I dreamed of the past.
Whether it was truly the past or just something my mind chose to frame that way doesn't really matter now. What mattered was how real it felt—how vivid every word and expression was, as if I had been dropped right back into that moment.
The conversation itself had happened only two days before Tsubasa-kun's death.
Back then, I was just talking to him like usual. He was someone I genuinely enjoyed spending time with. We shared the same hobbies, the same little interests that made conversations stretch longer than they were supposed to. Talking to him never felt forced. It flowed naturally, like we were already used to each other's presence.
"Tsubasa-kun," I said back then, trying to sound casual even though my heart wasn't cooperating, "I've heard that you and Chihara-san have been hanging out a lot lately. Are you dating her?"
"We're not," he replied.
