Gray Wings No Longer Needed ~I'll Protect Your Tomorrow~ - To Yui, I'm smiling, so

Monday. 7:40 AM. A boy walks down the slope of Hibarigaoka housing complex. White cane. White hair. Thin shoulders. His school uniform hangs loose on a skeletal frame. Tap. The cane strikes asphalt. Tap. Another step. (Northeast corner) Kanata drew a map in his mind. Sakura's behavior patterns, extracted from Tsukiko. Northeast corner of the intersection. Pretending to wait for the light, signaling with her phone. Exactly 7:50. The memory is etched into his ears. The night before last — after the final rewind — everything Tsukiko told him in a trembling voice. (There) The cane stops on the tactile paving. Midoribashi West Intersection. He listens. Electronic signal. North-south is green. Chirp chirp. Car engines. Few. Monday morning, still early for rush hour. Wind. Cold northwest wind carrying the damp smell of the Asase River. And —. Northeast corner. Rubber soles scraping the ground. Heels tapping. Ton. Ton. (Sakura) Kanata's throat clicked. His heart pounded like a bell deep in his chest. He pressed his back against a utility pole. Cold concrete. He held his breath. Not yet. He folded his white cane quietly. Click. The small sound echoed far too loud. ◇◇◇ 7:47 AM. His fingers trembled. (Am I scared) Of course. His eyes are completely blind. Zero vision. Even light perception is nearly gone. Ears, smell, touch — his only weapons. (If I fail) Yui dies. I die too. He clenched his fist. Knuckles turned white. The trembling wouldn't stop. —Then. A sweet scent from the northeast corner. Perfume. Floral. So similar to the flower scent Yui loved. Kanata's back teeth ground together. The trembling stopped. (It's fine) His catchphrase. (It'll work out) 7:49 AM. Kanata stepped away from the pole. ◇◇◇ 7:50 AM. Sakura moved. The sound of pulling out her phone. Pressing a button. "[cold]...I'm going now." A short voice. Click. Call ended. —In the distance. An engine. Low, heavy, the growl of a large vehicle. From the back road off Asase Street. The ground trembled faintly. Now. Kanata placed his cane on the ground. A dry sound. He ran. To the center of the intersection. Footsteps. His shoes kicking asphalt. Breathing. Heartbeat. Every sound blended into one. The engine draws closer. Louder. The ground shakes harder. Kanata spread both arms wide in front of him. Wind filled his uniform sleeves. White hair stood on end. He filled his lungs with air. "[angry]Stop!!" He screamed. His throat tore. —SCREEEEEECH!! Tires shrieking against asphalt. The smell of burning rubber. Wind pressure. The truck's nose, one meter from Kanata's toes — stopped. Silence. For a moment, all sound vanished. "[angry]Why—!!" Sakura's voice. Footsteps running from the northeast corner. "[angry]Why are you here?! Don't interfere!! Yui-chan is—" Kanata turned toward the voice. He charged. Soles kicking the ground. One step. Two. Three—. "[angry]Yui-chan is mine—!!" Impact. A dull thud. Sakura's slender body crashed against Kanata's chest. They fell to the ground together. "[angry]Let go!!" Sakura's hands clawed at Kanata's face. Nails dug into his cheek. Blood welled up. But — it didn't hurt. Kanata pinned her arms down. He pressed his weight from above. Even his emaciated body had enough strength left to hold her down. "[crying]Why... why..." Sakura's voice began to shake. "[crying]You can't even see anymore, right?! Your body's wrecked, right?! Why go this far?! Why!!" Crying. Her body trembled violently. "[crying]I hate you so much!! You should just disappear!! If only you weren't here — if only you weren't here, Yui-chan would be mine!!" A twisted wail. Seven years of jealousy. Hatred. Obsession. Everything spilled out with her tears. Kanata, breathing ragged — smiled. "[gentle]...If Yui can smile." His voice was quiet. "That's enough." Sakura's crying stopped dead. "[sad]...Huh...?" "[gentle]If Yui can live and smile — that's enough for me." Kanata closed his eyes. Closed or open, the same darkness. "[gentle]Hating you too — I'm just... tired." The strength drained from Sakura's arms. Her resistance vanished. "...Ugh... ah..." She began to cry with a voiceless voice. Lying on her back on the ground, covering her face with both hands. Seven years of distortion crumbled audibly. —Then. Light footsteps. From the east. The direction of the school route. The sound of sneaker soles striking asphalt in steady rhythm. (Yui) Kanata's chest tightened hard. He knew just by hearing. Those footsteps. The slight habit of dragging her right foot. A remnant from when they played together as children and she fell. Yui's footsteps stopped. ◇◇◇ "...Huh?" Yui's voice. A sense of breath caught. "...Kana...ta...?" Footsteps running. Kicking asphalt. Drawing closer. The sound of knees hitting the ground right beside him. "[crying]No, Kanata! Why, why is this happening...!" Yui's hand touched Kanata's cheek. Warm. Soft. The scent of flowers — that smell soaked into her at the Fleuret workshop. "[crying]Kanata! Do you know it's me?! It's