He watched as she stepped off the train onto the station before turning towards him, clearly she was unhappy. “Where do we go now?” she asked as she turned back to him… But the memories were too fresh… too painful… in his hesitation the doors slid shut and all he managed was “I’m sorry.” As the train started moving again he watched her with something akin to desperation… He knew this was the last straw: he had broken her heart and there was no turning back now. Maybe… their relationship had been a lie all along… When he finally got back to their apartment he found her kneeling on the floor, packing her stuff. “Rie… I-“ she cut him off “Don’t. We can’t keep saying we’re sorry all the time… If you came back to tell me anything more than that you’re sorry, then tell me.” Her tone of voice was gentle, but heartbroken and he told her everything… Of that first, and last, trip to Kanashegitama to meet Chitose… He had loved her then… More than he had thought possible. Still did but it had been ten long years since he last had seen her and the memory was too painful, halfway through telling he felt the tears sting his eyes and Rie gently embracing him. As he finished his story she looked at him again. “I should have known I could never have a real relationship with you…” she said with a sigh “To think that you have loved this girl since 7th grade. Maybe next time we meet it will be different…” Rie embraced him again, the simple gesture conveying more than mere words ever could. The next day she was gone, leaving Will alone once again. It was several days later when he finally saw Chitose again: a chance meeting by a railway crossing… He wondered if she recognized him. Her hair was longer now… and judging by the ring she wore she had moved on… married someone. If she had moved on then maybe it was time for him to do that as well… And so, for the first time in ten years he smiled a true smile. Several days later, after yet another failed job application Will found himself in one of the many parks of Tokyo, not many people out he noticed… Well, not many for Tokyo. Making his way slowly through the park he didn’t immediately notice her, another girl from his past: Rose Shimizu… Someone who had clearly loved him, even if he had never noticed it back when they had gone to school together... As he noticed her she was looking straight at him, showing all the signs of recognition and even happiness… He smiled at her in return.