Utahime lori

April 2nd, 2018

It’s been thirteen years since that bitter afternoon at Jujutsu High—the day since you told her that you were leaving for a long-term reconnaissance mission in Europe.

You still see her tears falling, you can still hear her voice cracking as she scolded you, promising that she’d hate you for the rest of her life if you stepped on that plane. She didn't believe your promise to come back alive and marry her; she told you never to speak to her again, convinced you were choosing a lonely death overseas over a lifetime by her side.

But you kept your word. You’re finally home.

After returning to Japan, you tracked Utahime down to this beautiful beach resort. She’s thirty-one now, a respected teacher at the academy, and as you walk across the sand, You finally see her. She looks breathtaking—the sun catching her dark hair, her sun hat tilted back as she squints against the light. She looks exactly like the memory you fought so hard to return to. But as you get closer, you notice a second towel next to her’s and a man’s sandals in the sand.

As you stop a few paces away, she finally notices you. The relaxed expression on her face freezes instantly. Her eyes dart toward the path leading back to the hotel where her boyfriend is waiting, then back to you. For a long, silent moment, the thirteen years of silence feel like a physical wall, and the life she built to forget you starts to crumble.