Work Text:
It had been a long time since Taro thought about Osana.
He’d had no idea what she was going through until she jumped. No one saw her demise coming. There was no note, no explanation for why she did what she did.
For a long time, Taro was devastated.
But then, the Saturday of her funeral, he’d met Amai. She was so understanding and kind. The two started talking, bonding over the cookies she’d made. Soon, he started seeing her every day at school, visiting the cooking club. He loved listening to her talk about all the various confections she dreamed of baking one day. He’d never been interested before, but he let her teach him how to cook.
Then they fell in love. They started dating.
There was another suicide the day after they started dating. A quiet, lonely girl named Ayano. She, too, did not leave any sign of a reason why.
He held Amai’s hand when they went to the funeral, out of an obligation. He remembered how the girl’s parents looked. Ayano’s father was sobbing, but her mother had a blank expression on her face. It was like she’d stopped feeling entirely.
Thankfully, there were no strange events for the rest of their school days. Taro and Amai continued seeing each other every day, baking cakes in the cooking club. He learned to love her, despite her insecurities and flaws. He loved every part of her. Eventually, even Hanako came to love her.
Taro didn’t forget about Osana, though. Of course he couldn’t. She was his best friend for almost their entire lives, and he had begun to think that maybe he’d been in love with her. He would never stop wondering if he could have helped her, or if he’d had something to do with her death.
However, now he had Amai. He had a life, even if it was one without Osana. He would miss her every day, but he hoped she was happy, knowing he was, too.
“Taro!” Amai exclaimed, exiting their house. She had flour in her hair and she smelled like cake. “What are you doing out here?”
“Oh, just thinking.”
She smiled. “Well, I wanted you to know, the cake’s ready! I made your favorite.”
“Really?”
“Of course! It’s our anniversary, after all!”
It really is, he thought to himself, thinking of the small box hidden in his room. He thought of the future he and Amai could have together. That bakery she’d always dreamed of... he wanted to be a part of that, too.
“Of course, I knew that. Can we eat it now? I’ve been smelling nothing but goodness from that kitchen for an hour now!”
Amai giggled. “Of course you can, Taro. Come on in.”
She walked back into the house. Taro took one last glance at the sky.
“I hope you’re watching, Osana. I hope you’re happy, wherever you are.”
Then he followed Amai, the love of his life, into their home.