My Girlfriend Wanted an Open Relationship, So I Broke Up with Her and Found a Sweet Yandere - Chapter 24

[Letter Three]

Hello again, Takahashi-kun.

Your last letter arrived on a weekday evening, which felt oddly fitting. I read it after reheating dinner and sitting down at the small table by my window—the one that wobbles slightly if you lean on it too hard. I don’t know why I’m telling you that. Maybe because you wrote about the corner of your classroom where the light comes in just before sunset. It felt similar, somehow.

Do adults ever stop feeling unsure?

I don’t think so. The uncertainty just changes shape. When you’re younger, you’re unsure about what you can do. Later, you become unsure about what you should do—even when you technically have the freedom to choose.

As for feeling like everyone around you is already moving forward, like you’re watching from half a step behind—I don’t think that feeling disappears either. I think people just learn how to hide it better. Some turn it into confidence. Others turn it into noise.

And about the book you’re reading—

It’s bad, isn’t it? I tried reading it after your letter arrived, but I couldn’t get past the prologue. Why do authors feel the need to spoon-feed their audience?

Work has been tiring lately, but manageable. I’m learning how to leave it at the office, even when it follows me home in my thoughts. It doesn’t always work, but I’m trying.

Write again when you feel like it. There’s no rush.

— Shiori

—

Yuuta felt as though every one of his questions had been answered neatly by Shiori. He could sense the thought she put into each word.

He felt warm—seen, somehow. At that point in his life, that feeling was something he needed more than he realized.

But this letter wasn’t when things began to change.

Everything was still fine then.

—

[Letter Four]

Takahashi-kun,

I had to read your letter twice—not because it was confusing, but because I wasn’t ready to move on from it the first time. You have a way of circling around a thought before settling on it, like you’re testing the ground to see if it will hold.

You asked what I do on my days off.

Honestly? Not much. I sleep in, clean the apartment, sometimes walk without a destination. I used to feel guilty about that—like rest had to be earned. Now I’m learning that doing nothing can be a choice, not a failure. That realization took longer than it probably should have.

You have a sister! I do too—though mine is older than me.

As for whether people change all at once or slowly, without noticing, I think it’s both. Sometimes change feels sudden only because we weren’t paying attention to the small shifts beforehand. Other times, something breaks, and everything rearranges itself around that break.

I don’t know which is worse.

Take your time with your next letter. I’ll be here.

— Shiori

—

Yuuta had begun opening up to her without even realizing it—sharing pieces of himself that no one else had ever known.

Maybe it was because Shiori was far away.

Distant enough to feel safe.

Unknowingly, he began sharing more and more.

—

[Letter Five]

Hello, Takahashi-kun.

Your handwriting looks a little different this time.

I hope that doesn’t sound strange.

You asked whether I ever regret not making certain choices earlier. I thought about that for a while before answering. The honest response is yes—but not in the dramatic way people imagine. It’s quieter than that. More like noticing a door you didn’t open, long after you’ve already walked past it.

Still, regret doesn’t mean the present is empty. It only means we’re aware that life could have taken a different shape.

I don’t know if this helps, but I’ve learned that it’s okay to let days pass without solving everything they bring. Not every thought needs an answer right away. Some just need space.

It’s late as I write this. The city outside my window has gone quiet, except for the occasional train in the distance. I like this hour. It feels honest.

I hope you’re sleeping enough.

— Shiori

—

Her care—even from miles away—felt nice.

Yuuta wrote a few letters each month, and before he realized it, the exchange had become a ritual.

They shared letters for a year before Yuuta cracked.

“Why am I so weak?”

Yuuta sighed as he opened a letter he knew all too well—the one he had read an ungodly number of times over the past two years.

[Letter Twenty]

Takahashi-kun,

I read your letter.

I’m… not sure how to respond properly, so I’ll try to be honest instead.

Are you safe right now?

I don’t mean that in an exaggerated way. I just mean—are you somewhere you can breathe? Somewhere you’re not being hurt?

I don’t fully understand it yet, and maybe that’s because I’m missing context. If you feel able to, could you explain a little more? Even briefly would be fine. You don’t have to write everything at once.

If it’s easier, we could talk. I tried calling your teacher, but it didn’t go through—perhaps the number is outdated, or she’s changed it.

If you have a phone at home, or a mobile number you’re comfortable sharing, you can write it to me.

Write back when you can.

I’ll be waiting.

— Shiori

—

Yuuta stared at the letter.

This was her response to the one he had written—short, hesitant, asking for advice.

—

What do you do when you’re accused of something heinous—something you wouldn’t do even in your wildest dreams?

Something that makes people turn away from you. Curse you. Hit you.

Especially when it’s the person you consider family.

What do I do?

Why did he write this? Because his own sister falsely accused him of sexual assault during that time.

[A/N: Anyways…do not get confused, read it twice if you have any questions.]