Several months later, it was finally graduation for Masaya.

Ever since the break-up between him and Ayaka, he had become distant for a short time. His friends had become worried, naturally, so he made an excuse that his mother had fallen ill but had recovered well. In truth, he had isolated himself for some time to deal with his rampant feelings and to try to get them under control.

As Masaya sat on one of the chairs situated on the gym's stage, he watched with a smile as Rise gave a speech to the whole room. He tuned out most of it, already knowing it as Rise had used him as practice for the real thing, but when he saw her finish and the audience clap for her, he felt happy.

Soon enough, he received his diploma and looked it over, realising it looked almost exactly like the one for last year's graduating class. The only difference was that this one, naturally, had his class' graduating year instead. He tossed it up and down a few times as the headmistress finished closing the ceremony and allowed everyone to leave and convene with their families. As he stood up and began to walk down, he caught the small smile that the headmistress sent him, one filled with compassion, and he smiled tenderly back. She had quickly found out what Ayaka had done, and while she did feel bad and slightly angry, she understood that Ayaka had fallen for someone else, and who was she to dictate her daughter's feelings? However, being the headmistress of the school, she could also see how much this had hurt the young man. She had called him into her office a few times to see if he wanted to talk about it, but instead of talking about how he felt, every time he would ask how Ayaka was doing. And though she was loath to hurt him further, she answered his questions truthfully. Whenever she saw a heartbroken but pleased smile appear on his face when she said that Ayaka was happy, she knew that this young man's affections weren't a simple attraction. He was truly and deeply in love with her eldest daughter, to the point where, even if it hurt him, he would be happy if she was happy.

Turning away from her, Masaya sought out his mother amongst the crowd and didn't have to search for long. She came bounding towards him and hugged him, a proud smile on her face.

"Hey, mom," Masaya smiled as he hugged her back.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you, Masaya," his mother gushed.

"I'm happy to hear that," Masaya grinned at her, tightening his hug. Once that was done, he grabbed her hand and pulled her outside, where he had seen some of his friends exit. "Come on, I've got to introduce you to a few of my friends!"

As they walked outside, Masaya looked around surreptitiously and wasn't surprised to see the very object of his affections near the stage, talking with her mother and sister. Ayaka and Misako seemed to be in deep conversation, so they didn't notice, but Ritsuko noticed his stare and sent him a small wave, which he reciprocated.

Ritsuko had been another one that had disapproved of Ayaka breaking up with Masaya, and she was a little more verbose in her 'scolding' than her mother was. In the end, though, she was able to understand her sister's feelings in the matter and let it drop, though her respect and own slight fascination with Masaya led her to never truly forgive her for hurting him. Ayaka came by the school to visit her sister often, but on such days, no matter how much anyone tried, Masaya would be impossible to find. Ritsuko herself refused to take messages to him, simply because she realised two things: Ayaka would have to initiate the contact with Masaya if she wanted to talk to him, and Masaya would most likely be hurt by any messages Ayaka left with her sister.

As the pair of mother and son walked outside, Masaya looked around and found his friends and their families gathered at a corner of the Rose Garden. With a wan smile, he approached them.

"Ah, Masaya-san!" Rise called out, noticing his approach. The rest of the people also turned, regarding Masaya with slightly critical eyes.

"Masaya-kun! How have you been?" Chiho's mother called out as she ran towards him, immediately bringing him into a hug.

Masaya chuckled and hugged her back fiercely. "I've been very well, thank you. I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit since coming back."

"Nonsense, you were busy," Chiho's mother chided him.

As Masaya introduced his mom to the group and the adults began to talk amongst themselves, the graduates moved away a little and made their own group.

"So, what are your plans for now?" Masaya asked the group, which consisted of Rise, Chiho, Ruriko, and Mitsuki.

"Well, I am planning to go into Vincennes Women's College," Rise said simply, smiling at him.

"Same here," Chiho said. "I don't have a lot of ideas on what I'm going to do, exactly, but I did get a scholarship in Athletics."

