Hikari and Saito sat side by side on the soft sand, the quiet hush of the ocean wrapping around them. The silver moonlight bathed the shore in a gentle glow, casting long shadows and painting their expressions in shades of calm and conflict.

Neither spoke. Only the rhythmic crashing of waves filled the silence between them.

“…Hey, Hikari,” Saito finally said, breaking the stillness, his voice soft but steady.

She turned slightly, curious but calm.

“I want to tell you something.”

He took a breath, heart thudding in his chest.

“Actually… I—I’m in love with you. Will you… be my girlfriend?”

Hikari blinked, startled. She turned fully to face him. Her lips parted slightly, caught between surprise and disbelief. A flush slowly bloomed across her cheeks.

“W-What? Me? Your… girlfriend?” she stammered, eyes wide.

Saito nodded, his gaze locked on hers.

“Yes. The way you talk, the way you look at me… it all got to me. I can’t stop thinking about you. Ever since you came into my life, everything started revolving around you. My thoughts, my days, my everything… it’s all you.”

Hikari lowered her gaze, hands resting on her lap, fingers quietly tracing aimless shapes in the sand. The moonlight caught the shimmer in her eyes.

Then Saito stood, stepping closer. He reached out his hand.

“So… Hikari. Will you be the person I treasure, the one I’ll never let go of?”

She looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. Slowly, she reached out and placed her hand in his, standing to meet him eye to eye.

“You know…” she whispered,

voice trembling, “it’s been the same for me. No matter what I do or where I go, you’re always there in my thoughts. I tried to pretend it wasn’t love, but now… now that you’ve said it, I can’t lie to myself anymore. I’m in love with you, too.”

Saito’s expression lit up, but before he could respond—

“…But I can’t be your girlfriend,” she said, her voice breaking, tears finally slipping down her cheeks.

“…Why?” he asked, barely audible.

“There’s a reason. One I can’t tell you. And if I do… it’ll only hurt you more,” she said, gripping his hand tightly. “Please, don’t try to find out. Just think of this as a rejection. Forget me, Saito. Move on.”

She gave a weak smile, trying to mask the pain as her voice cracked. “You… you still have a life to live, a long one. But my time… it’s already stopped. Already decided.”

She held his hand between both of hers for a lingering moment, then gently let go.

“Please… forget me. Even if I never can forget you.”

And just like that, she turned and ran—her footsteps light against the sand, her figure swallowed slowly by the silver wash of moonlight.

Saito stood motionless, staring into the distance, where the girl who’d lit up his world just disappeared into the night.

The sea breeze brushed gently against his skin, but it didn’t feel like wind anymore—it felt like loss.

Moments ago, everything between them had felt so warm… simple… whole.

Now, the silence echoed differently. He felt it settle in his chest like an anchor.

His legs moved without thought, carrying him toward the shoreline.

He stepped into the cold water, the waves lapping at his ankles. He knelt, letting his fingers skim the surface—

As if to ask the ocean if any of this was real.

The water was cold. Too real. It wasn’t a dream.

He exhaled slowly, the sigh trembling, as if his body hadn’t fully caught up with his heart.

Meanwhile, Hikari collapsed onto her bed, her face buried in the pillow as her tears soaked through the fabric.

Her sobs cracked the silence of the room.

"Just one page... just one page out of place, and everything falls apart," she cried.

"Am I not allowed to feel this? To want something real? Am I cursed…?"

The words broke between gasps, her voice shaking under the weight of it all.

Outside her window, the sky answered.

Rain began to fall—soft at first, then steadily harder, until it poured with a relentless rhythm.

A storm, as if the heavens themselves couldn’t bear the silence either.

Hikari wept beneath her covers.

Saito stood alone by the ocean, the tide swirling around his feet.

A single tear slipped down his cheek—

But it disappeared, unnoticed, into the rain.

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Thank you for reading this far !

If you have any suggestions about the story let me know, and should I continue the story further?