Hiyori returned to the shrine later that evening, her heart heavy with the weight of unanswered questions. The wooden plaque she had found, etched with Ansh's name, felt like both a beacon and a cruel reminder of her futile search.
As she traced the worn edges of the plaque, footsteps echoed behind her. She turned quickly, her heart racing—only to see a familiar face from her memories.
The man looked like someone she had seen before, though she couldn't place where. His features carried a vague resemblance to someone important, stirring a faint flicker of recognition.
"Excuse me," she said hesitantly, stepping forward. "Do you… know someone named Ansh?"
The man furrowed his brow, his confusion evident. "Ansh? I don't think so. Sorry. Is he from around here?"
Hiyori's chest tightened. "I… I thought he might be," she said softly. "Are you sure? You don't remember anything about him?"
He shook his head, his expression apologetic. "No, I don't. I wish I could help, but… I'm sorry."
With that, he gave her a polite nod and walked away, leaving Hiyori alone beneath the dim glow of the shrine's lanterns.
Hiyori stood frozen, her hands trembling. The man's cluelessness confirmed her deepest fear: time itself had shifted. The threads connecting her to Ansh had unraveled, leaving behind only faint echoes of what once was.
The realization crushed her. The shrine, the riverside bench, the café—none of it mattered anymore. If the timeline had been rewritten, then perhaps Ansh didn't exist at all.
Tears streamed down her face as she stumbled away from the shrine, her vision blurred. Her once-fiery determination now felt like a cruel joke, a futile chase after something she could never reclaim.
The journey back to her college hostel was a blur. The weight of her despair pressed down on her like an invisible force, each step heavier than the last. By the time she reached the gates of the hostel, her mind was numb, her body drained of energy.
As she passed a group of students chattering excitedly, snippets of their conversation caught her attention.
"The new batch is joining next week!"
"Yeah, the first merit list is already out. Did you see the rankings?"
Hiyori froze mid-step, her breath catching in her throat. The merit list.
Her heart raced as the thought struck her. If Ansh had applied to the college, his name would be on that list. How had she not thought of this before? The first merit list from her own batch might have given her the clue she needed years ago, but this new list might hold her last chance.
Without a second thought, she rushed to her room, nearly tripping on the stairs in her haste. She threw her bag onto her bed and opened her laptop, her fingers trembling as she navigated to the college's website.
The page loaded slowly, each second stretching into an eternity. When the merit list finally appeared, Hiyori's eyes scanned the names with bated breath.
Her heart skipped a beat.
There it was.
Ansh.
The name burned into her vision like a beacon, the address listed beside it more valuable than gold. Her hands covered her mouth as tears spilled over her cheeks, her emotions a chaotic mix of relief, shock, and disbelief.
She had found him.
The address was close—within the city. For the first time in what felt like years, hope surged through her veins, rekindling the fire that had nearly extinguished.
Hiyori closed her laptop and clutched the diary to her chest, whispering to herself, "This time, I'll find you. And I won't let you go."