Chapter 14: Confrontation

The summer sun hung high, softened now and then by passing clouds. The lighthouse was a familiar landmark in Kaminoseki — shorter than the bridge, modest to a fault, its quiet inconspicuousness a local irony everyone knew. Overhead, seagulls cut through the air, their shrieks punctuating the steady rhythm of waves on the rocks below.

I sat on the sea wall outside the diner and checked my watch. 11:50. Daiki wasn’t here yet. I let the sound and light of the sea carry my thoughts away.

A few minutes later, a voice from down the path. "Hayashi-san!"

I waited a second, then turned.

"Matsuda-san." I stepped down from the sea wall.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

“It’s fine.” I checked my watch. 12:00 sharp.

"Shall we go in?" Daiki gestured at the diner.

I nodded and followed.

The diner was quiet and unhurried, only a handful of other tables occupied. Daiki led me to a corner.

"Please, order whatever you’d like." He handed me the menu.

I glanced at him briefly. He looked tense, but resolved.

After we ordered, Daiki started.

"Hayashi-san. Thank you for agreeing to meet me."

It was Sachi-chan who sent that message, technically.

"I know there’s a lot on your mind… I’ve thought about what to say today too. But I think it’s best if I just lay things out plainly, so we’re on the same page."

I nodded again.

He looked slightly heartened by that. He poured ocha for me. “Many things have changed since you left, Hayashi-san. And I know things were… rough between us before you went.”

I was content to listen and eat. I didn’t have the energy for conversation. But maybe this lunch could answer a few things.

"I did something very wrong to you. I’m sincerely sorry." He lowered his head.

He didn’t need to spell it out. It had been sitting between us from the moment we’d seen each other on the street.

"Back then, I liked Yuki-chan too. I was jealous of how close you were with her. I didn’t know how to handle it… and it caused you a great deal of harm. I heard you moved to Sendai because of it."

His voice wavered slightly. He tried to hold my gaze and couldn’t quite manage it.

"I’m sorry, Hayashi-san. Whether you forgive me or not is your choice. But I had to say it… for what I did two years ago. And a year ago too."

He looked up, with a faint determination. His eyes were red. He sniffled.

Matsuda-san is crying?

Our food arrived. A brief pause while I picked up my chopsticks and ate. Daiki looked relieved for the distraction, though he didn’t touch his own food.

"I didn’t mean for you to leave, Hayashi-san. I…" He choked on the words.

I looked up. Tears were falling now, unchecked. He wasn’t making a sound, but he couldn’t stop them. My hand twitched — instinct reaching for a napkin to offer him. I held back.

He grabbed one himself and wiped his face roughly. “Sorry. I didn’t expect this.”

After a few spoonfuls of rice, he continued. “I was satisfied at first, when you stopped talking to Yuki-chan. But when you moved away… something felt wrong. And after a while, every time I saw Yuki-chan, I just felt guilty.”

The tears came again. He kept talking through them. “Seeing how much she suffered in your absence. Knowing I was the cause of it. I cursed myself for being so… cowardly.”

That word caught something in me. I already knew he’d repented. But hearing it directly — seeing the tears — made it real in a way Sachi’s account hadn’t. He had suffered. Yuki had suffered.

I wasn’t the only one.

"Things got bad for a while. I probably looked the way you do right now. My parents convinced me to talk to Shimizu-san. He… helped. In a strange way."

"Yeah." I murmured. "I know what you mean."

Daiki looked slightly encouraged that I’d spoken. “I hated myself, Hayashi-san. For what I’d done to Yuki-chan, indirectly. Eventually, I told myself — no more. If I actually liked her that much, I had to do something properly.”

I raised my hand. Daiki stopped.

"That’s enough, Matsuda-san."

Hearing him reminded me of how pathetic I was. How pathetic I still am.

"Hayashi-san?" His eyes searched my face.

I looked at my half-eaten meal. I didn’t need to hear about how things had progressed between him and Yuki. That wasn’t why I’d come. I’d come to hear his account of the incident, and to judge his character for myself. I’d heard enough for both.

I finished the rest of my meal in silence. Daiki did the same. The quiet between us was awkward but no longer hostile.

After the meal, I stood.

Daiki stood too. "Hayashi-san. I don’t deserve it. But I’d still like to ask for your forgiveness." He extended his hand, head still bowed.

My palms were damp. I could feel my heart in my chest. My hand twitched — that same instinct again. I raised it slowly. My fingers curled into a fist.

My arm dropped back to my side.

Daiki’s eyes widened slightly. His hand fell too.

"Thank you for the meal, Matsuda-san." I bowed and walked out.

I walked quickly, putting distance between myself and the diner.

There was a lot of anger in me. Pent up, looking for a shape. But it wasn’t directed at Daiki. And it wasn’t directed at Yuki.

Then who am I angry at? Why am I this angry?

The street passed by without registering. Then my name.

"Ryo-kun!"

I stopped and turned. Shimizu was at the shrine gate, waving. He motioned for me to come over.

I dragged my feet across to him. He clocked my mood immediately.

"Hmmm. Very cloudy today," Shimizu mused.

I glanced up. The sky was clear. “Shimizu-san.” I bowed slightly. What is this man on about?

My confusion must have been obvious.

"In fact… I’d call it a full storm." He tapped my forehead with one finger. "Watch out for lightning."

"I’m not in the mood for riddles, Shimizu-san," I said, more bluntly than I intended.

"Wait here." He went inside.

I stood there, not entirely sure what else to do.

He came back with a broom.

The sight of it stopped me.