Side Story: Because She Noticed—

When I arrived at the meeting spot, I desperately fought back the urge to fidget and checked my watch.

The hour hand pointed to three—it was almost time.

Haaah…

I took one deep breath.

I was nervous.

…Honestly, I never even dreamed I’d be going out with Kurosaki-kun.

When I heard it was supposed to be with Hagino-kun—I felt a little disappointed (though I do feel bad for him).

But when I got home, Kurosaki-kun messaged me:

"Turns out Hagino’s not coming after all."

Maybe Hagino-kun was being considerate on purpose.

Come to think of it, something similar happened before.

He’d give his friend a little push, then leave the rest to them.

The three of them… were always such a close-knit group.

Wait, three…?

Kurosaki-kun, Hagino-kun, and… who was the other one?

My head throbbed sharply again, so I forced myself to stop thinking about it.

This was my chance to get closer to Kurosaki-kun—I couldn’t afford to feel sick now.

To distract myself, I checked my outfit one more time in my hand mirror.

I’d already done it a dozen times before leaving, but just once more wouldn’t hurt.

A white dress with delicate green cotton lace, layers of ruffles at the hem… like something straight out of a fairy-tale.

My favorite piece—a birthday gift from my mom.

"Yeah, I’m good."

Before I knew it, I’d already passed the meeting time by a little.

Anxious, I reached for the small necklace at my chest—a silver chain with delicate glasswork.

This necklace was my most precious treasure.

Somehow, just touching it gave me strength.

I never wore it to school because of the dress code, but I always kept it tucked in my pocket, squeezing it tight whenever I needed courage.

—Yeah, I feel better now.

Before long, Kurosaki-kun arrived.

"…Sorry, did I keep you waiting?"

His apology was casual, but his breathing was slightly uneven.

Maybe he’d run here.

"N-No, I just got here too…"

I shook my head, reassuring him.

…Somehow, this felt like a scene from a date.

Even though I was the one who said it, I still blushed a little as I led Kurosaki-kun into the accessory shop.

---

When I explained how to pick out accessories, Kurosaki-kun seemed genuinely impressed, nodding repeatedly.

He even bowed his head slightly.

Since I hadn’t actually come up with the advice myself, his reaction made me feel a little guilty—

"I-I just got that from the shop owner here," I admitted with an awkward laugh.

"I’m gonna look around a bit."

A little while later, Kurosaki-kun said that.

I was disappointed we couldn’t browse together, but if he wanted to search alone, that was fine.

After all, he was here to find a gift.

"O-Okay. See you later."

After Kurosaki-kun left, I glanced down at my necklace again.

…Had someone picked this out for me, thinking of me?

Somehow, that didn’t feel right.

If anything, the opposite.

A hazy memory lingered—of me desperately trying to choose something for someone else.

—Who was it?

The question gnawed at me, and I strained to remember.

But nothing came.

Like a fog had settled over my mind, only vague outlines remained.

"—Minami-chan."

A voice calling my name fondly.

But I couldn’t even tell if it belonged to a boy or a girl.

How could I forget someone I cared about so much…?

The thought made me feel like a terrible person, and I lowered my eyes.

But honestly, this was already an improvement.

Just a few weeks ago, I hadn’t even remembered the necklace existed.

It had rolled out of my bag while I was cleaning my room, still wrapped in its gift packaging.

Its presence was so striking—how had I never noticed it before?

Confused, I even asked my parents, but they just gave me puzzled looks.

"Oh, Minami-chan. You here alone?"

"Ah, Owner-san…"

Snapped out of my daze, I turned to see the shop’s owner calling out to me.

A friend of my mom’s, she had a distinctive style with a bandana tied around her head.

They’d met in high school and stayed close ever since—she’d always been kind to me, too.

"You look a little pale. Everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, I’m fine!"

I forced a bright smile, but the guilt must have shown.

As I hurriedly tucked my necklace back under my clothes—

"Oh, you’re wearing it?"

The owner’s murmur of interest came at almost the same time.

"…You know about it?"

"Huh? You bought it here as a Christmas present for someone you liked, didn’t you? Did you… never give it to them?"

Her words dredged up fragmented memories.

That was when she’d taught me how to pick out accessories…

Someone I liked—the only person who came to mind was Kurosaki-kun, but…

I never made plans to hang out with him on Christmas.

That day, the only person I was with should’ve been Luna-chan.

—Was I too shy to ask Kurosaki-kun out…?

If I thought about it that way, it made sense… but even so, it was strange that I, the person involved, couldn’t remember any of it.

More than that, this necklace didn’t suit him at all.

If anything, Kurosaki-kun would look better with something mature and understated.

In my mind, his color was a deep, gentle black—the kind that could embrace everything.

So if I had bought this necklace with him in mind, a blue one would’ve been completely wrong.

Something about the conversation with the shop owner wasn’t adding up, and another wave of headaches hit me.

It pulsed, almost like… someone’s voice calling out.

"Ah, right! You even showed me some photos from a school event for reference."

"W-What kind of person were they?!"

At this unexpected lead, I couldn’t help but press forward—only to immediately regret it when the owner flinched slightly.

"Huh…? What were they like? I… can’t remember."

