The school day had ended, and Ken walked alongside his friends, the sky painted in shades of orange. The usual after-school chatter filled the air, but Ken remained quiet, his thoughts elsewhere.

  Tetsuo nudged him with his elbow. “Oi, Ken, you good? You’ve been spacing out a lot lately.”

  Daichi smirked. “Yeah, don’t tell me you’re actually worried about the upcoming test?”

  Ken sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “I’m fine.”

  Ryo, walking beside them, gave Ken a concerned glance but didn’t push further. The group continued down the road until they reached the intersection where they usually split.

  Tetsuo stretched. “Alright, see you losers tomorrow.”

  Ken forced a small smile. “Yeah, bye.”

  As they each went their separate ways, Ken continued his walk home alone. The streets were quieter now, the distant sound of cars and birds filling the silence. The familiar path led him to his doorstep.

  “I’m home,” he called out as he stepped inside. His mother replied from the kitchen, but he didn’t stop to chat. He made his way to his room and threw his bag onto the chair.

  With a sigh, he collapsed onto his bed, staring at the ceiling. The test was in a few days, and he had promised himself he’d study. Sitting up, he walked to his cupboard, pulling out books from the shelf.

  Then, his hand brushed against something.

  A small, worn-out dog collar.

  His fingers trembled as he picked it up, the cold metal tag reflecting the dim light of his room. He stared at it, his breath hitching.

  A faint bark echoed in his mind.

  Then another.

  And just like that, he was no longer in his room.

  The memory came rushing back....

  The memory pulled Ken back to a time when the world felt a little brighter.

  The sun hung low in the sky, painting everything in a golden glow. In the small park near his house, a younger Ken laughed as a fluffy white dog dashed around him, its tail wagging like a blur.

  “Haru, slow down!” Ken called out, breathless from chasing after him.

  Haru, of course, ignored him completely, darting around in excited circles before stopping just long enough to bark at Ken, his tongue lolling out in pure joy.

  Ken grinned and crouched down. “Come here, you little troublemaker.”

  Haru who is an old dog now, ran straight at him—then swerved at the last second, making Ken nearly fall on his face.

  “Oi! You did that on purpose!”

  The dog barked again, almost like he was laughing at him. Ken shook his head with a smile before finally managing to grab him, ruffling the soft fur on his head.

  “You’re impossible,” he laughed, but his voice was warm.

  Back then, no matter how exhausting school was, no matter how much pressure he felt from his grades, coming home to Haru made everything better. There was always that excited bark waiting for him, a wagging tail, and eyes filled with unconditional love.

  He remembered the nights when he stayed up late studying, Haru curled up beside him, occasionally nudging his leg with his nose like he was telling him to take a break.

  He remembered rainy days when Haru would sit by the window, watching the raindrops with quiet curiosity, then immediately run to Ken the moment thunder rumbled.

  He remembered the way his parents used to say, “That dog’s practically glued to you, Ken. What’s he going to do when you leave for university?”

  Back then, he always answered with a laugh, “I will just take him with me.”

  Like an idiot, he had assumed they’d have all the time in the world.

  But as we know, time never stops for anyone.

  One day, he was preparing for a test when he noticed something strange.

  Haru, who usually slept soundly, twitched slightly in his sleep, his breathing uneven.

  Ken glanced at him but quickly turned back to his notes. "He is Probably having a nightmare," he muttered, brushing it off.

  He kept studying for hours, forcing himself to focus. The upcoming test was important so he needed to do well.

  By the time he finished, it was late at night. Stretching his arms, he turned towards Haru, planning to pet him before going to sleep.

  But something felt... off.

  Haru wasn’t moving.

  Ken’s stomach twisted as he walked closer. "Haru?" He called out softly. No response.

  His hands trembled as he crouched down, gently shaking him. "Hey, wake up."

  Nothing.

  His heart pounded in his chest. He pressed his fingers lightly against Haru’s side—no warmth, no breath.

  “Haru?” His voice cracked.

  Then, panic hit him like a freight train.

  “HARU!” He screamed.

  The sound was enough to shake the house. His parents rushed in, startled by the noise. They took one look at him, at the still body in his arms, and their expressions turned grim.

  Within minutes, they were in the car, rushing to the vet. Ken held Haru the entire way, his hands shaking, whispering desperate pleas under his breath.

  But deep down, a sinking feeling had already settled in his chest.

  When they arrived, the vet barely took a few moments before shaking his head.

  "...I'm sorry."

  The words hit like a hammer to the gut.

  Ken just stood there, unable to process it.

  Haru was gone.

  He had been right there, studying, while his best friend took his last breath.

  If he had noticed sooner. If he hadn’t ignored the signs. If he had just checked on him earlier—

  "Was it my mistake...?"

  The words left him in a whisper, barely audible, but they echoed in his mind over and over.

  No answer came.

  Just the cold, empty silence.

  Despite Haru’s death, Ken still managed to score well in his tests. His teachers praised him, and his parents were proud. It felt like things were normal, at least on the surface.

  But as he entered his first year of high school, something changed. His grades slowly began to drop.

  At first, it wasn’t anything major—just a few points here and there. People assumed he was just adjusting to high school life. But Ken knew better.

  The motivation he once had, the drive that pushed him to be at the top, was slipping away.

  Every time he sat down to study, a heavy feeling weighed on him. The pressure from teachers, the expectations from his parents, the whispers from classmates who once looked up to him—it all piled up.

  And the worst part? He couldn't bring himself to care.

  The textbooks that once felt like a path to success now felt like a burden. The numbers and formulas blurred together, and the words on the page seemed meaningless.

  People around him noticed. His teachers started giving him concerned looks, his parents asked him what was wrong, and even his friends occasionally pointed it out.

  But Ken just brushed it off with a half-hearted smile.

  "I'm fine."

  That was all he ever said.

  Ken sat there, holding Haru’s collar, his fingers running over the worn-out leather. It still smelled a little like him, or maybe that was just his imagination.

  His vision blurred as memories hit him. Haru was jumping around excitedly whenever he came home, nudging his hand for head pats, curling up next to him when he was studying late at night.

  Before he knew it, tears slipped down his face.

  Ken sniffled and wiped them away with his sleeve, shaking his head. "Damn it... get a grip, man." He let out a deep breath, staring at the collar for a few more seconds before putting it back inside the cupboard.

  He sat there in silence. Then, with a small sigh, he muttered to himself, "It’s okay… I’m okay."

  Maybe if he said it enough times, he’d start believing it.

  It was a emotional roller coaster for Ken but Tomorrow was just another day so he had to carry on....