"Here we go, the broken-hearted girl."
Junpei's teasing voice grates on my nerves as I rub my temples. I had just finished telling him how I made a complete fool of myself, confessing to Keiko in the worst possible situation—only to be rejected immediately.
"LOL, what the heck were you even thinking?" Junpei laughs, shaking his head. "Why would you confess like that? In that situation?"
I avoid his gaze, my face burning. "I… I just went with the flow." My voice comes out weaker than I intended. I feel so stupid.
Junpei lets out a long sigh before delivering the killing blow. "You're really good at being an idiot."
"That's harsh," I groan.
"You deserve it. You keep saying you want to fix your relationship with your wife and daughter, but what have you actually done? Where’s your progress? Is Keiko even starting to trust you again? She's even being suspicious of you now."
I grit my teeth. I hate to admit it, but he’s right.
"If you want to tell her the truth, just tell her," Junpei continues, crossing his arms. "That would be your first step. I’ve told you before—better to tell her before she finds out herself."
I exhale heavily. "You’re right. But how? Do you have any idea how I should do it?"
Junpei strokes his chin, pretending to think deeply before shrugging. "Sorry, I got nothing."
"Wow, thanks," I deadpan.
"No, seriously. I tried putting myself in Keiko’s shoes, wondering if there was any way to make me hate you less if I were her. But honestly? Nope. Not a single way." He grins, throwing an arm around my shoulder.
I roll my eyes. "Thanks for the suggestion."
Junpei chuckles, then gives me a firm pat on the back. "Really, man, you know Keiko better than I do. Even if things are bad between you two, you've been together for years. You’ll find the answer yourself."
I sigh again.
"Well, I gotta go. My girlfriend’s waiting. Try not to die before we meet again." He waves and walks off.
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks for nothing, Uncle Junpei," I grumble, watching him leave.
I drag my feet home, my thoughts running in circles. Tomorrow is coming too fast. I need more time.
And yet, time never waits.
---
Morning comes, whether I want it to or not.
I open my eyes with a sharp inhale, my heart pounding. The realization that I still don’t have a plan hits me like a stone. I sigh, staring at the ceiling. The clock reads 6 AM. There's no way I can fall back asleep.
Might as well go to work early.
When I arrive at the restaurant, the place is empty. I go through the motions of cleaning and prepping, my hands moving mechanically while my mind drowns in chaos.
Before I know it, Keiko walks in.
"Morning," she says casually.
"M-morning… Keiko," I stammer, startled by her sudden presence.
She moves past me, setting up her station without another word. But then—
"Ryuko, come with me after work."
I blink. "Huh?"
Before I can ask, she adds, "You love me… right? You must not reject me."
My breath catches. What? Didn’t she reject me? Why is she saying this now?
I nod, still too confused to speak.
The rest of the day is a blur. I get scolded multiple times by Aki and Keiko for zoning out. I can’t focus. My thoughts are tangled.
By the time we close, I’ve completely forgotten about Keiko’s invitation and start heading home—until a firm grip stops me.
"Where are you going?"
I turn. It’s Keiko. She looks at me, eyes unreadable.
"Follow me."
She holds my hand and pulls me along. I don’t resist.
---
We arrive at the town’s ferris wheel.
"Why are we here?" I ask.
Keiko doesn’t answer. Instead, she pulls me inside one of the cabins, shutting the door behind us.
Now we’re alone, facing each other as the wheel begins its slow ascent.
Five minutes pass in silence. The city lights twinkle below us. Then, Keiko speaks.
"You know… my husband disappeared here at a place like this."
She pulls out her phone and shows me a picture. My breath stops.
It’s a CCTV image. The footage from the police.
A man stands in the snowstorm—Ryusei.
"Then look at this." She swipes to another photo. My blood turns to ice.
The next image is of me.
"Hours after my husband vanished, there you were—Ryuko—passing by at the same place."
My heartbeat pounds in my ears.
"The locals said they never saw my husband," she continues, her voice eerily calm. "But a woman told us that she found you collapsed in the storm… not him."
I swallow hard. Words fail me.
Keiko leans forward, her eyes sharp, unyielding.
"So… who are you, Ryuko?"
She planned this. She chose the ferris wheel so I couldn’t escape. I should’ve known.
The silence is suffocating.
I open my mouth, but nothing comes out.
Keiko's voice softens, but there’s a hidden weight to it. "You know, I was worried for my husband. For a moment, I thought he had left me again—left us, Rin and me.
And then you showed up. A stranger… yet, somehow, familiar."
She pauses, searching my face.
"The way you talk. The way you move. Your little habits… they’re just like his."
I squeeze my fists.
"I was suspicious, but I kept trying to deny it," she whispers. "Because if I admit it… then that means my husband… never really disappeared, did he?"
I shut my eyes.
I’ve been running from this moment for too long.
Keiko exhales shakily. "I need the truth. Please, just don’t lie to me anymore. Ryusei..."
She grips my hands, her touch warm yet trembling.
"Are you Ryusei?"
I slowly lift my head. My throat is dry, my chest tight.
The ferris wheel reaches its peak, and we are suspended in the night sky.