On that cold Christmas night, I, (Julian), wanted to meet you (Ami). I wanted to ask about your future, where you will continue your education after graduating from this Shigansana Middle School.
In front of this magnificent Christmas tree, we finally met to talk about our future together. Julian took a deep breath and said, "Ami, where will you continue your education after this?". Ami was silent for a moment, smiling. Then, she replied, "You'll find out later where I will go." The atmosphere became quiet but tense; the answer felt empty, yet Julian didn't dare to ask again because of Ami's statement. Right at midnight, we held hands and hugged in the cold Christmas night before parting ways.
After the Christmas Eve gathering, Julian, while reflecting on Ami's response, wondered, "Why did she answer like that?" After a moment of contemplation, Julian finally fell asleep feeling uncertain. The next day, the farewell event began, but Julian did not see Ami at the event. The farewell was sad for the students, yet also warm. The student council president, Ismi, gave a speech that stirred the students' spirits, but for Julian, it felt unremarkable due to Ami's absence at the farewell.
Days passed just like that since the farewell, Julian was still waiting for a message from Ami on his phone, but since then, no message has been received from Ami. One year later, Julian had become a student at Kaisei High School. He had grown into a reliable yet gloomy young man. At this school, he had a few friends like Valaya and Brian. Brian waved his hand while patting Julian on the shoulder, "Hey bro, why do you always seem gloomy in the mornings like before?" Julian replied, "Ah, noisy." Valaya, who was at the front of the classroom hallway, came over and teased Julian, "Why are you gloomy, Julian? Come on, let's go sing karaoke together, or do you want to go on a date with me to the amusement park?" Hearing this, I blushed while trying to distance myself from the two of them. Lessons started as usual, and after that, the school bell rang, signaling that school activities were over.
Finally, he went back home, and once at home, Julian felt curious about his childhood memories with Ami. He searched for the childhood photo album neatly stored on his study desk. While searching through the album, he found a letter from Ami, "For you, Julian." He opened the letter and read it, while shedding tears; the real reason behind that night's statement felt very painful for Julian.
Moving on to chapter two about Julian and Ami's childhood, see you in the next chapter!!!