Arashi's face turned completely red. He swallowed hard, looked at her, and said, "So that's… how it is, huh?"
Ayane narrowed her eyes. "That's your reaction?" she said, offended. "I gathered all my courage to confess… and this is what I get?"
Arashi flinched. "H–Hey, it's not my fault! I'm really bad at reacting to things. And all of this just came out of nowhere, okay? I don't even know what I'm supposed to do."
Ayane stared at him for a moment, then sighed softly. "Hmm… you're not wrong," she admitted. "Fine. Let's say I accept that excuse. "She leaned a little closer. "Now tell me — how do you feel?"
Arashi looked away, completely lost. "I… I don't know," he said truthfully. "But listen—" He glanced at her and added, "Look, I'll be honest with you. So just hear me out—"
But before he could finish, Ayane suddenly stepped forward, closing the distance between them in an instant.
She gently placed her finger on his lips.
Her touch was light, but it froze Arashi completely.
"I don't want your answer right now," she whispered, her voice soft but firm. "Take your time… and then tell me."
And before Arashi could even blink, Ayane turned—
—then ran out of the park at full speed.
Leaving Arashi standing there alone, heart pounding so hard he could barely breathe.
Ayane ran through the empty park pathway, her breath uneven, her heart still racing from what she had just done.
On the way home, her thoughts spiraled wildly.
"Idiot… what did you just do? Why did you confess like that? We live in the same house — it's going to be so awkward now! Stupid, stupid Ayane!"
She covered her face with both hands while running, wishing she could rewind the last five minutes of her life.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Arashi walked slowly, almost dazed.
His mind refused to process anything.
"What… what is happening? This wasn't the plan. I was supposed to tell her my feelings today and end it. I was going to reject her so she wouldn't get more attached… so things could go back to normal. But no. NOW what am I supposed to do?"
He rubbed his forehead, sighing deeply.
Everything felt upside down.
Step by step, still drowning in confusion, Arashi made his way home.
When he finally opened the door and walked inside…
He stopped.
Ayane and Ren were sitting together in the living room.
Playing a game.
Laughing normally.
Like nothing unusual had happened at all.
Arashi just stood there, frozen, unable to decide whether he should breathe, panic, or run away.
Arashi stepped inside, and the moment Ren saw him, he raised an eyebrow.
"Arashi, you're late. What were you doing?"
Ayane glanced at Arashi just once — and immediately stood up.
"I… just remembered I have something to do. I'll be back," she said quickly, and disappeared into her room without waiting for a reply.
Ren stared at her door, then slowly turned his eyes toward Arashi.
He narrowed them.
"…Arashi. Did something happen between you two?"
Arashi sighed. "Come to my room. I'll tell you."
Ren followed him inside, and as soon as the door closed, Arashi sank onto the bed.
"Ren… I told you this morning, remember? I said today I'd clear all the misunderstandings. I was going to reject her so things could go back to normal."
Ren blinked. "Oh yeah… I actually forgot about that."
"Exactly," Arashi muttered. "And then—"He told Ren everything that happened. Every detail. The game, the confession, Ayane running away before he could speak.
Ren let out a low whistle. "So that's why she was quiet… and why you haven't given her an answer yet."
Arashi rubbed his eyes. "I was going to deny her. I was literally about to. But she put her finger on my lips and told me to take my time… and then she ran off. I didn't even get a chance to say anything."
Ren shrugged casually. "Well… tough luck, man. Better luck next time."
Arashi grabbed Ren by the shoulders dramatically. "BRO. Do something. Make her stop liking me. Please. Things are going to get so unbelievably weird now!"
Ren sighed and raised both hands in defeat.
"Bro, I can't do anything," he said bluntly. "If something has to be done, you have to do it. So… best of luck. Again."
Arashi stared at him in disbelief. "That's it? That's all you're going to say?"
Ren ignored him and stood up. "Anyway, I'm leaving. My mom is waiting outside."
Arashi blinked. "What? You came here for two days! Why are you going back so suddenly?"
Ren scratched the back of his head. "It's… a long story. I'll tell you later."
And with that, he grabbed his bag, waved without looking back, and walked out the door — leaving Arashi alone in the room with nothing but confusion, panic, and a confession he had no idea how to respond to.
After Ren left, Arashi lay down on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
He didn't even realize when his eyes grew heavy and sleep finally dragged him under.
And then… the dream began.
He found himself standing inside an abandoned hospital.
Dark hallways. Broken lights. Echoes that didn't belong to anything alive.
Arashi slowly walked forward — but something felt wrong.
No matter how much he tried to move ahead, it felt like he wasn't getting anywhere.The corridor seemed endless… stretching and stretching, as if the hospital was breathing and expanding around him.
A cold shiver ran down his spine.
"What am I doing here?""I need to get out. I have to get out of this place…"
Gathering whatever courage he had, Arashi approached a rusted door and pushed it open.
The room inside was small, dimly lit, and filled with silence.
Except for one sound.
A little girl.Sitting alone on the floor.
Crying.Crying so hard her shoulders shook.
Arashi stepped toward her carefully.
"Hey… what happened?" he asked softly. "Why are you crying?"
The girl lifted her face, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"I don't understand," she sobbed."Why does this always happen only to me?""Everyone forgets about me.""No one likes me.""No one understands how I feel.""And everyone keeps hurting me…"
Before Arashi could say a single word, the girl's body began to dissolve — turning into dust.
Right in front of him.
He stumbled backward, heart racing, eyes wide.
"What… what was that…?" he whispered.
The darkness around him seemed to grow heavier.
Arashi stepped out of the room, breathing heavily.He didn't know where he was going — only that he had to keep moving.
The hallway stretched again, twisting and bending like it had no end.
He reached the next door.
From inside… he heard shouting.A man and a woman. Fighting.
Arashi hesitated, then slowly pushed the door open.
Inside stood a couple, yelling at each other, their voices sharp enough to cut through the air.
Arashi immediately turned around, wanting nothing to do with this.
But the couple noticed him.
"You! Come here and listen to this!" the man shouted.
Arashi froze.He didn't have a choice.
"…Fine," he muttered, stepping inside.
The man pointed at the woman in frustration."Explain to her! I wasn't doing anything wrong. I was just talking to that girl. She's dragging this way too far!"
The woman shot him a glare filled with hurt and anger.
"No. The problem is you," she snapped."If you didn't like me, you should've told me earlier. Why marry me at all?"
The man clenched his fists."And you were with that guy from your office! Did I say anything about that?"
"He's just an employee!" she shouted back."But you? You're having an affair with that girl!"
The man rolled his eyes."So what if I like her? What's your problem? Mind your own business."
Arashi couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop!" he yelled.
The sound echoed unnaturally through the room.
And the moment the word left his mouth…
…the couple froze.
Then, just like the crying girl earlier…their bodies dissolved into dust and vanished completely.
Arashi staggered backward, heart pounding.
"What is this place?" he whispered.
The hallway outside waited, darker than before, as if urging him forward.