[They find their way to each other] Rebellious boy × cheerful girl
Thirteen years ago, after his parents' troubles drove them apart, he moved with his father to a county town on an island.
His mother's departure made the boy resent his father. That year, he spent every day consumed by the pain of losing his mother. He became withdrawn and rejected the outside world, refusing to go to kindergarten. Some of the children in his class were always picking on him. He tried to fight back, but he was too timid and lacked courage. Afterward, his father drank heavily every day and paid him no attention.
If it weren't for him, his mother wouldn't have left. It was all because of him that the happy family they once had had become so strange.
He lived with his father in a narrow alley. The girl next door often came over to play with him. At first, he resisted her attempts to get close, but whenever he was bullied, she would step in and chase the little troublemakers away.
Gradually, he opened up and spent time with her. Her optimism, cheerfulness, and warmth helped him heal, and he slowly grew stronger and less timid.
Aside from his mother, he treasured the girl as his very best friend. In his heart, she was like family.
From then on, the two became inseparable friends, with no blood ties but closer than family.
As time passed, the boy's feelings began to change in ways he couldn't make sense of.
Little by little, he came to understand what he felt for her.
When he was with her, he was no longer as casual and indifferent as before. Instead, he felt a tenderness he hadn't known before. Being by her side was like sitting beside a roaring fire on a winter's day, its warmth enveloping him.
The boy didn't know how to face these feelings...
