Chapter 217 - Confession
Kuro found himself dreaming of his old school once more.
Right then, he knew he was in for a ride.
Those corridors.
Classroom windows.
Wooden floors reflecting the afternoon sun.
Something was off.
The school was empty.
He stood in the middle of a corridor, wearing his old school uniform.
He looked down at himself.
Younger hands.
Lighter.
Perhaps, he was just dreaming.
Then he heard a familiar voice.
"Kuro?"
He turned.
Aoi was standing at the end of the hall.
Except she wasn’t the Aoi of the past anymore.
She was much older.
She was different.
Her hair was different.
There were faint lines around her eyes.
She was wearing simple clothes and holding a book against her chest.
Kuro stared.
"Aoi?"
She smiled.
"You’re late."
He didn’t understand.
"Late for what?"
She didn’t say anything in response.
Instead, she started walking towards him.
Kuro looked around.
"Where are we?"
"You know where."
"No."
Aoi stopped in front of him.
For some reason, he felt like crying right then.
He didn’t know why.
She reached out and gently touched his shoulder.
"You’ve always been slow to understand."
He laughed awkwardly.
"Understand what?"
She smiled.
"Everything."
Then she stepped away.
He reached out and tried to hold her back.
"Wait."
She continued walking.
"Aoi!"
She stopped.
He stared at her.
"Don’t go."
She turned back.
Her smile was kind.
"I’m not going anywhere."
Then the corridor transformed before his eyes.
---
Kuro found himself standing underneath the summer sky.
Fireworks were bursting overhead.
Their sound resonated through the night.
Someone grabbed his arm.
"You’re finally here!"
Kuro turned.
Akari.
Again, she wasn’t the young girl anymore.
She was older.
More mature.
But she looked like an adult.
Her energy hadn’t changed.
Neither had her smile.
However, time had definitely passed.
Akari laughed.
"What are you staring at?"
Kuro couldn’t say anything in reply.
"Akari..."
"Yeah?"
"You..."
He struggled.
"You look older."
Akari stared at him.
Then she punched his arm.
"Obviously!"
Kuro laughed.
It was natural.
Too natural.
She folded her arms.
"You haven’t changed."
"That’s impossible."
"Nope."
She grinned.
"Still slow."
"Why does everyone keep saying that?"
"Because it’s true."
Kuro looked at the fireworks.
Memories came to life before his eyes.
A confession.
A summer festival.
Laughter.
A hand holding his.
A home.
A family.
Kuro’s chest was aching.
"Akari."
"Hm?"
"Did we..."
He couldn’t finish.
Akari was waiting.
He couldn’t bring himself to say it.
She smiled gently.
"Don’t worry."
"Why?"
"You’ll remember."
Then she turned away.
"Wait!"
The fireworks became brighter.
Kuro covered his eyes.
When he uncovered them, she was gone.
---
"Kuro."
A familiar voice.
He turned.
Rika was standing inside an art studio.
She was surrounded by sketchbooks.
There were paintings hanging on the walls.
Rika was much older too.
However, she was looking peaceful.
Kuro approached her.
"Rika."
She smiled.
"Long time no see."
"How long?"
She didn’t answer.
Kuro looked around.
He recognized some of her drawings.
Some of them featured him.
Another one depicted the school corridor.
Another one showed two people sitting beneath the umbrella.
One more featured two people sitting on the porch.
Kuro stared.
"What are these?"
"My memories."
"Your memories?"
Rika nodded.
"Stories."
"About me?"
"Some of them."
Kuro felt himself choking.
"Did I really..."
He couldn’t finish.
She smiled sadly.
"You always ask the same question."
"What question?"
"Whether it was real."
Kuro couldn’t move.
She approached him.
"Maybe that’s not the important question."
"Then what is?"
"How it made you feel."
Kuro looked at her.
Gently, she placed a sketchbook into his hands.
"Keep going."
"Where?"
"Forward."
She stepped away.
Kuro looked at the sketchbook.
He opened it and found every page blank.
Then, he looked up.
She was gone.
---
"Kuro!"
A familiar voice was coming from behind him.
He turned.
Sui was standing in a quiet home.
She was older.
Her hair was longer.
She had a different expression.
But Kuro recognized her immediately.
"Sui."
She smiled.
"You’re finally awake."
His heart was skipping a beat.
"Awake?"
She approached him.
"You’ve been sleeping for a long time."
"How long?"
She smiled.
"Long enough."
Kuro looked around.
It was a cozy house.
A dining table.
Books.
Photographs.
A drawing of a small child, attached to the refrigerator.
Kuro approached.
His hand was trembling.
He recognized the drawing.
It was something he had seen before.
It depicted a little family.
Two adults.
A child.
