That evening, snow began to fall.
Not thick.
Not violent.
Just a quiet, gentle snowfall—softly layering the sidewalks, settling on bare tree branches, and seeping into the cold air of the fading day.
Takahashi left work later than usual.
On his way home, he took out his phone, the screen lighting up his palm in the dim evening.
> Chihiro: Did everything go smoothly?
He typed a reply.
Deleted it.
Typed again—then erased it once more.
In the end, he sent only a short message.
> Takahashi: Yeah. How about you?
No reply came.
He waited a moment longer, then slipped the phone back into his coat pocket and continued walking. Snow landed on his shoulders, melting slowly, cold seeping through the fabric.
As he passed the park near his apartment, Takahashi slowed his steps.
"Hm…?"
A dim yellow streetlight illuminated one corner of the park.
And there—
He saw a familiar silhouette.
"…!"
"Chihiro?"
She was standing face to face with a tall man wearing a dark coat.
The distance between them was far too close to be a coincidence.
---
Chihiro's POV
"What do you still want from me?"
Chihiro's voice trembled slightly, despite her effort to remain calm.
"We already broke up. There's nothing left between us."
Her hands clenched tightly inside her coat pockets, nails digging painfully into her palms.
"So please… stop clinging to me."
Rei stood before her, the calm confidence he usually wore almost completely gone.
"Chihiro!"
His voice was sharper than usual.
"Do you even know how much I loved you back then?"
He reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder—
as if trying to hold her in place,
as if touching her could drag her back into the past.
But those memories—
They had hurt enough already.
Chihiro shook his hand away.
"I already told you…"
Her voice wavered clearly now.
"Stop following me."
"Chihiro…"
Rei bit his lip, then took a deep breath.
"I know your life isn't easy right now," he said, placing a hand over his chest, his voice lowering with familiar confidence.
"If you come back to me—if you give me another chance—I won't let you suffer anymore."
Those words…
Back then, hearing them alone would have been enough to make her heart flutter.
But now—
Chihiro lowered her head.
She said nothing.
Not because she was wavering.
But because she was tired.
Seeing her silence, Rei mistook it for hesitation.
Hope flickered in his eyes.
He reached out again—
And at that exact moment—
"Enough."
Another hand grabbed Rei's wrist and shoved it away.
---
Takahashi
"She's clearly telling you she doesn't want this," Takahashi said.
His voice was low—but firm.
Chihiro froze.
"Ta…kahashi…?"
She turned toward him, her eyes shimmering with surprise—and emotions she couldn't yet name.
"…?!"
Rei frowned.
"Who are you?"
"What right do you have to interfere between me and Chihiro?"
Takahashi stepped in front of her.
His shoulders were broad, his back straight.
"I'm no one special."
"I'm just her manager."
"And I stepped in because I saw my employee being harassed."
In that moment, Chihiro realized—
For the first time, someone was standing on her side.
Not because of the past.
Not because of conditions or expectations.
But simply because she didn't want this.
Rei let out a cold laugh.
"So that's how it is."
"All this time, I thought you were a decent woman…"
His gaze hardened.
"I didn't expect you to be this easy."
—
The air froze.
Takahashi slowly turned his head.
"Easy…?"
His voice dropped—dangerously calm.
"Do you have any idea how hard she's worked?"
"Do you know what she's been through just to stand where she is today?"
Images flashed through his mind—
Chihiro working late into the night.
Chihiro stammering through her first presentation.
Chihiro asleep at her desk, eyelashes trembling slightly.
"You don't know anything."
Rei smirked faintly.
"You talk as if you really understand her."
Takahashi didn't deny it.
"You're right," he admitted.
"I don't understand her better than you do."
"I don't know her entire past, or every feeling she's ever had."
He looked straight at Rei.
"But there's one thing I'm absolutely sure of."
"I will never force her to choose—
especially when she isn't ready herself."
—
Rei stiffened.
He had no reply.
In the end, he simply smiled, slipped his hands into his coat pockets, and turned away.
After taking a few steps, he stopped.
"Next time…"
"I won't lose to you."
He glanced back.
"And your name is Takahashi Riku, right?"
Takahashi: "...…"
Rei's voice turned sharp, almost threatening.
"Let's say you win this time, Takahashi-kun."
The snow continued to fall.
In the quiet that followed, Chihiro stood behind Takahashi—
her heart trembling, yet for the first time…
She didn't feel alone.
After Rei disappeared into the curtain of white snow, Takahashi finally let out a long breath—as if he'd been holding it the entire time.
He turned to Chihiro.
"Are you… okay?"
She remained still.
"…" No answer.
Snow fell silently, cold and relentless, yet her shoulders began to tremble.
A drop fell onto the back of her hand.
Then another.
Takahashi startled.
"Huh…? W-wait—"
He hurried a step closer.
"Don't— don't cry… Hey, please don't cry…"
His voice was clearly flustered. His hands lifted, then pulled back again, unsure of what to do.
Chihiro raised her sleeve and wiped her tears roughly, then turned her back to him. Her voice tried to sound calm—almost sharp.
"Cry? Over something like that?"
"Are you stupid?"
"As if I'd cry over something like this."
She walked forward, leaving Takahashi standing alone in the snow-covered park.
"H-Hey… at least… you could thank me a little…"
he muttered, sounding genuinely dejected.
Chihiro stopped.
Just for a moment.
Then she turned back.
Her eyes, which had avoided him moments ago, softened—melting like snow.
"…Thank you." "Takahashi-san."
In that instant, Takahashi felt as if time itself had stopped.
The falling snow slowed.
The world around them faded away, leaving only the two of them standing there.
"I said thank you."
Chihiro added, turning away again.
"Let's go home. I'm starving."
Seeing him still frozen behind her, she glanced back, frowning.
"If you don't come now, you're skipping dinner."
"Ah— y-yeah!"
Takahashi snapped back to reality and hurried after her.
"L-Let's go."
Under the dim streetlights, two figures walked side by side, leaving long footprints in the white snow—
quiet, gentle, and warmer than before.
END
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