Chapter 13 - A Promise

It's been two years since the first time we talked with each other, since Sui-chan came to my life and made it colorful again. Time flies really fast, huh?

Over these two years, many things happened between us, our relationships once a quiet secret that nobody knows, became public couple of months ago as Sui-chan made a post about it.

Of course the whole school went crazy, some students are envious about it, and some are supportive and even happy about it.

Sui-chan's plan of posting videos online turn out to be a succes. Her videos gained a lot of attention, her voice reached a lot of people. I'm proud of her, so proud it hurt sometime. There's something in my mind, a thoughts, that she will leave me some day.

Today, we were sitting together on the rooftop, eating lunch together. The sun is warm today, and the gentle breeze carried a scent of nostalgia. As usual, Sui-chan made a lunch for me, her cookings become one of my favorite parts of our time together.

Cooking brought us closer than before. It all started when I was sick, and she came to my house, to take care of me. Ever since that, it had became our habit to cook dinner together, laughing and bonding over failed attempts and perfecting recipes.

And sometime on the weekend, she'd invite me to her house, to bake a cookies together. Neither of us really knew how to bake, but it only made it more fun. I'd end up with my face covered in flour, while she would overcook the cookies. We'd laugh together until our stomach hurt, savoring the imperfect cookies like a gourmet meal. It was priceless, simple yet filled with joy.

"You're spacing out again, Y/N-kun." Sui-chan said, her playful tone brought me back.

"Huh? Oh sorry." I scratched the back of my head. "Just thinking about stuff."

"Stuff?" She repeated, raising an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"

"I was just thinking about how much everything has changed." I replied.

Her expression softened, a small smile graced her lips. "It changed for good, right? So you should be happy about it."

I looked at her, the sunlight caught her hair, making it shimmer like a halo. "Yeah...you're right."

"Is there something wrong? You've been spacing out a lot these last couple days." Sui-chan placed her chopstick down, completely paying attention to me.

"Nothing...nothing.." I replied, I couldn't make her worry about me.

"You could tell me, Y/N-kun. Aren't we promised that we will be there for each other?" Her sweet words melt my heart.

"Actually, I'm worried about the future. I'm scared that things between us will change." I replied, my voice hesitant for a moment.

Her eyes softened, she leaned back and look towards the sky. "Change isn't always bad, Y/N-kun. Sometimes, it's what help us grow."

"I know that..." I admitted, staring down at the lunch box she made. "But...I just don't want to lose this, what we have now."

She let out a small laugh, though there's a hint of sadness in it. "Do you think I don't feel the same way? These last two years have been amazing for me."

"Me too, you made my life full of color again, Sui-chan."

"You know, I'd never thought that I'll be with you, I never thought that someone will supported me like you did." Her voice was soft, almost wistful.

"That's because I believed in you, Sui-chan." I smiled faintly.

"Y/N-kun..." She called my name, her voice just above a whisper. "Do you...have a dream?"

I blinked, caught off guard by her question. Nobody has ever asked me that again since my first grade teacher. "I just wanted to live a happy life..." I replied, my voice hesitant.

"A happy life, huh? Thats....great." Her gaze lingered on me, her blue eyes soft but carrying a depth I hadn't notice before. "Do you still remember my dream?"

"You wanted to be an Idol, right?" I replied.

"About that..." She paused, her voice felt like carrying words that are heavy. "I have an opportunity."

"An opportunity? What do you mean?" I asked, confused of her sudden confession.

"I'm getting recruited by hololive into their production label, INoNaKa Music." She spoke, her voice filled with excitement but it didn't reach her eyes at all. "So...I had to leave after graduation."

Her words hit me like a sudden gust of wind, leaving me momentarily breathless. I stared at her, trying to process what she just said.

Then, the reality sinked in. My chest tightened, she was really leaving.

"I'm happy for you. It's all you've ever wanted right? I'm proud of you, Sui-chan." I finally said, my voice trying it's best to hide the sadness.

"Do you even care?" But her sudden voice surprised me. Despite the happy news she received, there's a hint of sadness in her voice.