"Nice! Though, honestly, it's a bit expected," Masaya chuckled.

Ruriko and Mitsuki had similar ideas.

"Huh, so you're all going to be going to school together next year anyways," Masaya summarised.

"What about you, Masaya?" Chiho asked him, making the rest of the girls focus on him.

Masaya closed his eyes momentarily. "Okay, before I say it, you have to promise me that you won't get mad at my decision."

The girls made their promises, and Masaya sighed. "I… decided I'm going to go into the army."

Shocked silence followed his declaration. Then, the four girls exclaimed in tandem, "You're what?!"

Masaya winced slightly. "You heard me. I'm planning to join the army."

"But… but why?" Mitsuki asked him.

Masaya looked down momentarily. "I've done so many things in such a short time that I think I just need this, you know? I know there's a lot more things I can do, but I want to try something a little new."

That, however, was only part of the explanation. In truth, Masaya was hoping that doing this would take his mind off of his current mental predicament of being so focused on Ayaka. It would like be considered stupid by many that he would be so infatuated with someone that he would do something so drastic in hopes it worked in making him forget her, but that was how he felt. Additionally, he knew that no matter what he did, unless he studied abroad, he would be studying or working further here in Tsurugigaoka, and that came with the risk of seeing Ayaka again, maybe even by pure chance, something he did not want.

"Well, we did promise," Rise sighed. "And it is your choice, Masaya-san. Just take care out there, okay?"

"You don't even have to tell me," Masaya assured her. "I know I need to be careful."

The group chatted for a little longer, but after a few minutes, Masaya excused himself from them, claiming that he wanted to take a walk on his own. The foursome of girls watched as he walked away and disappeared into the crowd that had gathered at the courtyard and Rose Garden.

"He's still hurting, isn't he?" Mitsuki asked aloud, leading the rest of the girls to nod sadly.

"I may love Masaya-san, but that pales in comparison to what he feels for Ayaka-sama," Ruriko said with a sigh.

"He just can't catch a break, can he?" Chiho wondered aloud.

"You know… sometimes I wonder if it was a blessing… or a curse… that Masaya-san came here," Rise admitted, bringing all attention to her. "I don't mean for us. I'm talking about him. Think about it. He has gone through so much these last years that it is a wonder he is not mentally broken. And when we all thought he would finally be able to relax and be normal, this happens to him."

The girls understood what she meant. About a month after Masaya had stopped isolating himself, the girls had deduced what had happened when they realised the timing of Ayaka's visits to Vincennes coincided perfectly with the times Masaya would simply disappear without a word. It was as if he knew when she would come to Vincennes and was doing everything in his power to avoid her. Ayaka, conversely, always asked about him, and his whereabouts. Each time, she would be disappointed by the fact that none of them knew, and they could see that she was seriously hurt by the mere idea of Masaya avoiding her. They didn't know the specifics, but they had pieced it together well enough: something had happened between the two, with Ayaka being the most likely cause of it, and it had hurt Masaya deeply enough that he didn't want to have any contact with Ayaka.

Additionally, they had all easily noticed the increased bags under the young man's eyes. When asked, he would make excuses about schoolwork and slight insomnia, but the fact that the bags refused to leave and, instead, seemed to be getting larger, pointed to this being a faulty reason. Mitsuki, ironically, was the one who had found out just why Masaya had such bags. On a moonlit night, she was strolling back to the dorms after meeting with her Onee-sama at a restaurant, the school's enforcement of the isolation rule becoming quite lax on their third year, and noticed the silhouette of a person on the dormitory's roof. A squinted look had been all it took for her to realize who it was, but by the time she reached the roof, the young man was gone.

Sighing in exasperation and sadness, the girls turned to the group of adults, intent on talking with his mother.

