"That's roughly how it happened." In Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's room, Shiraishi Makoto relayed Nanase Tsubasa's background and objective to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
"I understand." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka nodded lightly.
"Any thoughts?" Shiraishi Makoto asked curiously.
"As for thoughts... I suppose I feel some regret." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka paused before speaking slowly.
"I've only met Mr. Matsuo. I've never met Eiichiro."
"All of a sudden, I wanted to meet him. But now, there's no longer a chance."
There actually was still a chance. According to the original story, Tsukishiro Tokinari had saved Matsuo Eiichiro from hanging himself at the last moment, though he had been left in a vegetative state because of it. But Nanase Tsubasa, one of those directly involved, had said he was dead, and Shiraishi Makoto had no suitable reason to reveal the truth to Ayanokoji Kiyotaka.
More than that, Shiraishi Makoto cared about the emotion that had surfaced in Ayanokoji Kiyotaka's words just now.
"You should be feeling sad."
"Sad?" Ayanokoji Kiyotaka froze for a moment, then sank into thought.
"Sorry. I've never experienced an emotion like this before, so I don't know how to define it. If you think it's sadness, then I suppose it is."
"Congratulations."
"What do you mean?"
"Knowing sadness is a good thing." Shiraishi Makoto's tone grew serious. "Only when you understand sadness will you understand how to cherish things."
"I..." Ayanokoji Kiyotaka did not know how to respond. He merely repeated those words silently in his heart.
Sadness, loss, cherishing.
Each time he repeated them, a strange flutter stirred within him.
He could not say whether it was good or bad, but... this was what he needed to learn.
"Then how do you view the changes you've undergone over this past year?"
Shiraishi Makoto asked something he had long wanted to know. "A full year