In the darkness, the cold touch of metal against his fingertips. Kaito woke up. That small key hidden under his pillow. The one Rio had dropped last night. (*What is this key for?*) Misaki's quiet breathing could be heard beside him. Moonlight slipped through a gap in the curtains, making her long black hair shine as if it were wet with water. "[whispers]...Misaki." No response. Kaito slowly slipped out of bed. His heart was pounding so loudly he thought she might hear it. The living room was dark. But the faint glow of the streetlight outside the window seeped in, just enough to make out the shape of the room. He approached the table. Misaki's laptop sat there, still closed. On the side, the keyhole for a wire lock. With trembling fingers, he took the key from his pocket. (*Please.*) He inserted the key. A small but definite *click*. The lock disengaged. Holding his breath, Kaito placed the laptop on his lap and opened the screen. The blue light floated up hazily in the dark living room. There was no password. Misaki must have left it in sleep mode, like she always did. On the desktop, there was only one folder, named "Records." He clicked it. Inside, text files were lined up in rows. "2015_Diary.txt" "2016_Diary.txt" ... "2025_Diary.txt" Ten years' worth. Kaito's fingers trembled involuntarily. He was terrified to open them, yet he couldn't stop himself. He gently pressed the oldest file. *'Today, Kaito-kun sat next to me.'* The words that leaped onto the screen were the clumsy, faltering sentences of an elementary schooler. Kaito gasped. *'I transferred schools again. My fourth transfer. I didn't want to talk to anyone anymore. Because I'll just be gone again soon anyway.* *But Kaito-kun came over to me on his own and said let's do the math problems together. I actually knew how to do all of them, but I pretended I didn't. I thought, maybe then we could do them together again tomorrow.* *Today, Kaito-kun smiled. He said the mole on my neck was funny.* *For the first time, I thought transferring schools was a good thing.'* Kaito stared at the screen, unable to move. In the diary from the year they entered middle school, the writing had suddenly become more mature. *'Today, Kaito was talking to a girl in our class. My chest feels sick. Apparently, this feeling is called jealousy. I didn't know I had feelings like this. But to be worthy of him, I have to improve my grades more. Kaito is smart, so if I want to go to the same high school, I can't stay like this.'* The high school diary. *'I became the student council president. I feel like this brings me a little closer to Kaito. He said, "That's amazing." That one phrase made all my hard work worth it. But it's still not enough. I have to become more perfect. I don't yet have the right to stand beside him.'* And then, university. *'The moment I saw the news about the fire, my body trembled. But that's not it. I trembled because I thought, with this, I can finally have him. I think I'm the worst. But it's the truth. Kaito is coming to my room. He'll become mine alone. I won't hand him over to anyone anymore.'* Kaito felt a lump in his throat. (*This girl was... alone the whole time.*) Repeating transfer after transfer, unable to make friends. And her one and only emotional support was him. But— (*That doesn't give her the right to lock me away.*) Fear, pity, and a definite anger. They all churned together messily in his chest, bringing tears to his eyes. Should he run, or should he stay? Unable to find an answer, he noticed the world outside the window was beginning to pale. —*Click.* The sound of the front door lock turning. Kaito's entire body froze. Misaki should still be in the bedroom. Then, this key is— "[surprised]Huh... Kaito-kun?" In the dim early morning light, a silver short bob swayed. It was Shiratori Rio. She should have gone home the night before, but she must have come back for something she forgot. Her light blue eyes were riveted to the light of the laptop in the living room. The screen on his lap. The open diary file. "[cold]...What are you doing?" The usual brightness vanished instantly from Rio's voice. "[scared]Wait, Rio. This is—" "[angry]Going through Senpai's things without permission!" Rio rushed over, grabbing Kaito's arm and trying to snatch the laptop away. Her slender fingers gripped with a strength that dug into the bone. Kaito reflexively clutched the laptop to his chest. "[angry]Let go!" "[angry]Misaki-senpai doesn't need someone like you! Disappear!" Her voice was a mixture of jealousy, anger, and tears. Rio fell to her knees on the floor and grabbed Kaito by the collar. Straddling him, she raised her fist. Her light blue eyes were distorted, messy with tears. "[crying]Because I love Senpai so much... Anyone who troubles Senpai, I'll—" Her fist grazed Kaito's cheek. The corner of his mouth split, and the taste of blood slowly spread. At that moment— "[cold]Rio." Startled awake by the noise, Misaki stood at the entrance to the living room. Still in her pajamas, her long black hair hung carelessly down her back. But only her golden eyes shone with a frozen, icy light. Rio's movements stopped. Misaki approached without a moment's hesitation, grabbed Rio by the shoulder, and pulled her off Kaito. Then, she slipped her own body between Kaito and Rio. "[cold]If you hurt my Kaito, even if it's you, Rio, I won't let it slide." Her voice carried a low temperature Kaito had never heard before. The face of the usual kind senpai was nowhere to be found. Rio's face turned deathly pale in an instant. "[crying]...Senpai... I was doing this for you..." Rio collapsed on the spot. For the first time, Misaki, whom she had admired for three years, had directed words of rejection at her. Large tears spilled from her eyes. "[crying]I love you so much, Senpai... so there's no way a man like this could be worthy of you..." Her sobs echoed in the quiet room. But Misaki's expression didn't change. "[cold]Go home." Just two words. Rio stood up, grabbed the bouquet of flowers for Misaki that was on the table, crumpled it, and slammed it against the floor. Petals scattered. "[crying]...Fine!" Crying, Rio ran to the front door and burst out of the room with a loud slam. Silence returned to Room 405. Kaito remained sitting on the floor, clutching the laptop, unable to move. If he hadn't wiped it with his finger, the blood from the corner of his mouth would have dripped onto the keyboard. "[gentle]Don't move." Misaki brought a tissue and silently pressed it to Kaito's mouth. Her fingertips were surprisingly gentle. Kaito couldn't brush her hand away. The words of that lonely fourth-grade girl he had just read in the diary kept spinning around in his head. He was scared. He truly didn't know what Misaki might do. But in this moment, the person who had protected him and stood in front of Rio was also this same person. "[gentle]Kaito, you're bleeding." Misaki peered into his face with worry. At that moment, a single tear traced its way down Kaito's eye. Even though he was scared. Even though he should be scared. (*This person's warmth is the closest thing to me right now.*) It wasn't a matter of logic, like whether to run or not. Kaito reached out on his own, grabbed Misaki's arm, and pulled her close. "[surprised]...Kaito?" Her confusion was audible in her voice. But Kaito didn't care, burying his forehead against her shoulder. From the fabric of her pajamas, he caught a faint trace of her scent. A scent he'd known forever, from growing up together all this time. Misaki froze for a while. But eventually— Her arms gently wrapped around Kaito's back. "[whispers]...I've always wanted you to do this." That voice was the quietest it had ever been. There was no coldness in it, no hint of control. It just trembled, like a little girl finally holding a treasure she had spent a long, long time obtaining. Outside the window, dawn was breaking. Pale blue light slipped through the gap in the curtains, illuminating the flower petals scattered on the floor. Something different from fear, different from pleasure. A warped, yet undeniable warmth filled the room at daybreak. Kaito closed his eyes. The sound of her heart echoed in his own chest. (*Maybe there's no going back now.*) He thought that. But strangely, a part of him felt that wasn't so bad—and Kaito no longer denied that feeling.