# 047. Hello, Hello and Hello

## 01. Volume 01

### 001. Hello, Hello and Hello

## Prologue

This is the one week love story I (boku) lost 214 times.

And—

This is the love story I (watashi) obtained which spanned four years.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. I—”

A girl I did not know of called out to me.

It was a voice as warm as the spring sun, as gentle as the breeze lifting the flowers.

Thinking back about it, that voice was the first thing that attracted me.

The hour hand passed 10, and it was 11pm.

My shoulder bag was filled with textbooks, the belt of the bag sinking deep into my shoulder, causing pain. My stomach was rumbling away. Normally, I would have returned home at this time.

But on that day, I wandered aimlessly around town.

What happened hours ago could not leave my mind.

The truly earnest eyes I ran away from.

The strong emotions.

Back in the dim classroom after school, my classmate, Akane Rindou said to me,

“I like you, Haru. Please go out with me.”

Her face was completely red, and her shoulders were quivering before me. Her voice alone was loud, unfaltering.

She was as charming and pretty as usual.

Really, really pretty.

Thus, it’d be great if I said that I liked her back.

In fact, I was a little admiring of Akane. However, the feelings I had for her was different from hers. It didn’t matter whether it was the color, the shape, the weight, or even the types.

The feelings we harbored for each other were of unequal values.

That fact alone prevented our feelings from reaching each other.

“Sorry.”

I swallowed my saliva that quenched my parched throat, and eked out these words.

Akane’s head lowered slowly, and finally dropped. The long hair covering her shoulders covered her expression. Even though, Akane tried to speak up a few times, but her thoughts were merely conveyed in breaths, unable to form words.

I too could not say anything as I lowered my head, and escaped the empty classroom.

I forgot everything that happened after that. Part of my mind was numb, unable to move. I didn’t return home, and merely wandered about.

It was winter, but my back was soaked in sweat. The world in my eyes was without focus, shaking about. My feet seemed to have forgotten how to stop as I kept moving forward again and again.

And so, I finally stopped after walking to an ordinary space.

For it was not the billboard, which had changed sometime back, that I noticed.

This place had been vacant for many years, but it seemed a building would be built starting next season. I see. So this place will be gone? I didn’t know if I should consider them memories, but this was a place I had some memories of.

It was the place I buried a cat at.

A beautiful cat with pure white fur.

The white cat had closed its eyes, looking asleep when I touched its little body with my fingertips. It was then, that for the first time in my life, I understood that concept. Yes, no life exists in it. It was just a hollow husk. Stiff, heavy, colder than anything.

What appeared before the middle schooler me was ‘death’.

I was powerless before this.

And like most people on this world, I poured dirt upon the white body just to get my heart to relax, and clapped my hands together. That happened about four years ago.

By the time I realized it, my feet had stumbled towards the center of the space. Maybe I should clap my hands together to pray again. It would be a perfect opportunity to end this never-ending escape, so I thought.

And it was there that I met her.

It was a pretty girl as white as the cat. Her skin was white as snow, her cheeks as red as apples. The long hair had snowflakes resting on her hair.

A snowflake touched the face of this girl, whose name I knew not of, and it melted away. She was smiling blissfully, yet because of that one snowflake, she appeared to be crying.

Her finely-shaped lips moved, finally composing pure white words.

--Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you.

Why was that?

Why was it that Akane’s words did not move me at all, but a stranger girl easily got me moving? Aspects like composure and rationality were shredded apart at that moment.

Before those emotions, I was utterly powerless.

Upon hearing my answer, she smiled.

She seemed really happy.

And also, a little forlorn.

It was winter, in my third year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

This was my encounter with Yuki.

Thus,

Yes, because of that, I knew nothing.

Nothing of Yuki’s feelings when she confessed to me back then.

Nothing of the determination Yuki had at that moment when she decided to smile before me.

Nothing of what Yuki gave me, of the things that melted and fell from my hands.

Really, I knew of nothing at all.

## Contact 92 - The Promise That Existed Nowhere

“It’s sudden, but can I request something from you?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It happened when I was on the way home from school.

I heard a delightful voice, one that I knew I wouldn't be able to forget.

“I want you to bring me to the movies.”

I was at the old bus stop I had been familiar with since I was young; the faded zinc sheets, the wooden bench continually exposed to the weather.

Standing next to them was an unfamiliar girl.

The street lights were somewhere between orange and yellow, draping the girl’s nice body in gold, bringing her out from the darkness. Even the somewhat old lights made her out to be some kind of sacred being when shining upon her.

She tilted her head cutely, probably because I remained silent.

“You didn’t hear me?”

Before I knew it, the me reflected in the girl’s eyes looked a lot larger than before. They’re close, real close. Why’s she able to just approach me so casually. Feeling disturbed, I gulped, the saliva doing nothing to quench my thirst.

“No, I heard you.”

