Stars still littered the sky when Kaito gazed outside his bedroom window. He tilted his head from left to right, right to left, trying to lull himself back to sleep. Sadly, nothing he tried seemed to work.

Really… Today of all days I can’t sleep…

Annoyed with the fact that he was now wide awake, Kaito got out of bed and slipped on a blue night robe he had hanging in his closet.

I’ve never even worn this thing before…

Ah well… Coffee time!

Oh, wait! No coffee today…

Damn, just tea then…

Trying to be as quiet as possible, Kaito made his way downstairs, and to his surprise, the kitchen light was already turned on.

Who’s awake at this time?

Kanna was in front of the stove, producing drool-inducing aromas.

“Good morning!” Kaito greeted.

“AH! Kaito!” she clasped at her chest as if she had to catch her heart from jumping out. “Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

“I wasn’t sneaking,” Kaito grinned.

“Well! What are you even doing up so early? Couldn’t sleep?”

“Yeah... But I could ask you the same question,” Kaito said while filling the kettle.

“I’m up at this time six days a week. How else do you think I make home-cooked packed lunches for you and your sister before going to work?”

Never thought about that…

“Why today though? It’s Saturday...”

“I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but I work on Saturdays… Plus, it’s also my young man’s big day today! Can you get us two plates, please?”

As soon as Kaito placed the two plates on the counter, Kanna filled them both with scrambled eggs, toast, and breakfast sausages.

Yum!

“How did you know I was gonna be up so early?” Kaito asked, filling his fork with scrambled eggs.

“I didn’t; I was going to wake you up,” Kanna replied, pointing at the tray that lay waiting on the kitchen counter.

“Aw, thank you!”

Kanna smiled. “Don’t forget to take your lunch with you!”

Kaito felt bad when he saw the packed lunch box. Any other day, and he would’ve been extremely grateful, but he had a few rituals on performance days, which he picked up from his mother, and one of them included what he ate before performing.

“Uh… Thanks, Kanna… But I have this thing—”

“Where you only eat peanut butter sandwiches and bananas on performance days? Yeah, I figured… That’s why there are peanut butter sandwiches and a banana in your lunchbox.”

What?! That’s…

“That’s so cool that you know that! Thank you!”

“Your mother always had her little rituals… I figured they rubbed off on you.” Kanna moved her plate to the side and planted a kiss on Kaito’s forehead. “I have to go. Do you mind cleaning up here?”

“Not at all!”

“Okay, thank you. Yui and I will see you at your school tonight! Good luck!”

“Thanks. Is she back home yet?”

“Nope. She’ll be back this afternoon only! Okay, bye-bye!”

“Bye-bye!”

Kaito finished his breakfast, cleaned up the kitchen, and ran himself a hot bath.

Today’s the day!

It’s gonna be fine. Everyone has worked so hard…

Oeh! I should probably iron my suit!

And remember to check that my shoelaces are tied before I go on stage!

Kaito showered while thinking up a long list of things he needed to get done before the big opening night.

After a relaxing bath, he started with the first thing on his list: iron his suit. And by the time he got to the last thing on his list, it was early afternoon and almost time to get going.

Vzzzt. Vzzzt.

TOUMA: Meet you at the station?

KAITO: Sure

Kaito wrapped a garment bag over his suit, grabbed his lunchbox, and set off for the train station. As the day ticked on, Kaito could feel his nerves tingling more and more.

Come on! I’ve done this a million times!

It’s gonna be all goooood…

When Kaito got to the train station, he saw his friend waiting for him. Seeing Touma’s twitching face and red eyes made Kaito feel a lot better.

He looks a lot more nervous than me, and he is not even lead anymore!

“How are you feeling? You good?” Touma asked.

“I’m fine. Are you okay? You seem very nervous...”

“Oh, I just had a lot of coffee, that’s all. Couldn’t sleep, you know...”

“Yup, I know… Shall we?”

The train ride to school was surprisingly quiet, but Kaito was happy that he was left with his thoughts for just a while longer before the chaos of opening day began.

I wonder what she’s doing today…

Probably no chance she’ll be there tonight…

Argh! Just stop thinking about her!

Just think about other stuff! Like… Like…

Sigh…

“Touma!”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay, buddy?” Kaito asked.

“Yeah! Just got a lot on my mind.”

“I know how you feel! Do you wanna talk about it?”

“I mean… It’s mostly nerves.”

“Try not to think about it too much. Once, you’re on stage, everything will just fall into place… Just like we practiced!”

“Oh! I know! The play will be just fine… I was kinda talking about… Uh...”

“About?”

“Well… I’ve been wondering how to tell Himari… that I love her...”

“What?!” Kaito chuckled. “I thought you were nervous about going on stage!”

“Ha! I wish it was that! This is way more nerve-racking...”

Kaito patted his friend on the back. “Just tell her how you feel… It will be fine.”

“You think?”

“Trust me, it will be fine! Just tell her how you feel...”

“Thanks, Kaito.”

I’m sure Himari loves him as well…

Then again… Apparently, I’m not that good at guessing what other people feel…

Especially… Love…

I guess...

