He kept walking until he reached the lake. The scene before him was quiet and slightly dark; the water reflected the gray sky. On the lake's edge stood Mio alone, her hands clasped in front of her, staring at the water as if searching for answers.

  As he approached, she slowly raised her head to look at him. She seemed hesitant, her eyes filled with a mixture of regret and sorrow.

  Mio: "Ozawa... you came."

  Ozawa: "What do you want?"

  His voice was sharp, carrying no warmth. He stood a short distance from her, as if placing a barrier between them.

  Mio: "I just... wanted to talk to you. There are so many things I need to say."

  Ozawa: "If you're here to justify what happened, don't bother. I don't have the energy to hear excuses."

  Mio: "No, it's not that... I know I was wrong. I know my words were harsh... I was stupid. I was scared of what others thought, and I tried to act strong in front of them. But in truth... I didn't mean any of the things I said about you."

  He looked at her silently for a moment. The wind tousled his hair, but he stood still, his face expressionless.

  Mio: "Ozawa, you know I can't turn back time and undo what I said. But... I want to apologize. I want to make up for everything I've done."

  Ozawa: "Make up? How? With words? The same words you used to break me?"

  His voice carried a bitter tone, and his eyes reflected a mixture of anger and pain.

  Mio: "I know... I know words aren’t enough. But I'll do anything to fix things. Ozawa, please... just give me one chance."

  The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

  He let out a faint, sarcastic smile and said calmly, "A chance? ...Do you know how many times I wished for a chance at life, without being judged by others? How many times I wished to be seen as a person, not as a shadow? You were the only one I thought might understand, but you broke me more than anyone else ever did."

  Mio: "Ozawa, please..."

  He interrupted her with a quiet but firm voice:

  Ozawa: "It's over, Mio. You said it yourself... we're nothing. So let’s stay that way."

  He turned to leave but paused for a moment and gave her one final look.

  Ozawa: "Take care of yourself. Don't waste your time on someone like me."

  ---

  After his words, Ozawa turned to head home. But suddenly, his legs grew weak. He grabbed the edge of the small bridge to steady himself, breathing heavily.

  Ozawa (weakly): "Here I go again... I wish I hadn’t come here..."

  His vision began to blur, and he felt his body grow heavier, as if something invisible was dragging him to the ground. He tried to move but couldn’t.

  Mio (rushing to him, worried): "Ozawa! Are you okay?"

  But he didn’t respond. As she called his name, her voice began to fade in his ears. Suddenly, his weakened body collapsed, falling from the small bridge into the cold lake below.

  Mio froze in shock for a moment, then screamed with all her might:

  "Ozawa!!!"

  Without thinking twice, she ran and jumped in after him. The icy water pierced her bones, but she ignored the pain. She grabbed his submerged body with all the strength she had and struggled to bring him to the surface. Her breaths were labored as she pulled him toward the shore.

  ---

  On the shore, Mio laid Ozawa down and desperately tried to resuscitate him. She pressed on his chest repeatedly, calling his name with a trembling voice:

  "Ozawa! You can't die like this! Wake up, please!"

  After several attempts, his chest began to rise slightly. His breathing returned—faint, but present. Not wasting a moment, she rushed to call for help and dialed emergency services.

  ---

  Minutes later, the ambulance arrived, and Ozawa was taken to the hospital. Mio remained in the waiting room, her hands covering her face, her eyes swollen from crying. Time moved painfully slow, like a stuck clock.

  Eventually, the doctor came out to reassure her:

  "We saved him. But he’s suffering from a high fever and severe exhaustion. We’ll keep him under observation for now. He’s unconscious, and we’ll have to wait and see when he wakes up."

  ---

  While Mio sat in silence reflecting on everything that had happened, Yuko burst into the hospital, frantically searching for her brother. She went straight to the doctor and asked anxiously:

  "My brother... Kotaro, what happened to him?!"

  The doctor explained the situation to her. Without waiting, Yuko entered Ozawa’s hospital room.

  There, she saw Mio sitting by his side, watching him with concern. Yuko stopped at the door for a moment, then asked sharply:

  "Who are you? And why are you here with my brother?"

  Mio turned around fearfully, stuttering:

  "I... I’m Mio, from the same class as Ozawa."

  Yuko stepped forward confidently and asked angrily:

  "What happened to my brother? How did he end up like this? And why were you with him?"

  Mio hesitated at first, but Yuko’s stern tone pushed her to speak. She began recounting everything that happened, her voice trembling, tears streaming down her face. As she spoke, she apologized again and again:

  "I'm sorry... I didn’t know he was in such a bad state. I never meant to hurt him..."