When Chihaya entered his world, she shook everything up until she was the only thing left. And she was big enough to fill his world such that, she was the center of his world, all the other things he cared about before became irrelevant and faded away. And the rest of the things that came into his world to fill him, Karuta, Arata, Harada-sensei, Mizusawa Karuta club and all the people he came to love and care about came through Chihaya.

Simply put Chihaya became his world, she was the Sun to his world. So when Chihaya rejected him, it was like the Sun had stopped appearing, and everything else faded and withered away as they all had depended on the sunlight. He tried to hold off the rest of the things from withering away, he became like the moon to provide light, but it was never enough. But it was not enough, and within a year and half after rejection, everything faded away. All that's left was the void and the feeling that nothing could ever fill the void.

As he accepted that Chihaya would never be his, and he started his lone journey to rebuild his world without Chihaya. Little by little, hope grew in within him, he started filling it again with all the things and people he cared about.

The friends he made in medical school, Suo-san, his family. And some friendships which were part of his old world had withered because of Chihaya had been reborn. He became friends again with Nishida, Komano, Sumire-chan not as Karuta players or former school mates, but as people who enjoyed spending talking to each other. He liked being a doctor too, it brings a certain satisfaction(also a boost to his battered ego), if he could relieve other's pain and suffering. To put a smile on his patients faces, of course that won't always be the case many times, especially as a Surgeon or would-be-surgeon. But he is trying his best and that is what matters.

Chihaya's POV - 28 years Old

Being an adult is hard, it felt like her middle school years alone, but much more worse. It all started when she graduated from college. Things had gone so smoothly in college, with her maintaining her position as Queen, Arata as Meijin, less course load which led to lots of free time, play Karuta anytime with Arata, girlfriend to Arata. The only blip she could say is that Taichi moved away.

She was really angry at Taichi and his behaviour when she found him bed with some girl. She also felt another strange feeling, which she would realise what it was later in her life. She avoided him for a while and then found out that Taichi left to Kyoto. She was shocked to know that all her friends knew including Arata except her. She felt betrayed by him, the way Taichi acted as if they aren't even friends anymore.

She knew that things were shaky between them ever since his confession. When Taichi left the club, she realised how much she hurt him without even knowing. Even then, he helped her to make a decision when he brought up her hearing ability to her mother, which helped convince her mother of her plan to pursue both college exams and Karuta at the same time. He had always been there for her when she was in trouble or in need of help.

And she worked hard to achieve both those goals and she did get into a college without taking an extra year for prep. Finally things were going her way, Arata came back, she confessed her dream about him, they became a couple. Nothing else mattered from then on, her dreams have become reality to play against Arata with the same passion and love as him.

She wanted to recreate those joyful and fun childhood memories when all three of played Karuta together. She brought Taichi along with her to play with Arata, hoping that she and Taichi can back to being normal as they used to be. But it was not to be as she realised, Taichi had been growing more and more distant. At the same time, things couldn't have more perfect in college, she had been dominating in Karuta along with Arata winning tournament after tournament.

And Taichi left without even telling her, she was hurt and betrayed by him. Initially all she felt was anger and Arata also seemed to share that anger towards Taichi. They grew more together sharing the anger and the mutual feeling of betrayal by their friend. The friend who left them. She didn't need him anymore, she has Arata.

After 6 months, the anger faded, and emptiness started creeping in. She missed Taichi, more than she had thought. Did she do something which she didn't realise to hurt him? She didn't know. She asked Kana-chan who told her she didn't do anything. She tried to call, but realised the number is not working anymore. She asked for his contact details, that is when Sumire-chan intervened.

"Please, Chihaya-senpai, I beg you, please don't try to contact him. He is trying to be his own person, please don't." Sumire-chan pleaded with desperation in her voice.

"Taichi's my best-friend, I want to talk to him and see why he is not talking to me anymore." Chihaya suddenly felt the anger bubbling inside her. Why her friend is stopping her.

"I love Mashima-senpai, I want the best for him, I want him to be happy, even if it's not with me. If you are really his friend, then you should let him go."

Sumire-chan, what are you saying? I don't get it.