When Kaito and Touma entered the school hall, chaos had in fact, erupted. Students scurried in all directions, props and costumes were carried to and from the stage, dancers danced, and singers sang.

Opening day!

“Not like that, you nitwit!” Touma yelled at someone Kaito didn’t even recognize.

Touma walked off, firing off commands and instructions in all directions.

Kaito thought it best he didn’t follow his friend and instead, made his way to the stage where he helped set up stage props.

An uneasy feeling boiled in Kaito’s stomach. He wasn’t sure why, but he was sure it wasn’t nerves.

I’ve done this a thousand times…

This isn’t what nervousness feels like…

Maybe I’m getting sick?

The stage quickly filled up with cardboard cutouts of big city buildings, perfectly trimmed trees, a hotdog stand, and steam-spewing manhole covers, which were powered by hidden fog machines.

Kaito took a step back to have a good look at the stage.

Impressive!

Wait, what’s that…

Whoever was in charge of the lights was testing to see if the lighting worked as it should. And every time they switched to a night scene, everything went dark except for the ceiling, which was illuminated by thousands of little stars.

A field of stars…

Kaito couldn’t help but fall back into a chair and enjoy having the sparkling lights, however fake they were, wash over him.

Why can’t I get her out of my mind!

I promised I would take her there…

His stomach turned, and he knew it was because of Miyu. Annoyed, he got up and made his way to the boy’s dressing room where he changed into his suit.

“I couldn’t have asked for a more dashing lead!” Touma said, walking toward Kaito with wide-spread arms.

Kaito couldn’t tell if he was coming in for a hug, or if he was just pointing at him with both hands to emphasize his proudness, as if Kaito was some prize-winning pony.

“Touma, I need to talk to you—alone,” Kaito said as he dodged Touma’s arms.

“Sure, come with me,” Touma said and pulled Kaito into some random, empty backstage room, which Kaito had never even noticed before.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“How do you know you love Himari?”

“Ah ha,” he chuckled. “Is this about Miyu?”

“Just answer my question, please!”

“It’s simple; I couldn’t get her out of my mind.”

“Is that all?”

“Well, that and what my father said to me, he said, ‘Touma, try to think of the rest of your life without that girl…’ He didn’t have to finish his sentence because I instantly knew I couldn’t imagine life without her.”

Just like Touma didn’t need his father to finish his sentence, Kaito didn’t need his friend to finish his before he knew there was no possible future without Miyu.

“But you got nothing to worry about, do you? I mean, the words you wrote down in that song either came straight from your heart, or you have even more talent than you let on!”

I love her…

“Thanks, Touma.”

“No problem! Now get your ass back to stage! People are filling up the hall as we speak!”

Kaito took a peek from behind the curtain, and just as Touma had said, the hall was filling up quickly, and the nervous squeaks from his fellow club members became more apparent.

“Kaito, I’ve been sick… And it’s serious—”

Kaito squeezed his fist in anger.

Why did she have to make up an excuse?!

Miyu’s voice resonated inside his head.

“I’m good… I’ve just had some things to deal with”

“I had to… go for a checkup at the—”

“Yip, just a routine checkup…”

Fragments of Kaito’s memories came together, like the pieces of a puzzle, and his heart sank.

Was she…

Was she trying to tell me—

Wait…

Why doesn’t her father want her to leave the house?

Is she…

She really is sick…

All the color drained from Kaito’s face and pooled together in his throat, making it painful to swallow.

Why didn’t I listen to her?!

She was trying to tell me something!

ARGH! IDIOT!

What am I even doing here?!

Kaito knew he was in the wrong place, not where he should be. He ran over to his red-headed friend and pulled him by his shoulder.

“I’m so sorry, Touma, I can’t do this.”

“What? What do you mean?!”

“I don’t have time to explain! Please, just trust me, I have to go.”

“I— I don’t know—”

“Touma, you’re gonna be fine! You know everything! You were made for this, trust me! But I really have to go! I need to be with Miyu!”

Touma gave Kaito a good luck slap on his back. “Go and get her!” he said with a smile.

“Thanks!”

Kaito dashed past the confused looks of his fellow club members, raced down the stage stairs, and cut straight through the hall, which was filled with people.

I’m coming Miyu!

Kaito pushed his way through the seemingly endless line of people, which ran straight through the entrance hall and disappeared somewhere outside the giant sliding doors.

What the hell? Is the entire town here?

When Kaito finally made it outside the school, he took a moment to take in the impressive sight of hundreds of cars that lined up on the sports field, as well as the rows upon rows of bicycles that filled up the courtyard.

This is crazy!

He took a deep breath and set off toward the train station, determined to declare his love to Miyu.

She was trying to tell me something the last time we spoke…

But I just pushed her away…

Out of breath, Kaito came to a halt in front of the train station. His heart sank deep into his chest when he saw a word flickering on the train schedule.

DELAYED!

No no no!

He swung around to see if there were any taxis available, but the parking lot and the area around the train station seemed deserted.

ARGH!

The entire town really did go to the show!

