Who is "He"?

The man's every feature, the slight smile on his face, and the pure happiness on both their faces kept haunting Yuki as she went about her daily life. She knew that he was most definitely her grandmother's past lover, but she could not understand why her grandmother would keep pictures of him, even after so long. She pondered over whether to ask her grandfather, but in the end decided to play it safe and ask her mother first.

"Mum, do you know anything about grandma's past? Did she have another boyfriend before grandpa?"

"Hm? Why the sudden interest in your grandmother's past love interests?" Airi laughed while asking. "Well, honestly I'm not too sure about it. I know about your grandmother and grandfather's romance, and your grandfather often said that your grandmother is his one and only love. Your grandmother, on the other hand, has never revealed much about her love life," Airi mused. "But I do suspect that your grandmother had a lover before dating your grandfather."

"Why do you think so?" Yuki questioned.

"Well, I remember stumbling across a particular scene when I was younger. I had snuck downstairs past bedtime when I heard your grandmother and grandfather talking in the living room. They had a really serious air about them and I was kind of intimidated. So, I hid and eavesdropped on their conversation. Although I don't really remember much about what they said, but I remember your grandfather asking with a forlorn expression, 'Do you still miss him? Do you regret?'."

Yuki was reeling internally from the shock. "What was grandma's reply?"

"I couldn't hear. But if you're really curious, you should ask your grandfather. I'm sure he can tell you more," Airi replied lightly. Seeing that her mother really did not know anything more, Yuki reined in her curiosity. Instead, she decided to ask her grandfather the next chance she had.

Arianna's condition had stabilized but she was still asleep most of the time. Although her condition was yet to be out of the woods, Yuki and her family felt a sense of relief, strongly believing that Arianna would recover soon. However, as Kosuke, Yuki's grandfather, spent most of his time by Arianna's side, Yuki did not have the opportunity to ask him about the identity of the man in the picture.

Time passed, and soon Arianna's condition was starting to improve and her recovery was progressing smoothly. One day, when Yuki and her grandfather were at the hospital alone while her grandmother was at her physiotherapy session, Yuki took out her phone and called up a hologram of the picture.

"Grandpa, do you know who this man is?" Yuki asked.

"Hm?" Kosuke murmured distractedly. However, one look at the picture made his face turn pale. "Wh… Where did… Where did you get this picture from?"

"I discovered it when I was cleaning the attic. Grandpa, who is he? Why do you seem so anxious?" Yuki queried.

"Go ask your grandmother later. I'm sure she'll tell you what you want to know." Kosuke murmured as his face was adorned with a small sad smile.

Yuki was at a loss. She could not understand why her grandfather refused to tell her who the man was. "Even if it was a past lover, why would grandpa be so secretive? Unless… grandma had cheated on grandpa with this man? No no no, surely that's impossible, they always seem so in love and so happy together…" Yuki vigorously shook her head to rid her mind of excess thoughts. "I shouldn't jump to my conclusions before hearing from grandma." Yuki was adamant in getting to the bottom of the matter.

When Arianna was brought back to the ward after her physiotherapy session, Yuki was extremely fidgety as she could hardly wait for the nurse to leave the room. Once they were alone, Yuki whipped out her phone and pulled out the hologram picture. Showing it to her grandmother, she anxiously asked, "Grandma, I found this picture in the attic. Who is this man? Mum doesn't know, and grandpa refuses to tell me. Could you please tell me who he is?"

Upon seeing the hologram picture, Arianna gasped, and a myriad of emotions flashed across her face. Overcome with emotion, Arianna choked out a name.

"Yuutarou…"