CODE: depression....

A week had passed since Rinku was taken by the Chinese military, and everything felt like it was falling apart. My dorm was a mess, just like me. I hadn’t changed my clothes in days, hadn’t eaten properly, hadn’t slept. I was on the ground, hugging my knees, fighting back tears that refused to stop. My mind kept going back to that moment—his words, "I love you," the words I had longed to hear for so long, but at the worst possible moment.

The door opened, and I barely lifted my head. It was Reo. I could feel his eyes on me, seeing the state I was in. I heard the sigh leave his lips. He didn’t say anything at first, just stood there, probably taking in the sight of the wreck I’d become.

And then, of course, Mei appeared behind him. “Wow, it seems that ever since Rinku was taken by the Chinese military, she’s been like this. How depressing.”

Her voice grated on my already fragile nerves. Before I could react, Reo snapped at her.

“Shut it, twerp! You don’t understand even a little bit of how she feels right now.”

I barely managed to mutter, my voice hoarse, “Can you two just leave me alone?”

But Reo wasn’t about to let this go. “Listen to me, Ichika. Rinku isn’t dead. He’s a strong soldier, and I know he’s still alive. He’d never go down like this.”

His words stung, but they also felt hollow, empty. He didn’t know. How could he know?

“And how the hell would you know that, Reo?” I shot back, my voice trembling.

Reo took a breath, steadying himself. “Because he has strength that none of us have.”

Before I could say anything else, Mei chimed in again. “I may not know Rinku, but I think for his bravery, he deserves to be saved by those Chinese people.”

I clenched my fists. “He finally said the words I’ve been waiting for him to say for years—‘I love you’—but he said it at the worst possible moment.”

The weight of everything crashed down on me again, making it harder to breathe. And then, suddenly, Akari appeared behind Mei, like he always did, out of nowhere.

“Maybe I can be of assistance,” he said, his voice casual.

Reo groaned in frustration. “How do you guys keep appearing like that? It’s creepy.”

I wanted to scream at all of them to leave, to stop talking, to stop making plans that couldn’t possibly work. I had no energy left to hope. “I’m not sure we can save him,” I muttered, half to myself.

Akari didn’t seem fazed. “Maybe we can, though. We must save Rinku.”

Something in his voice made my heart clench. Could they be right? Could there still be a way to save him?

No. No, I couldn’t let myself fall into that trap again. Hope was dangerous, hope would only hurt me more. I stood up on shaky legs, barely able to look them in the eyes.

“Just go. You three, just leave.”

And with that, I slammed the door in their faces, shutting them out. Shutting out the sliver of hope they brought with them. I leaned against the door, my breath catching, tears finally spilling from my eyes. I was so tired of fighting, tired of trying to hold on to the belief that Rinku would come back.

The thought of losing him, truly losing him... it was unbearable.

Behind the door, I could hear Mei sighing. “Well, this is going to be a nightmare…”

Her words faded as I slid down to the floor again, curling up and letting the tears take over. I didn’t know how to go on from here, how to find any strength when the person who gave me strength was gone.

But... maybe they were right. Maybe Rinku was still out there, alive, waiting for us. Maybe... just maybe, we could save him.

And that tiny, flickering hope, no matter how much I tried to ignore it, refused to die.

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