After half an hour of waiting, Kaito was able to board the train, but he had to wait another twenty minutes before the train moved.

Finally!

Dreary-gray clouds filled the skies outside the window, and the beautiful hydrangeas, which bloomed so prominently when Kaito first traveled on the train, now matched the clouds in wilting fashion.

The waiting time at each stop seemed to intensify as they progressed and happened to perfectly correspond to Kaito’s frustration.

At this pace, I might as well have run home!

Yet, the extra waiting time allowed him to think about what he would say to Miyu once he got home. However, every sentence he formulated in his head ended up sounding ridiculous, and suddenly, Kaito felt his body almost quivering from nervousness.

With a loud CLANK, the train pulled away again, and this time, there was only one stop left.

Kaito felt restless and couldn’t wait to start running the moment the train stopped. He got up from his seat and went to stand in front of the train’s door.

Huh?

Kaito realized he was alone on the train. A strange feeling washed over him, but before he could use his creative mind to come up with a bunch of eerie scenarios, he saw the blurry outline of the next station.

Kaito jumped in excitement, and just as the door slid open, he made a mad dash for it.

Miyu, I’m coming!

We can do this! We can figure it out…

I wanna take you to the lake… I promised you I would!

I wanna show you the world… The one you’ve been kept from.

Kaito turned a corner, and the apartment building came into view.

Yes! I made it!

He came to a halt in front of the building and folded over, hands on knees, to catch his breath.

In the corner of his eye, he saw Miyu’s father.

Mr. Hoshino sat on the passenger side of a van, which drove by Kaito in slow motion. The back of the van seemed to be filled to the brim with boxes and a heap of tied down furniture towered on top of a trailer.

The world went dead quiet, and the only sounds Kaito could hear were his breath and the pounding of his heart.

Kaito’s eyes met Mr. Hoshino’s, and in that wordless exchange, Kaito felt his world crumble away at his feet.

No…

“NO!” he screamed as the van drove off.

Once again, Kaito broke into a mad dash and ran his way up the never-ending flight of stairs.

What is this?

What is happening?!

Kaito made his way up the stairs as fast as he could. At times he would skip three or even four steps but one misstep later, his foot slipped out from under him, and his face met the steel staircase.

Aaaargh!

He pulled himself up and ignored the blood gushing from his nose.

Kaito continued his sprint up the staircase. When he got to the top, he ran past Kanna’s apartment and straight to Miyu’s.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!

“Miyu!”

KNOCK!

“Miyu! Are you there?!”

Kaito turned the doorknob, but the door was locked.

Come on!

After a couple more knocks and no answer, Kaito turned back to Kanna’s apartment.

He barged through the living room, up the stairs, and dashed into his room, almost blowing the door off its hinges.

“Miyu! Are you there?! MIYU!”

Completely out of breath, Kaito walked over to the other side of his room, toward the wall with the crack in it.

As he approached, he noticed that the crack seemed bigger somehow and then, his eyes caught something protruding from the split.

What’s that?!

He reached his arm out, ran his finger over the spot and felt a piece of paper cutting his finger.

A note!

Taking care not to rip it, Kaito pulled at it softly until it came loose.

He folded open the note and this time, all sound and color drained from his world.

I love you.

No…

No no no… Miyu?!

“MIYU!” Kaito screamed out.

She’s… gone?

“NO!” he struck the wall with a fierce punch, which caused blood to flow from his knuckles.

NO NO NO!!

FUCK!!

“Miyu! Are you there?! MIYU!!”

Kaito’s entire body shook, and his breathing increased to the point where it seemed like he was hyperventilating.

This isn’t happening…

Searing-hot tears streamed from his eyes.

“This isn’t FUCKING HAPPENING!!!! Miyu??” Kaito screamed out and again punched at the wall.

And again.

And again.

And again.

“Miyu?! Please!”

The cracked spot in the concrete gave way, and thus became a hole. The hole grew bigger and bigger, and Kaito’s fist became bloodier as he kept pummeling the wall.

“I promised her I would take her there!!!”

Kaito let out painful screams as he swung his arms repeatedly at the wall.

Finally, the hole was big enough for his head to squeeze through. Still, Kaito couldn’t see anything on the other side because his eyes filled up with tears faster than he could wipe them away.

Kaito started to unravel the wall, pulling whole bricks from it.

“Miyu?!” he screamed through the hole and without waiting for a response he kicked at the wall until the hole was big enough for him to climb through.

Seconds later, he stood inside Miyu’s room.

It’s… empty.

Kaito fell to his knees and laughed.

It was a dark, menacing laugh that convulsed his entire body.

She’s… gone…

“Kaito! Just listen to me! I’ve been sick… And it’s serious…”

I couldn’t just shut up for two minutes and listen to her?! ARGH!!!

He collapsed on all fours and cried a seething torrent of tears as with someone retching.

Tiny pools of tears formed on the floor, and in them, he saw his own reflection.

“I WILL NEVER FORGIVE YOU!” he shouted at the floor before his strength betrayed him and he collapsed into a bloodied, broken bundle.