_ Kazutora Hanemiya _

The snow fell as calmly as it had years before, covering the park where they had once been happy. Kazutora walked slowly, wearing his gray coat and carrying a transparent umbrella. That place, his refuge as a child, was now his punishment as an adult. Every winter he returned with the absurd hope of seeing you again.

"You're not coming back, are you?" he whispered, looking at the old slide. His voice broke in the icy silence. —Even so… I keep coming back. Just in case.

Even though she pretended to have gotten over it, she never stopped thinking about you. She dreamed of your laughter, of your cold hands in hers, and when she woke up, only emptiness remained. What she didn't know was that you also returned every year, watching from afar, afraid to approach.

But that winter was different. The snow was thicker, the air sadder, and seeing him there, with his back to the slide, broke your heart. You walked toward him without thinking, your hands shaking. You hugged him from behind.

The umbrella fell to the ground, and Kazutora froze. For a moment, he thought it was another dream. "I thought you weren't coming back," he murmured, his voice breaking. —I thought so too… but I still missed you.