Her hands tightened further around the handles of her bag, driving her nails deep into her palms, hard enough to leave eight little crescent shaped marks behind. Every time Kotori thought of that moment, she wanted to cry. Honoka had been so upset. It was the only time in memory that she'd ever heard Honoka yell. If only she'd been brave enough to tell Honoka sooner, perhaps things would have turned out better. Maybe they would have parted on better terms. But no. Honoka had apologised to her (as if she was somehow in the wrong) via text and she had only just been able to send a weak apology of her own, saying it wasn't Honoka's fault. The words were not the ones she wanted to say and sounded hollow in her ears as she said them aloud. But she sent them all the same.
That was the last time they'd communicated. Kotori had run away from further possible encounters and she hadn't even had the courage to say goodbye to Honoka properly (or anyone else for that matter). Everything had ended so awfully and she knew that it was all her own fault.
"Stupid," she whispered under her breath.