Author's note: Thank you ever so much if you have read up till this point! Lyrics in these brackets - [ ] are from Shawn Mendes' 'It'll be Okay'. You could play it in the background for extra immersion. Enjoy!

Friday had arrived. The end of another school week. It was also Tadano's first day back in school.

"Welcome back, Tadano-kun!" Najimi burst with excitement as he/she dashed over to his desk.

"Thanks, Najimi."

"Ah, Tadano-kun is back. How are you feeling?" His homeroom teacher entered the class.

"A lot better, thanks for the concern, Omojiri-sensei." He bowed and smiled. It felt great to be back.

Shouko could see his bright expression. She smiled a little as well.

People who weren't smiling included pretty much the entire Church of Komi. They applauded Ramorou's efforts, with the exception of Yamai, who was overcome with a sense of failure.

"Will you be caught though?" Sonoda asked Ramorou out of concern.

"I hope not. I tried to be as discreet as I could. I don't want to risk all of us getting called out for my actions."

"Technically Yamai asked for it so…"

"Still, we'd all be in hot soup if word got out I tried to murder him twice." Ramorou sighed.

It was Saturday afternoon now. Tadano was on his bike, outside the Komi's residence as he waited for her to get ready.

Tadano: I'm here, are you ready to go?

Komi: That was fast… I haven't even changed yet.

Tadano: Oh, it's alright. You can take your time, don't rush too much.

He smiled as he put his phone back in his pocket.

Not long after, Shouko came dashing out of her house.

"Hey, I said you could take it slow…"

She stopped to catch her breath, as Tadano took a long stare.

I swear, she's so cute whenever she's panting…

He felt a tap on his back, as Shouko got on his bike.

"Alright, ready to go?"

She nodded and placed her arms around his waist as he began cycling off into the beautiful sunset.

"Here we are."

They got off his bike, parked by the bicycle racks next to a cafe. She was a little surprised. She had never gotten to eat cafe food for dinner before.

"What ice cream would you like, Shouko?" He asked her, holding up the cafe menu as they found a table for two.

"Uh…." She took a good long look at the menu. "Strawberry swirl, perhaps…"

Not long after, they were digging into their ice cream. It felt strange to her, eating ice-cream for dinner.

"Do you like it, Shouko?" Tadano asked her. She nodded.

"May I… try some…?"

She grabbed a spoonful of ice cream and held it out for Tadano, blushing a little.

"Say… ahhh~"

"Oh… We're doing this again…?" He blushed, eventually giving in.

"Wow, this is delicious! Should we do this more often, Shouko?" He asked her.

She nodded, but deep inside, something was tugging at her…

Some time later, they were walking by the riverside, hand-in-hand, staring out into the night sky. Buildings across the river illuminated the darkness around them.

"Are you having fun, Shouko?" He asked her. She turned to look up at him and nodded slowly.

"I'm glad, then." He smiled, and his eyes darted towards the stars, admiring the view.

Shouko, however, was looking at the ground. Tadano couldn't see it, but her expression was darker than ever. She did not want to believe that she was about to do it. But she had no other choice. It had to be this way…

"H… Hito…?" Her voice sounded unsteady and fragile.

"Yeah…? What's wrong?" He could sense something very off.

[Are we gonna make it?]

"I…"

[Is this gonna hurt?]

"It's alright, take your time…"

[Oh, we can try to sedate it]

It was then he felt her hand slip away from him.

[But that never works, Yeah.]

"Sh-Shouko?"

He was confused.

"I… I'm so… sorry…" She looked as if she was about to cry.

[I start to imagine a world where we don't collide.]

"Hey, what's this about?" His heart started racing out of dread and worry.

[It's making me sick, but we'll heal and the sun will rise.]

"...Hito… I…" She took a really, really deep breath.

"I think…"

"We should break up…"

The words could not process themselves in Tadano's mind.

[If you tell me you're leaving, I'll make it easy.]

He did not want to believe it. Neither did she.

"But… Shouko… Why?"

[It'll be okay]

"I'm… S-So…. S-S-So…. Sorry…" Her tears were flowing like a river down her cheeks at this point.

"Was it… Something I did? If it was-"

[If we can't stop the bleeding,]

"N-No… You d-did… nothing wrong…"

"Why then…?"

She pulled out her notebook, unable to continue talking without crying even harder.

[We don't have to fix it]

'Remember the man who attacked you?'

"Yeah… What about him?"

[We don't have to stay.]

'He was outside your ward when I bought back dinner'

"Wait… What?"

'That man is out to get you, but the second he saw me he just ran'

"That's… I don't get it."

'He's going after you because you're dating me.'

[I will love you either way.]

"But Shouko…"

'What if you had lost your life? What if he attacks again and you're mortally wounded? What if he targets you for the rest of your life? All because you're going out with me…'

[It'll be oh, be okay]

"T-That's… w-why I think… it's best… w-we break up." She stuttered with every word.

"Shouko, please… We've been through this before in first year…"

"B-But… it c-concerns your life… Hito…"

[Oh, the future we dreamed of]

"I don't care! I don't mind always having to look over my shoulder as long as it means I can be-"

[Is fading to black]

"No… Please… I don't w-want to… t-take any risks…"

Tadano grabbed her arms with his.

"Shouko, please! You very well know you don't want to do this and I don't want it either…" Even he was tearing up now.

[Oh, there's nothing more painful]

"It's… f-for your own good, Hito…! W-What if o-one day… You j-just suddenly died… because of that man… because of me…"

[Nothing more painful]

"I could file a police report about that incident…"

"W-What if there are… more of them? What if it's a whole… group… and n-not just one man…?"

[I start to imagine a world where we don't collide.]

"Shouko…"

He had lost the strength to argue. Their tears were more than enough to fill a river.

[And it's making me sick, but we'll heal and the sun will rise.]

"I'm… so s-sorry… but it has to be this way…"

Gently, she pulled his arms off hers.

[If you tell me you're leaving, I'll make it easy.]

She took one long look at his eyes, which were swimming with grief and tears.

[It'll be okay]

She wanted to mouth the words 'goodbye', but even that was too hard for her right now.

[And if we can't stop the bleeding,]

She turned and ran.

[We don't have to fix it]

She couldn't bear the guilt of standing next to him.

[We don't have to stay]

She blamed this whole incident on herself. She felt so selfish…

[I will love you either way]

Tadano could only watch as Shouko's silhouette began disappearing down the path.

[It'll be oh, be okay]

Her footsteps grew quieter and quieter the further she was.

[I will love you either way]

She was almost out of sight now, and he still couldn't believe it.

[It might be so sweet]

This felt a hundred times worse than Kawai's rejection…

[It might be so bitter]

He dropped to his knees from grief and exhaustion.

"Shouko…?" He was shaken and distraught.

[I will love you either way]

Words could not even properly describe his grief.

[It might be so sweet]

"SHOUKO!" He cried out into the night, before burying his face in his palms.

[It might be so bitter]

"I'm… so… so sorry, Shouko…"

A few hundred metres away, Shouko was running, tears splattering across the pavement behind her as she ran.

[Oh, if the future we dreamed of,]

She heard Tadano's cry, and even if she wanted to return so badly, she knew it would be selfish.

[Is fading to black]

"I'm… so… so sorry, Hito…"

[I will love you either way.]