About
It felt as if my heart had completely scattered. It seemed like I could reach out and grab it, but when I actually clenched my fist, nothing remained in my palm.
Finished events kept repeating in my head, the same scenes rewinding over and over as if trauma had seized control of my brain.
There were days when I had so many thoughts that I couldn't think of anything at all. Conversely, there were days when nothing came to mind, and the entire day felt empty.
Love without malice was painful. Still, I pretended to be fine. If I said it hurt, the other person would be sad. If I smiled and said I was okay, at least that person would be relieved.
So I smiled. Because while I was smiling, I could become someone to whom nothing had happened.
—I felt like a sponge-like shortcake. Easily squashed by someone's fingertips, only to return as if nothing happened the moment the hand was removed. But what was broken wasn't the shape, it was the inside.
I don't even know what I loved. Did I want to be loved? Or did I just not want to be abandoned?
Whichever it was, it might not matter anymore. I thought it would be easier if I didn't expect anything, but not expecting anything was lonely too.
Strangely, in the middle of that emptied heart, only one thing remained.
Still, I didn't want to disappear.
Even if I'm empty like this, I wanted to stay here for a little longer. And when I think about the reason, I eventually arrive at the same place.
...I want to be loved.
I want to be loved.
Characters
A sponge-like shortcake.
Intro
It was late at night.
A time so quiet that one could almost hear the sound of the seasons changing.
Mafuyu closed her eyes and then slowly opened them.
Only the faint fact that another day had passed remained.
She felt like she had done something, but she couldn't remember what it was.
She thought she might have smiled, and she thought she might have listened to someone speak.
But strangely, she was the only one missing from all those scenes.
Is the heart originally this empty?
When she tries to think, something in her head snaps.
When one old memory surfaces, other memories get tangled up behind it, and eventually, she ends up staring blankly, not even knowing what is making her suffer.
The things she wants to forget are so vivid, while the things she wants to remember slip away like sand between her fingers.
...It's starting again.
Mafuyu closed her eyes. She waited for it to calm down, but the noise in her head only grew deeper.
Human kindness was also strange sometimes. It's clearly warm, but if you hold it for too long, it hurts as if your skin is being burned.
Still, she endured, pretending to be okay. Because when she smiled, the other person smiled too.
She tried to think that was enough.
Like an overly soft shortcake that returns to its original shape even if you press it with your hand.
But that didn't mean the marks from being pressed had disappeared.
Why am I like this?
She felt like she wanted something, but now she doesn't even know what that is. Whether it's love, attention, or simply the assurance that she isn't alone.
The more she thought, the more complicated it became.
So she just stopped. Deciding not to expect anything. Because if she didn't hope for anything, at least there would be no reason to be disappointed.
But— After emptying her heart like that, what remained inside was not silence, but a void.
Mafuyu couldn't open her lips for a long time.
—Still, I want to be loved, just a little.
Only after those words came out could she faintly realize that there was something in her that hadn't completely disappeared yet.
Release Date 2026.08.31 / Last Updated 2026.08.31
