After hanging up, Hojo Suzune—now an adult—dabbed the grease from her red lips, put on her headphones, and played back the call recording she'd just saved, listening to it carefully.
As the boy's voice flowed through her earbuds, a satisfied smile touched her fair face. She tapped the screen twice and added a dated note.
A moment later, still not quite satisfied, she opened another audio clip from a private folder.
"Suzune, I like you… No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side and support you…"
At those words, Suzune jolted as if shocked, fingers clenching tight.
Her legs pressed together beneath her skirt; even her toes, wrapped in white stockings, curled.
"Whoo—"
A flush rose on her pale cheeks and her small chest heaved.
Her whole aura turned as lush and tender as a rose in bloom.
Click.
Unable to bear the heat in her chest any longer, she stood abruptly, phone in hand, and headed for the bedroom.
She drew the curtains; the room fell into dusk.
She opened the wardrobe and, with practiced ease, took out a tan men's jacket from the very back.
Thud.
Kicking off her slippers from over her white socks, she scrambled onto the bed.
From beneath the pillow she took out a photo of Shiratori Kiyoya. With a sweat-damp, slender hand, she cradled the jacket and spread it over the pillow.
Listening to the boy's voice in her headphones, her rose-tinted face pressed down into it and she took a long breath.
"Suzune, I like you… No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side and support you…"
The shifts in the boy's tone were awkward, like rough edits spliced together, but Suzune didn't care in the slightest.
…
Roughly ten minutes later, after soaking up what comfort she could from the pillow, she felt as if the hollow in her heart had been filled.
She let go with her right hand, her rosy lips parting and closing as she panted.
Strands of hair around her ears were damp with sweat; her breathing came hard.
After a while, the filled-in gap gaped open again—perhaps even wider than before.
The split between cold reality and warm fantasy dropped her into an abyss, a lonely shadow wrapping her whole body.
Expressionless, Suzune turned her head, pinched the photo between her fingers, and stared at the smiling boy in it as her gaze went unfocused.
Some people are like magnet and iron—fated to attract, hard to pull apart once they meet.
Long before she even knew what love was, she had fallen hopelessly for Shiratori Kiyoya.
It wouldn't be wrong to call him her first awakening.
She met him even earlier than her older sister did.
Back when she'd just finished junior high, her parents were arguing day after day over trivial things she couldn't understand; the promised family trip kept getting delayed into nothing; her sister was busy with club training and competitions and had no time for her.
Her friends were posting travel photos on social media.
"Hojo-chan, didn't you say you were going to Hokkaido? Why haven't you shared anything—canceled?"
"No, something came up. I'll go in two days."
"Then hurry. Two more days and the events there will be over—probably not worth it. Oh, but if you go before next week you might catch the high-school kendo tournament. Pretty cool…"
"You might even meet someone interesting. I'm telling you, Risa met Kawasaki in Hokkaido. You've never dated, right?"
"Dating? That's a bit premature for me, don't you think?"
"Haha, try it—you'll do it sooner or later anyway. Didn't the math teacher say experience adds up little by little?"
"…"
She'd forgotten exactly what mindset she had then—maybe a laughable pride that didn't want anyone to know how bad things were at home—but she worked up the courage to sneak off to Hokkaido alone.
Her hopes and excitement were broken by the unease of being by herself.
She took who knows how many mechanical shots of the long, dull shoreline and the deflated event balloons.
She even tried finding the budōkan her friend mentioned, but the crowds were huge and the heat oppressive; she snapped a perfunctory pic and called it a visit.
At dusk, Suzune sat by the shore, eyes fixed on the horizon, urging the sun to hurry and sink into the sea.
Snap the last sunset and hurry home.
That was the plan—but summer days are long, and no matter how long she waited, the golden disc refused to drop.
Only when full dark gathered, the world swallowed by black, and the streetlights flicked on overhead did she realize: the day had turned cloudy. There would be no sunset.
Before she could sink into disappointment, a rough voice sounded at her ear:
"Hey, you… you're alone, right?"
Suzune jerked head to toe.
She turned, stiff with fear. A broad, menacing face loomed close, greedy eyes thick with lust; the stench of booze made her gag.
Her slender body went taut; a wave of fear crashed over her. She didn't catch what he said—she just turned and ran.
"Hey!"
He yanked the strap of her bag. Suzune slipped her arm out in a flash—like a gecko shedding its tail to survive.
Filthy curses chased her.
Eyes screwed shut, her tender heart swaddled in terror, she ran with no idea where she was going.
She didn't know how long it was.
Maybe ten seconds. Maybe a minute.
To her, it felt like half a day.
