Yuki and Keiko had spent hours coaxing Ayaka off Akihiko's doorstep.
It had taken soft words, firm hands, and even a little force, but at last, they managed to get her inside her apartment—though she still moved like a ghost of herself, barely aware of anything around her.
Once inside, the apartment felt eerily cold.
The air was stale, like she hadn't bothered to open the windows for days.
Dishes lay untouched in the sink, a single teacup left on the coffee table, its contents long since dried up.
The curtains were half-drawn, casting long shadows over the room. It was as if time had stopped the moment Akihiko vanished.
Keiko clicked her tongue. "This place is a mess."
Yuki sighed, exchanging a look with her before setting the grocery bag down. "We need to get her to eat first."
Ayaka didn't respond. She stood in the center of the room, staring blankly ahead as if she wasn't really there.
Yuki gently took her hand and guided her toward the couch, sitting her down like she was made of porcelain.
"I'll cook something." Keiko said, disappearing into the kitchen.
A meal was prepared in silence, the aroma of warm food filling the empty space.
Keiko set down a steaming bowl of rice and miso soup in front of Ayaka, while Yuki poured her a glass of water.
"Ayaka." Yuki said softly, picking up the spoon and holding it out to her. "You have to eat."
Ayaka barely blinked.
"Please." Yuki's voice sounded pleading now. "You haven't eaten properly in days. You're so frail."
Still, Ayaka did nothing.
Keiko, never one for patience, exhaled sharply. "That's it."
Without warning, she snatched the spoon from Yuki, scooped up some rice, and shoved it toward Ayaka's lips.
Startled, Ayaka jerked away. "WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" she snapped, glaring at Keiko.
"NO! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!" Keiko fired back, eyes blazing with frustration. "This is NOT the Ayaka we know! Are you just going to sit there and rot?"
Ayaka's breath hitched, her hands tightening into fists. "I KNOW I'M NOT LIKE THIS, OKAY?! BUT I CAN'T HELP IT!" Her voice cracked as she yelled, her frustration and sorrow bubbling to the surface.
"BOTH OF YOU, ENOUGH!" Yuki intervened, placing herself between them before the argument could escalate further. "Just calm down. Let Ayaka eat first, then we'll talk."
A tense silence followed.
Keiko pulled away with a heavy sigh, rubbing her temples, while Ayaka stared down at the bowl in front of her.
Slowly, she picked up the spoon.
Each bite felt heavy, like she had to force herself to chew, to swallow.
The food had little taste, but it was warm. Warm in a way that almost hurts.
She hadn't realized how empty she felt until now.
Minutes passed in silence until Ayaka finally set down the bowl with shaking hands. She had managed to eat, though it wasn't much.
Yuki and Keiko exchanged a glance before Yuki gently pressed, "So… what really happened?"
Ayaka hesitated. The question felt like a knife.
Keiko sat down next to her, her presence steady and grounding. "Ayaka. Talk to us."
Ayaka took a deep breath, her fingers tightening around the blanket draped over her shoulders. Her voice wavered.
"Akihiko and I… we kissed."
A heavy silence filled the room.
"WHAT?!" Yuki and Keiko exclaimed in unison, eyes wide.
Ayaka gave a weak, teary chuckle. "I know. I—I never imagined it either." Her fingers traced the necklace Akihiko gave him. "It was after everything… after the surgery, after he stayed over, after—" she broke off, swallowing hard. "After he took care of me."
Her vision blurred as she continued.
"He made me feel safe..." she whispered.
"He held me when the storm was too much. He teased me like always, would act cold suddenly but then he just… stayed. It wasn't just an obligation. It felt real. He was there, beside me, through everything."
A fresh tear rolled down her cheek.
"And then, my birthday came... He said he didn't prepare anything. But he gave me this..." She held on to the necklace tightly.
"I felt it. I knew something was different. Every kiss and touch felt so real... He made me feel so loved..."
Keiko stayed silent, her hands clenching into fists.
"There were many times I told myself I was imagining it. Maybe I was reading too much into things. That he was just taking care of me because he had to... but I had this feeling... he loved me as well..." Her voice felt like cracking.
She exhaled shakily, her fingers now gripping the fabric of the blanket so tightly her knuckles turned white.
