The gentle warmth of early summer masked the shadows lurking behind the ordinary days.
Noa Kanzaki was walking home one evening, clutching a small sketchbook filled with her latest drawings. She had promised Yuto she would meet him later at the sakura tree, but fate had other plans. As she crossed a narrow street, a black van screeched to a halt beside her. Before she could react, two masked men leapt out and grabbed her.
Noa's scream was muffled as she was thrown into the vehicle, her sketchbook falling to the ground.
Hours passed before Yuto, waiting anxiously under the sakura tree, realized something was wrong. He called her phone. No answer. Panic seized his chest. Racing back toward her usual path, he found the sketchbook lying abandoned on the road.
His heart turned cold.
Without hesitation, he called Riku Kamishiro, who now worked part-time at a security firm. Riku immediately traced nearby security footage. In grainy black-and-white images, they saw the van. Riku didn't hesitate. "Let's go, Yuto. We're saving her."
Fueled by desperation and rage, Yuto and Riku chased the van across town. The leads brought them to an abandoned warehouse at the outskirts.
The moment they burst through the rusted doors, Yuto saw Noa tied to a chair, tears streaking her face. One of the kidnappers sneered, approaching her menacingly.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yuto roared.
Years of training on the track field had honed his speed. Yuto darted forward, punching one kidnapper square in the jaw. The man stumbled back, dazed. Riku tackled the second man, both crashing to the ground.
Another man lunged at Yuto with a crowbar, but Yuto, fueled by pure adrenaline, dodged and countered, sweeping his legs and sending him sprawling.
"Noa!" Yuto rushed to her side, untying her swiftly. Noa, sobbing uncontrollably, clung to him.
"It's okay. I'm here," he whispered fiercely.
Within minutes, the police arrived, alerted by Riku beforehand. The kidnappers were arrested, and Noa was taken to the hospital for a check-up. Thankfully, she was unharmed, though terrified.
That night, Yuto stayed by her side, holding her hand tightly as she slept.
**Two Years Later**
Life slowly returned to normal. Yuto and Noa both passed their college entrance exams and enrolled at the same university, a cozy campus near their hometown.
College life was new, exciting, and challenging. Yuto studied education while Noa pursued fine arts, chasing her dream of becoming an illustrator.
One golden evening, after their first successful semester, Yuto and Noa sat across from their fathers at a cozy restaurant. Both dads looked stern but proud.
"So," Noa's father said, clearing his throat, "You're serious about each other?"
"Yes," Yuto said firmly, squeezing Noa's hand under the table. "I love Noa. I always have."
Noa's father looked at her. She nodded shyly, her cheeks pink.
After a long pause, Yuto's father chuckled. "About time you said it out loud. We've all known since you two were kids."
The families laughed, the tension breaking into warmth.
**The Engagement**
The sakura were in full bloom once again when Yuto decided to propose. He chose the same tree where everything had begun, years ago.
He took Noa there under the starlit sky, just like their childhood. Soft petals rained down on them. Yuto knelt down, his hands trembling slightly.
"Noa Kanzaki," he said, voice thick with emotion, "Will you marry me? Will you let me stay by your side forever, from the first bloom to the last?"
Tears welled up in Noa's emerald eyes. She nodded, unable to find her voice.
"Yes," she whispered, throwing her arms around him.
Their friends, hidden nearby, burst out cheering, scattering confetti into the air.
The engagement party was small but beautiful. Yuto and Noa wore traditional outfits — Yuto in a black kimono, Noa in a soft pink furisode decorated with sakura blossoms.
Miyu, Hikari, Souta, Kenta, Aya, and Riku all gathered, smiling proudly. Their fathers gave speeches about the "two kids who were destined to find each other from the very start."
As Yuto slipped the engagement ring onto Noa's finger, the room filled with applause. Noa leaned close, resting her forehead against Yuto's.
"I love you," she whispered.
"And I love you," he replied.
They closed their eyes, savoring the moment. The journey from three-year-old friends to lifelong partners had not been easy. But it was their journey, filled with love, tears, fights, victories, and dreams.
As the night deepened and the stars scattered across the sky, Yuto and Noa knew — their story was just beginning.