After we finished, we went to a sweets shop.
"Kaito, try this. It's pineapple flavor with hazelnut."
"I don't want it. I prefer mango."
"Yes, it's good, but try this."
"Alright… one bite. What do you think?"
"Not bad."
"Konstantin, Kaito, I want you alone."
"What is it, Park?"
"I want to tell you something."
"Alright. Excuse us for a moment."
"Kaito, what will you do now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… your thoughts for the future. What are you planning?"
Kaito was thinking about Park's words and said to himself,
"I've never been asked this question before, and I've never thought about it.
But if I have to put something first, it's bringing Rin back and preventing that accident from happening.
But I can't tell Park that now."
Kaito looked at Park and said,
"I'm planning to graduate first, then live my life as I want.
Get a job and meet you guys like this. That's how I intend to live."
"And what about your love life?"
"I know you haven't forgotten Rin. That's good.
But I hope you think in a way that makes you happy, to make Rin happy."
"Park, what do you know about Rin?
You only know her as your high school friend.
But I know her. I know she wouldn't be happy with my attachment."
Kaito suddenly remembered a moment carved into his memory.
He hadn't forgotten it. Rin was crying hard:
"You're mine. You'll always be mine, whether I live or die, as my lover.
You'll walk beside me all my way.
If you have any objection, or if you've fallen for someone else, tell me now,
because I refuse to have your heart weigh me on a scale compared to someone else."
After remembering this, Kaito got angry.
"So focus on your life and don't interfere with mine. Understand?"
When Park heard these words, he looked at Kaito sadly, then tried to change the mood.
"So my love for you is useless, huh?
Even though I wanted to confess to you a long time ago and leave Eri, my friend—this is disgusting."
"I agree."
When Park heard that voice, he started sweating and didn't look back.
"Even if you're trying to lighten the mood, this is disgusting."
"My darling, haha, you know I was joking, right?"
"Yes, but a joke like that is heavy on some people.
So how will you make it up to me?"
"Anything you want, darling, to forgive me."
"Not bad, guys. Park is taking us to a place that serves meat and rice and everything your souls desire—on his account."
"Darling, you know about our project, right?"
"Yes."
"Then don't you think this is too much?"
"Extra work is good sometimes for some people, isn't it?
One or two shifts won't hurt, right?"
"And what about our time?"
"Don't worry, I can spend time alone."
"Good luck, Park."
Park looked at Kaito and found him smiling at him.
"Kaito, are you happy at my expense?"
"No, but at the meat. Get ready, I'll order a big amount of meat, so prepare your wallet well."
"My money is wasted for nothing."
"Good, then let's go. Even you, Misaki."
"I'm free today, so I'm coming with you until we're done."
"Us too. That's how my money went down the drain."
We went to the restaurant and ate. The food was delicious.
When Park went to pay the bill, he paid it and then went to the bathroom to cry alone.
When I saw the amount, I didn't know how to comfort him.
I didn't speak and waited with the others.
When he came back, his face was pale, and he looked like a dried-up plant.
"Darling, are you okay?"
Park whispered to Eri,
"I'm sorry."
"What did you say?"
"I'm sorry. I won't drag our love into anything else."
"Good. That's how it should be, darling."
After that, we left, each of us going our own way.
Misaki and I walked together.
As we walked, I was thinking whether I should tell her or not.
She would be my path to crossing over.
So shouldn't she at least know?
I kept thinking, torn between hesitation and trying to tell her.
"How did it feel meeting your old friends?"
"Ah yes, it was a nostalgic feeling.
But what surprised me was how Park and Eri could be dating.
I didn't mean that… it's just that Eri's behavior in high school made Park afraid of her pranks."
"Everyone changes and matures, and the heart finds who it loves no matter the circumstances."
"Am I talking to the philosopher of love or what?"
"So, have you found love or not?"
"No."
"I don't think so. More than half the school year has passed, and surely you've met many people.
Maybe you liked someone?"
"I received thousands of letters from guys in different colleges, but I refused them all."
"But you kept the letters?"
"No."
"They're like a fireplace if I need fire one moment in Seoul."
"Really?"
"No, when I sit in my special place."
"You have a special place?"
"Yes, a small garden my father bought me.
I sit and think, and when I don't find anything, I love to watch the fire sway with the wind."
"You've changed a lot, Misaki."
"For the better, of course. Unlike someone."
"Ah, me?"
"Yes, you're still an idiot as always."
"I'm not an idiot. My IQ has increased a lot, and entering your university shows great intelligence."
"I don't mean that, but because you live in the past more than the present."
"Even you, Misaki. Rin was my best friend. I never forgot her.
But she's in my heart, not in my life.
I'll remember her, but I won't make her my whole subject. Understand what I'm saying?"
"Stop, Misaki. Rin isn't dead."
"See? This is what I'm talking about."
"I told you, stop. Rin isn't dead. I have a chance to bring her back."
"How will you do that?"
"By going back in time."
"How will you do that? Tell me. Will you become a scientist and invent a time machine?"
"No, I won't need to invent one because I already traveled."
"You're imagining things."
"No, I'm not. And the proof… your friend Iroha."
When Misaki heard that name, she stopped in place.
"How do you know that name? Tell me."
"Because, as I told you, I traveled in time."
Misaki just kept looking at him without a word, in a silence filled with violent storms.