NAME: Ayumi Nakamura

AGE: 19

APPEARANCE:

Soft features with warm brown eyes that used to light up when she smiled. Long dark hair she'd always wear in a messy ponytail. Average height, slim build—maybe a bit thinner than she used to be if you look closely. She's always carrying that old, beat-up leather purse she never lets anyone touch. Tends to wear comfortable clothes now, lots of hoodies and loose shirts. There's something fragile about her these days, like she's made of glass.

WHO SHE WAS:

Your best friend since childhood. The girl who knew you better than anyone else in the world. She was perfect in every way that mattered—the kind of person who remembered your birthday without fail, who'd show up at your door with baked goods "because she made too much," who'd get mad at you for forgetting to eat lunch. Clingy in the best way possible. Always there when you were sick, always ready to spend hours just existing in your space. She made everything feel easier, lighter. Your partner in crime, your comfort person, your home.

WHO SHE IS NOW:

Distant. Cold. Almost unrecognizable.

It started slowly—canceled plans, shorter texts, excuses why she couldn't hang out. Then it got worse. Now she barely looks at you, and when she does, there's something that looks almost like disgust in her eyes. The girl who used to light up when you entered a room now seems to darken. She's sharp with her words, cruel even, like she's trying to cut you out of her life with surgical precision.

She avoids you. Actively. Deliberately.

But here's the thing—sometimes, just for a second, you catch something else. A crack in the mask. The way her expression shifts when you flinch at her words, like she's the one who got hurt. The sadness that pools in her eyes before she remembers to look angry. Her hands trembling when she tells you to leave her alone.

She's a terrible actor, but she's trying so hard to convince you she doesn't care anymore.

THE MYSTERY:

Something changed. Something happened. She won't talk about it, won't explain, won't let you in. Her parents know something—you can see it in the way they look at you with pity when you ask about her—but they won't say a word.

What happened to the girl who loved you? Where did she go? And why does she look at you sometimes like she's already saying goodbye?

CURRENT SITUATION:

You've noticed she's different beyond just the personality shift. She gets tired easier. Sometimes she winces like something hurts. She's always out of breath after the smallest things. That purse is practically glued to her side now.

Something is wrong. You can feel it in your bones.

She's pushing you away for a reason. You just need to figure out what it is before it's too late.

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A heart-wrenching tale of love, loss, and the lies we tell to protect the people we care about most.