My voice was a lot softer than I wanted, hoarse even.

This time, it was I who was worried if she heard me.

“Really? That’s good.” This time however, it was the girl who said that, patting down her ample breasts. It appeared my message did reach her.

“I’m Shiina Yuki. Nice to meet you, Haruyoshi-kun.”

“Huh? Hello. Erm, Shiina-san?”

“Call me Yuki.”

Shiina Yuki beamed. She’s really a shockingly cute girl.

The hair reaching her shoulders seemed ironed, a little curly. Her skin was white as snow. Because of this, her fine, blood red lips looked alluring despite her not having any accessories on.

When a gust of wind blew, her hair fluttered. What is this scent? After thinking for a moment, I had an answer. Yeah, it’s the fragrance of cherry blossoms.

The moment I found this answer, what struck my heart was a sudden torrent of emotions: pain, agony, searing heat. My heart tightened.

I put my hand on the left chest of my uniform, and at the same time, called out her name as she had wished. Yes, I really am trying to bluff my way out of things I should be doing.

“Yuki, you said you want me to bring you to the movies. What’s going on?”

“You’ll be going to watch a movie tomorrow, right?”

“……Tomorrow’s a school day.”

“Yes, I know. But your high school will be closed tomorrow to celebrate its founding.”

Yuki's tone was matter-of-fact. Tomorrow’s set lunch is curry, it’s written on the menu. That’s the manner in which she replied.

“You’ll use this vacation to watch a movie, right? You have two tickets. Or have you asked someone out?”

“How do you know, Yuki? I never mentioned it to anyone.”

I recalled back to a few days ago, when my friends invited me out. I rejected them, saying that I had something important. Akane in particular fervently questioned why; since you’re going out alone, bring me along. Nevertheless, I never mentioned the reason.

I didn’t want an acquaintance to notice us together, and watching a movie with her would just lead to an interrogation. Obviously, I’ll be teased about this matter years later.

The girl before my eyes seemingly failed to comprehend my emotions as she smiled.

“Uu, hmm. I think I'll keep it a secret”

“Why?”

“Because, a girl with secrets should be more attractive, right?”

It appeared she had no intention of answering me directly.

I tried waiting for a while, but I didn’t get a decent answer. Yuki merely stood there, smiling, knowing that I was waiting for her reply, but choosing to remain silent.

In this battle of patience, I lost.

“I didn’t ask anyone out. Got two tickets on hand.”

“Then bring me along.”

“Why do you want to see the movie?”

“……I promised to watch it.”

“Promised who?”

Yuki continued to smile. I didn’t know if it was just me, but her smile seemed a little sadder than before.

I looked up at the sky, and so did Yuki.

Without me noticing, the darkness in the sky had become very deep.

The clouds in the night sky were thin and few, and many stars sparkled. It would be really cool if I could find just one constellation here. Unfortunately, I don’t have any such knowledge.

I found nothing in the vast, endless night sky.

“I see. So you promised.”

“Yes.”

“Since it’s a promise, I can only go along with that.” I tried saying this instead of talking about the constellations. It’s embarrassing, but I was spent just from saying this line.

“Ok. Let’s go together then, Yuki.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“I remember there’s a train ride at 10.10. Shall we meet up at the gantry?”

“Mn, sounds great. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!”

We waved, bidding each other goodbye.

Yuki went off down the street in the opposite direction. Soon, her petite silhouette vanished.

I watched her until she vanished, before moving on.

My mind was filled with the girl I had just met, and she lingered for a long, long time.

The fragrance of Spring, the slender body, the fine fingers moving through the hair fluttering in the wind, resembling a piece of glass art. The long, narrow eyebrows, the pitch black eyes, the nicely shaped red lips. So I recalled, and then——

The moment Yuki’s voice echoed in my mind, I stopped.

For a question floated to the front of my mind.

“Did I tell her my name?”

Of course, nobody would answer. Yuki’s pleased smile as she sidestepped the issue remained in my mind.

That happened in Autumn, during my first year of High School.

This was how I encountered Shiina Yuki.

I arrived at the station 30 minutes early, but it was Yuki who arrived earlier. We could probably ride in on an earlier train.

I wanted to run towards Yuki, but I hesitated, no longer sure if I should approach her.

Her back was leaning on a pillar, looking into an empty void. Her sidelong face had the disposition of an artistic masterpiece, giving her an unapproachable vibe.

Looking closer, I could see many people peek towards her from time to time, but none dared to speak to her. It takes a lot of courage to go up and talk to her.

I gulped, rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants, forced my legs to move towards her, slowly raised my hand, and finally managed to talk to her.

“Good morning. You’re really early.”

Yuki turned around at the sound of my voice. Her palms pushed off the pillar, and she hurried towards me.

“Have you waited for long?”

“No. I just arrived.”

“Ehehe,” Yuki giggled.