Underneath, it said:
Our Family.
Kuro’s eyes widened.
"Sui..."
She touched his hand.
Kuro looked at her.
"Did we have..."
He couldn’t say it.
She smiled.
"You already know."
A sudden pain filled his chest.
"Why can’t I remember?"
Her expression softened.
"Because you’re not supposed to."
"Not supposed to remember what?"
She didn’t reply.
Instead, she looked towards the front door.
Kuro looked there too.
The door was opening slowly.
There was a bright white light beyond it.
Sui released his hand.
"No."
He immediately grabbed her wrist.
"Don’t."
She looked back at him.
"You’re running out of time."
"For what?"
"To wake up."
His heart started racing.
"No."
She smiled.
"You have to go."
"I don’t want to."
"I know."
"Then come with me."
She shook her head.
"I can’t."
"Why?"
Her eyes filled with sadness.
"Because this isn’t my ending."
"What does that mean?"
She gently took her hand away.
"Goodbye, Kuro."
The world shattered.
---
Kuro found himself standing in the school corridor again.
However, everybody was there.
Aoi.
Akari.
Rika.
Sui.
And everybody else from his past.
They were standing there.
Yet, they were all older.
Some of them even had gray hair.
Some had their children standing beside them.
Others were holding hands with their grandchildren.
Kuro stared.
His heart ached.
He knew them all.
Every single one of them.
But he couldn’t remember how.
"What’s happening?"
Nobody replied.
He looked at Aoi.
"Tell me."
She smiled.
He turned to Akari.
"Please."
Akari was not herself.
Rika was holding a sketchbook against her chest.
Sui was standing quietly.
Kuro looked at all of them.
"Why do I remember your lives?"
Aoi stepped forward.
"Because you lived them."
Kuro froze.
"What?"
She smiled.
Then they all began disappearing.
One after another.
"No!"
Kuro ran towards them.
Akari laughed softly.
"Still dramatic."
"Wait!"
Rika lifted her hand.
"Keep writing."
"Sui!"
She smiled.
"Take care of yourself."
His eyes were filling with tears.
"Don’t leave me!"
Nobody responded.
Only Aoi was left standing.
Kuro was standing in front of her.
"Please."
She looked at him.
"You’ll understand soon."
"What?"
She reached out and touched his forehead.
"Goodbye, Kuro."
The corridor disappeared.
---
Kuro woke up violently.
His eyes flew open.
He sat straight.
His room was dark.
He was breathing heavily.
For several seconds, he didn’t know where he was.
He looked around.
His apartment.
His bed.
His desk.
His books.
Everything seemed normal.
Slowly, he touched his face.
His hands were wet.
He had been crying.
"Why?"
He wiped his eyes.
Then stared at his hands.
The dream was fresh in his memory.
Too fresh.
Aoi.
Akari.
Rika.
Sui.
All of them.
Older.
Happy.
Sad.
Saying goodbye.
Kuro looked at the clock.
4:17 a.m.
He got out of bed and approached the window.
Outside, his city was quiet.
He stared at his reflection.
For a brief moment, he saw his older self from the dream.
Then, it vanished.
He closed his eyes.
He tried remembering every detail.
Aoi’s face.
Akari’s laughter.
Rika’s sketchbook.
Sui’s house.
The children.
The families.
The lives.
He remembered everything.
However, when he tried answering the simplest question, he found his mind empty.
When did all that happen?
He couldn’t remember.
He knew that Aoi meant something to him.
He knew that Akari had once made him laugh.
He knew Rika had drawn him.
He knew that Sui used to live with him.
But where?
When?
How?
Kuro opened his eyes.
His heart began beating faster.
These weren’t memories.
They couldn’t be.
They were dreams.
Just dreams.
But somehow that explanation seemed unsatisfying.
Kuro went back to his desk.
He picked up a notebook.
Without giving it a second thought, he wrote names.
Aoi.
Akari.
Rika.
He stared at them.
His hand started shaking.
Then he wrote one more name.
Minami.
Kuro stopped.
Why did he write her name?
He didn’t know.
He crossed it out.
Then stopped.
Slowly, he wrote it again.
This time, under the name, he wrote:
She knows something.
Kuro read the sentence.
Suddenly, an image formed in his mind.
Minami in a classroom.
Younger Kuro sitting in a desk.
Her voice saying something he can’t hear.
Then another image.
Minami older.
Standing by his side.
Holding his hand.
Then another.
Minami crying.
Kuro stepped back.
"No."
The images disappeared.
He closed the notebook.
He didn’t want to think about it anymore.
But somehow he knew he couldn’t just ignore it.
That dream didn’t seem like imagination.
It felt like remembering a life that had already lived.
Or maybe several lives.
