There’s Something I Want To Tell You

When it comes to love, people will do almost anything for the ones they love. Here, Kazuyuki knew he had to do this; he had to go up to her and tell her the truth. He almost felt like he had an obligation to do so.

As he ran, he contemplated what to say when he confronted her.

“When I see her, what should I say? Should I just say what needs to be said right away? That I like her? But how will she respond? Satō-san. No. Fuyumi. Can you say what needs to be said at that moment? Because I’m going to give it my all. I am done making mistakes and missing out on opportunities. I want to go to university with no regrets. For once in my life, I’m going to be selfish. I’m not moving on until I’ve said what I need to say. Fuyumi. I’ve worried about you ever since you left; you were all that I could think about. I loved hanging out with you. I loved talking to you. I loved the way you laughed. I loved you. I thought I would never be truly happy again, but you lightened my whole world. I’m sorry I never realised the trouble you went through. I’m sorry I lied to you about my feelings. I promise. I promise that no matter what happens, I will always care for you. So please…”

He finally reached his destination. He was finally here. In front of him was a large, modern Japanese house. It exhibited an elegant fusion of minimalist design and traditional architectural elements, showcasing a harmonious blend of old and new. The gate exuded a calming and welcoming ambiance. There were large windows, but the curtains that covered them restricted any way for someone to peek inside. While the space between the gate and the door was not that long, it was well kept. It also had a beautiful snow-covered tree; Kazuyuki believed it would be a blooming sakura during springtime. The overall design of the front exterior of the house reflected the Japanese principle of “shibui,” an aesthetic that emphasised simplicity and understated elegance and a deep appreciation for the natural world.

“Kazuyuki!”

Kazuyuki turned around to see his friends walking up to him.

“What is everyone doing here?”

“When you left, I decided to call the others.” Ami said

“We thought you’d need the encouragement.” Nori added

“We’ll wait for you here. Good luck.”

“Go tell her how you feel, Kazuyuki-kun.”

Once he had caught his breath, Kazuyuki entered through the gate and approached the door. He took a deep breath and lifted his hand to knock on the door.

But he paused.

There was a reason Fuyumi decided to stop coming to school. If he truly cared for her, he would respect her decision. He then heard some faint voices coming from within the house. It sounded like an adult male calling someone’s name. The other person responded with, “Coming, Oni-chan!” He recognised that voice. It was her. It was Satō Fuyumi. She was safe. He slowly lowered his hand and walked away from the door.

“Kazuyuki-kun?”

“What are you doing? This is your only chance.”

“I know.”

“So why are you hesitating?”

“All I needed to know was that she was okay. Now I can finally move on.”

Kazuyuki slowly walked away, leaving his friends confused by his decision. Then, out of nowhere, he was punched by someone. Daisuke grabbed him by his collar and held his face to his.

“What are you doing? You can’t walk away from this! You like her, don’t you? Now’s your chance to tell her.”

“There’s no need to.”

“What do you mean? What is wrong with you? She is right there. She is inside her house, probably waiting for you to knock on that door.”

“She wants to be alone, and I need to respect that.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“Ueno, let him go.”

“You like her so much, yet you can’t even face her. Kazuyuki, she likes you too. We all knew. We did everything to get you two together, but now that you have the chance to tell her you like her, you walk away. What are you, a coward?”

“I worried about her all day and all night. I needed to know she was okay and safe. Now I know. She’s okay, and that’s all that matters.”

“Ueno-san, let go of him.”

Daisuke let go of him and stepped away.

“Sano-kun, are you sure about this?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“Thank you, everyone. I appreciate the help. I think I’m going to go on a walk for a bit.”

“Okay.”

Kazuyuki slowly walked away, leaving behind the past.

The first day of university came. Full of people trying to figure out where their class was and people trying to recruit others into their clubs, the campus was like a busy motorway.

Kazuyuki was leaning on a wall when he heard his name being called out.

“Kazuyuki-kun!”

He looked up from his phone to see Kaede approaching him.

“Yo.”

“Hey.”

“Shall we go?”

“Sure.”

The two slowly walked through the campus, admiring the populated area and the modern buildings.

“What do you want to get for lunch today?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe we should check out the university’s cafeteria before deciding whether to eat out or not.”

“Okay.”

“Kazuyuki-san?”

Kazuyuki turned around after hearing a timid voice call out to him. He was surprised to see Satō Fuyumi standing in front of him.

“Fuyumi-chan. I thought you had a class to attend.”

“Sorry, Kaede. I got mixed up with the days on my timetable.”

“Do you want to have lunch with us?” Kazuyuki asked.

“Sure.”

Fuyumi went beside Kazuyuki. They looked at each other; Kazuyuki smiled at her, to which Fuyumi made a cute expression.

On that fateful afternoon, when Kazuyuki decided to walk away from the chance to see Fuyumi again, he had decided to take a walk down the riverbed. He needed to be alone in order to come to terms with his decision.

“I did the right thing, didn’t I?” He asked himself. “Whatever. What’s done is done.”

He continued to walk down the path when he heard footsteps rapidly approaching him. A hand reached out to him and tugged at his sleeve. He slowly turned around to see Fuyumi standing there.

“Satō-san?”

He couldn’t believe his eyes. Fuyumi was standing right in front of him. She was as beautiful as the day he first saw her.

“Why is she here?”

Fuyumi looked up at him with her mask-less face. This was the second time Kazuyuki saw her without her mask, but the first time they had looked at each other face-to-face without a mask covering her face. He could see the pure emotion on her entire face.

“Your face.”

“Ah, I forgot my mask.” She said this hiding her face.

“It’s okay. You’re just with me. You don’t need to hide your face.”

She slowly took her hands off her face to slowly reveal her red face.

“You’re here. You’re really here. What are you doing here?”

“Actually, Kaede-san knocked on my door and told me you had come to visit me.”

“Kaede!”

“So you ran all this way?”

“Yes.”

“I see.”

“Kaede! How dare you make her run out here like this!”

“Can we talk for a bit?”