The thorns around her vanished before I knew it. I heaved a sigh of relief, and the heat rising from the bottom of my lungs seemingly merged into the clear air.

“Sorry, I’ll take note of it next time. It’s not good to keep a girl waiting.”

“You don’t have to worry. You’re really sincere there, Yoshi-kun.”

“Yoshi-kun?”

“Yes. Haruyoshi, so Yoshi-kun. Can’t I call you that?”

“Not that you can’t but I never had anyone call me that before.”

Normally, I’m either called Segawa or Haru.

My little sister Natsuna and my parents call me Haru. I’m a little uneasy to be called something different for the first time.

“Then this is my personal way of addressing you.”

Yuki smiled, showing her white teeth, and pulled my arm towards her.

I barely managed to maintain my balance and avoid falling forward. The distance between us decreased by a step or so.

Yuki’s small, cold hand seemed to rob me of my warmth as she grabbed onto my wrist. I felt hot just from being grabbed. I was unable to look up, and merely continued to stare at the dirty tips of my shoes.

“Okay, let’s go then, Yoshi-kun.”

The moment she said this, I thought of something I forgot to ask yesterday.

“Anyway, do you know where we’re going today?”

The movie I was going to see on this day was different. To describe it, well, it’s different from those movies heavily featured on the TV ads, and it’s not aired at a cinema either.

But Yuki ignored all of my concerns.

“That’s a weird question. We’re going to Yasaka University, right?”

There’s a town two stations from where I’m living, with lots of slopes. Yasaka University’s located at the longest slope in that town.

In fact, after reaching the closest train station, we will still need to take the bus.

“Ah, it’s there, right, Yoshi-kun? Here, have a look?”

Yuki said. We were almost ten minutes into our bus ride.

There was a large gate where she was pointing, and a large sign.

The sign contained colourful popup words “60th Aksho Festival’.

This Yasaka University began holding this one week festival since Sunday. The tickets I had are for the ‘movie club's self-produced film’ airing during this culture festival.

I forgot if it happened a year ago, or at least half, but due to a certain incident, I so happened to obtain these two tickets.

The moment I entered the school gates, I felt a sudden change in the atmosphere around me.

There was an infrequent sight of the leaves colored in Autumn, and beneath them,

There were many stalls on display in the school, along with the intense riff of guitars from afar. For a YOSAKOI, the clappers sounded delightful. It really seemed like a real festival.

I received a pamphlet from a young woman, and immediately flipped through it, intending to check the schedule of the movie. It’s a 30 minute short film, and including break time, it airs once every one and a half hours.

There’s ten minutes until the next airing. I checked the location on the map, and if we hurry, we might be able to make it. I continued to flip through, wanting to confirm the route there, but my pamphlet got snatched away.

I lifted my hands, and found Yuki holding a pamphlet in each hand.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m asking you that, Yoshi-kun. What are you doing?”

“Doing what…looking for where the movie screening is, of course?”

“Haa.” Yuki sighed, shaking her head as she gave a ‘you don’t understand’ look.

“We can just explore and find that place. More importantly, this is a rare festival. Stalls, performing bands, and haunted houses. If you ignore them all and go straight to your destination, it’ll be a waste. Karma will strike you, know?”

“I don’t want to be hit by karma.”

“Then let’s walk around. It’ll be fun. Come on, let’s go!”

That’s how we started walking around the festival.

Yuki sniffed around the stalls corner with her little nose, and when she was finally tempted by a fragrance, she queued at the crepes shop. She couldn't decide whether she should add strawberries or chocolate bananas, so she chose both. I personally chose chestnut to fit with the autumn theme.

“It’s amazing that you’re able to eat two.”

“Seeds du go indo amoda starbuck.”

Yuki’s mouth was stuffed with crepes, her cheeks puffed. What she said sounded alien, though I never met an alien myself.

“What are you saying?”

This time, she began to close her mouth, and chew carefully. However, she seemed reluctant as she slowly swallowed the crepes, and with cream still on the side of her lips, she emphasized once again,

“Sweets do go into another stomach.”

“Yuki, you got cream on your lips.

“Ah, sorry. This side?”

“The other.”

“This side huh?”

Yuki tried wiping hard with her palm, but she did not wipe the cream.

“Hold on.”

I took a piece of pocket tissue, and wiped her mouth. She let me do so without resistance, but she was always eyeing more the next opportunity to take a bite. I had to remind her “It’s not off yet. Wait.” Seriously, girls are such creatures. I do like sweets myself, but their passionate easily exceeds the like I have.

“Alright, done..”

“Thanks, Yoshi-kun. You’re well prepared..”

“It’s fine, just a tissue. I think high school students normally have them around.”

“I’m almost 17, but I never brought any before.”

“So you’re older than me by a year, Yuki?”

“Yes. I’m your senior, so you have to respect me.”