"Huh?"

"I'm leaving! Don't you understand that?" Her voice rised up, tears flow from her eyes.

I'm frozed, her tears cutting through my heart.

"I do, I do understand." I replied, my voice trembling. "Do you think I don't care at all? Do you think I don't care if you leave?"

"Then why are you acting like that? Like you don't even care at all?!" She cried, her hand clenched into fist. "Why are you pretending like everything is okay?"

I took a step closer. "This is your dream, Sui-chan. I can't be the one that hold you from it, I'd never forgive myself if I did."

"But I don't want to leave you behind, Y/N-kun...These last two years, you've became everything to me." Her shoulders shook, she look away wiping her tears with the back of his hand. "I don't want to leave you..."

"And you've became everything for me too." I replied, holding her hand. "This is your opportunity, Sui-chan. This is everything you've worked so hard for. I'd be selfish to ask you to stay."

She looked at me, her blue eyes filled with pain and longing. "I'm scared, Y/N-kun...I'm really scared. What will happen to us after that?"

"I'm scared too, Sui-chan." I admitted, the weight of my own fears finally spilled out. "But, no matter how far apart we are, you'll always be in my heart."

The wind picked up carrying the scent of cherry blossoms through the air. She took a deep breath, her tears slowing as she seemed to gather her thoughts.

"We still have two months untill graduation..." She said softly, shedding the tears in her eyes. "Can we just make the most of it?"

I nodded, a faint smile tugging at my lips despite the ache in my chest. "Yeah...let's make these last two months unforgettable."

Especially for me.

The next two months passed like a fleeting dream. We spent every spare moment together, cooking, laughing, walking through the streets of our town. Every little things felt amplified, more precious, as though time itself slowed down for us, to let us savor these days.

On weekends as usual, we baked cookies or bread together in her house, just like we always did. Flour still often covered my face, and she still often overcook the cookies and breads, but neither of us cared. We laughed and laughed, untill tears rolled down our cheeks, knowing these moments will maybe be our last.

And it finally come, the graduation day. Hours of it slipped from my fingers like a sand. As the ceremony ended and everyone celebrate, Sui-chan and I found ourself in the rooftop, looking at our hometown.

She turned to me. "Y/N-kun...thank you for these last three years. Thank you for everything."

"I should be the one to say that." I replied, our eyes met with each other.

I tried to speak another words, but something in my throat stopped me. Instead, I reached out and hugged her. Her warmth was familiar, comforting, and felt like a goodbye.

"I'll miss you, Sui-chan." I whispered.

She pulled back slightly, tears glistening in her eyes as she smiled. "I'll miss you too, Y/N-kun." She then buried her face into my chest. "Promise me...promise me that you'll always by my side. Promise me, that we'll stay in touch..."

"I promise." I nodded, unable to say anything more than that.

The next day at the train station, in the cold of the morning air I stand side by side with her, waiting for the train. This moment, remind me of our first date at the Amusement Park.

"Hey...Y/N-kun..." She spoke, breaking the silence between us. "Make sure to eat healthy, okay?"

"I'm not a kid, y'know?" I replied, turning my attention to her.

Somehow her words broke something inside of me, and before I could even realize, she embraced me, pulling me into a hug.

"I'll miss you, Sui-chan. I'll really miss you." I spoke to her as I tightly hugged her.

"I'll miss you too." She replied, her tears soaking into my shoulder. "But this isn't a goodbye, okay? Just a...see you later."

I nodded. "Yeah...sure."

As she pulled away, she leaned in and kiss me, a kiss that filled with all the love and pain we couldn't say. When she finally stepped back, her smile was soft but resolute.

And then, she walked away, the morning sun casted her silhoutte in an orange light.

That morning, I watched her board the train to Tokyo, her figure dissapearing into the crowd. My heart ached, but I knew this would happen.

And it was never a see you later, it was a goodbye.

*****

Hello everyone, thank you for sticking with me until the end. With this, "Only You" are finally finished. Sorry for a lot of grammatical error and misspeling, as I'm still learning english. Thank you for all the love and support you gave!