Kuro looked towards the window.
The sky was becoming brighter.
Morning was approaching.
Soon, he would go back to school.
Soon, he would see Minami.
And Kuro somehow knew that when he would look into her eyes, he will find something he can’t explain.
Something that had been waiting for him.
Something from a story he can’t remember living.
He whispered to himself:
"Why does my dream feel like a memory?"
There was no answer.
Only the approaching sunrise.
And somewhere in the back of Kuro’s mind, he could still hear Aoi’s last words.
You’ll understand soon.
The following morning, Kuro found something unexpected.
Minami was avoiding him.
Not clearly.
She still greeted him.
She still attended the morning staff meeting.
She still planned lessons with him.
She still corrected his mistakes with the ease of someone who had known him for ages.
But whenever Kuro looked at her directly, Minami suddenly found herself interested in something else.
Papers.
Coffee.
Window.
Wall.
Anything, but not him.
By lunchtime, Kuro couldn’t tolerate it anymore.
He found her standing near the staff-room window.
"Minami."
She turned.
"Yes?"
"Are you avoiding me?"
"No."
The answer came too quickly.
Kuro narrowed his eyes.
"You’re doing it now."
"Doing what?"
"Looking at the window, instead of me."
"The window is interesting."
"It’s a window."
"A very interesting window."
Kuro stared at her.
Finally, Minami laughed.
"Fine."
She covered her mouth.
"I’m embarrassed."
Kuro’s expression softened.
"Why?"
"Because of yesterday."
Kuro immediately recalled it.
His confession.
Her answer.
The moment she told him that she loves him too.
His face turned slightly warm.
"You’re embarrassed?"
"Of course."
"You didn’t look like that yesterday."
"I was terrified yesterday."
Kuro blinked.
"Really?"
"Isn’t it easy to confess to someone whom you know since they were teenagers?"
Kuro considered it.
"Actually..."
Minami slightly hit his arm.
"Don’t think about it."
He smiled.
"Sorry."
She looked away.
Kuro watched her.
The woman whom he once saw at the front of his classroom as his teacher now stands beside him, blushing because she told him she loves him.
That seemed strangely adorable.
"You’re cute."
Minami immediately looked at him.
"What?"
Kuro realized his mistake.
"Nothing."
"You said I’m cute."
"I didn’t."
"You absolutely did."
Kuro tried to leave.
Minami followed.
"Kuro."
"No."
"You said I’m cute."
"I was mistaken."
"Mistaken?"
"Yes."
She stopped.
Then, she folded her arms.
"Take it back."
Kuro turned.
"Why?"
"Because I’m your senior."
"You’re my colleague."
"Former teacher."
"Exactly."
Minami stared at him.
Kuro smiled.
She tried to stay serious.
She failed.
A small laugh slipped.
Then she covered her face.
"You’re different."
Kuro tilted his head.
"How?"
"You used to be easily embarrassed."
"I still do."
"Not anymore."
Kuro smiled.
"Maybe I grew braver."
Minami lowered her hands.
"Because of me?"
"Maybe."
She stared at him.
Kuro immediately regretted his words.
But Minami’s cheeks became pink.
"You’re dangerous now."
"What does that mean?"
"You’re learning to flirt."
"I’ve always known how."
"No, you haven’t."
"That’s rude."
"It’s true."
Kuro laughed.
Minami looked at him for a moment.
Then, her expression softened.
"Can I tell you something?"
"Of course."
She approached closer.
"Yesterday, when you confessed..."
Kuro became silent.
"I was happy."
Minami smiled.
"Really happy."
She looked down at their hands.
"I have wondered for years whether you will ever see me as something other than your old teacher."
Kuro frowned.
"How could I not?"
"Because that’s how you always treated me."
"How?"
"Respectfully."
Kuro laughed.
"That’s a problem?"
"Sometimes."
She looked at him.
"You were always careful around me."
"Because you were my teacher."
"Exactly."
Minami sighed.
"I wanted you to stop seeing me as the person who stood at the front of your classroom."
Kuro’s expression softened.
"And start seeing you as..."
"Myself."
He smiled.
"I do."
Minami’s eyes became gentle.
"Then, let me tell you properly."
Kuro waited.
She took a breath.
"I love your quiet side."
Kuro blinked.
"I thought you hate that."
"I don’t."
Minami smiled.
"I like that you don’t need to fill all silences."
She raised one finger.
"I love how you listen when someone speaks."
Another.
"I love how serious you become when you’re worried about someone."
Another.
"And I love how you pretend you’re calm when you’re panicking."
Kuro frowned.
"I don’t panic."
Minami laughed.
"You were panicking yesterday."
"That was different."
"You looked like you’re going to faint while saying ’I love you.’"