…

Masaya was currently walking around the campus, his face set into an expressionless mask. If one were to follow him, one would think his route to be random. But it wasn't. Masaya, almost unconsciously, was retracing the same route that he had walked with Ayaka when she had graduated a year before. He soon reached the Rose Garden and sat at one of the tables, closing his eyes and simply thinking back to that time. By now, with the time that had passed, the pains in his chest had significantly lessened, but by no means disappeared, and every time he thought of those days, his mood would sink faster than an anvil in water.

After some minutes of reminiscing, Masaya stood and walked away, now intent on heading towards the only other place he went to often. The one place that, ironically, no one tried to check when he disappeared.

Reaching the gates of the school, he gave a nod towards the Gardiane on duty as he passed. When he heard that the Gardiane had also hypothesized what had happened between himself and Ayaka, he had talked to them alone and confirmed the issue. He had also asked a favour from them: that whenever they spotted Ayaka coming to the school, they inform him, whether by a call or text. They had thankfully agreed, which was how he always knew when Ayaka was coming and how to avoid her.

Keeping his face expressionless, Masaya climbed the gravel road that led to the Guardian Tree, his thoughts tumultuous. He was hardly aware of the world around him, keeping just enough awareness to not run into anything or trip on a rock.

Soon, he reached the tree. He immediately approached the fence that blocked the people from the cliff, looking down at Vincennes and watching the ant-like people moving back and forth.

As he stood there, he breathed deeply and closed his eyes, revelling in the calm atmosphere the place provided. He worked on getting his thoughts in order first, then trying his best to calm the pain and hurt that thinking about the past caused.

"Masaya-sama?"

Masaya opened his eyes and looked to the side, spotting a young girl approaching his position. The voice and dark-green hair were an immediate giveaway as to who it was.

"Konomi-chan? What are you doing here?" Masaya asked, curious as to why the young girl was here and why she seemed to be awkwardly shifting in place.

"I... Um... I followed you here, Masaya-sama," Konomi admitted.

Masaya's other eyebrow raised in a show of surprise. "Why?"

Konomi explained how she had seen him begin to walk away from his friends and how he looked very downtrodden, so she followed and watched him out of curiosity and worry.

"Ah, I see," Masaya nodded in understanding, turning back to the view of the cliff-side. Konomi watched him for a few seconds, then asked the question that was burning in her mind.

"Masaya-sama... Are you truly alright?"

Looking at the young woman, Masaya could tell that she had been briefed on the situation, most likely by Ritsuko. He opened his mouth, intent on telling her the same lie he had told everyone else, but this time, the two words wouldn't leave his mouth. He tried again, his effort making him look like a drowning fish, but once again, his body betrayed his intentions. Finally, he sighed and looked away.

"No, I suppose I'm not," Masaya relented.

Konomi nodded, expecting this, and calmly walked to the Guardian Tree, sitting with her back leaning against it and smoothing out the skirt she had worn to the graduation ceremony. Masaya looked back at her as she did so, and couldn't help but crack a smile when she patted the grass next to her calmly. With an amused smile, he walked over and sat next to her, leaning his head back against the tree and closing his eyes as a breeze passed by, making his much longer locks of hair flutter in the wind. Konomi watched him, noticing how his shoulders remained tense despite his seemingly calm face. She knew he was hurting much more deeply that he let on, but that was one of the drawbacks of his personality. He'd never place a burden on someone else's shoulder if he could help it, even if that person was willing to help him carry it. Instead, she patiently waited.

Finally, after a few minutes, Masaya opened his eyes, and Konomi noticed how his irises had lost their lustre, becoming a dull brown. Her heart clenched painfully just looking at them.

"Konomi," Masaya said suddenly, his eyes unfocused. The lack of the -chan honorific made her realize whatever was on his mind was serious. "Do you ever wonder what happens to us after we die?"

Konomi raised an eyebrow at the topic Masaya had broached, but dutifully answered. "Not to any particular depth, Masaya-sama. Why do you ask?"

