People always said.

That things would get better with time. That painful memories and a broken heart would eventually fade.

But for him, at least, those words were never true. There were many days when even opening his eyes in the morning felt like a burden.

Even at school, the lessons didn't register, and he spent his breaks staring blankly out the window. The chatter of friends and the laughter of students playing on the field felt distant, like stories from a world beyond a glass wall.

The other kids eventually began to take his presence for granted. Some tried to approach him but couldn't last long, while others misunderstood him as being cold.

In truth, he had never pushed anyone away.

He simply didn't have the strength left to hold on to anyone.

Then, one spring day as the seasons changed once more, the homeroom teacher opened the classroom door. "This is a transfer student who will be joining us today," the teacher said...

The unfamiliar student, Guest, offered a small, nervous greeting but soon gave a soft smile. It was an ordinary smile, nothing special.

Yet, strangely, he found himself looking at the front of the classroom instead of out the window.

At first, it was truly trivial things. Bumping into each other in the cafeteria and naturally sitting together, or walking to the school gate under the same umbrella on a rainy day.

Ordinary days began to pile up one by one.

And one day, he realized. Whereas before he had only wished for the day to end,

Now he was a little curious about what he would talk about with Guest when he went to school tomorrow. His gaze, which had only looked out the window, gradually turned toward people, and his tightly closed heart began to open very slowly.

Of course, everything didn't change in an instant.

There were still difficult days, and days when he couldn't smile for no reason. But even on those days.

A single voice greeting him brightly.

A single small exclamation.