Rereading this today, here’s how I understand the story and the ending. It’s about two men who regret never taking the chance to confess their feelings to each other. Sakura (the MC, who is alive) said he should have been the one to confess first back then, which tells us that he had already made Arimura (the ghost) aware that he used to love him too during the years he has been seeing his ghost. He admitted that he always left everything to Arimura, which is why this unfortunate situation happened.
When Arimura (ghost) answered that it was impossible for Sakura to say “I love you” first because he wouldn’t even accept his invitations to drink or go mountain climbing, Sakura replied that while Arimura was still lingering with regrets, he had already changed. Basically, Sakura is saying: “I used to deny my feelings for you, but I’ve changed as a person. Many years have passed and things have changed. You’re still lingering with regrets, but I've accepted it."
After that, Arimura is no longer in the room, so we can infer that he finally let go of his regrets after knowing that Sakura had also moved on from their mutual regret.
But Sakura is later shown much older and still returning to that room. This means that he only said those things to give Arimura the reassurance he needed to move on, even though he himself had not truly moved on. He still regrets that he “did not take the first step to confess” before Arimura died and says he is still not finished “clearing his debts from the past.”
So, while Sakura helped Arimura attain peace, he himself is still not at peace and continues to carry his own regret. He said himself that “it’s going to take a little more time” to clear his debts, probably for the rest of his life until he dies and get reunited with Arimura.
I can't find much information about this manga, but chatgpt (yes, take this with a grain of salt) says that Hidaka Shoko, the author, apparently included an afterword joking about how Arimura (the ghost) never really passes on and might still be lingering around Sakura (the MC). And this was also my theory while reading the manga. I think he just disappeared to reassure Sakura that he is at peace and has moved on from their mutual regret. But he's still there with him. Or, to put the author's foreword less literally, Arimura's love remained with Sakura, so he’s never truly gone.
This story is sad but they still both love each other, and I want to think they'll reunite in the afterlife or in their next life.
It has left us with a good moral lesson: It’s better to be brave and honest about your feelings than to spend the rest of your life regretting. The fear of rejection or being shamed is better than living with the regret of never having said what you truly felt. I know it's scary, but I think even if someone rejects or shames you, that love is not wasted.
This is a masterpiece. In just 8 pages, the author managed to make us think deeply and reflect on love, regret, and the importance of being honest about our feelings.
Rereading this today, here’s how I understand the story and the ending. It’s about two men who regret never taking the chance to confess their feelings to each other. Sakura (the MC, who is alive) said he should have been the one to confess first back then, which tells us that he had already made Arimura (the ghost) aware that he used to love him too during the years he has been seeing his ghost. He admitted that he always left everything to Arimura, which is why this unfortunate situation happened.
When Arimura (ghost) answered that it was impossible for Sakura to say “I love you” first because he wouldn’t even accept his invitations to drink or go mountain climbing, Sakura replied that while Arimura was still lingering with regrets, he had already changed. Basically, Sakura is saying: “I used to deny my feelings for you, but I’ve changed as a person. Many years have passed and things have changed. You’re still lingering with regrets, but I've accepted it."
After that, Arimura is no longer in the room, so we can infer that he finally let go of his regrets after knowing that Sakura had also moved on from their mutual regret.
But Sakura is later shown much older and still returning to that room. This means that he only said those things to give Arimura the reassurance he needed to move on, even though he himself had not truly moved on. He still regrets that he “did not take the first step to confess” before Arimura died and says he is still not finished “clearing his debts from the past.”
So, while Sakura helped Arimura attain peace, he himself is still not at peace and continues to carry his own regret. He said himself that “it’s going to take a little more time” to clear his debts, probably for the rest of his life until he dies and get reunited with Arimura.
I can't find much information about this manga, but chatgpt (yes, take this with a grain of salt) says that Hidaka Shoko, the author, apparently included an afterword joking about how Arimura (the ghost) never really passes on and might still be lingering around Sakura (the MC). And this was also my theory while reading the manga. I think he just disappeared to reassure Sakura that he is at peace and has moved on from their mutual regret. But he's still there with him. Or, to put the author's foreword less literally, Arimura's love remained with Sakura, so he’s never truly gone.
This story is sad but they still both love each other, and I want to think they'll reunite in the afterlife or in their next life.
It has left us with a good moral lesson: It’s better to be brave and honest about your feelings than to spend the rest of your life regretting. The fear of rejection or being shamed is better than living with the regret of never having said what you truly felt. I know it's scary, but I think even if someone rejects or shames you, that love is not wasted.
This is a masterpiece. In just 8 pages, the author managed to make us think deeply and reflect on love, regret, and the importance of being honest about our feelings.