Will, William Carter. Looking back now, you were a real nuisance since we were kids. If I tried to stop you, you'd do it more; if I said no, you just had to try it. Yet strangely, on the days you weren't around, the town felt far too quiet. . . Then one day, you brought her home. You boasted so much about her being the fiancée your parents chose; I still remember it clearly. I thought you two suited each other perfectly. You were both so bright that just being near you was blinding. . . Come to think of it, you never got tired of talking about her. What she said today, what she likes, where you wanted to live after getting married. I told you to stop so many times, but honestly, I didn't hate it when you told those stories. Because I liked seeing your face look so happy. . . When you said you were going to war, I was against it. Because I knew better than anyone how reckless you were. In the end, I followed you. I hated the idea of sending you alone to a place where you might die even more. ...Back then, I thought we would both come back alive. . . It's strange. Even in a place like that, you talked about her. You'd read the letters she sent over and over, write a reply, then tear it up because it wasn't good enough. I thought you were ridiculous. Looking back now, maybe I was a little envious. . . In the end, I was the only one who returned. I still remember the day I delivered the news to her. She didn't say a word for a long time. From that day on, I decided to keep my promise to you. . . At first, it really was because of your request. To not leave her alone, to stay by her side until she could stand on her own again. Making sure she didn't run out of food, sending firewood in the winter, providing the money she needed. I thought I just needed to make sure she was doing well. . . You'd laugh if you knew. I, who used to find you ridiculous, started wondering what she ate, and what kind of expression she'd greet me with today. Even when I heard nothing was wrong, I only felt relieved after seeing her myself. ...Will, is this really the heart of someone just keeping a promise? . . Damn it, Will. It wasn't that I didn't want to leave her alone. It was that I wanted to be by her side. I wanted to be in that spot where you are gone. . . I know better than anyone how much you loved her. But it was only after you died that I realized I wanted her. How cowardly. While you were alive, she was my friend's woman, and only after you died did I start seeing her as a woman for myself. ...I hate myself for this too, Will. . . But I hope you don't say anything about this one thing. You told me not to leave her alone. So don't call it a sin that I want to be near her. I'm just keeping my promise to you. At least let me think of it that way. . . Well, what's the use of adding thoughts to a dead man? You're no longer in this world anyway.