Masaya remained quiet for a short time, then chuckled mirthlessly. "I never did either. But this entire year, I've been pondering that question. Just what happens to us after we go? Do we just enter a dark oblivion? Is there truly a heaven and hell? Things like that. And after some time, I chose to believe that our souls follow a path after the physical body dies. Maybe it leaves for another adventure. Or maybe it finds a soon-to-be-born babe and latches onto it, wiping away the thoughts of its previous life."

"Masaya-sama, where are you going with this?" Konomi asked.

Masaya turned to look at her, and Konomi was shocked to see the utter blankness in his gaze. When he spoke, his voice was just as dead. "What I always wondered was... Where does a broken soul go?" Konomi gasped at the question, but Masaya continued unimpeded. "For a soul that's lost its way, what path is there to take? When a soul is crushed beyond repair, and when its owner sees no light at the end of that stereotypical tunnel, what's left? Does it simply disappear? Does it go to heaven or hell? Does it reincarnate? Or does it simply remain latched onto the earth, forever doomed to wander aimlessly, watching as those it knew die and move on? If that's the case, how can that soul move on? Can it fix the mistake that broke it when it can't even interact with the world anymore? Or is it unable to do so? What then?"

After Masaya quieted down, the area remained uncharacteristically silent. Konomi had no response to Masaya's philosophical questions, and likewise, Masaya had nothing else to say. The pair remained sitting there in semi-comfortable silence until Masaya abruptly stood up and looked around for a moment.

"Masaya-sama?" Konomi questioned.

Masaya didn't respond, simply looking around a bit more. Finally, after a few moments, he sighed and looked back at Konomi. "Konomi-chan, I'm going to head back. Are you coming?"

The abruptness of Masaya's departure drew Konomi short, but in the end, she shook her head. "No, Masaya-sama. I think I will remain here a bit longer."

Masaya nodded and turned away, walking down the path between the trees and eventually out of sight. Konomi sighed and stood up, turning to look at the scenery just past the Guardian Tree.

She had been present when Ayaka and Ritsuko had first fought over what Ayaka had done. She was not able to take a side on the matter, even as much as she loved her Onee-sama, and as such, she ended up simply sitting on the side-lines and watching as the sisters' voices reached higher and higher pitches. However, in all that, and listening to both sides place their arguments on the metaphorical table, she was able to draw the right conclusion.

Ayaka had broken up with Masaya because she had fallen in love with another man.

Konomi knew through both Masaya and Ritsuko that Ayaka was a woman that prized, above all else in a relationship, truth and loyalty. As such, she could see why Ayaka had reacted as she did. She did not want to betray Masaya, and yet, she wanted to be with the man her love had shifted to, a man by the name of Yamamoto Taizo that went to a school near Ayaka's, according to what Ritsuko had told her. Vincennes Women's College had gone on a joint field trip with the college Taizo attended, and while there, they had apparently bonded. Ritsuko had not been forthcoming with details to Konomi, but she could piece together that much.

When Ayaka returned from the field trip, at least a week went by before she made her choice, during which she had been very withdrawn and pensive. She knew she had to make a decision… and finally, she did, choosing the man she had been infatuated with on a field trip over the young man that had done his utmost to help her and be with her during her final year in Vincennes.

Konomi knew next to nothing about relationships, especially since she herself had never been in one, but as embarrassing as it was, she had read up on many love stories ever since receiving the explanation from Ritsuko. As such, while she may be somewhat biased when it came to Masaya, she could not judge Ayaka on her decision. She certainly wasn't gaining sympathy from the young naginata wielder, though.

"I hope everything goes well for you, Masaya-sama," Konomi whispered aloud, her voice being carried away by a breeze that passed by.

…

Said Vincennes graduate was currently walking down the stone path back to Vincennes, his hands in his pockets and his pose somewhat relaxed. Despite his laidback demeanour, however, his mind was sharply focused. As he was passing a thicket of trees, halfway down the path, he stopped abruptly. The forest was silent around him, but he could still feel it. The same presence that he had felt while he was with Konomi just a few minutes earlier.

