Chie's words hit him like a sudden gust of wind, freezing him in place. All this time, he had misjudged that girl. Beneath her facade of talking whatever she thinks, Chie had truly understood the complexities of emotions. His, in particular.

And she had been right.

"Why are you just standing there?" Chie gently pounded his chest. "Go find him and express your feelings!"

"So you know it's Yuki?"

Chie rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. "Of course! Who else can it be?"

"But does it have to be this sudden—"

"No excuses. Look at Oda, Kawafuji, and those girls... they have more courage than you! Life's too short. If you like someone, just say it! The worst that could happen is rejection, but the best is acceptance. You're strong enough to handle both. What are you waiting for?"

Haru pondered for a moment, then bowed deeply out of respect for his best friend. Chie gazed at him intently. She seemed like she needed a hug, so Haru opened his arms, offering one. But Chie hesitated, stepping back and holding him at arm's length.

"Please don't," she said, her eyes welling up. "I appreciate it, but if you hug me, I won't be able to be your friend anymore."

"What does that suppose to mean?"

Chie shrugged. Haru knew she wasn't one to cry openly in front of others. She would retreat to the bathroom and let her tears flow in private.

"Are you crying?" he asked softly.

Chie shook her head. "Go."

"Thank you, truly. You're the best friend I could ask for."

"Yes, yes, yes, alright," Chie pushed Haru away gently. "Now, go!"

With a determined nod, Haru turned and headed off to the front gate, grateful for Chie's unwavering support.

"Don't walk! Run!" Chie shouted behind him; waving and smiling broadly. "Run as fast as you can!"

"Okay!"

Chie wiped something from her cheek. "Good luck!"

...

As Haru sped towards Shiru's café, luck seemed to be on his side as all three red lights he encountered turned green. In just five minutes, he arrived at the café's entrance. Peering through the window, he scanned the interior but couldn't spot the figure he was searching for. Without hesitation, he pushed open the door and approached the cashier. The guy told him that Yuki was off duty for the day.

Without wasting a moment, Haru dashed out again. The sun cast its golden hues across the sky, painting everything with a warm orange glow. As he weaved through the bustling streets filled with people winding down their day, Haru found himself offering silent encouragement. "I have to do it," he told himself. "Sure, people might have their opinions, but isn't that just how the world works?" Whether they see you as flawed or flawless, it's irrelevant. What truly matters is honoring your own conscience, your feelings, and what you hold dear. Today, he gleaned a valuable lesson from Chie: the importance of staying true to oneself.

As Haru reached the intersection leading to his home, he continued onward, heading north. The familiar sight of the gray-roofed house soon came into view.

Suddenly, Haru spotted Suzuki-san dismounting her bicycle. The woman noticed him and courteously stepped aside.

"Hi, Nakano-kun. Just got home from college, huh?" she greeted.

With no time for pleasantries, Haru went straight to the point. "Suzuki-san, have you seen Yuki?"

"Ah, he just left about half an hour ago."

"Left? Where did he go?"

"He headed home to Aomori. He had some of Nishii-san's belongings to return. Do you want to take stuff with you?"

Haru felt his knees weaken at the news. No, this couldn't be happening. Despair threatened to devour him, but he pushed it aside. He wouldn't succumb to it now.

"Suzuki-san, I need to catch up with Yuki!" Without realizing it, Haru squeezed Suzuki-san's shoulder, causing the woman to flinch. "I have something important to tell him!"

Suzuki-san looked visibly shaken. "Then you need to get to the station as quickly as possible. Yuki told me he's gonna take a bus from the terminal at Shinjuku Station. The bus leaves at midnight, so you still have time."

"Okay. Thank you very much!"

"Take this." Suzuki-san pointed to her bicycle. "It's faster than running."

Haru nodded gratefully and quickly grabbed hold of the bicycle usually used by mothers for market trips.

"Fight on, Nakano-kun!" Suzuki-san called out. "You can do it!"

"I'll give it my all!" Haru responded determinedly.