“There’s no respect to speak of when you still have cream on your mouth.”

“No way! There’s still more?”

I saw Yuki rub her mouth flusteredly, and chuckled. Her white skin reddened slightly, probably because she panicked and rubbed too hard. Even the cheeks, which were not rubbed, were a little red.

“Kuku, it’s gone..”

“Uu. You’re so mean, Yoshi-kun. Really mean..”

Yuki pouted as she walked before me.

She had a slender back, fluffy hair, and thin legs reaching out from her skirt. I tailed Yuki from a little distance, wanting to eye them a little more.

But Yuki went straight for the library, and began to marvel at the exhibits of the photography club, and I had to chase after her in an instant.

We marvelled at the many monochrome photos lined together—talking about the work we both liked.

I chose a photo of a man jumping on a beach, while Yuki chose a photo of a girl alone on the shopping street.

The lonely girl was cut away from the vast world, looking so helpless. It’s definitely a nice picture wanting to convey something, but it didn’t match my impression of Yuki. I thought she’ll be like me, and would choose a photo filled with life.

“Really?”

Yuki’s soft voice in the library sparsely filled with people.

“But this is definitely me.”

We went to the arts club store, bought a few doujins, and read them together while next to each other. Our tastes in novels are similar, and we like the same works.

Then, Yuki noticed something, and approached it without hesitation. Before I realized, we’re at furthest end of the school, far away from the noise. There’s an old building deep inside, and Yuki eyed at the building that appeared to be secretly built, muttering, “what’s that building for?”

The originally white building had changed colors due to the many years of weathering, and on the walls, there were plants whose names I didn’t know of. The green stuff’s probably moss. Anyway, the building such seem so unapproachable.

I wanted to call for Yuki to return, but at this moment,

“Ah, the boy there. Hold on a moment.”

I was called out by this slightly familiar voice, by this familiar sounding line.

Even after a long time, I could recognize that muscular body.

He had a messy 3 days stubble, his hair was tied behind his head, and he was showing childish, dazzling eyes between his long bangs.

It’s been at least a year since we met, but he’s exactly the same.

It’s the director.

The director of the movie we’re going to see today.

And the person who gave me these two tickets.

❀

I first met the director during winter break, while I was still in middle school.

Club activities were suspended, and I was alone, with nothing to do, so I went strolling in the park nearby.

There would be many visitors at the park during the vacation and the evening, but it’s very quiet on a normal workday. It made me a little lonely.

Breaking this silence was an exceptionally gruff voice.

“Ah, the boy there. Hold on a moment.”

“Eh?”

I was called out, and turned to the voice. I saw a muscular man, much older than I was, running towards me. I could hear the frantic sound effects of a person running. I knew he was in a fix, so I stopped without thinking——that was a mistake.

That man was huffing so hard, he was almost dying. He went behind me, and suddenly grabbed me by the elbow.

“Ahh——I’m saved. Please come along with us.”

“Wh-what’s going on?

“We’re filming a movie, but we don’t have enough actors for the last scene. It’s causing us lots of trouble.”

“No no no, hold on. I don’t get what you mean.”

“You don't get what I mean?”

The man turned towards me with bewilderment. I took a closer look at his face, and saw that he was still fairly young. He was probably in his twenties, at the phase when I should call him a young man.

“I don’t.”

“As I said, you’ll be a temporary actor for a movie.”

“That’s not what I don’t understand. I’m saying that I don’t know why I have to come along with you.”

“Didn’t I just say why? If you don’t come along, I’ll be in real trouble..”

“…Huh?”

“That’s how it is. Let’s go.”

“No, wait,”

Just like that, I was dragged off by him.

Everything I said thereafter was a waste of effort. There was an overwhelming difference in strength, and no matter how I resisted, I couldn’t escape. Three minutes into my struggle, I gave up.

I was left at his whim, either to be roasted or fried.

It appeared the man who called me was the director of this work. He showed a different expression from what I had seen, the aura around him changing drastically. I felt really annoyed to think that he was a little cool.

The filming scene was at the bench in the park.

I was assigned the role of passer-by A.

All I had to do was to follow behind the protagonist. I had no lines or actions. Even so, I was instructed to do a series of actions, where I should look at what time, how fast I should be walking.

We were filming a single scene, so I carelessly thought I could go home once I was done, but the reality was that I was caught in a four hour deadlock, due to the many retakes.

The sky was dark blue when they started collecting the equipment. In another 10 minutes or so, the world will be plunged into darkness, more even in a blink of an eye. See, night is coming.

“So you’re here. Good work there..”

I looked towards the voice and found the director walking towards me. It seemed he had been looking for me for quite a while.

“It took quite a long time.”

“You really helped me out. Well, you only appeared for like 10 seconds or so, but I really didn’t want to compromise on the quality, so I dragged it out. Oh yeah, this is for you. As a gift of thanks.”