"… Are you done following me?"

Masaya heard a small gasp to his outspoken question, and he turned halfway to face whoever it was that was following him.

He had a feeling at the pit of his stomach that he knew who it was, and unfortunately, his feeling was right.

Standing next to a tree just a few feet away was the light-blue-haired daughter of the Vincennes headmistress, Kitamikado Ayaka.

Silence reigned in the clearing for a while. Neither party knew what to say to the other; Masaya because his thoughts had gone on a rampant tangent the moment he caught sight of the woman that reigned over his emotions; and Ayaka because this was the first time in several months that she had seen Masaya, and just his image was enough to shock her. The last time she had properly seen him, not counting the night she… broke up with him, he looked healthy and full of life. But the Masaya standing in front of her… he was a shell of a man. He had dark circles under his eyes, his pose was slightly bent, as if he were carrying a weight on his shoulders, his eyes seemed colder and emptier, and if her eyes weren't deceiving her, his body was slightly haggard.

Finally, both parties' eyes met, and a multitude of emotions seemed to fly by each person's eyes. The eye lock only lasted for about a second, as Masaya almost immediately broke it and turned away, taking a step down the road and meaning to continue on his way.

"Wait, Masaya-kun!" Ayaka cried out desperately, holding a hand out as if to grab his shoulder. He was a bit too far for her to actually do so, but he stopped nonetheless, though he said nothing for a few moments.

Then, finally, he spoke, in a tone of voice that sounded like it was tortured.

"Is… there something you need of me, Ayaka-sama?"

The addition of that suffix, and the tone of voice he spoke it in, made Ayaka take a step back in devastation. That, more than anything, truly drove the point home for her.

This Masaya was not the Masaya she had known half a year ago.

"Masaya-kun, please, I-," Her voice cut off here, unsure of what to say. What could she possibly state? That she was sorry? That she didn't want to hurt him? Those were both things she was unable to say back then, as Masaya had escaped from her sight almost the moment she had told him she had fallen for someone else. And now… it was far too late.

"If there is nothing you need to say, then I will be on my way," Masaya said, his voice deceptively calm. In truth, it was taking all he had just to keep himself like this, but he didn't want to explode on the girl, as he knew that she neither deserved it, nor meant to hurt him.

It certainly didn't make the pain lessen, however.

Despite that, however, he still felt a hand grab his wrist as he turned away, preventing him from moving.

"Masaya-kun, don't go! Please, don't shut me out! I want to talk to you!"

"And say what, exactly?!" Masaya snapped, his voice trembling from barely contained rage that he honestly didn't know he had. He turned his head towards her, his bangs shadowing his eyes, and Ayaka was dismayed to see a hopeless expression on his face despite the anger in his voice. "Say that you're sorry?! That you didn't mean to hurt me?! That you can't control who you fall in love for and didn't want to risk your loyalty wavering?!"

Masaya's voice had been getting progressively louder as he spoke, and his teeth were gritted almost painfully at his last question. Ayaka, similarly, had nothing else to do but stare at him in shock, as he had basically hit the nail on the head.

Then, abruptly, all the fight drained from Masaya, and he slouched pitifully. Then, he spoke again, this time in a defeated tone. "Ayaka-sama… Ayaka-san… I've had more than half a year to think this over… the first month was hell… and it got progressively better, but nowhere to the point where your departure stopped hurting." He straightened slightly and looked away, and for a moment, Ayaka saw Masaya's face twist into an expression of anguish before he took a deep breath and looked at her again. "This was why I avoided you. I didn't want to react like I just did, because I knew that if I reacted in anger, I would most likely say things I could never take back. But more importantly… I didn't want to make you feel bad, for any reason. I can guess what you're thinking, and I noticed how you looked on… that day. The last thing you needed was to see me and be reminded of our past when you were happy enough with... him."

