"...Yusuke, I mean Yusuke..."

A girl's voice came from behind.

It was a little hazy when I first heard it, but after I regained my perception of the outside world, it immediately became clear.

"——Really, just wait for me for a moment."

Kato Yusuke, who had been walking with his head down, suddenly stopped and froze in place.

The next second.

puff……

A soft impact came from the back.

"Ah, it hurts..."

Looking back at the past.

Huizheng, whose hair was slightly messy, covered his forehead with his right hand and gasped softly. His fair little face was rosy, and his shiny mouth was slightly open.

"Great...you finally stopped."

There was a rare hint of resentment in the quiet and beautiful eyes that looked up.

"It means there are so many people here, I almost thought you were going to leave me here."

"…………?"

Kato Yusuke's eyes, which were like dead water, evoked a hint of emotion, as if he had finally come to life.

Blinking numbly.

The sun has completely sunk, and the night has begun. The dark blue of the night renders the sky, and little stars begin to twinkle.

On the criss-crossing streets, colorful neon lights decorate the city, and people are bustling and flowing, presenting a lively scene.

The piercing sound of whistles and the roar of people came together, sometimes far away and sometimes close.

"...Have you reacted now?"

The girl reminded with a hint of depression: "We're almost at the station here, right?"

"..."

Kato Yusuke took a slow breath, and the cold air entered his lungs, stimulating the depths of his nasal cavity.

"...I'm sorry, it's my fault."

He spoke in a low voice, trying to overlook the whole situation in his mind, but the entrance to Shinjoka's house kept popping up, causing strong interference.

While his eyes were dim and unclear, his mood couldn't help but become heavy.

"Well, you didn't mean it after all, right? Then there's nothing to apologize for."

Hui sighed helplessly, "Then, do you want to come and have a little chat?"

Kato Yusuke pursed his lips tightly and forced a smile: "...What are you talking about?"

The girl stared at him for a while, feeling slightly troubled, and then said after careful consideration:

"About this, although I don't have to force you to do anything, your state makes me think it's better to tell you?"

Kato Yusuke showed a perfunctory fake smile, but was interrupted by a light and clear voice.

"I won't give up, Yusuke." The girl declared with a rare seriousness in her expression.

After careful observation, he discovered that her shoulders and chest were rising and falling slightly. At the same time, in order not to let him notice, she opened her mouth slightly and was taking short breaths.

Despite this, Hui said as calmly as possible:

"Even if you are not ready to open your heart to me yet, I will still stay by your side until the day you feel you can tell me."

In the night, the girl was like a snow-white dandelion, smiling at him.

"So when you are alone and dejected, afraid to speak out, and trembling all the time... when you are lost on a night like this when you can't see the moon..."

As he spoke, he grabbed his hand with both hands and held it tightly in front of his chest.

"——When the time comes, I will definitely stay by your side closer than anyone else."

"——!"

The cold evening breeze blew, slightly swaying the skirt.

The wind made the coat bulge, and the thin shoulders exuded a calm and peaceful look.

The short black hair that she let down at some point was swaying lightly, dripping with sweat and clinging to her soft cheeks.

Kato Yusuke looked at this scene and was speechless for a moment.

He let her bear his vulnerability, his cunning, his sorrow and his regret.

Beat winter beat winter, beat winter beat winter.

As his heart beat, a dull pain erupted from his body.

My body couldn't help but become stiff and heavy, as if it didn't belong to me.

The feeling of loneliness came all at once, rushing straight to my forehead, and the complex emotions were on the verge of bursting.

The expression he maintained with all his strength and the nerves he had been tense suddenly collapsed at this moment.

"benefit……"

As if he was blinded by the dust, he opened his eyes unconsciously, and then hugged the girl tightly into his arms.

"ah……"

A small hum came from Hui's mouth.

Feeling a little surprised by his sudden move, the girl couldn't help but open her eyes slightly.

"Yusuke...?" Hui asked, turning her face slightly, but she could only see the back of his head.

"..."

Without saying anything, Kato Yusuke hugged her a little tighter and said in a dumb voice: "...Give me a little more time, one day...I will tell Kei..."

The dull voice accompanied by the hot breathing lingered faintly in the girl's ears as if asking for permission.

For no reason, Hui immediately softened completely, then carefully and slowly raised her hands, hugged him with her backhand, and gave a soft hum.

"...It's okay, it's okay, I'm here."

As if she were treating a child, she patted his back gently.

"No matter what happens, I will not sit back and watch you immersed in such emotions alone. I will stay by your side closer than anyone else."

"..."

Kato Yusuke remained silent, his thirsty mouth feeling sticky. In the end, he just buried his face in her hair, not wanting his expression at this time to be seen clearly.

It was a long, oppressive silence.

In this silence, the body that always gave people a strong impression began to tremble slightly involuntarily.

Sensing this, Hui lowered his eyes slightly and continued to comfort him as if he didn't notice anything.

"It's okay, it's okay. Like I said, I will be with you."

While she said this tirelessly, she secretly hoped that her voice could reach the bottom of the other person's heart.

I hope that I can make this person a little more warm, just like the boy who once appeared in her world when no one cared about him.

Until a certain moment.

Quietly, a warm and cool feeling of moisture spread on her shoulders, just like the warm-to-cold temperature on a spring night that soaked her clothes.

What followed was a slightly trembling, choking voice.

"Ah, don't lie to me..."

There was an unbreakable sadness in his voice, like an abandoned puppy.

"Well, I won't lie to you."

A gentler and firmer voice responded.

Like a glimmer of light shining in the dark depths of the night, the girl like the bright moon shines quietly here.

"..."

Kato Yusuke's heart was shaken.

Thousands of sorrows are mixed together, forming like a torrent of emotions, surging endlessly.

After a few months——

The person who closed his heart when he returned from Hokkaido;

He has been pretending to be the calm and steady person since he returned to school;

When I see Sayu again, he can still maintain his dignity and push through.

——Finally, I couldn't help but moisten my eyes, blurring my vision.

Not paying attention to the eyes around him, the young man hugged the girl tightly in his arms, squeezing out intermittent and silent sobs from his throat.
To be continued...