You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone

ry about that.
I’m not so think-skulled as to butt into a newlywed couple.”

“Hey, newlyweds?! Hinata! Don’t make fun of me!”

“Aha, sorry, sorry.
If you want to pick him up early in the morning, wouldn’t it be too early?”

“Ah, that’s right! I have to go to bed early so I don’t oversleep!”

“Good luck with your new everyday life.
Well then, I’ll catch you at school tomorrow.”

“Yeah! Oh, by the way, thanks Hinata!”

“…Huh? What’s with you all of a sudden?”

“Nah, I just felt like saying something, don’t worry about it, okay? Well then, see ya!”

Haha, what’s with that?

As soon as I hang up the phone, the emotions I pushed back into my bowels started to flow out of my eyes as tears.
I couldn’t wait for that call to end, and I almost couldn’t keep up with my bright voice.
It was too painful to listen to her happy and excited lovestruck noises.

Starting tomorrow, I won’t be able to walk with her to school.
It was a moment only for the two of us, but not anymore.

The person standing next to her now isn’t me, but another man.
I cried so much I thought my tears would never dry off my face, and in the end, within countless hours of pain, I couldn’t sleep through the night.

The next day, I left home at the usual time and walked straight to her front door out of habit.
Then, I remembered she doesn’t need me from today, so I walked alone to school.

It was a quiet and boring journey.
The path there, so shining when she was with me, felt gray and faded today.

Finally arriving at school, I head to the classroom alone as well.
When I stepped inside, people responded.
Since she wasn’t with me, their words were only curt “good mornings,” and they stopped as if they had lost any interest in me.

And that’s how it is when it’s only me.
I sat down and stared out the window in a daze.
I just couldn’t see anything around me.

“You’re all alone today.”

Suddenly, a voice called out to me from the seat in front.
I dragged my gaze forward only to see Kuraki giving me a sideways glance, only to hurriedly look back out the window again.

“…From now on, I guess,” I answered, still looking outside.

“…”

On the school path I could see through the glass, I saw Suzuka and Taniguchi walking merrily together, surrounded by many people.
As soon as she stepped inside the classroom, a load of people came to her and asked questions.

Then, without any particular reason to hide it, she publicly announced her decision to start dating Taniguchi after his confession.
The entire class started to buzz, and the noise continued for a while with their congratulations and questions.

After a few classes and days had passed, when people stopped with the onslaught of questions, Suzuka started to leave early every day for recess.
Apparently, she’s visiting him in the next class.

At lunch, she once said, “sorry, I’m gonna eat in the next class every day from now on,” and left without even hearing my reply.

“Hinata-kun, aren’t you lonely?” I smiled back at my classmates’ seldom words with a “well…”, but to be honest, I don’t even think I pulled off a decent smile.

School ended, and Suzuka started to get ready to go home as usual.
Then, she said, “Hinata, I’m gonna watch the baseball team practice every day from now on, so don’t worry about my return.”

Do you wanna go out for something sweet?

Normally, we’d talk about such things, but it seems that’ll never happen again.

“Okay! Wish me luck!” She exclaimed to me.

“Got it! See you later.”

I see her off with a smile and left the school all alone.
Students talked all around me, happy they were finally free from today’s studies.

As I walked down the path she and I always used to take, all by myself, I suddenly understood.

I understood…

I went to school with her, spent my recess with her, and went home with her.
In my routine until now, or rather, in my every day, she was more important than anything else.

And that routine, our daily life, isn’t coming back.

It’s all broken.

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