Source
https://kakuyomu.jp/works/822139836586390776/episodes/822139842240795696
On the other end of the call, Hayato exhaled briefly once.
“…I see. If you’ve thought it through that far and you’re that scared, I’ll be honest. You’re trying too hard to stand in a safe position.”
“Safe?”
“Yeah. You don’t break anyone. You don’t take responsibility for anyone’s life. But you don’t leave anyone either.”
After a pause, he continued flatly.
“That won’t work.”
The words stabbed at my chest.
“You say you just kept sitting in the chair you didn’t run from… but you’re the one who kept choosing that.”
“If I’d hated it, I could’ve stood up midway. If I’d been scared, I could’ve put distance between us. If I felt someone was stepping too far, I could’ve stopped them.”
A slight pause.
“But you didn’t stand up.”
“……”
“And besides—”
Hayato’s voice grew just a little harsher.
“This isn’t just any relationship anymore, is it?”
I involuntarily held my breath.
“You live together. You share lives. The physical distance between You have reached a point where there’s no more room for excuses.”
His tone was matter-of-fact, yet it left no room to escape.
“And still saying ‘it was just a coincidence’ or ‘there were others’—that’s cruel, even if it seems kind.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Because that’s—”
Hayato stated clearly.
“…words that make everything you received worthless.”
“You’re turning the fact you were chosen, the time You spent together, the intimacy You shared—all of it—into mere byproducts of chance. Am I wrong?”
His voice lowered.
“That’s not running from responsibility. It’s denying the relationship itself.”
A short pause followed.
“Tenrai. I’m not saying you’re not special. It’s just that acknowledging you are special makes me imagine a future where it all breaks apart.”
Another beat passed.
“But you see…”
His voice softened slightly.
“You crossed the line of whether it would break long ago. You only have two choices left. Convince yourself this relationship was an ‘accident’ and let it slowly rot. Or, knowing it’s twisted, stand together anyway.”
Finally, he says low.
“Neither is easy. But the former is safe, the latter requires resolve.”
He adds with a slight smile.
“What you’re scared of right now isn’t the possibility of breaking it. It’s accepting the fact that there’s no turning back.”
On the other end of the call, Hayato paused for a breath.
“…You don’t have to rush with your answer. But please, never use the words ‘it was just a coincidence’ in front of us. That isn’t kindness.”
And so, the call with Hayato ended.
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