"But shouldn't that be my decision?" Ayaka tried to reason with him. "Masaya-kun… I know that it was hard, but I still want to be your friend! I don't want you to shut me out!"

Masaya emitted a shuddering breath as he closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, but… just the mere idea of having you so close… being friends… it hurts, Ayaka-sama." And there he went with that blasted suffix again. "It hurts more than you could ever think." He looked away again.

Ayaka had no proper response to that. Instead, all she could do was lower her head, her body shaking as she tried to hold back sobs. Seeing the normally almost unshakeable Masaya in this state hurt her more than she thought. "I… I'm sorry, Masaya-kun," she whispered, her voice wavering. "I have nothing else to say… I'm so sorry."

As she was still holding his arm, she felt him tense momentarily before he sighed once again. "No," he said roughly. "Don't apologise, Ayaka-sama. For one, it's useless to do so now. And for another… it isn't your fault." He chuckled mirthlessly. "If anything, it's mine for forming such a dependency on you."

"No, don't you dare say that!" Ayaka screamed at him, grabbing his shirt and shaking him slightly. "If this is anyone's fault-,"

"You didn't let me finish," Masaya said, cutting her off. "This is my fault… because I gave every single ounce of my being to you, Ayaka-sama." That drew her short. "It was my fault for becoming so infatuated… so enamoured with you that I saw nothing else. I knew that you valued loyalty above all else, and foolishly believed that if I gave you everything I had, nothing would ever happen." He chuckled again, this one just as lacking in happiness as the first. "And now look where I am. I gave up so much to you… and lost it all when I lost you. And now what do I have left? Nothing… not a single thing left… but you."

He now turned back to her, his eyes slightly more alive. "All I have left in me is you, both body and soul. But I know it really isn't, which is what truly hurts. It's nothing but a memory; a mirage of what our relationship used to be." He sighed dejectedly. "Truthfully, I tried to get over you. I tried and tried so hard… and yet, it never happened, and because of it… she got hurt…"

Ayaka had been silent the whole time, unable to fully process what had happened to the strong, yet naïve, young man that had captured her heart so long ago, but at that last intonation, she was brought back to the world of the living. "She?"

Masaya's eyes flickered over her shoulder, and he sighed. "Yes, she. A girl who took the initiative when no one else had the courage to do so, and did her best to help me out of my mood without asking anything in return."

Ayaka stared at Masaya uncomprehendingly, feeling as if his voice was getting farther and farther away. She should be happy, right? He was working on moving on from her, some way, and had found a girl that was willing to patiently help him.

So… why was she feeling so painfully hurt?

"If you want, Masaya-san, I can explain the rest to her," a familiar voice spoke up from behind her, though it took her a few moments to process the voice. "I can see that this is hurting you more than you let on."

Masaya chuckled slightly. "I suppose you got to know me thoroughly. Very well, I'll leave you to it. With my memory issues, you probably know more than I do."

Before she could turn and confirm who the voice was, Ayaka found her sight pinned by Masaya's own. "Ayaka-sama… I think it's safe to say that this is goodbye." Turning away, he took one look at her over his shoulder and added, "Probably for good."

Ayaka's eyes widened at this. "Wha… No, Masaya-kun, please! Please, don't say that! I… I still-,"

A hand landed on her shoulder, gripping it almost painfully. It took her a moment to realise that it was Masaya's, and he looked at her with the same deadened eyes he had when he was speaking with Konomi.

He uttered just two words.

"Please… don't."

And leaving her rooted there, he turned and walked away, Ayaka watching as his silhouette eventually disappeared from her sight.

"It's a good thing he stepped in. I was about to stop you, actually."

With nothing to hold her back, Ayaka now turned and confirmed who it was that was behind her. The burgundy hair and cat-themed hat could only belong to one person.

"Tamie…"

The Sombre Scanner had matured a bit in her last year at Vincennes. She had grown a few inches, now nearing Masaya's height, and her face was more womanly. She still retained a little baby fat around her cheeks, but what she had lost seemed to have shifted to her body, as she had filled out quite a bit.

