"I'm asking you again—where is Nakamura?" Takeshi demanded, his voice low but sharp, knuckles whitening as he clenched his fists tightly at his sides.
The wind began to pick up, cold and restless, tugging at the edges of their coats as the two men stood face-to-face under the afternoon light outside the hospital.
The silence between them felt heavier than the breeze.
"You've been hiding something else, haven't you?" Takeshi pressed, eyes narrowing. "He's not out of the country. He never was, was he?!"
Toru's gaze faltered for the briefest second. The hesitation was enough.
"It's not easy for me either." Toru said quietly, his tone pained, as though each word scraped against something he didn't want to feel.
Takeshi stepped forward, anger finally bubbling past his restraint. "Then try imagining what Ayaka feels! It's been a goddamn year since he disappeared! No message. No call. Not even a goodbye! She waited, Hasegawa. Do you know what that does to someone?!"
His voice cracked, but he didn't stop.
"I thought doctors were supposed to care about their patients' mental health just as much as their physical well-being."
Toru was silent.
His jaw tightened, eyes fixed on the ground.
The wind gusted again, rustling the dry leaves around them like whispered accusations.
Then he inhaled slowly, deeply, and finally met Takeshi's gaze.
"He's in Fukuoka." Toru said, folding his arms as he adjusted his glasses with a grim expression.
Takeshi blinked. "Fukuoka?" he echoed, his voice laced with disbelief. "Fukuoka?! Do you know how far that is from here?!"
He laughed bitterly. "What is this, some year-long medical convention? A spiritual retreat? Seriously—what the hell is he doing there?!"
"I can't tell you more." Toru replied, his voice firm but tinged with regret. "It's not my place. If anyone should explain, it's Akihiko himself."
Takeshi let out a long, frustrated sigh, running a hand through his hair.
His anger simmered just beneath his skin, but the raw concern in his eyes didn't fade.
"But I will tell you this." Toru added after a moment, his voice softening. "Akihiko loves Yamamoto... Deeply... Even now... Even after everything."
Takeshi's brows furrowed. "Then why the hell did he leave her?"
Toru shook his head. "I've said too much already. The truth is his to reveal—not mine. I have to go now... they're probably looking for me."
With that, Toru brushed past him, disappearing into the hospital's sliding doors, leaving Takeshi alone with the weight of what he'd just heard.
Takeshi stood there for a moment, staring off into the distance, the chill now fully sinking into his bones.
Then, with steady hands, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone, and called Kazumi.
The line clicked after a ring. "Hello?" came Kazumi's voice, groggy but curious.
"Kazumi." Takeshi said, his tone edged with urgency. "I found him."
------
Kazumi's eyes widened. "What?! You found the Ice Prince?!"
Across the hospital room, Yuki, Keiko, Ayaka, and Makoto turned toward him at once, startled by the sudden outburst.
"What did you just say?!" Keiko gasped, rushing to Kazumi's bedside, her hands gripping the railing as she tried to hear better.
"Are you serious?!" Yuki exclaimed, hurrying to the other side. "You mean Nakamura?!"
"Hey! Careful!" Kazumi grumbled. "If you keep leaning like that, you're going to tangle my IV!"
The girls barely heard him. All eyes were on Kazumi—and all ears strained to catch Takeshi's voice.
But suddenly, the call ended.
"He hung up." Kazumi said, blinking at his phone. "He said you two were too noisy and that he's heading here instead."
"What a cliffhanger!" Yuki huffed, plopping onto the nearby chair in exasperation.
But all the teasing, all the excitement faded into the background as Makoto turned to Ayaka.
She hadn't said a word.
She stood perfectly still, her eyes wide, her lips parted slightly.
"Ayaka..." he began softly, but her thoughts were somewhere far away.
'I-is this real...?' she wondered, her fingers trembling as they instinctively reached for the necklace resting above her heart—the one Akihiko had given her.
'After an entire year... is he really... back? Will I finally get to see him again...?'
Her heart pounded with hope, confusion, and a storm of unresolved emotions.
Makoto looked away, jaw clenched.
He didn't need her to say a word—he could see everything in her eyes.
The way they lit up.
The way her hands trembled with the tiniest spark of faith.
And in that quiet, invisible moment, Makoto felt something inside him crack. The truth settled heavily in his chest.
She was still waiting for him.
Even after all this time... she was still his.
------
The tension in the room was palpable as everyone waited, the silence only broken by the soft beeping of Kazumi's IV monitor.
Ayaka hadn't moved.
She stood near the window, her fingers still brushing the necklace around her neck, the metal warm from her skin.
Keiko paced anxiously by the door. "What's taking him so long? He said he was coming—how far could he be?!"
"Maybe he stopped to grab coffee." Yuki muttered, arms crossed. "That man has a flair for dramatics."
Makoto stayed silent, leaning back against the wall, arms folded tightly across his chest.
But his eyes remained fixed on Ayaka.
He hadn't missed the way her breath hitched when Takeshi's name lit up Kazumi's phone.
She was trembling—just slightly—but it was enough to break him all over again.
Then—*click.*
The door swung open.
