A few moments passed in the tense silence that hung in the air, as if the world was holding its breath along with them. There was no sound, only the barely audible sigh of the wind, gently brushing their hair.
Aoki finally turned, looking at the girl's face with eyes full of regret—yet behind Mei's dim gaze, there was still a glimmer of hope. Fragile, almost extinguished, but still there.
"Do you... hate me?" Aoki whispered. His voice sounded hoarse and quiet, almost inaudible, as if the question was too heavy to be truly spoken.
Mei slowly lifted her face. Tears were still flowing silently, leaving wet traces on her cold cheeks. But this time, there was no longer anger in Mei's eyes. What remained was a quiet sorrow—deep and silent, like a dark lake that does not reflect light.
"No," Mei replied softly, her voice nearly breaking. "I actually... thank you. To your family. Your father. Your mother. Because if it weren't for them... maybe my mother would have been gone a long time ago."
Then Mei fell silent, momentarily closing her eyes, as if she were trying to swallow the bitterness that was lumped in her throat.
"Indeed, I am sad," Mei continued in a low voice. "Because all this time I have lived in the shadow of loss. In the belief that my mother was gone... while in reality, she is still here. But no, Aoki... I do not hate you."
Mei took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, as if trying to release the weight that was suffocating her chest.
Mei's gaze met Aoki's again—this time calmer, though the light in Mei's eyes seemed dim, like a small flame that continues to endure at dusk, refusing to be extinguished despite the wind's disturbance.
"I only... regret," Mei said, her voice cracking at the end of the sentence. "Regret that everything is too late. Because no one ever told me sooner. But I can't blame your parents... they saved my mother. And that... is more than enough."
Then Mei smiled. A thin, fragile smile, but sincere. A smile born from a wound that cannot be erased, but can be accepted.
"Thank you... for finally choosing to tell me, Aoki."
Aoki did not respond. He remained silent, but his gaze remained fixed on Mei's face, as if he wanted to etch every detail into his memory.
Mei noticed this. She paused for a moment, then slowly turned her face away, allowing the silence to envelop them again—but this time, it was not a cold silence, but a silence that was beginning to accept.
Aoki stood still. His eyes were then glued to Mei's face, which looked troubled—but not the usual doubt reflected there, rather something more complex, like an inner struggle that Mei herself could not understand. Suddenly, Aoki's heart was filled with a strange feeling.
Not merely because Aoki felt rejected, not because his pride was torn, but because... something within Aoki was shattered.
The pain emerged slowly, creeping like a cold mist into his chest, piercing gently but surely. The pain was silent, yet it shook him.
Aoki knew what it was. He understood that wound. But for some reason, Aoki was uncertain. Perhaps because this was the first time he felt it.
The first time a girl—not a woman, not a rebellious teenager, but a girl, a travel companion who grew up together in danger—rejected Aoki's heart.
And it was not just a rejection. It felt like losing something that Aoki had never fully grasped, yet still felt belonged to him.
Mei, with her red-blonde hair falling loosely on her shoulders, with eyes that sometimes appeared so sharp and at other times like fragile glass, stood in silence.
------------------------------
[Announcement: A New Novel Has Been Added!
The Puppet Maker in the World of Naruto
A man who is a scientist, researcher, and expert mechanic in robotics dies in a massive explosion that occurs in his laboratory while developing an advanced robot project. However, instead of experiencing death as he thought, the man awakens in another world—a strange place with vast stretches of desert.
There, the man is surrounded by people who can jump high, calling themselves ninjas. The confusion he initially felt grows as he realizes that this world is not unfamiliar to him. This is the world of Naruto! However, there is one thing that surprises him.
"Isn't this Sunagakure? Why am I not in Konoha? This poorest village... Oh my God, this is serious!"
Now, in the midst of a new life filled with danger and uncertainty, the scientist must find a way to survive in Sunagakure, a harsh place full of limitations. With his robotic knowledge, can the man change his fate in this ninja world, or will he fall along with the village?]
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