"Do you... know about this birthmark?" Toshiya's eyes stopped. The air in the living room grew taut. Outside the window, Tokyo Tower cast its orange light into the night, but that glow felt distant somehow—as if it belonged to another world entirely. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds. No answer came. Runa noticed her left hand trembling. The hand she'd placed over the star-shaped birthmark beneath her collarbone—it was shaking slightly. (He knew. I knew he knew.) The silence itself was the answer. If he didn't know, he could deny it immediately. He could ask, "What are you talking about?" But Toshiya remained silent. His expression was different from his usual composure. There was something pained in it—the corner of his mouth held tight and small. "Toshiya." This time she called his name. Toshiya moved slightly. His gaze returned to her. "[serious]...Let's sit." With only those words, he lowered himself onto the sofa. Runa sat across from him. The wine bottle from last night still sat on the table. The empty glass looked somehow terribly lonely. Toshiya clasped his hands on his lap for a while. As if thinking. As if deciding where to begin. "[serious]I noticed that birthmark the first time we met." "The first time...?" "[serious]The Maruze Foods trading conference. When you brought the documents, I saw it peeking out from your neckline." That was the day Runa had first shared the same space with Toshiya. The conference room in Shirogane Tower. Her hands had trembled with nervousness as she arranged the papers. She'd never imagined he would remember that day in such detail. "I've only seen that same shape once before." "...The same shape?" Toshiya narrowed his eyes slightly. "[serious]In an old photograph of my father's. There was a woman in it." Runa's hand froze. Shirogane Koichi. The former chairman of the Shirogane Group who had passed away suddenly two years ago. Toshiya's father. "That woman... had the same birthmark as me?" "[serious]It was a photograph from when Father was in university. The woman had a star-shaped birthmark around her collarbone. I remember seeing Father gaze at that photograph many times when I was a child." His voice was quiet. Whether he was suppressing emotion or simply speaking matter-of-factly, she couldn't tell. "Do you... know who that woman was?" Toshiya let his gaze fall to the floor for a moment, as if searching for words. "[serious]My father's diary still exists. It was sealed, and I never opened it. But when I saw your birthmark—I hesitated about whether I should." "Why... did you hesitate?" "[serious]Because I felt like everything would change if I did." Those words fell quietly into the living room. Everything would change. Did that mean her relationship with him would change? Or was it something that concerned the Shirogane family itself? Runa placed her hand beneath her collarbone. The star-shaped birthmark that had been there since birth. She'd asked her mother about it once. "You were born with it," was all she'd said. There had been no deeper explanation. She hadn't pressed further. "...I asked my mother about it once. But I never really understood." "I see." Toshiya rose quietly and walked toward the bedroom. Runa waited. The clock in the living room ticked softly. After a moment, Toshiya returned. In his hand was an old envelope. A thin, tan-colored envelope. It was sealed carefully, with nothing written on the front. "[serious]It was tucked into the last page of Father's diary." Toshiya returned to the sofa and placed the envelope on the table. Between them, it lay in silence. "May I open it?" Runa stared at the envelope. She was afraid. The desire to know the truth and the desire to remain in ignorance existed simultaneously in her chest. If she knew, she didn't understand what would happen between her and Toshiya. But— (I don't want to run away. Not anymore.) Last night, she'd said, "I want to be with you." Those words had been true. So even if she was afraid, she would face it. "[gentle]...Yes. Please open it." Toshiya took the envelope and carefully broke the seal. From inside, a single folded sheet of paper emerged. Old stationery. The ink had faded slightly with time. Toshiya unfolded it and his eyes moved across the words. Runa watched his expression. His composed eyes traced the characters. Then they stopped once. "[surprised]...Kirihara." "What?" "[serious]The name written in this letter is—Kirihara Yoshie." Runa's lungs stopped for a moment. Kirihara Yoshie. That was her mother's name. "...My mother...?" Her voice cracked. Toshiya turned the letter toward her. Runa took it with trembling hands. The inked characters jumped into her vision. —To Yoshie. I could never forget you. I still think of that birthmark. If the child born to you inherited it—I only wish for their happiness. I have no right to confirm it. So I write only this. —From Koichi. As Runa read the words, she couldn't understand what she was feeling. Fear. But not the desire to cry. There was only a sensation of something quietly rearranging itself in her mind. (My mother and Toshiya's father...) "[serious]Runa." Toshiya called her name. Not her surname—her given name. Runa looked up. Toshiya was looking directly at her. In his eyes was something beyond his usual composure. "If this is the truth—" He paused there. "[serious]My choosing you wasn't a coincidence. But if you hate that, then I—" "[gentle]...I don't hate it." She cut off his words. She surprised herself. But it wasn't a lie. "If you asked me why, I couldn't answer well." She placed the letter on her lap and continued. "I still don't fully understand what happened between your father and my mother. But... even if that's why you chose me, I think the feelings I have right now, here, are real." Her voice wavered slightly. But her gaze didn't leave his. "[gentle]...I'm amazed I could say that." The last words were a whisper to herself. After a beat, Toshiya's mouth moved slightly at the corner. Whether he was smiling or relieved, the boundary was unclear. "[gentle]...Yeah." With only that, Toshiya took her hand. The same warmth as last night. But it felt slightly stronger than it had then. A quiet time flowed through the living room. Tokyo Tower's orange light continued to glow unchanged beyond the window. Runa felt the warmth of his hand while looking at the letter on her lap. Thin stationery. Old ink. There was still so much she didn't know. About her mother. About Koichi. The meaning of this birthmark. The truth behind the mysterious voice on the phone that had said she was "being watched." Not everything would be revealed tonight. But for now, Runa thought, the warmth of this hand was enough. —Yet when she traced the final characters of the letter with her eyes one more time, a small thorn seemed to pierce deep within her chest. *I have no right to confirm it.* (Why didn't Shirogane Koichi come to confirm it?) That question remained quietly, but certainly, within her.