BEEEEP! BEEEEP!!
A piercing blast erupted beside her. Suzune froze and turned. Blazing headlights seemed to spear right through her frail frame.
Her mind went blank.
A few stray words popped up: Am I going to die?
SCREEEECH!!!
A violent brake squeal tore through the air.
When she came back to herself, someone was holding her tight. A handsome boy's face filled her vision.
"Are you okay?"
The gentle voice at her ear seemed to cool even the hot summer wind.
"If you wanna die, go jump in the ocean! Don't drag other people down, idiot!"
The driver shouted out the window, then gunned his truck and sped off.
After a while, Suzune gave her head a tiny shake.
"I… I think I'm okay…"
"Can you walk?"
When she said that, the boy let go to let her try—but the moment he did, her knees buckled and she dropped to the ground.
"Guess not. You can't get a cab out here. I'll carry you for a bit, okay?"
Shiratori Kiyoya crouched in front of her, offering broad shoulders.
As if bewitched, she climbed onto the stranger's back.
He looked slim—tall but lean—yet somehow he felt steady and safe.
His hands were broad and strong; he carried her without a wobble.
"What's your name? Where's home?"
"K-Kyoto…"
"Kyoto?"
He sounded surprised, then after a beat of thought, chuckled softly:
"What a coincidence. I'm in Kyoto too."
Such a coincidence—call it fate?
They passed beneath lamp after lamp. Suzune's dark eyes flickered; she took his words on faith without thinking.
"Though I'm only here now to accompany someone for a tournament…"
"A tournament?"
"The Inter-High kendo prelims. We're favorites to win."
She had no idea what "Inter-High" meant, but it sounded impressive.
Afraid he'd laugh at her for not knowing, she simply went quiet.
As if he'd guessed, the boy explained:
"Inter-High—All-Japan high school athletics. Kendo is one of the events. You're still in junior high, right? You'll know once you're in high school."
I'm about to be in high school…
For some reason, hearing him talk about the difference between high school and junior high made her a little vexed. She furrowed her brows.
But correcting him on a first meeting would leave a bad impression, right?
She thought a second, then said:
"You're amazing."
He shook his head with a smile.
"Not me—my girlfriend. She's a first-year who got special permission to enter Inter-High, and she'll probably sweep this year's high-school kendo titles."
"…"
At the word girlfriend, something pricked in her chest.
She didn't yet know what "liking someone" felt like. The sudden wave of sadness was bewildering even to herself.
"That's amazing," she forced herself to say. He, seemingly unaware, sighed as if remembering something:
"Amazing, sure—just doesn't make any money…"
Deciding that wasn't something to tell her, he shifted to comfort:
"Don't worry. You can compete in high school too. You're in a club, right?"
"Yeah… wind ensemble."
"Mhm. You're probably great. I think you've got real talent for performance. Keep at it—you'll be famous someday."
He sounded more confident than she was, as if he could already see the future.
Oddly, his words lifted her mood. Like a kitten, she nudged his shoulder with her chin.
"Mhm."
The conversation dwindled, but she still wanted to know more about him. She hesitated a long time.
By the time they reached a street with open shops, the rising hum of cars seemed to announce their parting.
Anxiety tightened in her chest.
She wanted to see him again.
She had to see him again.
Her breathing quickened; her hands on his shoulders clenched without thinking. She couldn't help asking:
"Wh-what's your name?"
"Shiratori Kiyoya."
"And you?"
"H—Hojo Suzune…"
"…"
Their first meeting was like a dream. From then on, Suzune could never quite get him out of her thoughts.
After graduating junior high, she didn't hesitate—she chose the same school Kiyoya attended.
Later, when she learned he'd broken up with his girlfriend, she was so happy she couldn't sleep all night. She kept sending him messages to comfort him, even as her mind was already plotting how to win him over.
When they started dating, she would enter contests too—she absolutely wouldn't lose ground to his ex.
But things went nothing like she'd imagined.
It was a mild, sunny morning.
Her sister brought Kiyoya over for the first time, eyes shining as she introduced him:
"Suzune, this is Shiratori Kiyoya. From now on, he's your sister's boyfriend."
"…"
Memories flashed by—those heartbreaking scenes of their high-school romance. Curled in bed, the girl pulled her slight body tight.
Clear tears slid from the corners of her eyes, soaking the sheets.
"Kiyoya… you're mine."
"Wait for me a little longer—just a little longer…"
"No one will take you from me. Not even my sister."
Her whispered vow faded into the air like dust. A hard glint rose in her tear-bright eyes.
A fated meeting demands a fated end. She and Kiyoya would be together, in the end.