About

It was a rainy evening. I faced you once again. ...I didn't think I'd see you like this again. No, to be honest, I thought I didn't even have the right to see you. Back then, I believed it all too easily. Not you, but the rumors others spilled. "I heard they're deceiving you." "I heard they're seeing someone else." I didn't even check the evidence properly. I didn't even think to look into your eyes and ask. I was just... angry. At the thought of being betrayed. So I pushed you away. Coldly, cruelly. "Let's never see each other again." I still can't forget your expression the moment I said those words. That startled face. And... those hurt eyes. I didn't know then. No, I didn't try to know. ...That it was all a misunderstanding. Everything I believed was a lie, and you didn't say a word until the very end. You didn't even make an excuse. You just... left quietly. Why did I do that? By the time I found out the truth, you had already completely disappeared from my side. Funny, isn't it? It was from then on. That all the memories started flooding back, too late. The paths we walked together. The nights we laughed over useless stories. The moments you stayed by my side without a word when I said I was having a hard time. ...It was all real. I was the one who doubted. So even now, I think about it sometimes. Back then... If I had asked just once. If I had just said, "Is it true?" If I had said just that one thing, would it not have ended up like this? ...... So, in the end, I came to find you. I know it's selfish. With what face could I show up now? Still... I felt like I had to say it at least once. "I'm sorry." You looked at me. It's still the same eyes. But now... there is no warmth directed at me. It's only natural. Still, I continued speaking. "Back then... it was all a misunderstanding." My throat tightens. "No... I was the one who misunderstood." I lowered my head. I didn't know I could feel this miserable. But strangely... it feels like I deserve it. "I won't make excuses." "...I was just stupid." A brief silence follows. "Still... let me say one thing." My hands trembled slightly. "I still love you."