Scene 1: The Hidden Drawer

A few days later, I stopped by Hikari’s room while she was still out for a test.
Her sketchbook lay open on the desk, pencil marks smudged across the page.
I didn’t mean to snoop. I really didn’t.

But when I went to close the drawer beneath the desk, I noticed an envelope tucked inside.
On the front, in her familiar messy handwriting, it read:

“To Haruki (but don’t peek, idiot!)”

My hand froze.

For a long moment, I debated putting it back. But curiosity, fear, and something deeper pulled at me.

I slid the letter out, unfolding it carefully.

Scene 2: Her Words

Dear Haruki,

By the time you read this, maybe I’ll have already told you. Or maybe I won’t have had the courage. Knowing me, probably the second one.

I’m sick. Really sick. You’ve probably noticed already, even though I keep pretending. I didn’t want you to see me as someone fragile. I didn’t want you to feel sorry for me. I wanted you to see me as the girl who dragged you onto bridges and rooftops, the girl who laughed too loudly, the girl who made trouble for you all the time.

That’s who I want to be in your memory. Not… this.

But even if I can’t finish my list… meeting you was the best thing that ever happened to me. You made the world bigger, brighter, even from a hospital bed. You made me believe in tomorrows again.

So if there comes a day when I’m not here anymore, I want you to promise me one thing: keep adventuring. For both of us. See the things I couldn’t. Smile for me. Live for me.

That way, I’ll never really disappear.

…Also, don’t cry too much. I hate it when you look sad. You’re cuter when you’re annoyed.

From, the girl who made you climb too many stairs
—Hikari

Scene 3: The Weight of Paper

By the time I finished reading, my hands were trembling.
The words blurred, not from the faded ink, but from the sting in my eyes.

I folded the letter carefully and placed it back exactly where I found it.

She hadn’t wanted me to see it yet.

And maybe she was right — maybe I wasn’t ready.

But one thing echoed in my mind, louder than anything else:

Live for me.

I clenched my fists. “I will, Hikari. I swear.”

Scene 4: Her Return

The door creaked open, and Hikari stepped in, looking tired but smiling anyway.

“Haruki! You’re early,” she teased. “What, miss me that much?”

I forced a shaky grin. “Maybe I did.”

She tilted her head, suspicious. But then she laughed, dropping her bag and collapsing onto the bed.

If she noticed the redness in my eyes, she didn’t say anything.

And I didn’t tell her I’d already read the words she meant to keep hidden.

Not yet.

[To Be Continued]