Late at night in the living room...
The front door clicked open.
Ayaka had already gone to bed, emotionally drained.
Kai sat alone on the couch with a blanket draped over his shoulders, scrolling mindlessly through his phone when Kei stepped inside.
Kei didn't say anything at first.
He took off his coat and set it over the armrest before sitting down across from his brother.
Kai looked up, sensing something different in his posture.
"You went somewhere?" he asked quietly.
Kei nodded, his expression unreadable.
Kai waited.
Finally, Kei spoke. "I went to Tokyo Medical Center."
Kai straightened. "Why?"
"To see Dr. Sato."
Kai's brows furrowed, but he said nothing, sensing more was coming.
Kei leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, staring at the floor like it might unravel the answer he'd been chasing.
"I asked him why Akihiko filed for an emergency resignation."
Kai's jaw tightened slightly, heart skipping.
"And?"
FLASHBACK – TOKYO MEDICAL CENTER
Dr. Sato stood behind his desk, arms loosely crossed, his face caught between concern and discomfort.
"I'm sorry, Dr. Yamamoto. I can't give you details." he said calmly. "Not because I don't want to, but because Dr. Nakamura asked me not to tell you."
Kei stood stiffly across the desk, the muscles in his jaw tightening.
"He named me specifically?"
Dr. Sato nodded solemnly. "Yes. He said if you came asking… to tell you nothing."
Kei stared at him for a long moment. "Did something happen? Was there a scandal? A mistake in surgery? Or—"
"Nothing like that. His record is clean. He didn't leave because of work."
"Then why—"
Dr. Sato's lips pressed into a thin line. "All I can say… is that it seemed personal. Not professional."
BACK TO PRESENT – LIVING ROOM
Kei let out a dry, disbelieving laugh. "He told me… Nakamura specifically asked him not to tell me and he trusted Dr. Sato enough to tell him something, but not me. Not even a word."
Kai looked away for a second, brows pinching. "That's strange…"
"Exactly." Kei exhaled sharply through his nose. "I thought it was just about Ayaka. Maybe he left to give her space. Or maybe something happened between them that we weren't told. But if that were the case… why hide it from me?"
Kai frowned. "Unless it wasn't just about her. What if there's something deeper? Something none of us know."
Kei looked up at him. "You think it's something dangerous?"
"I don't know." Kai replied quietly. "But it means whatever he's dealing with, he wants to keep it buried. Even from you."
Kei rubbed a hand over his face. "I've known him for a while...This is something else. It's like he disappeared overnight and took every piece of himself with him."
The room went quiet.
Only the faint ticking of the wall clock echoed in the background.
Kai finally whispered, "You think it's time we find out what really happened?"
Kei's gaze flicked toward the hallway where Ayaka's room was.
"…Yeah. Before it breaks her even more."
------
The next morning...
The soft clinking of dishes and the smell of miso soup filled the quiet apartment.
Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, casting warm stripes across the floor.
Ayaka moved slowly around the kitchen, still a little tired, her movements thoughtful and subdued.
She didn't hear Kei come in until he cleared his throat gently.
"Morning." he said.
She turned, startled. "Oh… morning."
Kei stood awkwardly in the doorway, his usual stoic expression softened by something quieter. Guilt. Or maybe regret.
"I… wanted to say sorry." he began, stepping closer. "For last night."
Ayaka turned away, focusing too hard on the soup in her hand. "I was too emotional. I snapped. I'm sorry too."
"I crossed a line." Kei said. "I let my frustration talk for me. I've just been worried."
She set the bowl down gently on the table and finally looked up at him.
Her voice was quieter now. "I know. You're my big brother. You've always tried to protect me."
Kei met her gaze for a long moment. "But I can't always protect you from getting hurt. And I shouldn't try to control how you handle your pain either."
Ayaka's eyes burned for a second. She blinked them away.
"I miss him..." she said softly.
Kei nodded. "I know."
And for a moment, that was enough.
They sat together in silence, side by side, the weight between them finally easing into something gentler.
There were no more lectures, no more sharp words—just shared grief, and a little more understanding.
