ShinAya AU where Shintaro is the one who jumps off the rooftop and Ayano lives.
"Shintaro-kun, what score did you get?" she asked although she already knew the answer.
"...They're fine, I guess..." he said as he stared on the scrap of paper with 100% score.
"Ahaha..." she grinned shyly as she sat down holding a paper with a low score.
As Ayano was about to go home, she saw Shintaro alone in the classroom filled with the sunset's color. At first she was wondering what he was doing there...until she saw a drop of tear flow from his eye.
It was the first time that she saw Shintaro cry although they've been together for so long. She didn't want him to know that she saw him, of course, because he might get mad. She just stayed there quietly, restraining herself from rushing towards him to comfort him, which she would regret.
She decided to go home before Shintaro leaves.
The next morning, she went to school and sat on her chair. She felt uncomfortable though because Shintaro usually goes to school earlier than her.
As their homeroom teacher arrived with Shintaro still not coming, she started to worry. Although Shintaro's been late like this before, she couldn't help but feel nervous.
Their teacher finally spoke, as if she were to give an announcement. Everyone in the classroom kept quiet to hear what she had to say.
"Class, I'm really sad to say that one of your classmates, Kisaragi Shintaro-kun, passed away last night."
Murmurs have started to fill the room, as her thoughts went into chaos.
"...Dead?...Shintaro-kun is...dead?" she said in her mind as she could not believe what the teacher said.
"The police said that Shintaro-kun jumped off from the rooftop of the school building." the teacher continued.
Ayano didn't go to the funeral. In fact, she didn't leave her room since that day. She couldn't accept that her best friend died.
"Could he really have done that? I know that he doesn't really have the will to live anymore but...could he really take his life like that? Even though I tried so hard to make him happy..."
She thought of these as she cried in her room. Her family was worried about her, especially 'those three', but they couldn't disturb her. They knew that she needed some time alone.
A few weeks later, she finally decided to go to his tomb. She placed a vase of flowers and a paper crane on his tombstone as she knelt down in front of it.
"Say, Shintaro-kun...why did you leave me?" she cried as she looked at his picture beside the flowers.