Saying that, the director took out a can of corn soup. The weather’s cold after the sunset, so I accepted gratefully. The soup’s still warm. As I held the can with both hands, I felt the warmth spreading in my palms.

“Thank you very much.”

“Also, these tickets are for you. There’ll be a public screening during the culture festival next Autumn, so do come by to watch”

“Next year? Not this year?”

“The production probably won’t be finished this year. Once this is done next year, I’ll be graduating.”

The rectangular color paper had the words “60th Akiho Festival Movie Screening Ticket”. The ‘59th’ had two strikethroughs over them, and the ‘60th’ written above were larger than the other words, as though conveying the director’s determination.

By the side of the words was the name of the university and the crest. The rectangular red words ‘Yasaka University’ were a little blurry. I had heard of rumors about the school, like it’s built on a demonic slope or something.

“But there are two tickets..”

“It’s a romance film. If you have a girl you like, invite her along..”

Just like this, I had two tickets and a can of corn soup. It’s a cheap payout compared to the four hours of work. But well, it’s a valuable experience, so whatever.

I saw the director wave as he left with his back facing me, drinking the soup. For this cat-tongued me, the warm soup was just right. It flowed past my throat, and immediately after, I felt a gentle warmness spreading through my belly.

The brightest star was sparkling in the sky.

It seemed to be the leading star.

So I started walking towards the little light of Venus.

❀

“You’re here, boy.”

The director called for us, his muscular body taking up two thirds of the bench or so. There were a dozen or so tickets messily laid out on the table, along with a promotional pamphlet for the Akiho Festival, and so. There’s a movie magazine, probably flipped through lots of times as the actress’ face on the cover was disfigured.

“It’s been a while. Is the movie airing here?”

“Yeah. The innermost room of this clubroom building is our clubroom. It’s on the second floor. Hm?”

At this moment, the director finally noticed Yuki, it seemed. Like a man possessed, he sized her up several times. Then, he averted his eyes, and called out to me.

“Boy, a word.”

“Huh?”

I went towards the director as he said, and he dragged me to the end of the building.

We’re some distance away from Yuki, so even at normal volume, our voices probably wouldn’t reach her. However, “What’s with that girl? Isn’t she super cute?” the director whispered softer than a mosquito.

“What’s her relationship with you?”

“Friends, I guess. She seems like she wants to see this movie no matter what. I don't know how she got wind of me having two tickets, but I brought her along.”

“A fan of mine?”

The director eyed sideways, smirking.

“Guess not. She told me she promised someone that she’ll see this movie.”

I had enough of the director’s leery face, so I had to insistently deny.

“Promised who?”

“Who knows?”

Both of us looked towards Yuki in unison.

Yuki was flipping through the magazine on the bench. She’s probably not reading, just flipping through. Probably enjoying the feeling of paper and the sound.

“She’s like a painting.”

The director marvelled as he appraised her, muttering,

“Such girls are rare. She’s not just cute or pretty, she has a certain charm that attracts attention. It’s a really rare thing. So boy, mind negotiating for her to appear in a movie?”

“I’m not going to. Can’t you just ask her yourself?”

“Well, but..”

“What do you mean, but?”

“…I’ll be hurt if such a cute girl rejects me.”

“Huh?”

I really, seriously did show an outraged look.

Hold on a moment. What’s this guy saying? And what happened to the crazy guy who dragged me away that year?

“Aren’t guys such creatures? We become weak in the face of beauties.”

“Why are you saying it like it’s a motto?”

I couldn’t help but retort, and the large eyes of the director stared at me intently.

“You've changed, boy.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah, you’ve changed. The old you, well, how do I put it? Easy to deal with. It’s like if I begged you, you'd agree to do anything. You’re a little different now. You’re able to express yourself..”

“Is that a good thing?”

“That’s definitely a good thing. Those that go with the flow can’t catch anything. If you want something, you need to grab it with your hands, even if it’s by force. That’s how it is, so please. I’ll get down on my knees and beg if you continue to refuse. But you’re just going to refuse me again, so.”

Why be so forceful to me? Can’t you do that to Yuki?

Well, I’m a guy. Can’t say that I don’t understand what the director’s feeling.

“Well, so be it. I’ll introduce her to you, but you will have to ask her yourself.”

“Tch, got it.”

“Yuki.”

I called for Yuki’s name, and she closed the magazine, her body swaying side by side as she approached us.

“Finished whispering?”

“Yeah, basically, he gave me the tickets, and he’s the director of this movie we’re going to see. Seems like he wants to ask for something from you.”

“Ask me?”

“Speak up, director.”

“Oh, yeah.”

I nudged hard at his large back.

It’s like a rock: hard, solid, and unmoving. Even so, my little nudge might have motivated him to move forward.

“Th-th-thank you very much for coming to see this movie today!”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to today’s movie.”

