After sending the video to her father, Emi finally felt a small weight lift from her shoulders. Kaito's true nature had been revealed, and the danger he posed was no longer looming over her. But even as relief settled in, a new anxiety took its place. There was still one person she desperately wanted to see — one person who had never stopped occupying her heart: Haruto.
She began asking around discreetly, visiting friends, acquaintances, and places where he might have appeared over the past two years. Each conversation ended the same way — no one had seen him. He had vanished, leaving no trace behind.
But then, a lead came from a colleague of a mutual friend. "I heard he's not in the city anymore," the person said, voice hesitant. "Something about… a new job. Scientific research? I think he moved to a lab in another prefecture."
Emi's heart skipped a beat. A scientist? Haruto had always been meticulous and intelligent, but she had never imagined him diving into a life so distant from everything she had known. For a moment, she felt both admiration and sorrow. He had rebuilt himself in ways she hadn't dared to imagine.
Determined, Emi began retracing possible paths, visiting research institutions and labs, inquiring politely but urgently about the new arrival. Each day of searching carried hope and fear in equal measure — hope that she might finally see him again, and fear that he had moved too far beyond the life they once shared.
Late at night, sitting in her small apartment, Emi whispered his name into the quiet darkness. "Haruto… I've found out. You're working as a scientist now. I… I want to see you. I need to explain. I need to apologize."
But she knew that finding him would be harder than she imagined. Haruto had built a life of silence and distance, and her past mistakes had created a gulf that no apology could instantly bridge.
Yet, despite everything, she refused to give up. Somewhere, Haruto was out there, living a life that no longer included her — and she was determined to make her presence known, no matter the risk to her pride or heart.
Because some loves, she realized, are worth chasing… even if the chase takes a lifetime.