Yui! Hey, why — why is your hair pure white — your eyes —" Yui embraced Kanata's body. Thin arms wrapped around his back. Warm. Her tears fell onto Kanata's cheek. Hot. (Yui is — crying) "[crying]No... no, Kanata! Please, open your eyes! Don't leave me behind!" Yui's voice rang right beside Kanata's ear. Her voice trembling. Her breathing ragged. The sound of her heart reached his chest. (She's alive) Tears spilled from Kanata's eyes. Right eye, left eye, both blind now. Even so — tears can still fall, huh. His lips moved faintly. "[whispers]...Yui." His voice scraped out, nearly gone. "[whispers]You're alive... thank goodness..." Yui held him tighter. "[crying]Kanata! Kanata!! Please, don't die!!" Her voice grew distant. His heartbeat slowed. (Ah — Yui's voice) Kanata smiled. "[whispers]If Yui... can smile... then that's..." His words cut off. Strength left his body. In those warm arms, Kanata — quietly, stopped moving. "[crying]Kanata...? Kanata!? No, nooooo!!" Yui's scream echoed through the morning intersection. Holding him, not letting go. She stroked his white hair. Kissed his cheek. Tears fell endlessly onto Kanata's face. "[crying]Kanata... Kanata..." Yui kept calling his name. Morning sun poured onto the street. Only the light enveloping them both was dazzling. Sirens in the distance. Police and ambulance. The truck driver who called it in clutched his phone, trembling. Sakura sat collapsed on the ground, weeping brokenly. "...I... did..." Her voice was barely there. "[crying]I — killed him..." She stared at her own hands. Pink nail polish glinted in the morning sun. Those fingers trembled uncontrollably. Soon officers arrived and took Sakura into custody. Voluntary accompaniment. Dragged toward the roadside — she never once looked back at Kanata and Yui. Paramedics tried to pull Kanata away from Yui. "[crying]No! Don't take him! He's still — he's still warm!!" Still, the paramedics gently but firmly placed Kanata's body onto a stretcher. A white sheet was laid over him. Yui remained sitting on the spot, crying aloud without end. ◇◇◇ That morning. Minase South High School. Class 2-3. Morning sun streamed through the east-facing windows. An empty classroom. No one there. Classes were delayed due to the incident. —Then, a girl appeared. Yui. Eyes swollen from tears. Hair disheveled. Her uniform stained with dirt and tears. She sat at her desk. Diagonally behind — window side, last row. Kanata's seat. Empty. Yui placed her hand on that desk. Her fingers trembled. "...Kanata." Her voice scraped out. —Then. The classroom door opened quietly. Silver hair. Long hair reaching her waist caught the morning light, glowing almost white. Tsukiko. Her eyes were faintly red too. Tsukiko stood silently beside Yui. In her right hand, an envelope. "[gentle]...Here." Yui looked up. Tsukiko's silver eyes wavered. As if holding back tears. "[gentle]From Kanata. For you." She held out the envelope. Yui took it with trembling hands. On the front — "To Yui." Kanata's handwriting. Uneven. She knew immediately he had written it while losing his sight. The letters curved, sizes inconsistent. She opened the seal. A single sheet of letter paper. She gently unfolded it. —There. 'To Yui. I chose a future where you are smiling. Don't cry. Because I am smiling.' A short message. Scribbled. But — every single word was a trembling letter. Yui clutched the letter with both hands. She cried without sound. Her shoulders shook. Tears fell onto the paper, blurring the words. "[crying]...Kanata..." Tsukiko sat in the neighboring seat. Saying nothing, gazing out the window. Morning light enveloped them both. The light falling on Kanata's seat gently poured onto Yui's letter too. They stayed like that for a while. She didn't know how much time passed. Eventually — Yui wiped her tears. With the back of her hand, again and again. Still, the tears wouldn't stop. "[crying]...I promise." Her voice trembled. "[crying]The future Kanata gave me — I'll live it. Properly." She pressed the letter to her chest. Holding it tight. "[crying]I'll smile. I'll smile properly — because Kanata is smiling." A single tear spilled from Tsukiko's eyes. Trailing down her silver eyes, wetting her cheek. She let out a long breath. Seven years of regret. Punishment for herself, who could only watch. It — felt just a little lighter now. "...Thank you, Kanata." Tsukiko murmured toward the window. The morning sun grew ever brighter. Only the two of them sat side by side in the classroom. An empty seat. Warmth that unmistakably remained there. Yui closed her eyes, still clutching the letter. Kanata's voice, his warmth — they won't return. Even so —. She will live within the future he gave her. Quietly, she made that resolve. In the morning light. The light pouring into the classroom shone gently, as if embracing everything.

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Episode 7

Name: Gray Wings No Longer Needed ~I'll Protect Your Tomorrow~
Author: Novelia

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