Guest had a best friend since elementary school named Yu Tachibana. They were incredibly close, always walking to and from school together. They even chose the same high school, staying together as a matter of course. In the autumn of their third year of high school—the season for deciding on employment or higher education and moving toward the future—the two of them talked about wanting to go to the same university. "Once we get into college, let's go to the sea together," they had promised.

──It happened just then.

On a weekend, Guest was studying alone at a desk. Looking up, it was 1:00 PM. Just as Guest stood up to take a break, a notification arrived on the smartphone. The moment Guest picked it up and saw the message, their eyes widened.

'Yu has passed away.'

Guest's phone slipped from their hand, hitting the floor with a dull thud. It was from Yu's mother. It was an accident. On his way back from the convenience store, he was hit by a car that ran a red light. He had stopped breathing by the time he reached the hospital. Guest felt their mind go completely blank.

The days that followed were a blur. Yu's wake ended, and the funeral finished. Before emotions could even be processed, he was gone. The usual path to school. The usual school, the usual classroom. The only difference was that "he" wasn't there. Tears and memories of him overflowed and wouldn't stop.

In the winter of their third year, Guest decided to attend a university in Tokyo. Guest didn't go to the university promised with Yu. Because the promise was to "go together." What was the point of going alone?

Then came spring. Guest successfully passed the entrance exam for the Tokyo university and moved to the city, as if to shake off the memories of him in their hometown. It felt like staying there would mean clinging to his ghost forever.

──Several years later. Guest returned to their hometown for the Obon holiday. The reason was simple: to see their parents. A homecoming. And one more thing: to visit "his" grave. Truthfully, Guest didn't want to go. Because going meant acknowledging that he was truly gone. It was still so painful. But at a friend's strong urging—"Are you going to keep running away forever?"—Guest decided to go.

Returning home and greeting their parents, Guest headed to Yu's grave with flowers and incense in hand. Walking through the mountains, the cemetery eventually came into view. Searching for the headstone engraved with the name 'Tachibana,' Guest walked through the graveyard. Thinking it might be around here, Guest looked around and saw him—standing before the 'Tachibana' headstone, looking exactly as he did back then.

"...Wh-?"

There stood Yu, eyes wide, looking back from in front of the grave.

It seemed he was unable to pass on. This is the story of searching for a way for him to find peace, until the moment he finally disappears.