Promise.

I opened the door, and it creaked slowly. I took a few unsteady steps inside, each one seeming heavier than the last. This feels terrifying...

I entered the room. There he was, resting on the bed, his breathing calm and steady. I held back my tears and pressed my lips together, forcing myself to keep my gaze steady. I was not going to cry. I had already endured enough.

“I... Itsuki...” My voice came out broken, barely louder than a whisper.

“Hm?” Itsuki opened his eyes and raised his head slightly. He blinked several times, still confused after being suddenly awakened, until he finally recognized me. “Guikyume?”

“Can you get up? I need to talk to you.”

Itsuki stared at me for a few seconds. His expression changed when he noticed my face. After slowly sitting up, he placed one hand on the mattress and pushed himself upright. He rubbed his eyes before sitting on the edge of the bed, waiting for me to say something.

“Hmm... all right.”

All this time, keeping such a simple promise... Why did he do it? Is the letter really that important to him? I lost so much... and I still kept going.

I lowered my gaze for a moment. My fingers slowly curled into fists, as if I were trying to hold on to something that could keep me standing.

Memories swept over me like a raging sea, threatening to drown me. A knot tightened in my chest, and I took a deep breath, trying to push them away before they could drag me under.

“You... why did you tell them about the letter?” I asked, finally raising my eyes to him.

Itsuki froze. His eyebrows lifted slightly, and his expression changed at once. A mixture of surprise and sadness crossed his face. He seemed to search for the right words as he briefly looked away.

“Guikyume, I...”

Itsuki stood up and took a step toward me, but stopped when he noticed my expression.

“Listen to me...”

“...Why?” I interrupted, raising my eyes to him. “You know very well that... it is important. Why did you break your promise? You know very well that this letter... all of this is dangerous. Why aren't you taking that seriously?”

My hands tightened at my sides as I tried to contain the anger rising in my chest.

Itsuki's shoulders sank slightly. He opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out for several seconds. Finally, he met my gaze.

“You think I'm not taking it seriously?” he asked, furrowing his brow.

“Guikyume, who the hell is the one who keeps ignoring the letter?”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, taking a small step toward him.

“...You.”

His words made my body tense. I felt my hands slowly clench as I stared at him in silence.

“You keep avoiding having a real conversation with me. What the hell are you hiding from me?” His voice began to rise as he gestured with one hand, unable to contain his frustration. “It doesn't seem like you even care about what you lost! No... wait...”

Itsuki stopped abruptly. His expression changed as he realized what he had just said. He slowly lowered his hand and looked away, as if he wished he could take those words back before it was too late.

“What?” I asked.

“I...”

“Do you know what I went through?” My voice came out louder than I expected. My throat burned as I stared directly at him.

Itsuki took a small step back. His eyes widened for an instant before he lowered his gaze.

“I didn't mean that, Guikyume.”

“You said it.”

Silence fell between us. Neither of us moved. The only sound in the room was our breathing. Itsuki lowered his gaze and clenched his fists, while I remained standing in front of him, trying to control the trembling in my hands.

“Guikyume... I feel like you're avoiding talking about it. You ignore the letter, you ignore what happened, and you keep going as if nothing happened. Is that what you call staying focused?”

Itsuki slowly raised his gaze toward me. Although his voice was no longer as loud, every word seemed to carry more weight than the last.

I felt angry. I felt empty. My chest tightened, and my breathing grew heavier as I looked away for a moment.

What the hell is he implying?

I clenched my teeth.

He doesn't know what happened there...

“You...” I took a step toward him, feeling my anger slowly replace my fear. “You betrayed me.”

Itsuki immediately raised his eyes. His expression hardened, though he seemed hurt by my words.

“Tell me! Do you even know what their intentions are?” My voice trembled as I pointed at him. “No, you don't. Do you really care about what we're supposed to do?”

I slowly lowered my hand, but I did not take my eyes off him.

“...You think I don't care?”

Itsuki took a deep breath before stepping toward me. His voice was beginning to crack as well.

“Guikyume, how long have I been helping you?” He clenched his fists at his sides. “I wanted to help! They have information that will help us. You have to understand!”

I watched him in silence. For several seconds, I said nothing. The tension between us lingered in the air as I felt my anger slowly begin to fade.

My hands gradually stopped trembling.

“All right... I agree.”

Itsuki frowned. He seemed surprised that I had answered so quickly after everything that had just been said.

“Guikyume...”

“I agree,” I repeated, this time in a quieter voice.

“This is serious,” he said, stepping a little closer. His gaze remained fixed on mine. “I want you to take this seriously and stop... ignoring your own feelings.”

He paused briefly before continuing, as though he were struggling to find the right way to explain himself.

I felt something inside me close off. I lowered my gaze slightly and shook my head.

“No...” I slowly shook my head again. “What the hell do you mean by feelings? First, you tell me that I don't care about my family. Now this... Do you? You care about all of this, don't you?”

My voice became colder as I looked at him, trying to hide what his words were stirring inside me.

“I mean that...”

Itsuki took a deep breath before continuing. He closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at me again.

“You don't give any importance to what happened to you. You fall apart and keep acting as if nothing happened. I want you, Guikyume... to take action. Do you understand?”

I stared at him for several seconds. I did not answer immediately. Every word felt as though it were becoming too heavy to bear, so I looked away and breathed slowly.

“I'll leave... I've had enough of this.”

I turned and walked straight toward the door. My footsteps echoed softly across the floor as I tried to get away from the conversation before I said something I would regret.

One step. Then another.

I could already feel the cold air of the hallway when I reached for the door.

Then I heard his voice behind me.

“Are you going to run away?”

I stopped. My fingers remained suspended a few inches from the door.

“Just like you did with your family?”

Itsuki's breathing became uneven. His voice no longer sounded angry. There was something else behind it.

“Why can't you be honest, Guikyume?”

My fingers remained motionless on the door handle. I closed my eyes for a moment as his words echoed in my mind.

His intentions... I understand them.

I slowly tightened my grip on the door handle and released the breath I had been holding.

Then I turned around and looked at him again.

I walked straight toward him.