Chapter 29: Fading Light

I had always believed—stubbornly, perhaps—that light never truly vanishes. It simply drifts away, putting distance between itself and the shadows.

Then came October 21st. My birthday. And on that day, I learned a cruel new lesson: Light can also depart without waiting for an answer.

I had intended to celebrate it with him. To finally... confess. To reach the end of the long, winding road of my hesitation. But the first thing I heard upon arriving at school was the sound of my world fracturing.

"I heard the bookworm is moving to Tokyo." "Wait, seriously? That’s great. 'Mayonnaise' won't have her shield anymore."

The world went unnervingly silent. Today? He was leaving today? It was impossible. I hadn't said a single word of what mattered.

A sleek black car was already idling in front of the school gates. A woman stepped out—short black hair, a gaze that commanded the space around her. His sister. I forced my legs to move, each step feeling heavier than the last.

"Excuse me... are you Harumasa Hitomi?" "Yes. How did you know?" "I'm Kengo's friend... we've spent a lot of time together."

She offered a knowing smile. "Hooh? So my little brother managed to make a friend as beautiful as you?" I felt the heat rush to my cheeks, but I couldn't let it distract me. "Is it true... that Kengo is moving to Tokyo?"

"Yes." A brief answer. Far too brief. "Our parents want us to look after our grandparents' old apartment. Someone has to manage it."

Just like that. A simple, practical sentence that felt like a jagged crack opening in the center of my chest.

"Don't worry. What’s your name?" "Mayonaka Nozomi." "Nozomi-chan, if you ever find yourself in Tokyo, our door is always open."

The sound of footsteps crunched on the gravel. "Nozomi?" I froze. He was standing there, wearing that same, effortless smile.

"Kengo..." "Sorry for not telling you sooner." "It’s fine. I already know." "I see..."

Silence fell between us. Time felt sluggish, like sand refusing to fall through an hourglass even though its time had long since passed.

"Kengo... is this our final goodbye?" "I don't know. But if you're ever in Tokyo, you can drop by anytime." "In that case..." I took a deep, shaky breath. "After graduation, I’m going to school in Tokyo."

He smiled, a genuine, warm thing. "I’ll be waiting for you."

In that moment, I knew. This was it. The precipice. "Kengo-kun... actually, there’s something I’ve wanted to tell you since yesterday..."

He stopped walking. I lowered my head, gripping my hands so tightly my knuckles turned white. "Actually, I lo—"

RING.

The school bell shrieked. Loud. Cruel. A metallic blade cutting my words down before they could ever take flight.

"The bell," he noted. "You’ll be late." "Y-you're right..."

And so, on that day—my birthday—the day that was supposed to be a beginning became the day my light departed.

After he left, the vultures returned. "Look at that. She’s all alone again." A bottle of sauce was raised. Mayonnaise. Ketchup. The irony was suffocating.

But this time, I didn't stay still. I didn't play the victim. I moved—sidestepping just as he had taught me. They slipped. Their faces were suddenly painted in condiments. The laughter exploded, but for once, it wasn't for me. It was at them.

Enraged, they dragged me behind the school. A fist swung toward my face. I dodged. I struck back. One. Two. They collapsed into the dirt.

Silence followed. For the first time, I felt something entirely new. It wasn't fear, and it certainly wasn't patience. It was a cold, sharp satisfaction—the feeling of a chain finally snapping. I finally understood: patience truly does have its limits.

After that day, no one dared to touch me again.

I graduated. I kept my promise. Tokyo. I searched for him everywhere—schools, old addresses, the apartment. Nothing. It was as if he had vanished like a candle flame swallowed by the night, leaving no trace behind.

I began auditioning. I became an idol. My name became known across the country. But it wasn't Mayonaka Nozomi anymore. It was Charlotte Inoue. A new name. A new mask. A new smile... one that never truly belonged to me.

I even hired people to track him down. No results.

One drizzly afternoon, I saw a silhouette in the distance, carrying a box of kittens. "Kengo...?" I ran, my heart leaping with a desperate, fragile hope. But a girl walked up to him, and I realized—it wasn't him.

That was the day I stopped searching. He was gone. I stopped hoping.

Then I met Kanon Hoshimiya. The audition. My defeat. My ruin. I made my vow of revenge. But deep down, I was just tired of losing things.

Three years passed. University. The same class. And there he was. Harumasa Kengo. He didn't recognize me. Or perhaps he was merely pretending not to. I had changed. He had changed. I had been played by the world too many times, and I had started to believe that all men were the same.

But not him. When I flirted with Mitsuzu, I wasn't just playing a part. I wanted to know. Was he serious about her? And the answer... was yes. For the first time, I felt like I was too late.

Back in the park, I sat alone on the bench. "Patience has its limits..." I whispered to the empty air.

"True. Patience really does have its limits."

That voice.

I froze. I turned my head slowly. He was standing there. The same, yet different. Steadier. More mature.

"Long time no see, Mayonaka Nozomi."

My heart stopped. He knew. He recognized me. And perhaps—the light I thought had been extinguished... had only been hiding behind the veil of time.