The person who likes me is a yandere.

So you can't choose me. Qianyu has to like someone else, and live for that person.

Thinking about this, I finally understood how to end this relationship.

...No, actually I already noticed.

But the time we spent together was so happy and blissful that I stubbornly ignored that fact.

However, we can't continue like this.

It has to end.

The method is actually very simple—

All you need to do is get Qianyu to say a certain sentence on her own.

Just that, and I could disappear from this world.

So I lied.

The biggest lie of my life.

"Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it."

I'm bad at lying; no matter how I try to hide it, I'll be found out immediately.

If I could... if my wish could come true, I would like it to stay like this forever.

I've always been with Qianyu.

But the wish can never be fulfilled.

After all, the day of parting always comes much earlier than one imagines.

…………

Meiko's room is the same as before.

A small table, a neatly made bed.

Besides high school exam reference books, the bookshelf also contained some plush toys. Several large notebooks were arranged on the bookshelf on the table.

A room with a cute style that I visited several times during junior high school.

"Qianyu... don't mind it, sit for a while before you leave."

Meiko's mother, who looked a little thin, smiled faintly and walked out of the room.

I stood there, stunned, in Meiko's room.

At that moment, I suddenly noticed a notebook on the bookshelf on the table.

I picked it up.

It's her diary.

Meiko writes down what happened each day in her diary.

The earliest diary was a notebook with cute cartoon characters drawn on it.

I think I started writing it around the first grade of elementary school.

"I lied... and I got caught right away... right? Hmm - don't let Qianyu's appearance fool you, he's actually quite shrewd."

Oh, are you referring to the time she ate my cake without permission?

I remember Meiko, who insisted she hadn't eaten, kept her eyes darting around.

Although I saw through her immediately, her reaction was so adorable that I couldn't help but chuckle.

Even though she has only just learned to write, she still tries her best to write a short but neat diary every day.

Perhaps thanks to this, she was able to write very beautiful characters by the time she was in the second grade of elementary school.

Come to think of it, this is the one I remember.

Meiko's notebook was stolen by a boy in her class.

I read on slowly.

Whether it's a trivial matter or a special event, all sorts of things are written in detail.

The day Hatsune Miku transferred to our school.

The day we were assigned to different classes—

"That class, 'Shallow Language,' seems really fun. I'm so envious. I want to be assigned there too...—"

"I went to see Asami's class! Ah—! Damn it, I'm so envious of Hatsune Miku—"

Hatsune and I were assigned to the same class, while Mei was assigned to a different class.

I remember Meiko coming to our class all the time.

It feels like Meiko suddenly matured around this time.

I'm not referring to her appearance. How should I put it? It's like she's matured in her thinking.

So I seemed to be working really hard back then so I wouldn't lose to her.

For example, saying things that sound like an adult... Oh right, I remember once I got a severe scolding from Meiko for saying to her, "Let's go on a date!"

Yes, that's the day.

"Why did you say that?! Of course not! No! No, no, no!"

But it was from that day onwards.

Meiko and I often go out to play together.

We were just elementary school students then, so we couldn't go to places that cost too much money. But we would take the tram to the next city together, or ride bicycles to explore parks we'd never been to before.

Ah, yes, yes, this is it.

"I'm going out with Qianyu! Hooray! This already counts as a date, right?!"

I also felt like it was a date, and my heart was pounding.

But I can't bring myself to say it.

At the time, I thought that even if it could be used as a joke, saying those kinds of things when the two of you were alone would make you overthink things.

I remember we visited quite a few stores even though we weren't actually going to buy anything.

On days like these when she goes out, Meiko always dresses up a little.

I remember I was so flustered and at a loss for words when I couldn't think of anything good to say to praise her.

Then Meiko saw my clumsy appearance and laughed heartily.

Next... this is...

"Actually, I know Hatsune's feelings. Of course I can see it! It's so obvious! Why didn't Asami notice? I really don't understand."

Because you're the only one in my eyes.

When a twelve-year-old becomes infatuated with someone, he'll definitely become oblivious to everyone else.

The following content indeed mostly focused on his relationship with Hatsune Miku.

The summer between when she entered junior high school and the summer before she transferred schools, about her, Meiko, and me.

"I knew it. Hatsune Miku likes Asami. I knew it all along. Not just for a long time, but I also felt it was for the best."

"It seems like Asami was called away by Hatsune Miku today. It's okay! I don't care at all!"

"Oh no... I ran away... I wasn't planning on running away at all. Ugh... That darn Hatsune Miku... I should have just told her everything..."

"So Hatsune didn't convey her feelings to Asami... I hope Hatsune can be happy. But I also don't want to see Asami taken away—"

The two probably started arguing around this time.

Hatsune Miku was about to transfer schools when she was in first year of high school.

You really are troubled, Meiko.

He pretended nothing was wrong, saying that all the fault lay with him.

As I carefully read through each page, I realized that everything written in her diary was something I was already familiar with.

Every single event is still vivid in my memory.

Because what Meiko wrote was almost entirely about the things we experienced together.

So every time you turn a page like this, the sights you saw, the smells you smelled, and the memories you experienced that day all vividly reappear before your eyes.

Meiko is my life.

I think I originally thought that I could stay with Meiko like this forever.

Forever and ever—until we grow old together…

The diary entry ended the day before my birthday.

"Tomorrow is Qianyu's birthday! Hehe-! I've already decided what to buy him. Just thinking about Qianyu's surprised expression makes me so excited I can't sleep! Because he's going to be a high school student soon! Is it okay to pick something a little more mature for him?"

Ah, that's right.

This day—my birthday.

Meiko disappeared from the world.

I just can't accept this fact.

Because I believe—I can be with Meiko forever.

But Meiko is no longer here.

Now I finally understand.

Meiko is dead.

Meiko—she is no longer alive…

I knew it all along—but I just can't accept it.

This is the reality I absolutely have to accept...

…………