------
Later on...
Makoto leaned against his car, hands tucked into the pockets of his long coat, his blond hair catching the glow of the sunset.
When he saw Ayaka approaching, his usual playful smile surfaced.
"There she is. Right on time." he greeted, stepping forward to open the passenger door for her.
"Thanks..." Ayaka murmured, sliding into the seat.
The drive was mostly quiet at first. Makoto glanced at her now and then, sensing the shift in her mood.
She wasn't just tired—she was thinking, deeply.
"You okay?" he finally asked as the car slowed at a red light.
Ayaka turned toward the window. "I need to tell you something. And I don't want you to brush it off."
Makoto's brows furrowed slightly, the corners of his lips straightening. "Alright. I'm listening."
She hesitated for a moment, then exhaled.
"Akihiko… isn't just someone I imagined."
Makoto didn't respond, his expression unreadable.
"He's real. He was real..." she continued. "I didn't lie to you, I just… I wasn't ready to talk about him. Not properly."
She looked down at her hands in her lap, voice growing quieter. "We had something. It was complicated, and maybe it wasn't meant to last… but I loved him. I still love him."
The silence stretched.
Makoto kept his eyes on the road, his grip on the steering wheel tightening just slightly.
"I'm sorry..." Ayaka said, barely a whisper now. "I know I should've told you earlier. I didn't want to lead you on, or hurt you."
Makoto finally pulled the car into a small parking lot beside a quiet park, cutting the engine.
He turned to face her fully.
"So… that's who's been in your eyes this whole time." he said quietly. "Even when you smile at me."
Ayaka nodded.
Makoto stared at her for a long second, then let out a breath.
"Thank you. For being honest."
She looked up, surprised.
"I kind of always knew." he admitted with a faint, wry smile. "I could tell you were somewhere else… with someone else. But I wanted to be close anyway."
Ayaka blinked hard. "You deserve better."
He chuckled, but there was no bitterness in it. "I'm not going to lie—I still want to be here. Whether you're broken or whole. Whether he comes back or not."
Her heart twisted painfully at those words.
"But..." he added softly, "Don't keep everything locked inside. It's not a weakness to let someone see your pain."
Ayaka looked away again, biting her lip.
Makoto reached over and gently placed a hand over hers.
"I'll be here." He said, not asking for anything in return. "No matter how long it takes."
Makoto placed his hand over hers—warm, steady, unmoving.
His green eyes searched hers, gentle but unyielding.
"You don't have to love me back." he said quietly. "But I'm not giving up."
Ayaka's lips parted slightly, her breath catching at the words.
He wasn't trying to pressure her, and he didn't sound desperate or demanding.
He simply meant it.
Like a quiet promise he intended to keep.
"Miura…"
"I know." he said softly, cutting her off before she could even find the rest of her sentence. "I know your heart isn't free. I know someone else got there first, and I respect that. But I won't walk away just because I'm second."
Her throat tightened.
"I'll stay. I'll be here in the background, in the quiet, in the moments you can't breathe." he continued, his voice unwavering. "And if he comes back and makes you happy? I'll let go. But until that happens—until you tell me to my face that there's no space left for me—I'm staying."
The weight of his words settled deep into Ayaka's chest.
She couldn't remember the last time someone had looked at her so directly, so honestly.
It wasn't flashy or dramatic.
It wasn't a grand declaration in the rain.
It was just… steady. Real.
"I don't want to hurt you." she said, her voice barely whispering.
"I'm not afraid of getting hurt." he replied. "I'm afraid of giving up before I even try."
She closed her eyes for a second, breathing in the moment.
Her mind was chaos, her heart still aching for someone she couldn't reach… but Makoto was here. Now.
And he wasn't asking her to forget, or to move on, or to choose.
He was just asking to stay.
The silence between them felt different now—full, not empty.
When Ayaka finally opened her eyes again, she didn't know what she felt exactly.
But she knew this much:
Makoto Miura wasn't a fleeting distraction. He was a constant. Quiet, patient, persistent.
And no matter how much she tried to protect him from her own storm, he had already decided.
He wasn't leaving.