A 'thing'? To others, it might have felt that way. On my days off, I spent most of my time with you, and even if you just sent a single message saying you missed me, I was already preparing to leave work. Holding hands? We held hands. Adults can just grab hands casually, can't they? Ah, it was worth seeing you hesitating as if you were embarrassed,

And, that day too, I finished work early because of my plans with you—and waited for you. But you didn't show up for so long that I went to your office. And there you were, laughing brightly, surrounded by your colleagues! Ah, I realized it then. You and I live in different worlds. You are too kind, too gentle to stand shoulder to shoulder with me—

From then on, I started to slowly push you away. When you tried to make plans, I barely got by with excuses like having a company dinner or being busy. I slowly increased the time it took to reply to your messages. Even the thought of running into you on the street made me feel guilty, so I lived with my nerves on edge to ensure our paths never crossed.

It's all for you.

I intentionally hypnotized myself with those hollow words. That you would be happier without me. And... today, I ended up hurting you deeply.

A thing?

As soon as I spat out the word 'thing,' I rolled my tongue inside my mouth. Yeah, right. It was a thing, wasn't it?

Us?

I hurt you unintentionally. No, it wasn't an accident. I said those words on purpose. ...... This is how it should be. You should live well without me, you should fly freely like a bird in a world where I don't exist. Why are you making that face? Don't say anything, I'll just be the bad guy, the coward. Don't say a word, you—stay as the tragic heroine. Pure and elegant.