Yuki smiled, and the director blushed, his body shaking. He’s already at his mental limit, huh? Never expected that.

Feeling that he was helpless, I was about to speak up for the director, only for him to say,

“And erm, erm, if it’s okay, can I get you to act in my movie next time?”

He reached his massive hand out towards Yuki.

“Please?”

“hmm.”

“No can do?”

“hmm.”

“So is it a yes?”

Yuki smiled impishly.

“Anyway, I can decide after watching the movie, right?”

That was the smile of a little devil.

There were twelve chairs in a room large enough for twenty. Four chairs to a row, three rows. We were seated in the second row, and the chairs were wobbly, probably because the floor was old. Other than us, there were another three people. When the movie began screening, the lights in the room were switched off.

Then, aired on the screen commonly used during lessons was a visual.

The movie depicts a typical daily life, the encounter of a boy and a girl, their breakup, and their encounter again. It was a simple and common story.

There was no alien invasion, no monster destroying the world. The world wasn’t in any crisis, but there was clearly something in the movie.

The scene I appeared in was the important one, when the duo, after having a huge argument, regretted their actions, and reunited at the bench in the park. I was far into the background, but I realized it was me, just passing by.

Yuki must have noticed my appearance, as she poked at my flank.

I grabbed her mischievous finger, and glanced towards her discreetly.

Yuki, next to me, never looked towards me, her eyes staring at the screen, looking really serious.

I might be being too harsh, but it’s just an amateur movie for a culture festival, not something meant to be watched so seriously. Why’s she being that serious?

In the darkness, her sidelong face brightened by the movie lights looked really beautiful. For the last five minutes, I was just staring at her, mesmerized.

We arrived at the bus stop at the main entrance, only to see the bus turn around a corner. The red taillights slowly got smaller, and finally vanished.

It seemed the next ride would arrive 10 minutes later.

I was seated alongside Yuki, on the plastic seats. We were the only ones here.

“Yoshi-kun, the movie really left me nervous.”

Yuki beamed, “But the movie’s really interesting.”, so she said.

“The part where the protagonist confessed was really good. I want to be confessed to passionately like that for once..”

Yuki delightedly told me what she thought, but I barely listened. There’s one thing I was more interested in than the review, and I kept thinking about it. Should I ask? Or not? After much deliberation, I couldn’t help but ask.

“In that case, why did you refuse the director?”

❀

It happened at least ten minutes ago.

The director had been outside the room, waiting for our exit.

“How’s the movie?”

“Yes, it’s really nice.”

“Really?”

He probably felt nervous before getting this answer, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief. I’m guessing he’s clenching his right fist in victory, the smile on his face dazzling.

Yuki too nodded with a smile.

“I guess the miracle never happened after all.” So she said.

“So as promised, I think I shall refuse.”

“Eh?”

Both I, who was next to her, and the smiling director never understood what Yuki was saying, and neither did we remember the reason for her saying so.

From our faces, she probably understood what we were thinking.

Yuki repeated herself, emphasizing that there’s no mistake on anyone’s part,

“Sorry, I can’t appear in your movie.”

She bowed, and hastily left the club building.

I looked back and forth between Yuki’s back and the dumbfounded director, and finally bowed towards the director as Yuki had done, before giving chase after her.

❀

“Because I promised.” So Yuki answered my question.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun, do you think there’s a scene that looks out of sorts?”

“…No.”

“In that case, I shouldn’t appear in the movie. It’s a promise after all.”

“I don’t get what you mean at all. Who did you make a promise with, and what’s the promise?”

Yuki’s eyes looked towards the slightly worn out tips of her red shoes. They touched and broke away like over and over again, like a kiss.

“Anyway, now that we’re talking about this, I’ll ask again, Yuki? Who did you make the promise to watch this movie with?”

Yuki took a deep breath, and breathed out towards the sky. She stopped her shaking legs, and stood up.

I immediately looked up towards her without thinking. Her back was facing the setting sun, so I couldn’t tell what expression she was making.

“We made a promise that exists nowhere. Nowhere in the past, present or future.”

“What’s going on? You made a promise, didn’t you, Yuki?”

“I did, but it no longer exists. Even the part about us making that promise never existed.”

“I don’t really get you, but in that case, it’s fine for you not to go with the promise, right?”

“No. It’s still very important to me.”

There was clearly something in Yuki’s voice, something stubborn. It’s not something I could settle just because I want to, and that’s the only thing I got.

Finally, the bus arrived.

Yuki reached her hand towards me, and I did my best to hold it as gently as possible, standing up from the seat. Her hand was delicate, cold, weak and fleeting. It’s so weak that if I exerted a little too much strength, I might break it.

“If possible, can I meet you tomorrow?”

“It will have to be after school, if you’re fine with that.”

“Of course.”

“See you tomorrow then.”

So we promised.

We made a promise that really existed in this world.

