Kazuki entered a public elementary school after being absent from school for three months.
To him, the new school felt different from his old one. It was smaller and more relaxed. Next to the school there was even a park where children often played.
When Kazuki was introduced to the class as a new student, some students greeted him warmly, while the rest simply watched in silence.
Kazuki sat in the empty seat at the very back.
But strangely enough, he didnât really mind.
Kazuki received the highest scores in class for three weeks in a row.
Some students admired him.
Others⌠started to envy him.
Kazuki wasnât good at socializing, so he often spent his breaks alone in the park.
For Kazuki, friends were just a bonus in life.
One afternoon, while sitting under a tree and reading a book near the park, a group of troublemakers from his class approached him.
They grabbed his book and started tossing it around between them.
When Kazuki tried to take it back, one of them pushed him to the ground, leaving a small wound on his knee.
Just then, a voice cut through the air.
Before approaching them, she had already picked a rose from a nearby bush, holding it in her hand.
The bullies immediately ran away after she scolded them.
The girl picked up Kazukiâs book and handed it back to him.
âHey⌠are you okay?â
Kazuki simply stared at her in silence.
âYou should fight back, you know. Donât just let people push you around!â
Kazuki still didnât say anything.
âHuh⌠whatever. Youâre Kazuki, right?â
She then held out the rose she had picked earlier and gave it to him.
âLetâs be friends.â
âFrom now on⌠Iâll be the one who protects you.â
Kazukiâs eyes sparkled.
He carefully accepted the rose.
Then suddenly he said with excitement,
âR-ROSETTA!! CAN I CALL YOU ROSETTA?!â
The girl looked confused.
âE-eh? But my name isââ
âItâs a nickname!â Kazuki quickly interrupted.
âBecause you gave me this flower⌠t-thank you.â
For the first time in a long while, Kazuki smiled widely.
The girl could only laugh softly.
From that moment on, something inside Kazukiâs heart began to open again.
After that day, they became close friends.
They walked home from school together.
Played together in the same park.
Kazuki slowly began to change.
And without realizing itâŚ
Kazuki started to fall in love with Rosetta.
But to Rosetta, Kazuki was simply a precious best friend.
On the anniversary of their friendship, they exchanged gifts.
Kazuki gave Rosetta a rose-shaped hairpin.
Rosetta gave Kazuki a small rose accessory.
With those gifts, they made a promise.
To always remain friends.
Rosetta was involved in a serious traffic accident.
After that, she disappeared from Kazukiâs life.
Kazuki was never told what really happened.
No one told him whether Rosetta was alive⌠or dead.
Kazuki stopped going to school.
He fell into severe depression.
To Kazuki, it felt like another failure in his life.
He couldnât protect the person who meant the most to him.
Kazuki kept searching for information about Rosetta.
But he never found an answer.
At the age of twenty, Kazuki was accepted into one of the best universities in his city.
Before his first day of college, he stopped by a supermarket to buy a drink.
He accidentally bumped into a girl.
As Kazuki helped her up, something caught his eye.
The exact same one he had given long ago.
Kazuki stared at her face.
Everything felt painfully familiar.
His heart began to pound.
âRosettaâŚ?â he think.
Kazuki fell in love for the second time.
But this time, it was no longer just love.
It slowly turned into something darker.
Kazuki had finally found his one and only little rose again.