He pedaled the bicycle as hard as he could, his determination propelling him forward like a well-oiled machine. His next destination: Kunitachi Station. Despite the alarming rattle coming from the bike as it struggled to keep up with his speed, Haru brushed off the concern. He could worry about that later. Right now, he couldn't afford to be late.

"Excuse me! Please make way!" Haru called out urgently as he navigated through the obstacles of pedestrians crowding the streets. People were everywhere, but he rang the bicycle bell incessantly while shouting for clearance. Though some onlookers seemed surprised by his urgency, Haru paid them no mind. Throughout his life, he had always been kind to others. Now, in this moment of urgency, a bit of selfishness shouldn't be a problem, right?

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he reached the station. He hastily parked the bicycle at the designated storage area and rushed into the bustling station building.

Inside, the place was teeming with salarymen who had just finished their workdays. Haru maneuvered through the crowd, his eyes darting around anxiously. How would he find Yuki amidst this sea of people?

He always wears all-black!

The answer came to him like magic. He just needed to find someone dressed as if he was attending a funeral. Standing on his tiptoes, Haru scanned the crowd. Too many people clad in black. In his heart, he prayed that Yuki was still here, not yet departed for Shinjuku. Searching for someone in Shinjuku without an appointment would be impossible.

As a train pulled into the platform, Haru spotted a slender figure standing at the edge of platform two. The guy wore a long black coat, scarf, and trousers, with a large black travel bag slung over their shoulder. Haru recognized the hairstyle too.

Summoning all his courage, he took a deep breath and shouted at the top of his lungs, "YUKI!"

The figure turned, and Haru's heart leaped with joy. It was Yuki. Amidst the hundreds of people at the station, their eyes met; Yuki's gaze locked onto him. But in an instant, Yuki averted his gaze. Haru rushed toward him until he reached the platform gate. As passengers disembarked from the train, Haru frantically took out his wallet and the Suica card. He swiped the card at the ticket portal and dashed after Yuki, who was queuing to board the train.

"Hey!" protested a young woman. "Don't cut in line!"

"Excuse me!" The platform attendant joined in. "No barging in!"

But Haru paid him no attention. As the passengers disembarked the train, he focused on Yuki, who steadily made his way towards it.

Suddenly, a loud "BRUCK!" echoed through the platform as one of the passengers stuck out his leg, tripping him. He hit the ground hard, but ignoring the pain, he quickly rose to his feet and stretched out his hand, grasping for the strap of Yuki's bag. With a determined tug, he managed to pull the bag just before the train doors closed. Yuki flinched, causing them both to stumble backwards and crash to the ground with a loud thud.

"Good grief!" exclaimed the platform attendant, hands on hips. "What happened?"

Haru stammered, pinned beneath Yuki's heavy bag. "He took my house keys."

"Please be more careful!" the attendant warned sternly before walking away, shaking his head. As the train departed, Haru checked the notice board, confirming the next train would arrive in seven minutes.

Yuki stood up, looking bewildered. "What were you thinking?"

"S-sorry," Haru apologized quickly. "I was searching for you."

"Searching for me? Why?"

"Where are you going?"

"Answer my question first," Yuki demanded.

Yuki remained silent, staring at him with an expression as blank as a new sheet of paper.

"Suzuki-san told me that you were going back to Misawa..." Haru's breath was ragged, his heart still racing from the adrenaline of their earlier encounter. "Why did you leave for Misawa so suddenly?"

Yuki brushed aside a strand of her disheveled hair. "It's none of your business."

"Please don't go. Stay here in Tokyo."

"I have no more reason to stay."

"But I don't understand. I thought—"

"You don't have to. I don't have to explain my reason to you."

"I want you to stay." Haru stepped forward. "I can't imagine Tokyo without you."

Yuki's expression softened, revealing surprise.

"In the weeks since we stopped talking, I've been sorting out my feelings," he continued, a newfound calmness settling over him. "I'm sorry it took me this long to realize, but I've found the courage now. I know it may seem strange and sudden—"

"You shouldn't feel this way," Yuki interjected sharply. "You're just confused."