Takeshi stepped in, his long coat flaring slightly with the motion.
His expression was unreadable—neither triumphant nor defeated.
His gaze swept the room, immediately landing on Ayaka.
"Sorry to keep you all waiting!" he said, voice low but steady. "I accidentally overhead Dr. Hasegawa, walking to the phone with Nakamura."
Ayaka's head snapped toward him, her eyes wide. "Hasegawa...? You saw him?" Her voice was barely more than a whisper.
Takeshi nodded. "Yes. I cornered him, actually. And he finally cracked."
The room collectively held its breath.
Keiko took a step forward. "So? Tell us already!"
Takeshi exhaled slowly. "He's not overseas. He never left the country."
Everyone froze.
"He's... in Fukuoka."
The words hit like a thunderclap.
"What?!" Yuki nearly shouted. "That's—That's across the damn country!"
Ayaka's knees buckled slightly, but she caught herself on the windowsill.
Makoto instinctively stepped forward—but stopped himself.
She didn't even notice.
"He's been there this whole time?" Keiko asked, eyes wide with disbelief.
Takeshi gave a bitter smile. "Apparently. A whole damn year, and not a single word. Not to Ayaka. Not to us. Just—gone."
"But why?" Yuki demanded. "What could possibly make him disappear like that?"
Takeshi's gaze softened as he looked back at Ayaka. "That... he wouldn't tell me. Hasegawa said it wasn't his place. Said Akihiko should be the one to explain everything himself."
Ayaka's lips parted, but no words came out.
Her mind reeled.
'Fukuoka... All this time, he was in Fukuoka. A train ride away. Days, weeks, months passed—and he never reached out. Not even once.'
She gripped the necklace tighter.
Takeshi stepped toward her, his voice quieter now. "But he did say one thing. He said that Nakamura... still loves you. Deeply. Even now."
The words hung in the air, and for a second, Ayaka felt like she couldn't breathe.
Makoto turned his face away, jaw clenched so hard it ached.
Yuki, trying to hold back tears of frustration and relief, asked, "So what do we do now?"
Takeshi looked around the room. "Now? That depends on Ayaka."
All eyes turned to her.
She didn't speak for a long moment.
Then, slowly, she looked up.
Her eyes shimmered, but her voice was firm.
Ayaka's whisper lingered in the air.
"I want to see him."
Kazumi blinked. "Wait, really? Like, go to Fukuoka see him?"
"I need answers." she whispered. "I need to know why. Why he left me behind... why he said he loved me and then disappeared. I need to hear it from him."
Silence followed—heavy, expectant.
Then Yuki leaned forward, voice sharp with concern. "Then you're not going alone."
Ayaka shook her head gently. "I have to. This is between me and Akihiko. If I go with everyone, it'll only make things more complicated—"
"No way." Yuki cut her off. "Fukuoka isn't just a few blocks away! That's hours by train—and you're still recovering, Ayaka. What if something happens?"
Keiko chimed in. "She's right. You're strong, Ayaka, but this isn't just a quick walk. It's a journey, emotionally and physically."
Ayaka hesitated, looking down.
Then Yuki turned to Takeshi. "You're coming with her. You found out where he is. You're the only one who's talked to Hasegawa. She needs someone to anchor her if things... get messy."
Takeshi blinked, clearly not expecting that. "Me?"
Yuki raised a brow. "You planning to run away now?"
Takeshi rolled his eyes, muttering, "I was going to say I'm actually coming in the first place."
His gaze returned to Ayaka, and his expression softened. "I'll go with you."
Ayaka opened her mouth to protest, but before she could speak, another voice cut in—low, quiet, and firm.
"I'll go too."
Everyone turned.
Makoto stood up straight, his posture relaxed but his tone unshakable. "If Ayaka's going, I'm coming with her."
Ayaka blinked. "Makoto..."
"You might need backup. Emotional, or otherwise." he said, eyes meeting hers steadily. "I'm not going to sit around while you walk into something this big. Not after everything."
She looked torn—caught between gratitude and guilt. "But... this is personal. Between me and Akihiko."
Makoto's gaze didn't falter. "I know. I won't get in the way. I'll stay outside the door if you want me to. But I'm not letting you shoulder this alone."
Ayaka hesitated again, clutching the necklace tighter.
Yuki crossed her arms. "You can't stop him, Ayaka. And I'm with him on this. You're walking into something unknown, and you're not exactly in top shape. What if he's changed? What if things don't go how you expect?"
Takeshi nodded. "They're right. It's not just distance—it's the weight of a whole year of silence. And no one should carry that alone."
Ayaka stared at them, overwhelmed. For a long moment, she said nothing.
Then, quietly, she nodded. "Okay... You can come."
Yuki let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding. "Good. Finally, some common sense."
Makoto offered her a small smile—gentle, yet broken.
"Then it's settled." Takeshi said. "We leave tomorrow morning. First train out."
Ayaka gave one last glance toward the window, the moon now casting a soft glow across the floor.
'Fukuoka....'
'Akihiko...'
'After a year... I'm finally going to face you.'