Extra Edition: 【The Weekend That Never Came (His Perspective)】
Every time the weekend came‚ he would look at his smartphone screen and trace her name with his finger.
“I should contact her‚” he thought‚ but his finger always stopped halfway.
The reason was clear. He had come to believe he wasn’t worthy of her.
It wasn’t that work had gotten busier.
He had simply lost the confidence to live up to her smile.
She was kind‚ straightforward‚ and had always believed in him.
That trust had started to feel heavy.
He wrote and deleted messages many times.
“How are you?”
“I miss you.”
“I’m sorry.”
All of them felt too late now‚ so he couldn’t send them.
And then‚ that day.
He ran into her again at a Ginza intersection.
She had changed. No — what had changed were her eyes.
Eyes that were no longer waiting for him.
The eyes of someone who had found another person.
When he asked‚ “Can we talk?”‚ she quietly replied‚ “I don’t think there’s anything left to talk about.”
Her words were mixed with both kindness and determination.
He couldn’t say anything.
He didn’t think it was a coincidence that her left hand was in her pocket.
Surely‚ there was a ring from someone in there.
And that ring was the one he had never been able to give her.
Weekends had once been “waiting time” for her.
But now‚ they had become “walking time.”
As he watched her back walk away‚ he thought:
“I should have said thank you.”
“I should have said I’m sorry.”
But it was already too late.
The weekend was no longer hers.
It had become hers and someone else’s.
And he had become no one’s weekend.
Extra Edition: 【The Fading Light (His Recollection)】
He first met her on a rainy day.
At the entrance of their workplace‚ he offered her his umbrella after she had forgotten hers.
“Let’s walk to the station together.”
She looked a little surprised at his words‚ then smiled.
That was the beginning.
Time spent only on weekends.
For him‚ who was busy with work‚ time with Saya was healing.
She laughed a lot‚ talked a lot‚ and waited a lot.
But gradually‚ that “waiting figure” began to weigh on him.
The expectation reflected in her eyes seemed to point out his own immaturity.
“I want to see you more.”
“I want to talk more.”
He felt that his inability to respond to those words was hurting her.
One weekend‚ he broke their promise.
The reason wasn’t work or his health. He simply didn’t have the courage to meet her.
From that day on‚ he gradually distanced himself.
He reduced contact and stopped choosing his words carefully.
He was aware that she had been crying.
But he pretended not to see it.
“I’m sure she’ll be freer without me.”
He tried to convince himself of that.
And then‚ the messages stopped completely.
Time passed‚ and he happened to see her in town.
She had changed.
She had become stronger.
Walking beside someone‚ she was no longer the “one who waits‚” but the “one who walks.”
As he watched her back‚ he whispered in his heart:
“Thank you. And I’m sorry.”
But those words would never reach her anymore.
A silver ring was shining on her finger.
It was the one he had never been able to give her.
And it was the proof of the future she had chosen for herself.
Extra Edition: “Even If It May Never Reach You”
To Saya‚
You may never read this letter.
But I just had to put these words down.
The feelings I had kept deep in my chest ever since that weekend.
The time I spent with you was truly warm for me.
From the moment I offered you my umbrella on that rainy day‚ I had been saved by your smile.
Even in those short weekend hours‚ being with you made the world feel a little gentler.
But I was taking advantage of your kindness.
I kept thinking “she’ll wait for me‚” making our promises vague again and again‚
and casting shadows in your eyes over and over.
I really did notice your tears.
But I didn’t have the courage to face them.
When you stopped waiting for me‚
I learned for the first time the weight of the word “lost.”
And when I saw you smiling beside someone else‚
I accepted that that smile was no longer mine.
When I saw the ring shining on your finger‚
it hurt my chest.
But at the same time‚ I felt a little relieved.
I was happy that you were properly facing forward and walking on.
You don’t need to reply to this letter.
I just wanted to tell you “thank you” and “I’m sorry.”
And from the bottom of my heart‚ I wish your future to be peaceful.
Every time I think of you on weekend nights‚
I feel like I can become just a little kinder.
Goodbye‚ Saya.
And thank you.
―― From him
Extra Edition: 【Words Untied by the Wind (Saya’s Perspective)】
Sunday afternoon.
Saya was cleaning her room. As she sorted through old documents and boxes in preparation for her move‚ one envelope caught her eye.
There was no sender’s name. But she recognized the handwriting.
It was from him — the person she had once shared a weekend-only romance with.
With slightly trembling fingertips‚ Saya opened the seal.
Inside was a quietly written letter.
“You may never read this letter.”
With that one line‚ his voice came back to her ears.
What he had been thinking‚ what he couldn’t say — all of it was there in words.
“Thank you” and “I’m sorry” — those two words were everything he was.
After finishing the letter‚ Saya stood by the window for a while.
The wind swayed the curtains‚ and she could hear the distant sound of a train.
His words no longer bound her.
Instead‚ they felt like they were gently pushing her forward.
“…Thank you.”
She whispered it in the empty room.
Then she quietly put the letter back into the box and closed the flap.
It wasn’t to deny the past‚ but to properly put it away.
That night‚ on the way home walking side by side with Yuuto‚
Saya suddenly gripped his hand tightly.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. I just said goodbye to the past a little while ago.”
“…I see.”
Yuuto didn’t ask anything more.
He simply squeezed her hand back.
The wind was blowing.
That wind carried the untied words far away.
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