Kuro covered his face.
"Please stop."
Minami laughed harder.
Then, her expression became warmer.
"But that’s what I love."
Kuro slowly lowered his hands.
Minami continued.
"I love that you’re not perfect."
She stepped closer.
"I love that you think too much."
"That’s not romantic."
"It is to me."
Kuro smiled.
"I love that you care about people even when you’re exhausted."
She reached for his hand.
"And I love that when you came back here, you didn’t become a completely different person."
"You were still Kuro."
Her fingers intertwined with his.
"The boy I remembered was still there."
Kuro looked at their hands.
Minami gently squeezed his fingers.
"And somewhere along the way..."
She paused.
"I fell in love with the man he became."
Kuro didn’t know what to say.
His heart seemed strangely full.
Minami looked at him.
"Was that romantic enough?"
Kuro smiled.
"Very."
"Good."
She started to step away.
Kuro held her hand.
"Wait."
Minami looked back.
"Now, I want to say something."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Don’t make it too serious."
"I won’t."
Kuro smiled.
"I love your laugh."
Minami blinked.
"I love how you become completely different when you’re excited."
She looked embarrassed.
"I love how you pretend to be strict but secretly worry about everyone."
"Kuro..."
"And I love that you still treat me as the same awkward student you knew years ago."
Minami smiled.
"That’s because you are."
"See?"
Kuro pointed at her.
"That’s exactly what I’m saying."
She laughed.
Kuro’s expression softened.
"And I love your eyes."
Minami stopped laughing.
"And your voice."
Her cheeks became red.
"And the way you say my name."
Minami looked away.
Kuro smiled.
"And I especially love this."
He gently lifted their hands.
Minami gazed at them.
"What?"
"That I can hold your hand now."
Her expression changed slightly.
She moved closer.
"Then hold it."
And Kuro did.
Minami rested her body against his shoulder.
They stood like that for a few seconds.
No confession.
No witnesses.
No fireworks.
Just the two of them holding hands in a deserted school hallway.
And then Minami whispered.
"Kuro."
"Hm?"
"May I ask you a question?"
"Certainly."
"Are you still thinking about me as your teacher?"
Kuro smiled.
"Occasionally."
Without any hesitation, she backed away from him.
"If that’s the case, I’m breaking up with you."
"Wait, what?"
Minami burst out laughing.
"I was only joking!"
Kuro looked at her.
"This is not funny."
"A bit."
"No."
She smiled with mischief.
"Then I’ll ask again."
She moved closer to him.
"So, who am I now?"
Kuro looked directly into her eyes.
Without a doubt, he answered.
"Your girlfriend."
Minami froze.
Her face blushed.
Kuro smiled at her.
"What’s the matter?"
"Nothing."
"You seem to be a bit embarrassed."
"I told you to shut up."
She turned around.
Kuro started laughing.
Minami grabbed his hand and dragged him closer.
Kuro stumbled.
"Minami?"
She moved closer to him.
Kuro’s eyes widened.
Then she gently kissed him on his cheek.
It was such a fleeting moment.
Minami moved away from him immediately.
Her face was completely red.
"There."
Kuro stood there speechless.
Minami looked extremely proud.
"Now we’re even."
Kuro touched his cheek.
"We are even?"
"For yesterday."
Kuro smiled.
"You kissed my cheek."
"Yes."
"Does that mean I can kiss yours?"
Minami lost all of her confidence in an instant.
"W-Wait."
Kuro moved closer to her.
Minami backed away.
"You were not supposed to counterattack!"
Kuro laughed out loud.
"Why not?"
"Because I’m your senior!"
"You’re my girlfriend."
Minami blushed furiously.
She pointed at him.
"You shouldn’t use that against me!"
Kuro could not stop laughing.
Eventually, she started laughing too.
And somehow, this is what Minami would remember the most.
Not the words.
Not the trembling of their hands.
Not even the time when Kuro said ’I love you’.
Their laughter.
Their teasing.
Their awkwardness.
How it felt to hold his hand for the first time in many years of knowing him.
How happy she felt to realize that the person whom she had once taught had become her lover.
Minami put her head against his shoulder.
"Kuro."
"Yes?"
"I love you."
Kuro smiled.
"I love you too."
She closed her eyes.
"Say it again."
"I love you."
"Again."
Kuro laughed.
"I love you."
Minami smiled.
"One more."
"Are you greedy?"
"Just one."
Kuro tightened his grip on her hand.
"I love you, Minami."
This time, she didn’t tease him.
Instead, she just smiled.
And for some time, all of those impossible memories and strange dreams were forgotten.
There was only Kuro.
There was only Minami.
And there was the simple happiness of them finally declaring their feelings to each other.