Beyond

I stood up and walked by myself towards the floor level.

Meanwhile, YuYu sat there in isolation as she stared at the entrance, mesmerized by the horizon in the distance.

When I saw what she was looking at, I knew exactly what to do.

After collecting every single candy prop I could, my breath was starting to suffocate from the thin air of the room itself. It was getting colder. Regardless of how it felt, I kept going. Laying down what I had collected every single step of the way.

It felt like forever.

My body got more tense and I was shaking under the pressure of the temperature. I was close to finishing the last piece of what I had made until I finally collapsed.

When my body made a large thud against the floor, YuYu stared back in awe at what she was seeing.

It was a memorabilia of her journey.

Staring at it from above the balcony, she became speechless until she saw the final part that I had nearly finished. The picture showed her happily enjoying the sunset that she had been looking at.

Tears streamed from YuYu’s face until the doll’s form draped away from Izusaki who ran to kneel beside and comfort me. The YuYu Doll itself on the other hand was shocked that she was able to separate from it so easily.

“No, this isn’t supposed to happen! Look at yourself Izusaki. You did this to him. You don’t deserve what he gave you. You are the monster!” it yelled.

Izusaki glanced at YuYu with an expression of newfound confidence.

“What you do now for others matters a whole lot more than what you think they will give you. I’m not going to hide anymore.”

In that brief time, a heavy feeling of genuine affection filled Izusaki’s heart as she faced me up close.

“I love you Ryutane-kun!”