Mei had made up her mind.
She couldn't bear to stay in this school any longer. Every
day, seeing Yuto trapped in Reina's control, watching him slowly lose himself,
was unbearable. She wanted to leave, to transfer, to move on with her life.
But then… she saw it.
The truth was right in front of her, clear as day.
Yuto and Reina's relationship wasn't just unhealthy—it was
toxic, a slow, suffocating poison that was killing Yuto's spirit. And this
time, it wasn't just his mind breaking—his body was falling apart, too.
Mei couldn't abandon him. No matter how hard it was, she had
to stay.
She and Kaido began their desperate attempts to reach him.
They tried to remind him of who he was before Reina, of the Yuto who smiled,
who laughed, who wasn't just an extension of someone else's will.
But every time they tried, Yuto only pulled further away.
"If you say another word about Reina," he warned one day,
his voice shaking with frustration, "I'll end our friendship completely."
The air turned heavy.
Kaido and Mei stood frozen as Yuto stormed out of the room.
They had lost him.
The Last Straw
The manipulation continued, deeper than ever.
One afternoon, around 1:30 PM, Yuto's phone rang.
It was Reina.
"Yuto, I forgot to do my summer vacation homework," she said
sweetly. "You have to do it for me."
Yuto hesitated. "But… Reina, summer homework is long. It'll
take at least a week to finish."
"Please, Yuto? For me?" she pleaded, her voice dripping with
innocence.
Something inside him knew this was wrong. He knew he was
exhausted, that he had his own work to do, that this wasn't fair.
But the chains around him were too tight.
"…Okay."
That night, he sat at Reina's desk, writing her entire
summer homework.
Hours passed. His fingers ached, his eyes burned, his back
screamed in pain, but he kept going. The night stretched endlessly, his
exhaustion thick as fog, but he never stopped.
As dawn broke, Reina stirred from her bed, stretching
lazily. She looked at Yuto, still hunched over, still writing.
She yawned. "You're too slow."
Yuto lifted his head, eyes bloodshot, dark circles under
them. His hands trembled as they gripped the pen.
"I've been working all night… non-stop…" he murmured. "Just
a few more pages left…"
Reina didn't even acknowledge his exhaustion. She barely
even looked at him.
Once he finished, Reina took the notebook from his hands
without a word of thanks.
Then, as if it was nothing, she ordered, "Now, make me
breakfast."
Yuto flinched. His body felt like a corpse, drained of all
strength.
"I haven't slept at all… I'm exhausted…" His voice was weak.
"I—"
"Just do it!" Reina snapped.
Yuto swallowed hard.
He got up.
His legs wobbled under him as he made his way to the
kitchen. Every muscle in his body screamed for rest, but he forced himself to
move.
He turned on the gas stove. His hands shook as he reached
for a pan.
The room spun.
His fingers lost their grip.
A loud crash rang through the house as utensils hit the
floor.
From the other room, Reina shouted, "Don't make noise! Can't
you even cook properly?!"
Yuto took a deep breath.
His vision blurred.
His exhaustion was too heavy—
And then, everything happened at once.
He slipped.
The oil on the floor made him lose balance.
His body hit the ground—hard.
The stove, still burning, tipped over.
Flames erupted.
Pain—blinding, searing pain—engulfed him.
Yuto's screams filled the house.
The Hospital
The ambulance came.
The world around Yuto was a haze, his body burning, his
senses fading in and out.
By the time he reached the hospital, his body was covered in
bandages. His skin was scorched, raw, broken.
The doctor's words cut through the silence like a knife.
"He's in critical condition."
Kaido arrived in a rush, his chest heaving, his mind in
chaos. The moment he saw Yuto lying in the ICU, his heart shattered.
He had failed.
He had failed to save his best friend.
Mei was nowhere to be seen.
She couldn't let anyone see her cry.
Hours later, Reina arrived at the hospital, holding medicine
bills in her hands. Before she could step inside, Kaido turned toward her, his
face unreadable.
Then, his expression twisted in fury.
"Congratulations," he said, his voice shaking. "You finally
succeeded."
Reina's heart dropped.
Kaido stepped closer, his fists clenched. "Are you happy
now? Look at what you did."
His voice cracked.
"This is your fault."
Reina couldn't speak.
Kaido's next words were like a final nail in the coffin.
"Leave."
He turned his back on her. "We don't ever want to see your
face again."
Reina didn't say anything. She turned around and walked
away.
But as she left the hospital, silent tears fell.
Yuto's smile flashed in her mind—his soft, kind smile.
And now… now that same face was burned.
She wanted to see him, to hold his hand, to tell him—
But she couldn't.
So she waited.
Outside the hospital, she stood for hours, unmoving, hoping,
praying.
And then—
Kaido came out.
Without looking at her, he spoke.
"Yuto wants to meet you. Go."
The Final Goodbye
Reina ran.
She didn't waste a second.
She burst into Yuto's hospital room, breathless.
And there he was.
His body was weak, covered in bandages, his breaths shallow.
His once bright eyes were now dull, barely holding on.
She sat beside him, her hands shaking. "Yuto…"
She choked on her words.
She remembered everything. Every moment she had made him
suffer. Every order she had given. Every cruel word, every manipulation, every
time he obeyed without question.
She had destroyed him.
Tears streamed down her face. "I'm sorry…"
Yuto's tired eyes slowly turned toward her.
A weak smile formed on his lips.
Then, in a fragile, almost whisper-like voice, he asked,
"What if you fall for someone you shouldn't?"
Reina's heart stopped.
Yuto's breathing grew weaker.
He took one last, shuddering breath.
"But even though you know you can't… you still can't help
loving them?"
Reina's vision blurred with tears.
Her chest ached.
She gripped his hand tightly, as if that could stop what was
coming.
She opened her mouth to speak—
But Yuto closed his eyes.
And never opened them again.