Kazuma still lay beside the vending machine, rain soaking him completely through.The cold air clung to his clothes.His face looked lifeless, and only one thought kept spinning in his mind —"Someone just end me… please…"
From between the falling raindrops came a faint scent —like a mix of flowers and cigarette smoke.
Kazuma slowly lifted his head.A girl stood in front of him —white dress, long hair, strangely calm eyes.Beautiful… but slightly unsettling.
"Hey," she said without emotion,"what are you doing here? Don't you have a home?"
Kazuma's voice was cracked."Please… if you can… kill me."
The girl looked him up and down,as if measuring his worth.
"Die somewhere else," she said coldly."If you die here, your body will start smelling.This is my home.There will be ambulance noise.It'll disturb my sleep."
"So it's better that you go somewhere else and die.I'll come back in 3 minutes. Be gone by then."
Saying that, she turned away.Her clothes clung to her in the rain…
but Kazuma didn't move.
≈ 30 minutes later
The girl returned, covering her phone's mic.
"Hello… there's a boy lying unconscious here.Probably drunk.Come pick him up."
The police arrived and lifted Kazuma.There was no resistance in his eyes —only emptiness.
One of the officers asked the girl,"Your name is Hina Mitsuha, right? You made the call?"
Mitsuha replied in a negative tone,"Yes, I did. Please take him away from here."
The police dropped Kazuma at his house.
Next Morning…
The house now looked like a garbage dump.Plastic cups, food wrappers, the smell of stale sweat.
Kazuma lay in the same spot —as if time itself had stopped.
This place still carried Kento's scent…which only intensified the pain.
Morning came.Kazuma was asleep, sunlight falling on his face.
The phone rang.Even lifting his hand felt heavy.
"Hello, Kazuma."
His father's voice — sharp as usual.
"Why haven't you been answering for days?You're not even going to school…What's going on?"
Kazuma replied in a long, hollow tone,"I'm fine, Dad.I'm going to school today."
"Good. And—"
Kazuma cut the call.He didn't have the strength to hear more.
School.
He sat in the corner of the class.People talking.Laughing.Alive.
But Kazuma's mind was stuck in one place —Kento.
The teacher's voice felt like background noise.
"Kazuma?I asked you a question."
He flinched and stood up.
"Yes… sir.Washroom…?"
Without waiting, he walked out.
School Terrace
Strong wind.The city noise below faded away.
Kazuma stood near the railing.Just one step…and everything would end.
"Here too?"
At first the voice felt strange —then recognition hit.
The girl from the vending machine.
She stood near the railing, smoking,cigarette smoke mixing with the air.
Seeing Kazuma, she didn't look shocked —she looked annoyed.
"You came here to die again?"She exhaled.
There were no tears in Kazuma's eyes,only resignation.
"Yes."
She stared at him for a few seconds.Then threw the cigarette away.
"This is ridiculous.Why do you always want to die right in front of me? Fuck.Do you really want to die?"
Her tone was casual,like she was asking about the weather.
Kazuma nodded.
She opened her bag,took out a small bottle.
"Jumping from the roof is messy.Bones break, people scream…boring."
She shook the bottle.
"Try this.Quick.No drama."
Kazuma looked at the bottle —his hand trembling slightly.
"Does this… work?"
She smiled —a strange, unreadable smile.
"Only one way to find out."
Kazuma took the bottle.It was cold.
He didn't think much.
Drank it in one breath.
The girl just watched him —like someone observing an experiment.
"By the way,"she said softly,"my name… Mitsuha."
The world slowly began to blur.Kazuma's legs started shaking.His heartbeat went strangely quiet.
And everything went dark.