Her eyes, however, were definitely not the same. They were looking at her with no warmth. In fact, Ayaka could say that Tamie was glaring at her.

"Glad to see you remember me, Ayaka-sama," Tamie said calmly. "Not as glad to see Masaya-san suffer because of you, though."

"Tamie, what happened to him after…?" Ayaka couldn't finish it, but she didn't need to.

Tamie sighed as she looked away and placed a hand on her hip. "Tell me the truth: do you really want to know? It's not happy."

Ayaka looked down, thinking that over. She could already see at a glance the damage that she had caused Masaya. Did she really want to feel any worse by listening to the rest from Tamie?

In the end, she nodded resolutely, looking Tamie in the eye.

"Alright, but don't say I didn't warn you," Tamie sighed, straightening up and becoming very serious. "I'm going to summarise it quickly before explaining. You know of Masaya-san's reaction to any small amount of alcohol, right?"

Slightly surprised by the sudden subject, Ayaka hesitantly nodded.

"That was a hypothetical question; Masaya-san told me of what happened between the two of you at that fair," Tamie said with a sigh. A moment later, she looked Ayaka dead in the eye and simply said, "Let's just say that he learned to 'control' it after nearly drowning himself in alcohol every day for a month."

Ayaka gasped and stepped back, hands flying up to her mouth. That couldn't be true! Masaya was still too young by that time, wasn't he?

"If you're wondering what I think you're wondering, allow me to shed some light on the subject," Tamie continued, getting comfortable by leaning against a tree. "First off, Masaya-san didn't buy it himself. Apparently, he got back in contact with his old man and made a deal with him: he'd pay him to buy him alcohol, so long as the old man asked no questions. Naturally, he agreed."

"He did what?!" Ayaka yelled. She could still remember how much Masaya resented his father. Was his pain truly so strong?

"I'm not done, Ayaka-sama," Tamie almost growled. "Anyway, his dad bought him a large amount of alcohol, ranging from beer to sake to even vodka and rum. Masaya took it all to his apartment down in the lower world and, every night, he drowned himself in alcohol until he fell unconscious. He even took precautions, locking himself up in his room and making sure to block it enough that he wouldn't get out easily."

Ayaka stared at the young woman, her imagination running with images of what a stone-cold drunk Masaya would be like. She could barely think of it.

"Apparently, he would set an alarm that would wake him up with enough time to get up and make it back to Vincennes for classes. After classes were done, though, he'd leave right away, and no one would find hide nor hair of him until the next day. At first, the girls and I were worried, and when we tried to check on him, we wouldn't hear a thing from his room, so we assumed he was simply sleeping. But after a month of this, we were nearly pulling our hairs out trying to figure out what the heck was going on. We even asked the Gardiane for help opening the door, and they told us that Masaya was going out of the school every night. Eventually, Rise-san, Chiho-san, Ruriko-san, and I decided to search for him in Tsurugigaoka, and I was tasked with looking in his old apartment. And that's where I found him. I first heard him singing to himself in a drunk stupor, then suddenly arguing with himself, where your name came up many times, and finally just silence. I tried the door, but since it was blocked, I had to force it open. Do you want to know what I found in there?"

Ayaka gulped and nearly shook her head, but it seemed this was also a hypothetical question, as Tamie kept going regardless.

"I saw bottles upon bottles of alcohol covering the floor. So many that I had a hard time picking my way through. The apartment was a mess, and there was only one clean spot: the area where the futon was, pushed into a corner. And fallen in the middle of the entire mess was a haggard Masaya-san, already unconscious and with a near-finished bottle of sake in his hand leaking onto the floor."

Ayaka gasped, tears falling down the sides of her face.

