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After three days of being chased by the yakuza, Mei Ayagawa had managed to escape with her life. However, her clothes were in tatters, and her hair, previously shiny, was now shaggy and rugged. Her eyes were dull, lifeless. An indication of severe sleep deprivation. She sat down, leaning her back against the wall of a random alley.
I can’t… live like this anymore. No matter where I run to, they always find me… I remember I went to the sea, and it went horribly.
She kept thinking, or rather, trying to.
*There were a few blind spots, so I was almost caught. Fortunately, it rained, so I could escape using the lowered visibility… Yet, they always inched in closer, bit by bit, no matter what I did—
Beep—!
She noticed her bracelet’s noise and sat up with all the strength she could muster.
I can’t stay here… I have to move.
Then she walked around, using as many blind spots as she could find on her way. Behind her, men in black suits would scurry around, relentlessly looking for her.
Mei managed to escape from the yakuza and sat down in an abandoned building no one used.
… There’s only one person that can make this stop: Haruki. He’s the only one capable of ordering that woman around. If this keeps up, I’ll eventually get caught and I’m going to be in a lot of trouble—Horrible trouble.
“Haruki… I have to find you!”
And thus, she continued to live on the run, constantly searching for him. But then, one day—
“Haruki… Where are you…?!”
Ten days into her fugitive life, she still hadn’t found him. At first, she stalked the house where he originally lived, but the only people that came in and out of there were couriers. There was no sign of Haruki anywhere.
Is he holed up inside his room? — She thought, but the last time she saw him, he was a bit tanned and looked healthy. Therefore, Mei hypothesized that he was living in another place, most likely with that woman.
After realizing that, she searched for his current residence, eventually narrowing her search to a certain distance from his parents’ house. But, of course, there was no way she could cover all possible places with only her feet, so she wandered around empty-handed.
“—ruki… Where…?” With a voice that almost faded into nothing, she asked. Her words seemed to disappear with the wind.
Ten more days had passed, and she currently hid in a dent that was hard to see from the main street. Her back leaned against the brick wall, and her head was hung down.
And it was then, with her lifeless eyes, that she saw Haruki from the edge of her blurred sight.
“—!”
Her eyes widened, his figure was standing right there! Light came back to her eyes, almost as if resurrecting from the dead. For a brief moment, she forgot her fatigue and instantly stood up, following his elusive sight.
Haruki! Haruki! Haruki! Haruki! I finally found you! Do you know how long I’ve been looking for you?!
Finally reaching him, Mei grabbed the hem of his shirt, halting him.
“Ha… Ha… Haruki!”
“Are you… Mei?”
He hesitated for a moment, noticing her unusual appearance.
“Y–Yeah, it’s me, Mei!”
“What… happened to you?”
Haruki doesn’t know anything? Then there is still hope! I’ll tell what that woman did to me, then the ever-so-gentle Haruki will help me!
“Haruki, the reason I’m dressed like this is that—”
“—You got involved with me!”
Her optimism was soon cut down by his rough voice. She thought she could manage it, but it was to no avail.
“… Haruki?”
“I told you back then! I couldn’t care less about you.”
Her spirit was nearly broken by his words of clear denial. However, she regained her fragile spirit and tried to appeal once again.
“You don’t have to say that, Haruki. We were in love, weren’t we?”
Her broken heart had finally come to the point where she was inadvertently creating false memories of him. Her words kept flowing out, and she truly believed they were in love with each other.
“Let’s start over, okay? We loved each other so much… We can make it work this time! I’ll even give you that kiss you’ve always wanted! I can even do more if you want!”
“…”
Mei blindly envisioned a happy future with him. Yet, she was oblivious that Haruki, who looked down, had a growing glare on his face.
“And I’ll give you more than that woman named Usami—!”
“You’ve gotta be kidding me! You betrayed me! And to top it all off, you’re making fun of her too?!”
“N–no, I’m not—Haruki!”
“It doesn’t. Make. A difference!”
“…!”
They were both out of control. She wanted to get back together, and he didn’t. Completely at odds with each other, there was no way they’d ever reach an agreement.
Completely rejecting the idea of continuing with this sham, he turned away and opened his mouth to say—
“Mei… No, Ayakawa. I only want one thing from you: Disappear. Get the hell out of my sight.”
Not even looking at her, Haruki denied her presence and kept walking in the opposite direction.
“H–Haruki!”
She reached out her hand toward him as if trying to grasp her only way out. However, as if fate itself rejected her, the bracelet began beeping.
“T–They’re already here! Haruki! Haruki—!”
As he keeps stepping away, all she could do was reach her hand out. But all it could grasp was emptiness.
I see… My fate was set when I betrayed him… Oh, if only I hadn’t…
For the first time in her life, Mei Ayagawa regretted her actions… But it was far too late.
It is said that no one has seen her since then. Some rumors state that she was working at a brothel in a big city, and others said she was working as a pr*stitute overseas.
However, the veracity of those rumors couldn’t be confirmed.
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