"And then—" her voice broke completely, "—then his kisses..."
The air in the room seemed to freeze.
Ayaka let out a trembling breath. "They weren't just some quick kisses. They were slow… deep… like he meant it. Like he wanted me to understand something. And then—"
She sobbed.
"Then he promised. He said we'd have fun after my book was published. He said he wouldn't be late picking me up that day."
Her entire body trembled now, her breath coming in ragged gasps.
"But when I tried to text him, the message wouldn't send." she whimpered.
"When I called, it wouldn't go through. And now… now he's gone. He just vanished!"
Yuki and Keiko stared, horror dawning in their eyes as they fully grasped the weight of what Ayaka had been enduring alone.
"No one knows where he is..." Ayaka whispered, her voice breaking. "No one can reach him. Kei doesn't know. Even Dr. Hasegawa tried but there's nothing."
A sob tore from her throat, raw and broken.
Yuki pulled her into a tight embrace, rocking her gently as Ayaka's cries grew louder.
Keiko sat frozen for a moment before she let out a sharp breath and reached for Ayaka's hand, squeezing it tightly.
"No." Keiko said firmly, her voice trembling. "This—this doesn't make sense. Akihiko wouldn't just leave. Not like this."
Yuki nodded, her own voice thick with emotion. "We'll find him, Ayaka. We will."
But Ayaka only shook her head, gripping Yuki's shirt like a lifeline.
"I don't understand..." she sobbed. "Why would he kiss me like that… why would he hold me like I mattered… only to disappear?"
Her words sliced through the air like a knife.
And in that moment, the only answer that came was silence.
------
The air inside Ayaka's apartment was thick with exhaustion and worry.
Though Yuki and Keiko had managed to calm her down for the time being, the weight of the situation still hung over them like a storm cloud ready to break.
Ayaka barely put up a fight when they guided her to her bedroom, tucking her into bed like she was made of glass.
She hadn't eaten much. She hadn't even spoken much.
It was like all the life had been drained out of her, leaving only a fragile shell behind.
By the time they returned to the living room, the tension between Keiko and Yuki had reached its peak.
Keiko stood abruptly, pacing back and forth across the room, her frustration bubbling just beneath the surface.
Yuki, sitting on the couch, watched her warily before breaking the silence. "What are you thinking?"
Keiko exhaled sharply, crossing her arms. "The Ice Prince wouldn't just leave like that. Not out of nowhere."
Yuki leaned back, arms folded, her expression troubled. "I mean… we all saw how he treated Ayaka. I didn't imagine those times he melted for her, right?"
Keiko stopped pacing, pressing a hand against her forehead as if trying to will the pieces to fit together. "That's what makes this so strange… It doesn't make sense."
Silence settled between them, thick and suffocating.
Finally, Yuki sighed, rubbing her temples. "Anyway, we need to let the situation calm down first. Ayaka is a mess. We should stay here for a while, just to make sure she doesn't do anything stupid."
Keiko groaned. "You're probably right. If we leave, she might go and sit outside Dr. Nakamura's front door again." She shot a glance toward Ayaka's room. The thought alone made her stomach churn.
Then, suddenly, her patience snapped.
"I'm not used to seeing her like this!" she burst out, her voice raw with frustration.
Yuki flopped onto the couch, mirroring her emotions. "I know! That's the problem. I don't know what to do. I don't know what to say to her. And honestly?"
She clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms. "I'm angry. Furious, actually. How could he just disappear like this? Without a word? After everything?"
Keiko inhaled deeply, trying to push down the anger rising in her own chest. "I get it… But we can't jump to conclusions. We don't even know what happened. And the worst part?"
Her jaw tightened. "How do we even look for someone who didn't leave a single damn trace?"
The room fell silent once more.
Neither of them had an answer. Neither of them knew where to start.
Keiko sank onto the chair beside Yuki, her expression dark.
They were running out of ideas, running out of patience, and worst of all—running out of hope.
And through it all, Ayaka remained in her room, lost in a restless sleep, still clutching the necklace Akihiko had given her.
Akihiko was always mysterious. Guarded. Impossible to read.
But if there was one person who had ever seen through the cracks of his icy exterior, it was Ayaka.
And now, the one person who knew him best was left drowning in his absence.