Episode 45: Refusing to Accept — Honoka’s Side
side.Honoka
—I just sat there, stunned, unable to move.
Yuna, being led away by someone else’s hand. Not mine.
All I could do was watch that scene disappear.
I have to say something. I have to call out to her.
But no sound comes. My throat is bone dry. Nothing turns into words.
My mind has gone completely blank.
Without understanding what’s happening, only the ache deep in my chest remains.
My heart is pounding like a war drum, and still my body won’t move.
Yuna — my precious Yuna — walked away with someone else.
Leaving me behind.
That can’t be right.
Yuna was supposed to love me.
She was always supposed to be at my side.
But right now, Yuna — isn’t beside me.
That reality eats slowly into my heart.
Impossible. I can’t accept it.
But what happened right in front of me is undeniable fact.
Something feels close to breaking.
No — maybe it’s already started breaking.
“…Yuna…”
A hoarse voice dissolves into the air.
But it doesn’t reach Yuna anymore.
My legs are shaking. I can’t take a single step.
I hold myself up, barely, against the strength draining from my knees.
What do I do.
What am I supposed to do?
If Yuna disappears like this, then I—
Everything in front of me goes dark.
The pain in my chest is crushing, so bad I can barely breathe.
It feels like the world has ended.
—No.
There’s no way this is how it ends.
It can’t end like this.
I never once said I wanted to break up with Yuna.
And Yuna never said that either.
So it isn’t over yet.
“…!”
Strength floods back into my whole body. My heart pounds like it’s screaming.
Before I know it, I’m already running.
—I have to find Yuna.
She’s somewhere. She has to be somewhere.
It isn’t too late yet. It can’t be.
“…! Yuna…!”
I run down the corridor.
I check every classroom.
I scan the schoolyard.
But — she’s nowhere.
“Yuna… where…?”
Impatience races through my whole body.
No matter how much I search, I can’t find her.
My breathing comes ragged. My vision blurs.
What do I do. What am I supposed to do?
My mind is in chaos; I can’t think straight.
What if Yuna never comes back?
What if I never see her again?
I know that can’t be true, and still I think it.
And every time the thought crosses my mind, my chest feels like it’s being crushed.
No, I can’t accept that. Absolutely not.
Yuna is everything to me.
“…Please… where are you…?”
I fight back the tears threatening to spill.
I’m going to find her, no matter what.
Whatever it takes, I’m getting Yuna back.
Holding onto only that thought, I start running again—