The city hummed with life, warm and bright. Lanterns painted the streets in gold, laughter echoed, and the scent of fresh rain clung to the air. It was everything she should have wanted. Everything she had dreamed of.

So why did it feel so empty?

Natsuko sat at the edge of a fountain, fingertips tracing circles in the water. Ripples twisted her reflection—warping, distorting—until it was someone unrecognizable. Someone who had everything. Someone who had nothing.

"It’s strange..."

Her voice was barely above a whisper. She was free now. No burdens. No chains. More friends than she had ever known, more freedom than she ever thought possible. A life untouched by sorrow.

And yet, she had never felt lonelier.

Her head turned before she could stop herself, a reflex so natural it hurt. As if, somehow, if she just looked—

But he wasn’t there.

Her fingers curled into her sleeve. He had always been there. Always. A constant shadow, silent, unwavering. He never needed her to say his name. Never asked for her love. Never asked for anything at all.

And yet, without him, she felt like a single thread unraveling from a seam.

"You’re not here."

The ache sat heavy in her chest. She had never noticed how much space he took up in her life—until it was gone. Until she was standing in a world so full, yet so unbearably empty.

"I should be happy."

She squeezed her eyes shut. It was fine. It was all fine.

"I am happy."

A lie.

"…I miss you."

The words slipped out, too soft for anyone to hear.

But someone did.

The air shifted.

A weight pressed against her skin—warm, familiar. A presence so certain it stole the breath from her lungs. She knew it before she turned, before she even saw him.

"You—"

Her words broke, lost as arms wrapped around her, pulling her close. And just like that, the loneliness was gone.