s grip tightened on the fabric. He looked down, lips parting to speak—but nothing came out.

He still couldn’t say no.

The boy reached forward, about to snatch it from his hands—But then Hana appeared.

She stepped between them without hesitation. “He found it first,” she said, eyes calm but sharp. “Go find another.”

The boy scoffed, muttered something under his breath, and walked off.Koji stared at her—awed. Silently grateful. Ashamed, and yet... deeply moved.

“You like that one?” Hana asked.

Koji nodded.“Then let’s get it.”

After paying for the kimonos, they left the mall.

The sky had begun to darken as they walked along the quiet road beside the beach, paper bags rustling at their sides.

“Thank you,” Koji said softly.

Hana shrugged. “Don’t mention it.”

Just then, the first drops of rain began to fall—soft, steady, then sudden.They rushed toward the nearest shelter: a small bus stop overlooking the sea. The rain poured around them as they sat, catching their breath, staring at the water beyond.

Koji exhaled, his voice trembling. He began to talk.“Guess I’m not brave after all. Still couldn’t stand up for myself I can never be like you.”

Hana turned to him. “ You're not. I'm not. And you don't need to be. You don't need to do everything alone. There’s no shame in asking for help.

 That’s… what I learned from you.”

Koji looked up, their eyes meeting.“Guess we’re both cowards about something.”

They laughed—quiet, genuine.

Their hands brushed.

Koji pulled his away, face red, heart pounding. But Hana didn’t flinch. She leaned forward, her hand gently turning his face toward hers.

And then—she kissed him.

Their hands found each other again, this time without hesitation. They held one another—not for who they were trying to be, but for who they were.

Two broken kids. Still learning how to live.

Suddenly the scene cuts to the present with koji in the rain as the sunrise standing over the bus stop.

A hammer swung through the darkness—cracking, splintering.Koji stood in the rain-soaked silence of that same bus stop- older now.

 Alone. The memories sliced through him like glass.

This place—the shelter where they once sat, once laughed, once kissed—was now just a ruin he couldn’t bear to see.

With each strike of the hammer, his breath grew heavier. Sweat and rain mixed on his face. Tears burned at the edge of his vision.

He stopped. Dropped the hammer. Fell to his knees.

From his pocket, he pulled something—a small silver ring, etched with the symbol of a whale.

He stared at it, trembling.

And then… he threw it.

It clinked across the pavement and vanished near the sand.

Koji collapsed beside the broken bus stop, eyes fixed on the path leading to the beach—the path that once held a future.

**FLASHBACK – The scene continuation after what happened in bus stop**

The rain had passed. Only stillness remained as they walked, fingers intertwined. The sea shimmered with soft light.“Why did you do that?” Koji asked. “Back there. At the stop.”

Hana looked at him and smiled. “I don’t know. Felt like it.”

“You felt like kissing me?” Koji asked, surprised.

“Yeah,” she said. “We're a thing now, okay? You did call me brave, didn’t you?”

Koji chuckled. “That was… a bit underwhelming.”

She nudged him. “Shut up.”

A few steps ahead, a strange figure caught her eye—a man in a frog mask, standing beside a wooden stall of trinkets.

She approached him, bought something small, then returned to Koji and held out her hand.

In her palm was a ring—silver, with a whale etched on its surface.

“What’s this?” Koji asked.

“You remember the whale I told you about?”

“The one you said reminded you of me?”

She shook her head. “I lied. The whale was a bit about you. But I was talking about myself.”

Koji blinked. as Hana continued.
“I thought I was the only one who'd never be heard. But then I found someone who could.”

She took his hand and slipped the ring onto his finger.“I searched forever,” she whispered. “And I found you. Promise you won’t ever leave me.”

Koji looked at her, a rare smile breaking through.“I promise.”

**PRESENT – Koji, Alone**

The promise echoed in the silence. But now, there was no one beside him. Just the waves. The shattered shelter.

And Koji. Still here. Still lost.

Trying to bury the past.

Unable to let go.