We were together the next day, and the following day.

We visited the bookstore, and studied at the library.

Yuki’s great at studies, and patiently explained the solutions to the questions I couldn’t solve.

Before I knew it, a week passed from the moment I met Yuki.

“You’re a good kid, Yoshi-kun.”

“Look, even if you say that, I’m not treating you to tea..”

As thanks for having her check my work, I bought a meat bun for her at the convenience store.

“Tch, you’re not treating me?”

Yuki clumsily sang, “it’s cold, it’s cold.” And we walked down the town while the lights started to brighten. “I’m scared of the cold.” So she said as she rubbed her little hands, breathing out on her fingertips. Winter was coming, and surely the tomorrow would be colder than this day.

We passed by the post office, and arrived at a place a little distant from the station. With a gentle, correcting tone, Yuki said .

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. You shouldn’t be too trusting of me, you know?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to do something cruel to you.”

Saying that, Yuki shook her head. She closed her eyes hard, and three seconds passed. She opened her eyes again, and there was a mysterious glint to them. What’s that? Confusion? Fear? Rage? Rugged determination? Finally, that light too vanished.

“No. It’s nothing. Forget about it.”

Yuki ran towards me, step by step, trying to hide her face, it seemed.

“Can we meet again tomorrow?”

It feels like Yuki will vanish, so I shouted at her back.

At that moment, Yuki quickly turned towards me. Her skirt fluttered slightly due to the turn, Her hair rose slightly, and she appeared to be dancing. Just like the day when we first met, my heart pounded tremendously, so much that it was aching.

“Ehehe. It’s the first you you started a promise with me, Yoshi-kun.”

“If that’ll make you happy, I’ll keep inviting you starting tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“I promise you.”

“I’m happy.”

Like before, I bade farewell with Yuki before the train station.

She waved hard at me, so hard that I was worried if her arm would rip off. I waved hard at her in response. The distance between us was increasing, little by little.

After some distance, Yuki put her hand down, and shouted my name,

“Yoshi-kun.”

At that moment, my body froze.

Yuki’s expression changed, and I had the impression that her smile was a lie. At the same time, she muttered something.

That delightful voice was immediately buried in the noise, and did not reach my ears.

But through the movements of her lips, I understood what she said.

At the last moment, Yuki said with an anguished look.

“――Liar.”

## Contact 33 - The Hottest Day in the Summer

“You’re really working hard.”

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened after I did five 100m sprints on the track.

It was a gentle, sweet voice, akin to the evening when the heat had just subsided.

As I had just finished a sprint, I was gasping for breath, unable to respond to her words. The girl approached me, and handed me a towel. I instinctively grabbed it, but can I really use it? I smelled the sweet scent of the fabric softener, and hesitated.

“You’re not wiping your sweat off?”

She asked while I remained silent, tilting her head cutely. Her hair was on her face, looking a little itchy. The tip of her pretty index finger stroked down her soft face, putting the fine hair behind her ear.

“Can I?”

“Of course. That's why I'm giving it to you.”

The girl smiled, looking bemused, and it made her look a lot more immature. Maybe it’s because the atmosphere around her had lightened up a little.

All the concerns in my heart immediately vanished, and the tension in my shoulders eased.

But even so, my heart was moving a little faster than usual.

Whenever I finished running, I would be panting, feeling unbearable, my heart aching in pain. I experienced this feeling hundreds, thousands of times ever since I joined the track team. But why? Why does this racing heartbeat seem a little weird, different from before?

But I didn’t know what exactly was different, in what way.

This thing…seemed to be called ambiguity. “I’ll use it then. Thanks.”

“Please do,” so the girl said.

“I’m Shiina Yuki. Nice to meet you”

“Huh? Nice to meet you. I’m Segawa Haruyoshi.”

I gave my name, “Haruyoshi, Haruyoshi.” And Shiina-san muttered it.

“Alright, I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

So she suddenly declared.

“Not Haru or something like that?”

“You don’t like it?”

“Not that you can’t, but I never had anyone call me that before. Just a little shocked to hear it.”

“If nobody called you that, isn’t it better? This is my personal way of addressing you. Oh yes, just call me Yuki.”

“Yuki-san?””

“Leave the ‘-san’. Just call me ‘Yuki’.”

“Alright then, Yuki. I got something to ask.”

Once I said that, Yuki looked away from me, and towards the guys from the soccer club. Seemed like she noticed them ogling her.

“What is it?”

“You’re not from our school, right?”

“…You figured it out, huh?”

The soccer club guys were spotted by her, and panicked as they returned to practice. “Pass! Yes! Run! Yes! Minigame! Yes.” Loud voices echoed from the field.

“Are they your friends, Yoshi-kun?”

“More like juniors, I guess. We never interact though. I’m from the track team, and those in the soccer team on good terms with me are all retired. I’m a third year after all.”

