Silent Photograph

The night had advanced. The city had long since fallen asleep, leaving only the occasional barking of stray dogs. Hitoshi had entered his small but messy room. He sat by the window, staring at an old notebook in his hand. A name was written on the notebook's cover: "Sena." His eyes were glazed over. He couldn't remember the last time he'd looked at that notebook. But he couldn't escape it anymore. Because Sena had reappeared. And it brought with it memories he'd thought long buried from the past. He slowly opened the notebook. On the first page was a photo. A photo of when he was little. Two children. One Hitoshi, the other Sena. They were laughing. Life had been simpler back then. There were no shadows around them, no silence. But then... something had happened. The doorbell rang suddenly. Hitoshi sat up. It was three in the morning. Who could it be at this hour? Before opening the door, he checked the small knife in his pocket. Always cautious. When he opened the door, there was no one there. But there was an envelope left on the floor. It simply said, “I’m not leaving you anything left. Because there isn’t anything left.” Hitoshi slowly opened the envelope. Inside was another photo. This time, the photo had been recently taken. It was taken from a distance, as Hitoshi walked along a street. But what really caught his eye was that Sena was also in the background, in the same frame. And someone else was watching her… “She’s here again…” he murmured. Immediately afterwards, a message arrived on his phone: Do you remember me? If not yet, you will soon. -K Hitoshi squeezed his phone tightly. “K…” he said to himself. This letter was the key to a past he had thought had completely vanished years ago. In the morning, Hitoshi had gone to the backyard of his old school. It was an abandoned corner where no one came. He and Sena had sat here many times, dreaming. And now, here, he had to confront things again. But he wasn’t alone. A voice echoed behind him. “Are you still coming here?” It was Sena. The same tone, but her face was harder now. There was disappointment accumulated over the years in her eyes. “I knew you would come here,” Sena said. Hitoshi looked at him without looking away. “Why did you come back now?” he asked. Sena took a step closer. “Because you can’t run away anymore. Because that person… K… is back.” Silence. Wind-blown leaves swirled around them both. Hitoshi narrowed his eyes. “I couldn’t protect you back then. But I won’t let you now,” he said in a cold tone. Sena nodded. “We have to do this together. You’re not alone anymore.” Hitoshi paused for a moment. Then he dropped his gaze to the floor. “Being alone… was a habit. But maybe… it’s time.” Sena smiled. “Then… let’s start together.” At that moment, the silence inside Hitoshi cracked for the first time. Because the past was no longer something to be escaped. It was standing right in front of him. And this time, instead of running, he had to fight.

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