That night, the onsen was quiet.
Too quiet.
Ren sat in the lounge, staring at the empty tea cup in his hands. The girls had eaten in near-silence. No teasing. No shouting. Not even Rika trying to bait anyone.
It was like the fire between them had gone cold… or was waiting to explode.
The manager walked in.
"Excuse me… one of your classmates left this at the front desk."
He handed over a keycard.
Room 202. Emi and Mei's room.
Ren's blood ran cold.
He rushed upstairs.
Room 202 was open.
The futon was neatly folded. The suitcase… gone.
And Mei?
Gone.
A note sat on the pillow.
"I don't want to compete anymore. It's not about love if it hurts this much."—Mei
Ten minutes later, the rest of the girls burst into the room.
Yui: "She what?!"Rika: "No way. That girl doesn't leave—she disappears."Haruka said nothing, but her fists were clenched.
Ren stood still, note in hand, heart pounding.
"She didn't even message me," Emi said quietly.
"She didn't message any of us," Yui muttered. "Even I didn't see it coming."
"She left," Ren whispered. "Because we stopped treating her like a person… and made her part of a competition."
Haruka finally spoke. "She's not wrong."
Everyone froze.
"We kept saying we'd be okay. That we'd wait. That it was fine. But it wasn't. And now, she's the only one honest enough to walk away."
Later that night…
Ren found himself walking alone through the streets of Atami, searching.
The vending machines hummed.
Shops had closed.
And in the distance, beside the quiet beach…
A girl sat alone on a bench.
Her silver-black hair shimmered in the moonlight.
Mei.
He approached quietly.
"You found me fast," she said, without turning.
"Everyone's worried."
"Not everyone."
Ren sat beside her.
"…Why didn't you tell me?"
She finally turned.
Her eyes weren't red from crying.
Just tired.
"Because I knew you'd come chasing. And I didn't want to be chased."
He said nothing.
She continued.
"I loved being part of your world. The mornings, the walks, the homework excuses… all of it. But I started feeling like I was on pause, waiting for someone who couldn't even press play."
Ren's chest ached.
"I didn't mean for this."
"I know," she said softly. "You never do."
She stood.
"I'm not disappearing. I just needed to remind myself that I'm more than just 'the quiet one.' More than just another girl in your story."
He looked up at her.
"Can I still be part of your story?"
Mei gave a faint smile.
"…Not if I have to fight for a page."
And with that, she walked back toward the inn.
But this time, she didn't look back.