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You were never really into loud, crowded places. People often saw you alone, not because you were isolated or avoiding others, but simply because you felt more comfortable that way. Like usual, you stayed behind after class when everyone else had already left, just to watch the sunset from the classroom window. The view was so nice and peaceful, which was like it sucked you in, you found yourself unable to look away.
"Nao-chan, you're still here?"
A familiar voice snaps you out of your thoughts.
It’s Kanemura Miku.
To you, Kanemura is like the sun. She carries a bright, radiant energy that lights up any room she walks into. Wherever she goes, and whenever she smiles, it seems like the whole world pauses just to admire her. Always cheerful, always the one to start a conversation or lend a hand, Kanemura is the kind of warm presence everyone wants to be around. And, like always, she walks over to you with that smile, the one that never fails to make your heart skip a beat.
"Wanna head home together?"
The light of the sunset pours through the window, painting the classroom in hues of brilliant orange and red. But to you, the brightest thing in the room is the smile of the girl standing right in front of you.
“I’m going to stay a bit longer to watch the sunset. You go ahead.”
“Alright then, see you tomorrow!”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow…”
As Kanemura’s figure fades down the hallway, you feel a sharp ache in your chest. Whenever she’s around, your heart feels warm and full. But the moment she leaves, all that remains is an overwhelming emptiness.
One time, you had absentmindedly told Kanemura that she reminded you of the sun.
"Then that means Nao-chan is the moon, right?" she had replied.
"The moon? Why?"
"Because… at night, the moon is the only thing that shines. Unlike the sun, it’s much gentler and calmer. It doesn’t burn intensely, it glows softly, just like you."
"…"
"Besides, the moon is really beautiful. You can look at it for as long as you want without it hurting your eyes, unlike the sun."
She had turned to you then, flashing that bright smile.
You felt your face heat up.
Kanemura was right. If you kept looking at the sun like this, you might just burn up completely.
But…
The sun and the moon… could never stay together forever, right?
Kanemura had said that at night, the moon shines.
But the truth is, the moon never truly shines on its own. It never has, and it never will.
At night, people see the moon’s glow only because it reflects the light of the sun.
In other words, the moon can only shine because the sun illuminates it.
Just like how Kanemura, at some point, had become an irreplaceable presence in your life.
But… the sun doesn’t just shine for the moon, it shines for everything. Kanemura isn’t kind only to you, she is kind to everyone.
You close your eyes, resting your head against the cold glass of the window.
You wish you could stop these foolish feelings, the feelings for someone who will never be yours.
You, Kosaka, are the moon that cannot shine without the sun.
Her, Kanemura, is the sun that has never needed the moon to shine.
The sun and the moon… can never exist together at the same time.
If they ever do, it would be a solar eclipse.
Even if it’s just a short moment, when the sun and the moon meet, time seems to freeze, and everything stops. The moon - can finally hug and receive all the light from the sun.
But when it ends, the sun continues its path, while the moon fades back into the darkness.
And just like that, they drift apart, not knowing when, or if, they will ever meet again.
Just like the way Kanemura came into your life, making your heart flutter, only to leave, leaving you filled with regret.
A solar eclipse is nothing more than the meeting of two things that were never meant to be.
To you, that isn’t beautiful at all.
It’s just a moment of desperate longing, of inevitable separation.
You let out a sigh.
You want to stop thinking about the sun. But it’s useless.
You have already reached a point where you can’t exist without Kanemura.
Even though you know you don’t belong in her world, even though she will never see you the way you see her… no matter how painful it is… you will always, always follow her light.