The Reason You Were Here.

↓ This is an original short story for note.

As she walked down the mountain road at night, Hitomi felt a little regret.

"Maybe I should have just stayed home."

She had gone to a haunted spot on a whim after being invited by friends—the site of a demolished tunnel.

She should have turned back the moment she heard it was a place that had been sealed off after an accident a few years ago.

But driven by a mix of morbid curiosity and the momentum of the group, Hitomi had tagged along.

"Whoa, no way! This is bad, this is really bad!"

"Let's go home, I seriously can't do this."

Chased by the cries of her friends, everyone headed back to the car.

As they started the engine and drove down the slope, Hitomi suddenly caught sight of a young man.

Standing straight on the side of the dark road, in a spot where the streetlights didn't reach.

A black coat, slightly long hair. His features were so refined she didn't even need to squint to see them.

And yet, he looked somehow ephemeral, with an outline that seemed ready to dissolve into the air.

That person suddenly turned his gaze toward her.

Hitomi's eyes met his.

"...Huh?"

At that moment, the car entered the curve,
the view blurred, and his figure disappeared.

Yet, for some reason, a strange stirring remained deep in Hitomi's chest. It wasn't fear, but something softer, yet painful.

And, strangely enough, from that point on, Hitomi began to encounter that young man frequently.

For instance, in the park near her house.

For instance, at the railroad crossing on her way home.

For instance, at a bookstore on a rainy day.

He always had an expression as if he were trying to remember something, but whenever he noticed Hitomi, he would always smile gently.

One day, Hitomi finally gathered the courage to speak to him.

“...Um, we see each other a lot, don't we?”

The young man looked a little surprised, but immediately wore that gentle smile again.

“Yeah, I suppose so. Coincidences really do pile up, don't they?”

“May I... ask your name?”

“Akito. And you?”

The moment she heard that name, her chest tightened.

She felt like she had heard it somewhere before.

But unable to recall it, Hitomi told him her name.

From there, it felt natural.

We met by chance so many times, and before I knew it, we were walking together, drinking coffee, watching movies, and feeling the seasons change.

Akito always seemed a little lonely, but he would listen quietly to Hitomi's stories and occasionally smile in a crumpled, endearing way.

Hitomi gradually found herself drawn to that smile.

However, Akito would always disappear without fail after 10:00 PM.

Always leaving behind those same words: "I have to go now."

And then, one night.

As they sat side by side on a park bench, Akito murmured softly.

"Hitomi, there is something I need to tell you."

"Huh?"

"Do you remember the place where you first saw me?"

"On the way back from that haunted spot. At that time, on the side of the road..."

"Right. That might have been the first and last 'true coincidence.'"

Hitomi was bewildered. Akito's voice was lower than usual and trembling.

"There is a place I want you to come with me to now. I want you to see the truth."

And the place they arrived at, led by Akito, was a hospital.

"What do you mean?"

"We'll meet soon. All of me."

Hitomi followed Akito's back, unable to understand what was happening.

A silent hallway. A hospital ward past visiting hours.

Yet, strangely, no one stopped them.

The last place Akito stopped was in front of a dimly lit private room.

"In this room... I am here."

"...Huh?"

The moment she opened the door, Hitomi gasped.

There, lying on the bed, was a young man.

Connected to countless tubes, his eyes remained closed as if he were sleeping.

"...Akito?"

When Hitomi turned around, Akito—the person who should have been right beside her until just a moment ago—was gone.

Instead, only the faint sound of electronic beeps echoed in the silence of the hospital room.

I didn't understand the meaning. A dream? An illusion?

But then, Akito's fingers twitched ever so slightly.

“...!”

The nurse rushed over.

“He moved! Doctor!”

The doctors moved in a flurry of activity.

Amidst the commotion, Akito's eyelids trembled just a little.

Hitomi wept with a voice that could not form words.

Surely, while he remained asleep, only his heart had been wandering.

And he had found her, been drawn to her, and stayed by her side.

By the time she realized it, she had already fallen in love.

It looked as if Akito, right before her eyes, had moved the corner of his lips ever so slightly.

As if he were smiling, just like that smile he had shown her in the park that day.

Hitomi gently touched his hand.

She would not hesitate anymore. This time, she wanted to convey her feelings properly.

"We finally met, didn't we?"

As if to respond to those words, Akito's fingers firmly squeezed back.

This was the beginning of a miracle.

Their time together was about to begin once more from this moment.