Chihaya cannot accept that

"Taichi is happy with us and Karuta. We should be there for him" Chihaya tried to convince Sumire-chan as well as herself. Taichi will be happy with me and Arata. Is he?

"I won't allow you, none of our friends are going to give you his information not Kana-senpai, Komano-senpai or Nishida-senpai." Sumire-chan became desperate with tears in her eyes.

"Please senpai, please, I hope you understand why I am saying no."

Sumire-chan is very protective of Taichi, but why? I love him Chihaya-senpai. Is that why? But Taichi's my best friend or at least he was.

Chihaya realised the protectiveness of Sumire-chan and lengths she is going to forbid her from contacting Taichi.

Chihaya felt the strange feeling again the same she felt when she found Taichi in bed with a foreign girl. What is this strange sensation, why am I feeling it again, now? I don't understand.

Tears welled up in her eyes. Noticing her crying face, Sumire-chan surprised her with a hug.

"We all miss him too, Chihaya-chan. I hope he will find happiness again. Lot of memories here and also getting far away from his mother might help him too." Chihaya's eyes enlarged

Taichi's mom, did she do it? Did she force Taichi to move? That is what they were saying. But why do I get the feeling that Taichi was one who wanted to move? Arata seemed to think that too.

"Yes, If isn't there, maybe" Chihaya laughed forcefully and went back to talk to others with a fake cheerful smile.

I will wait even if it takes years, I am sure we will meet again.

And it took more than 3 years before she saw him at the wedding. By then her relationship with Arata was crumbling. It all started when they graduated a year ago and decided to move in together. That is when both of them realised the special bond they always shared, which brought them together didn't extend beyond Karuta. During college years, their dates and time together were always filled with Karuta and talk of Karuta with a few kisses in between.

Her foray into adult life is not what she expected at all. Till then, she usually always got what she wanted or dreamed most of the time. She didn't get a job in Mizusawa as she expected(Downturn in japanese economy after the 2011 earthquake), her sensei told that she will have to have experience as a teacher for a few years before she could try again. She gave a lot of interviews, finally she got a job as an assistant teacher in a small school which is too far away from her home and almost outside of Tokyo.

Luckily Arata's graduate college was not so far and they decided to live together. Both their parents approved too, as it would be economical as well as her parents approved of Arata. But it all ended in disaster for both of them, especially for Chihaya.

The school was really small and despite her insistence and force, not a single student was interested in Karuta. And also she couldn't go to Mizusawa as it is two hours to commute there, so she could only visit on competition days to give her support for the team. And Arata also took a break from Karuta and forfeited his Meijin title to concentrate on his post-graduation studies.

Living together is a different thing altogether, only then did she see him in a different light and vice versa. Problems arose, Chihaya felt the apartment was too small for two, Arata didn't like drooling all over the pillows or her snoring. Those are just the minor problems, the bigger problem is the lack of sparks in intimacy. She always thought that with Arata everything is too easy. But now not so much, and the intimacy they were supposed to have paled in comparison when she saw Komano-kun and Kana-chan together. Those two fit so well together, the way Kana-chan is so persistent and Komano-kun resisting her but finally relenting to her. They balanced each other so well.

She finally saw it, how wrong she is for Arata and him to her. They are too similar in character, wanting the same things mostly Karuta. Even if they don't like something about each other, they just let it be. Both of them let go without a fight. They had nothing to talk about other than Karuta. No friction led to no sparks. But she knew she loved Arata, but maybe not the living together or get married way. Arata saw it too, they grew apart despite living together. They both wanted each other, but only through Karuta. While Karuta was so passionate with Arata, living together was not as she had dreamed of.

Her relationship with Arata was crumbling, along with frustration from work, when she saw Taichi at the wedding she felt like she saw a lifeline. Maybe she could get her friend back, and everything would be back to normal. What a fool she was.

Seeing him after a long time brought back old memories, when things were so simple. She never thought how much she missed him, only when he disappeared did she realise how important he was to her. Maybe a part of her liked him as he liked her too, but she was too focused on Karuta then to realise or understand him. She is hoping that she will have another chance with Taichi, and her hopes and desires were granted when she met him again. She knew she will get him back whatever it takes.