Prologue
There was a boy I loved deeply. But I never had the courage to tell him.
He was quiet, plain, and often called boring by our classmates. He had no friends. But he was kind, gentle, and helpful. And he loved to paint—always painting what he loved, what he saw, or what he dreamed of.
Now, the boy I loved is gone.
He died. He took his own life.
As I walked away from his grave, my heart aching, I ran into Haruto—his only friend. Haruto looked furious, holding a book tightly in his hand.
He said, "This is Yuta's diary. If you really want to know why he committed suicide... then read this."
His voice trembled as he added, "You happy now that he's gone? Stop coming here. Stop making fun of him."
I froze. Confused. Shattered. I didn't understand what he meant. I never made fun of Yuta. I loved him.
I opened the diary.
Chapter 1: Friendship
My name is Yuta. I'm a high school student who loves painting.
I'm the quiet type—some call me boring. I don't have any friends, and I'm used to being alone.
But one day, the most beautiful and popular girl in school started talking to me. Her name was Akari.
At first, I didn't pay much attention to her. I thought she was just being friendly because we sat next to each other. I focused on my paintings, nothing else.
But she kept talking to me.
And little by little, I started opening up.
We found we had so much in common. We laughed together, shared stories, and soon, we became friends. We began spending time after school—just the two of us.
One day, I fell asleep while working on a painting. When I woke up, she was standing there, staring at my work. She smiled and said, "It's beautiful."
That moment meant everything to me. Someone appreciated my art. She appreciated me.
I slowly fell in love with her.
Behind her graceful smile, I saw a side no one else noticed—clumsy, silly, yet sincere. She tried her best in everything. And I adored her even more for it.
Chapter 2: Bullied
But not everyone was happy about our friendship.
Some boys at school started threatening me. They said, "Stay away from her. She's the school's goddess. You're just a boring nerd."
I ignored them. Akari and I were friends, and I wanted to keep it that way.
But the bullying got worse. One day, they beat me up badly.
That's when Haruto came back into my life.
He was my childhood friend. We were inseparable when we were kids, but he moved away when we were ten. That day, he showed up and saved me from the beating.
He helped me to the nurse's office and stayed by my side until I woke up. When I asked him why he was here, he smiled and said, "Surprise."
He'd gotten transferred to our school with help from his mom.
When I told him about the bullying, I begged him not to tell Akari. I didn't want her to worry.
But just then, we heard the nurse's curtain rustle.
Akari had heard everything.
She burst into tears and shouted, "Why wouldn't you tell me?! Why would you hide something like this?"
I tried to calm her down and told her that the teachers were handling it. She finally nodded and left.
Haruto looked at me and said, "You really like her, don't you?"
I stayed silent.
He sighed. "Just be careful. She's popular... and this won't be easy."
Chapter 3: Misunderstanding
One day, I waited for her after class. She was late, so I went to check on her.
I found her chatting with two of her friends. I stayed hidden and listened.
Friend 1: "You and Yuta seem close."
Friend 2: "You like him, right?"
Akari: "No, we're just friends."
Friend 1: "But you hang out with someone like him? He's boring and plain."
Friend 2: "You're the beauty of the school. He's not your type."
Akari: "It's not like that…"
Friend 1: "You're from different worlds."
Akari (embarrassed): "You're right… He's plain. He's always alone. I guess it's useless… But…"
I couldn't listen anymore. I dropped my bag. They turned and saw me.
I ran.
She chased after me to explain, but I said, "You shouldn't hang out with me. You and I… we're from different worlds."
Then she slipped. Hit her head. Fell into the pool.
I jumped in and pulled her out. She wasn't breathing. I panicked and started CPR—mouth-to-mouth.
That's when the others came in.
They saw me over her body and misunderstood.
They beat me up. They didn't listen.
Even Haruto couldn't stop them.
The police were called. I was arrested for sexual harassment.
I was released later, but suspended for two weeks.
Chapter 4: Love Turns to Hate
My family was ashamed of me.
Mom: "Why did you do it?"
Dad: "You should be ashamed of yourself."
Sister: "I'm disgusted to call you my brother."
They shut me in my room.
For two weeks, I stayed locked away. Alone.
I lost everything. My art. My family's love. My friends.
I didn't blame Akari. I just hoped she was okay.
When I returned to school, I went to my art room—my safe place.
It was destroyed.
And Akari was standing there, her hands and clothes stained with paint.
I broke down.
Yuta: "Why did you do this?"
Akari: "No! I didn't do this! Please believe me!"
Yuta: "I thought you were different… but you're just like the rest."
I ran.
Final Chapter: The Last Painting
Akari sat in class, thinking about Yuta's words.
Then she overheard some classmates talking.
Classmate 1: "Did you see his crying face? He deserved it."
Classmate 2: "He tried to take advantage of our princess."
Akari: "What are you talking about?!"
Classmate: "When you were unconscious, he kissed you. We saw it."
Akari: "No... He saved me. I slipped into the pool… He saved me…"
Classmate: "We destroyed his art room for you."
Akari: "I never asked for that! He thinks I betrayed him… because of you!"
She realized the truth too late.
When Yuta returned to class, the boys beat him again.
Akari stood there… frozen.
Then she tried to help him, but he pushed her away.
Yuta: "Because of you… everyone hates me."
He was beaten unconscious.
The teacher slapped him.
The students laughed.
He walked out, alone.
No one welcomed him home. Not even his mother.
Epilogue
Yuta left a letter.
He placed it beside his diary… and ended his life.
The news shattered Akari.
She tried to run to him but was hit by a car. She was hospitalized for a week.
She missed his funeral.
When she was discharged, she went to his grave.
Tears streamed down her face as she whispered, "I'm sorry, Yuta. I loved you… I just didn't say it in time."
As she walked home, she saw Haruto sitting on the steps.
He handed her a painting.
It was of her.
"Yuta painted this before he died," Haruto said. "He wanted you to have it. He wrote that no one is responsible for his death."
He added quietly, "And he asked me… to be your friend."
They stood together in silence, gazing at Yuta's grave.
For a brief moment, a soft breeze passed them—and in the light, a faint reflection of Yuta's smile lingered.
The End