"I did my damned best to wake him up from his stupor, washing his head with cold water and everything. After he was awake, I practically forced him to tell me what was going on… and my heart broke listening to him drunkenly rambling about you, Ayaka-sama." Tamie focused on her and narrowed her eyes. "To clarify… you weren't the only one who fell in love with him back then. Nearly all of us did too, naturally. He's an amazing man. But while the other girls might have given up after seeing you two together, except maybe Ruriko-san, I was honest when I said that I'd be there should you two ever break up. I loved Masaya-san with all my heart… correction, I love Masaya-san with all my heart." Here, Tamie paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. "After I heard his story, I made it my mission to help him however I could. I told him to keep himself from drinking until the next day, then went and told the girls that I'd found him and that he'd be back the next day, seriously this time. I helped him make an excuse that would sound believable. I nursed him back to proper health, and even forced him to go to the nurse to make sure that he wasn't having problems due to his temporary alcoholism." Ayaka started stepping back, shaking her head in disbelief as the pain in her chest increased. Tamie was having none of that, though. She stepped away from the tree and began approaching Ayaka, her eyes narrowing further. "I talked to him every day in his room, patiently waiting for him to open up to me even if he didn't want to. I made sure to make him know he was loved, by me especially. I… I gave myself to him, Ayaka-sama… body and soul." Ayaka inhaled sharply as her heart beat rapidly and excruciatingly in her chest. "I gave him my first time, and several more after it. And I don't regret it in the slightest. But even then… even after two months… he still couldn't let you go. He admitted to me that when we had sex, he had imagined you. He had thought back on the times you two did it. Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" Ayaka shook her head morosely. "But I stayed with him. I rationalised that he was still hung up on you and maybe with time, I could help him forget. But he never did. I've lost count of the times he and I have had sex, Ayaka-sama, and not counting those, I have talked with him and pleaded with him and yelled at him to forget you. But he can't. And you know why? Because as I love him, he loves you! And you gave that up for what?! For a fancy that you had during a field trip?! You had a great man at your fingers, Ayaka-sama, and you dropped him so hard that he broke! He's a broken man now, but he doesn't let it show. Instead, he pretends he's fine around everyone. But when we're alone, he opens up, and tells me of his pains and his suffering. And I listen to him, and when he's done, I do my best to try and make him forget. I can't, I know that now, but I'll be damned if I stop just because I think this is going nowhere!"

Tamie exhaled and inhaled, getting some air in her lungs after her tirade. Ayaka just stared listlessly at the burgundy-haired woman, feeling what was left of her image of Masaya shatter and disappear.

"And that's why I'm telling you this, Ayaka-sama," Tamie began finishing up, glaring at her. "I know as well as he did what you were going to say, and I only want to tell you this once." Ayaka leaned back slightly as Tamie stepped right in front of her. "If you try and play with his feelings, like trying to get back with him just because of guilt, not that I think that can happen anymore, and hurt him further… I will personally end you."

The threat left Ayaka weak at the legs, and she slid to her knees, staring up at Tamie fearfully.

"I have worked my butt off helping the man that I love try and forget you. I'd rather not see that disappear because you felt guilty, which you should very well be feeling."

Tamie was set to leave, but a question from Ayaka stopped her.

"Wait… answer me this, at least. Why? Why have you been so patient with him, besides your love?"

Tamie sighed, almost mournfully. "Because… This isn't the first time I've seen a situation like this. Truth is… my dad went through something similar with my mom, and I had to watch helplessly as he spiralled deeper and deeper into a depression I couldn't help him through. Eventually, thankfully, he was taken out of it… the same way I'm trying to get Masaya-san out of his."

And with those words, Tamie left the clearing, and Ayaka remained leaning against the trunk of a tree, her arms around her knees and head leaning against them. In the end, she couldn't help but cry helplessly as she processed everything that had happened. She had made her choice, and while she was definitely happy with Taizo, it didn't ease the guilt she felt at hurting Masaya. And now that she knew how badly she had broken him… she had nothing else to say but the same three words she had said several months ago.

"I'm sorry, Masaya-kun!"

…

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