But then, just as quickly, the owner tilted her head in confusion.

As if the memory had vanished the moment she tried to recall it.

"I think they were a gentle, soft-spoken kid, but…"

"Was… anyone else in the photo?"

Desperate for any scrap of information, I pushed further.

Normally, it’d be impossible to forget just one person.

But—

"Oh! Now that you mention it, I remember! That tall silver-haired boy looking at the accessories earlier. While the other two were smiling, he was just scowling—really stood out."

The owner’s tone shifted as she recalled the details vividly.

…A tall boy—could that be Kurosaki-kun?

If so, then…

---

Time skipped forward, and before I knew it, we were on our way back.

Letting Kurosaki-kun walk me home, I strolled through the evening shopping district.

…But the fluttering excitement from earlier was gone.

Instead, an odd discomfort lingered in my chest—like a fishbone stuck in my throat.

The frustration of something just out of reach.

The answer was probably right in front of me—him.

If I let this moment slip, I might never get another chance.

—So, steeling myself, I spoke up.

"The person you’re giving that accessory to… Sorry if I’m wrong, but… it’s Luna-chan, isn’t it?"

Kurosaki-kun stayed silent.

But I could feel something—a quiet confirmation.

The silver accessory shaped like angel wings.

When I saw it, I thought of a silver-haired girl in blue—someone who rushed to help the weak, who helped me.

A girl who matched Luna-chan in the fragments of my memory.

"…Yeah."

After a pause, Kurosaki-kun answered curtly.

"I knew it… When I saw the accessory, it clicked. Of course you’d pick it with her in mind."

"……"

"Ah, I’m not complaining! I’m glad you actually used my advice. It just means your feelings are strong. But… but, hey?"

What I was about to ask was incredibly rude.

So I braced myself.

"Can I… see it again?"

After all, he’d even gone through the trouble of having it wrapped.

Asking him to undo it just to check was unreasonable.

"…Why?"

"You said it’s for Luna-chan, right?"

"Yeah."

"But… I don’t think it is. You might laugh, but when I saw it, I thought of someone else—a boy whose face I can’t even remember."

The necklace I had and the pendant he’d chosen.

They had almost nothing in common, yet I couldn’t shake the feeling they were meant for the same person.

A twisted guess—no, closer to a delusion.

But I felt it—the way Kurosaki-kun’s breath hitched.

—He knows something.

With as much conviction as I could muster (which probably wasn’t much), I fixed him with a determined stare.

…It happened when I was talking to the owner about the photo.

A single offhand remark had triggered a flashback.

Right at the entrance of this shopping district—that was the stage.

In front of a towering Christmas tree, a boy tried to hand me a small package.

I, too, reached out to give him a gift—but as if repelled, he turned and ran.

I remember his profile, desperate and pained, and how my chest tightened at the sight.

And then—he never came back.

Maybe it was just a dream.

Logically, I must have mixed up a story with my own memories. That would be the more natural explanation.

But to me, it felt undeniably real.

So this was a kind of shock therapy.

By comparing the accessory Kurosaki-kun had chosen with my own, I could confirm the truth.

Finally, I felt like I could put an end to the fog in my heart.

---

"I… like you."

The words felt hollow, as if the emotions I’d carried until yesterday had vanished somewhere.

Kurosaki-kun seemed to understand, staying silent.

I reached up and fastened the blue necklace around his neck—

"...It doesn’t suit you."

"Yeah, no kidding."

I laughed at his deadpan expression.

My necklace’s design was a little childish, and seeing it on him now, it was completely out of place.

—This was an act of memory compensation.

By recreating the scene, I could force my heart to acknowledge the contradiction.

...That night on Christmas, I must have wanted to give him a gift like this.

And to confess my feelings.

Not out of arrogance—but because I truly believed our hearts had connected.

Faintly, the image of someone long buried in the depths of my mind resurfaced.

A brave, gentle boy—someone who would throw himself into danger for others.

Even now, I could recall him—but his name still eluded me.

After this false confession, my feelings for Kurosaki-kun had vanished, surprisingly cleanly.

Like a mist clearing, I could finally look forward.

Now, I understood clearly.

What I had felt for Kurosaki-kun—

—wasn’t for him, but for that boy in black who had saved me that day, even at the cost of himself.

Maybe he resembled Kurosaki-kun just enough that the fragments of memory had gotten tangled up.

"...It's Youta."

Kurosaki-kun murmured softly.

"Huh?"

When I looked up, his face was serene—almost blissful.

"The boy you're thinking of. His name is Youta."

"That's... Luna-chan?"

Kurosaki-kun nodded.

I see. So his name was Haruta...

"I'm sorry... I didn’t realize... I'm so sorry..."

If everyone had forgotten him, just like I had—what a cruel world that must be.

Finally, I understood the sorrow Luna-chan—no, Youta—must have carried all this time.

I couldn’t be his salvation.

If anything, I had been part of the betrayal, one of the people who condemned him.

Even though our feelings had connected—no, because they had, I must have hurt him deeply.

It was no wonder he was disappointed. No wonder he hated me.

And for Youta—for Luna-chan—the only solace left was Kurosaki-kun.

That’s why she must have—

All I could do was apologize, over and over.