"I may have to put you in touch, but personally, I'm opposed to you leaving Eagle Jump."
I froze. Kou-chan is leaving?
I wanted to scream. I wanted to cry. But instead I just stood there in silence.
Why? The question repeated over and over again in my head.
Why didn't she tell me?
I start running. She sees me and starts chasing after me, pleading for me to stop, to let her explain. What was there to explain? She hid such an important thing from me. She catches up to me, grabs my wrist and turns me around.
"Why didn't you say anything!?" I ask her. "What am I to you?"
I start tearing up because I already know the answer to that. My feelings have always been one sided.
"I love you." She replies.
"Wha-"
"I didn't tell you I was leaving because you were the only one who could make me stay." She takes a step closer to me. "If you asked me to stay, I'd probably end up staying. That's why I kept it from you."
I stared at her, speechless. Is this really happening? Am I dreaming?
She looks at me hesitantly for a moment, and leans in to kiss me. Even though the kiss only lasted for a few seconds, it felt like forever.
She pulls away and takes a step back. "Sorry, that was selfish of me. You probably hate me now."
I couldn't believe it.
She likes me?
With newfound confidence, I pull her back in and kiss her passionately. She looks shocked at first, then returns the kiss with equal fervor. She rests her hands on my waist and slips her tongue into my mouth. I moan involuntarily and I feel her smile into the kiss.
If only this moment would last forever. But all good things have to come to an end someday. She was leaving the company to improve herself as a character designer, and to ask her not to leave would be incredibly selfish of me. She pulls away once again and smiles sadly at me.
"I'm sorry, but I have to do this, Rin. It's what's best for both the company and myself."
"You don't have to apologize. This is what you want. I won't stop you."
My voice cracks at the very end of my sentence. I bury my face into the crook of her neck to hide the tears that are rolling down my face, but to no avail. She knows that I'm crying. I sob uncontrollably as she hugs me tightly.
"I'll miss you."