"You're wrong. I'm not confused. In fact, I've never felt more at peace," Haru asserted, his words flowing naturally despite his previous fear. "I'm simply following my heart. Please, just listen."

"No," Yuki pulled away, stopping him from getting any closer. "I don't want to hear it."

"But I need to say it."

"I don't care!"

"Well, I care! I really like you!"

Heads turned as the attention of the people queuing on the platform suddenly shifted to them. Haru stood his ground, not retracting his words as he bowed his head, pleading.

Yuki closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. For several seconds, he remained silent, leaving Haru to wait with bated breath. Only the announcements from the loudspeaker echoed through the tense silence between them. Finally, Yuki dropped his bag and took a hesitant step forward.

"What the hell is this?" he demanded.

Haru lifted his head, confusion etched on his face. "What do you mean?"

"I don't appreciate your jokes. Please take back what you just said," Yuki said, avoiding his gaze. "You don't know what you were saying."

"No, I won't take it back because I wasn't joking, it's how I truly feel. If there was a way to show you what I'm feeling right now, I would. I really like you."

"Look, I'm sorry..." Yuki backed away once more. "I'm not the right person for you. You should be looking for a girlfriend, not me. Maruyama-san is a nice girl."

"But I don't like other people. As for Chie, she's just a friend—actually, she's been a tremendous help in navigating my own emotions," Haru responded seriously, each word carrying weight. "We've been hanging out for three months now, but I still feel like I don't really know you that well. That's why I'm hoping we can spend more time together, get to know each other better. If you're willing to give me the chance."

"You are so naïve and stupid."

"You can call me whatever you want, but honestly, it doesn't matter to me. What matters is that I like you. I mean, I like you so much that when I heard you were leaving Tokyo, it felt like my world was crashing down. And I'm not exagerrating."

The loudspeaker annouched that the next train was entering the platform.

Yuki picked up his bag up. "Sorry, I can't. Please, just go home."

Haru could feel it deep down, the sinking feeling that Yuki's response wasn't what he hoped for.

"Look at me and tell me again," Haru urged, his voice trembled, "Look me in the eye and say you can't accept my feelings. Stop avoiding me like you've been doing all this time!"

The next train arrived, its doors opening as passengers streamed out one after another.

"You're too young to understand..." Yuki began, backing away toward the open carriage door. "There is no place for people like that in this world."

"But we can find our own place. This world is big enough."

Yuki shook his head and made his way into the carriage. "I gotta go."

Haru chased after him, but Yuki swung his bag, hitting Haru in the chest and causing him to fall backward.

Yuki turned around and whispered, "Goodbye."

As the train door closed, Haru jumped up and lunged at the door, punching the glass and struggling to open the two doors. Yuki slipped between the other passengers and vanished.

The train began to move. Haru continued to run after it, his desperation growing as the train picked up speed, disappearing from the station like a long hissing snake.

Don't go, he silently begged as he increased his speed. Please don't leave with such lie!

The platform attendant spotted him and chased after him while blowing his whistle. He grabbed at Haru's jacket, but Haru shrugged it off and kept running toward the end of the platform. An iron fence bordered it, and Haru prepared to leap over it, but the platform officer quickly grabbed both of his hands and pulled him back.

"What in the world are you thinking?" He scolded, his voice rising with fury. "Don't run after the train like that! It's incredibly dangerous; you could end up on the tracks! If you keep acting like this, I'll have no option but to detain you."

As the train vanished, its rear becoming nothing more than a distant speck amidst the myriad lights of Tokyo night. Haru felt as though his entire heart had departed with it, leaving him feeling hollow and adrift.

"Sorry for the trouble," Haru said, standing up and bowing in apology. Then, with a feeling of ultimate emptiness, he turned around and made his way toward the exit.

https://youtu.be/JXnaL4LM-nk

Ren - Tell Me Why