Just when everything seemed perfect, life took a cruel turn.
Noa collapsed one evening. She had suffered a mild heart attack due to a congenital condition that had gone unnoticed. The doctors restricted visitors, and Yuto, devastated, could only see her from a distance.
Three months passed slowly. On the final day of her hospitalization, Yuto was finally allowed to see her. Overwhelmed, he cried at her bedside, holding her delicate hand tightly, vowing never to let her go.
Their friends — Souta Minami, Hikari Shimizu, Kenta Arisaka, and Miyu Tanabe — visited her too, bringing laughter and warmth back into her room. Noa's recovery was slow but steady, her spirit unbroken.
When summer arrived, the friends decided to celebrate life itself. They went to the beach, playing volleyball, building sandcastles, and swimming under the bright sun. Yuto and Noa shared a quiet moment by the shore, watching the sunset, their fingers interlocked.
In that perfect moment, Yuto whispered, "I love you, Noa."
She smiled, tears sparkling in her eyes. "I always have, Yuto."