Disclaimer: Sekaiichi Hatsukoi is Shungiku Nakamura's work, not mine.
It is another day for her to spend time with her friends, and this time they have fun in a small cafe instead of a mall. Despite the smiles and small laughs she would give them whenever they would make silly talk, inside she is actually upset.
Up to now, she still couldn't get over it.
Since that day when she realized that the man she's in love with is actually in love with his next-door neighbor who is also his boss and the one who he was in love with back in high school, she decided to give up on him because she was sure that he would be happy. She also told both their parents to break off the engagement, and eventually they agreed.
She could see that though he may have troubles with the over-piling of work and the bickering of his workmates, overall he is now more content with his life.
But still, though she's happy that he is content and everything's fine now between both of them, she's still sad because for so long, she has the same feelings of love for him but they were never returned.
Not that she blames him; no one can force another to love him or her. The only thing she could do was persist in her feelings for him for she always clung onto that hope that soon he would feel the same for her but it was all for naught. Her love remains unrequited, and right now the only thing she could wish is for the pain to go away. And a sip of high-demand tea wouldn't help ease it.
After helping his long-time friend submit the manuscript, he walked back home and immediately cooked himself some dinner that he kept in the fridge since last night.
While waiting for the food to heat in the oven, he thought about that day when he knew he had no hope to win his love. The painful blow on his cheek that continued to sting until today proved that. While confessing his feelings for his friend at that day, all what he got in return is a broken heart. He knows that Chiaki is sorry for rejecting him, but he also had to be honest with what he truly felt even if it hurts.
Chiaki sees him as nothing but his best friend, and nothing more than that. Though his face is unreadable, his mind flowed with the same thoughts about him, along with the questions about why it couldn't be him and what would happen if he was the first to confess. But it's too late now. Now, he's merely the third wheel in the relationship.
Before he could think of any more sad memories, the beeping of the oven snapped him out of his thoughts and he started to eat it with complete silence, not saying anything for the whole time until when he saw he is out of food after checking the fridge again.
"I guess I have to go to the convenience store…" After unplugging everything and locking the doors, he stepped out the house and started to walk down the street, hoping the loud chatter of the people around him would keep him from thinking about his own pathetic, fruitless love for his childhood friend.
When the lights turned green, he crossed the pedestrian lane and he quickly caught a girl who stumbled from running as if she was in a hurry. The first thing he noticed is that the color of her hair is auburn, just like the leaves of autumn. . .
To be continued. . .