Utaha shut the door and leaned against it, biting down hard as she suppressed the tears welling in her eyes.
Five days.
To her, each day had felt like a year. Every minute and every second had been torment.
After ten days, she had finally waited for Haizaki to speak first, but the result was him telling her that he would be leaving on a long trip for five days.
Why go far away?
What kind of matter required him to stay away continuously for five days without returning to the villa?
Could it be…
Could it be that Haizaki was leaving and would never come back,
That he was abandoning her?
Once the thought of "being abandoned" surfaced in her mind, Utaha's emotions sank into heaviness and suppression.
Fear and anxiety constantly gnawed at her spirit.
She wanted to speak up, to tell Haizaki not to leave. She wanted to ask him to take her with him. But in the end, watching Haizaki drive away, she could only stand by the window of her room, helplessly watching him disappear at the edge of her vision, unable to say a single word.
Believe in him. Believe that he would return in five days.
That was her final thought.
One day,
Two days,
Finally, the evening of the fifth day arrived—
Yet there was no movement, no sound.
Why hadn't he returned as agreed? Why hadn't he come back yet?
Had he really… abandoned her?
Only when the sound of the villa's first-floor door opening rang out, followed by steady, powerful footsteps, did her fear-stricken heart finally relax.
He was back.
He had kept the promise.
He hadn't broken it.
That was enough.
But…
She had hoped that Haizaki would notice the light still on in her room and let her know he was back. Instead, what she heard was the "whoosh, whoosh" of running water from the bathroom outside.
She realized then that Haizaki wouldn't come.
If she did nothing, the cold war between them would continue indefinitely.
At the moment the sound of the shower stopped, Utaha opened her door. Just as she had expected, the sound caught Haizaki's attention, and he turned to look at her.
"You're back."
That was what she said. Her tone was flat, but it suppressed excitement and anxiety. Her heart pounded violently as she hoped for reconciliation while fearing Haizaki's rejection.
"Mm."
He responded with only a bland acknowledgment.
Why was he so cold?
Was he still angry?
Silence spread.
What followed was not Haizaki bringing up the conflict from two weeks ago—
But a simple, "I'll head back first. Get some rest."
She had already prepared to apologize, waiting for him to bring it up.
But why was she met instead with a polite bedtime farewell?
This wasn't what she wanted.
Was Haizaki really that angry—
That even after half a month, he still couldn't let it go?
Did he really plan to stay in a cold war with her forever?
One month, one year, ten years…
An endless, lonely life with no hope, pitch-black—just imagining it made Utaha tremble uncontrollably.
She would go mad.
Living alone like that, she would definitely go mad.
The fear and loneliness beneath the earthquake ruins surged violently, crashing and ravaging her heart.
"I thought you…"
Her remaining rationality could no longer suppress the overwhelming sadness, grievance, and loneliness inside her.
"…weren't coming back."
She was afraid of being alone. She was afraid of being abandoned, of being left behind.
Even more, she was afraid of facing a Haizaki who would remain unmoved by her weak sobbing. The moment the words left her mouth, she subconsciously stepped back half a step and slammed the door shut.
She was afraid of seeing Haizaki's indifferent, unresponsive expression.
If that happened, she would definitely cry out loud—cry like a child who had been abandoned.
At least with the door closed, even if she cried, only she would know.
Deep down, she hoped Haizaki would knock on her door. She hoped for it, longed for it.
But the result…
Was the sound of his own bedroom door opening.
He chose to return to his room.
He didn't care about her.
In an instant, her emotions collapsed. Tears poured out like floodwaters breaking through a dam.
Hugging her knees and curling into herself, she felt cold. The light seemed dimmer than before.
If the whole world were to leave only her behind, what should she do?
...
Utaha woke up from the cold.
"How did I end up… here?"
She had actually fallen asleep on the floor.
At this moment, she was dazed, completely unaware of what had happened.
Suddenly, a sharp pain flickered through her heart, and memories from before she fell asleep replayed like a film.
"So that's… how it was…"
After sleeping, her mental state was much better. The intense negative emotions had subsided by more than half.
But when she once again recalled the cruel reality of Haizaki's cold attitude toward her, bitterness and sorrow surged back into her heart.
"I can't think about it. I can't think about it…"
Utaha muttered to herself and took deep breaths to adjust her emotions.
It was now 2:35 a.m. on June 26. There was only one thing she needed to do—sleep and rest properly.
For five consecutive days, she hadn't rested enough, obsessing over whether Haizaki's trip was "leaving forever and abandoning her" or "retaliation against her," pushing her mental state to the brink of collapse.
Now, unexpectedly falling asleep had restored much of her mental strength. Overall, she felt significantly better.
Aware of her condition, Utaha consciously adjusted herself. She could no longer fixate on "the conflict with Haizaki," "how to apologize and ease the relationship," or "the true purpose of Haizaki's trip."
If this continued, she would develop psychological illness.
"Empty your mind. Don't think about anything. Just sleep well, and everything will… get better."
Lying on her bed, Utaha closed her eyes, repeating this to herself.
But human thoughts are, to some extent, uncontrollable. The lingering gloom and sorrow in her heart refused to dissipate, flashing up from time to time.
She could only try her best not to dwell too deeply on them and continuously remind herself to sleep properly—that everything would get better.
And no matter what difficulties she encountered,
Her life still had to go on.
Her life still had to continue.
She still had dreams that had not yet been realized.
She felt guilt toward Haizaki and owed him an apology. She wanted to ease their relationship and return to their former normal life.
If that couldn't be achieved, then at the very least, she wanted to convey this guilt to Haizaki.
She wanted him to understand that she had already recognized her own mistakes.
Even if she had obtained permission, she should have informed him of what she had taken.
Not stubbornly clinging to her so-called pride as she was now…
Especially after two months together—she should have understood what kind of person he was by now.
...