Kazuyuki and Fuyumi

The two sat down on a nearby bench; there was a reasonably small distance between them.

“Um.”

“Um.”

“Oh, you can go first.”

“Okay. Um, well, it’s just me, my mum, and my brother at home. My brother goes to university, and my mum is always working, so they’re barely at home. My dad left a while ago after he… um… did some bad things to me and my family. Because of this, my mother is very cautious and overprotective of me. During my second year of high school, I became very ill, so my mum forced me to stay at home. But when I got better, I suffered from a very bad panic attack, so she told me to stay at home again. At one point, she couldn’t trust me going outside alone anymore, so I had to stay at home and study there. Eventually, she allowed me to return to school, but I had to redo my second year.”

“I never knew that.”

“No one did. I kept it a secret because I didn’t want anyone to worry about me.”

The two went silent for a bit. Kazuyuki tried to comprehend her situation; all he felt was pity and sorrow.

Fuyumi continued, “I didn’t expect to make many friends when I returned, I didn’t have many friends in school in the first place, but then I met you. You were so nice to me, and you tried your best to interact with me. But to be honest, I was very uncomfortable at the time. I’m not good in social situations, so I didn’t know how to interact with you. But one day, I decided to try it. I was so anxious that you would respond badly, but thankfully you didn’t. You became my first friend, and you helped me gain more friends. I will be forever grateful. But then it became too much. I started to become anxious about hanging around you all. I felt like I didn’t fit in at all. I would suffer from it.”

“Is that why you stopped going to school?”

“Yes. I was becoming too close with you all, which was odd for someone like me, and I feared that one day you would all leave me. I couldn’t bear that idea, so I hid away and removed myself from your lives.”

“Sorry, Satō-san!”

“Huh?”

Kazuyuki dropped to his knees and bowed.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t take into consideration the way you might have felt being around us, yet I continued to push you to interact more with them. When I read your article, all I could do was feel angry at myself for not noticing that my friend was in pain. I’m really sorry.”

“No. Don’t be. Please get up. Please stop bowing.”

Kazuyuki got back up and sat back down on the bench.

“I wanted to tell you. I wanted to tell you a lot of things, but I didn’t know how to approach you about them.”

“Truth be told, I also suffer from anxiety. It’s probably not as bad as yours, but I can somewhat understand how you feel. I overthink and complicate things when the answer is right in front of me. I thought you didn’t come to school because you disliked me.”

“I could never dislike you. Ah, I mean, like, you know…”

“I know.”

“Then…”

“Satō-san.”

“Yes?”

“When you were gone, all I could think about was you. I constantly wondered what happened to you and if you were safe. That was also when I realised that I liked you. So when Ichikawa-senpai helped me find you, I decided to take a chance and see you again. But then I heard you from outside your house and decided you would be better off without me. So I also want to say that I’m sorry.”

“You like me?”

“Huh?”

“You said you liked me?”

“Heh. I guess I just blurted that out. Sorry, but I do like you. I like you a lot.”

“Why?”

“Why?”

“How could you like someone like me? I’m introverted, antisocial, awkward, an outcast. I’m not even that cute.”

“Stop right there. First, you are very, very, very cute. Sure, you may not be like the typical female teenager, but you are amazing in every way. In my eyes, you don’t need to change yourself.”

Kazuyuki stood up and knelt in front of her.

“Satō-san. I like you.”

Fuyumi could not handle this confession and began to freak out, but she managed to calm herself down.

“I like you too.”

Those words made Kazuyuki’s heart skip a beat. He hoped she would reciprocate his feelings, and thankfully, she did.

“I’m glad.”

“I like you, but I’m not sure if I can be in a relationship with you.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure if I would be able to maintain it. I’ve never dated anyone.”

“Neither have I.”

“I don’t know what to do as a couple.”

“We’ll figure it out together.”

“Okay.”

“What if my anxiety gets worse? What if I run away again?”

“Then I’ll help you through it. And if you do run away again, I’ll come find you again.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with someone like me?”

“Of course. Satō-san, I promise you I will stay by your side for as long as you need me. I’m not asking you to change. I’m just asking you to let me help you.”

Kazuyuki looked up to see Fuyumi crying. He had never seen her cry before, and it almost made him feel like crying.

Finally, she responded, “Okay.”

After that, the two would stay in contact again. Kazuyuki was excited to hear that Fuyumi had also taken the entrance exam to the university he was attending and got accepted. Fuyumi wouldn’t go outside a lot, but occasionally they would meet up with each other at the river near her house and sit on the bench, watching the sun go down. Kazuyuki also apologised to Daisuke for his behaviour.

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. You got the girl!” He said excitedly.

“Congratulations, Kazuyuki!”

“Thank you, Kaede. Thank you, everyone. Thank you so much.”

Kazuyuki and Fuyumi never went on any real dates during the holiday, but he was fine with it. As long as he was able to spend time with her, that was fulfilling for him. To connect with her more, Kazuyuki took up the act of playing video games; she had previously mentioned that it was one of her hobbies. Although they had a lot of fun, he was somewhat horrible at them.

Little by little, they got to know each other better. They wouldn’t do the usual things couples did all the time, but eventually they became comfortable enough to hold each other’s hands and call each other by their first names.

“F-Fuyumi.”

“Yes. Um, Ka-Kazuyuki-san.”

“Yes.”

They would always be embarrassed after doing something romantic.

They had kept their relationship a secret from everyone except their high school friend group and Kazuyuki’s mother, who was more than excited to hear her son had a girlfriend.

“When can I meet her?”

“One day.”

Fuyumi had told her older brother, who supported it, but they kept their relationship a secret from Fuyumi’s mother in fear that she might disapprove of it.

“When do you think we should tell your mum?”

“I’m not ready to tell her yet.”

“Then we’ll keep it a secret from her until you’re ready, okay?”

“Okay.”

Now that they were in university, the two would often hang out with one another whenever they were available. With the help of Ami and Kaede, they continued to keep their relationship a secret – they would only hold hands and hug when they were alone – but after time, some people began to notice their closeness. Thankfully, those who noticed would either never speak about it or promise to keep it a secret as well.

One day after school, the couple went to the nearby river, stood on the bridge, and watched the sunset.

“Thank you, Kazuyuki-san.”

“For what?”

“All my life, I’ve never been good at communicating with people. I’ve always struggled to maintain good relationships with others. I’ve always been afraid of social situations. All of this still applies now. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to be as social as Kaede or Ami-senpai. But I’m slowly getting better, and it’s all because of you. Besides my family, you are the only person I can be open with. Sometimes I worry that you’ll leave me.”

“I will never leave you. I promise.”

Fuyumi stood there, her quivering lips and teary eyes revealing the overwhelming emotions she was holding onto.

“I like you so much, Kazuyuki-san.”

“I like you too.”

They hugged. In that tender embrace, they felt the warmth of affection enveloping them as they held each other tightly, their hearts closer than ever.

Snow began to fall, marking the beginning of a new Winter.