They’re probably in an air-conditioned room, cramming through the words on the textbooks, and not thinking about soccer. For us third years, the term ‘exam candidates’ really was annoying.

It was the middle of summer vacation.

The intense sunlight of the summer day dyed everything white, and I was unable to open my eyes.

The soft cream-like clouds were drifting forward.

Due to the heat, the field appeared to be floating, unsteady.

The cricket voices heard from nowhere made it sound hot and unbearable.

“So?”

“So what?”

“How did you know I’m not a student from this school?”

“Ah, it’s simple. I have no memory of you.”

“Yoshi-kun, are you able to remember the faces of everyone in school?”

Yuki was really shocked. Of course, I couldn’t possibly remember all the students’ faces.

There were many students I didn’t know, let alone the entire school. However, there’s no doubt I knew Yuki’s not a student’s of this school.

It’s simple.

She had white skin, wavy hair as fluffy as cotton candy, raised eyebrows, large, deep looking black eyes. She’s pretty special compared to all the other girls I met.

If there’s such a girl in school, there would be a huge commotion the moment she first came to school.

Picking out cute girls in the school is a necessary subject for all the boys, including me.

But I couldn’t say this reason so blatantly in front of her. “Sorta” I tried to dodge the subject.

“Hm, I failed. I even dressed up as a student of your school too.”

“Relax, I’m not telling the teacher.”

Yuki kicked lighting at a stone by her feet, and it bounced off, landing 2m away from us. She wasn’t exactly going over to kick the stone.

“No, that’s not what I’m getting at. More or less, I think I’ll be a little happier if you think of me as a classmate, Yoshi-kun?”

“What do you mean?”

“I see. So you don’t know.”

Soon after, the 3pm bell rang.

“It’s about time to start running soon, right?”

Yuki held an end of the towel wrapped around my neck, and pulled it away. My neck was a little cold without it.

“I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Yuki waved, basically telling me, “Go on”. I couldn’t ask any more, so I thanked her, and returned to the starting line.

I stood at the starting line, and took a deep breath. Before my eyes was a shadow cut out with a shaver, clinging to the ground. I glared at the guy. No matter how hard I tried to sprint, this guy’s always easily making it just before me. I could never catch up to it. It’s like a nightmare. Even so, why am I running?

“Hey.”

And before I knew it, Yuki, who wisely went to the shade under the tree, said.

“The third years in the track team should be retiring soon. Why are you still running, Yoshi-kun?”

She had practically read my mind.

I didn’t answer, and merely smiled as I placed my hand gently on the starting line, crouching down as I prepared to sprint. The ground had amply absorbed the heat from the sun, nearly burning my skin, and my fingers felt a burning sensation. Ready. So I quietly noted. BAM. I exerted strength in my legs, and started sprinting.

It happened during the summer of my third year in middle school.

Thus, I encountered Shiina Yuki.

❀

Initially, I didn’t like running .

I could get second or third in elementary school, I got seconds and thirds during the sports festival. I guess I should be proud to be second to a really fast guy, but the ones sprinting at the sports festival were all similar to me in speed. Results wise, it’s all a matter of ability.

And the reason why I joined the track team was because I met a classmate called Takeshita.

Right after I entered middle school, we switched seats for the first time, and Takeshita sat next to me, dressed in the same uniform I was unfamiliar with.

“Are we seriously wearing this every day starting today? Isn’t this hell?”

I truly understood the discomfort of having my neck touch the shirt collar, along with the urge to scratch away the itch.

For us, who had been wearing comfy, practical clothes that’s easy to move in over the past few weeks, this uniform’s too heavy and uncomfortable, and also strangely shameful.

“Yeah. Really want to get rid of this as soon as possible”

I agreed, “Oh.” Takeshita widened his eyes, before beaming with an earnest smile.

I had been a student for six years, and to a certain extent, I got the feeling, “Yep, looks like I can be friends with this guy.”

“Please take care of me”. I said to Takeshita, and shook his outstretched hand.

Takeshita had been part of the track team since elementary school. He’s usually quiet, but when it comes to club activities, he got really excited.

For example, he would talk about how he beat his rivals in the last competition, the memories of summer camp, the harsh winter training as he hated the cold and loved the heat, that there were many seniors he was familiar with.

Personally, I had no interest in athletics, but I was invited by Takeshita once to watch the track team.

Takeshita’s really fast.

In a 100m sprint, not even the third years could beat him.

The way he sprinted, nobody would think of him as the guy who got an unbelievable 13 points in the language test. His running self was a far cry from the guy who till an hour ago was trying to figure out how to destroy his answer script, not the guy who spouted such nonsense. “It’s stupid to just burn it though.”

He was really cool when he ran. Really cool.

The next day, Takeshita happily took the track team’s application form to me.

“That’s a lot more fun than you imagined, right?” Takeshita seemed a little proud when he said that.

“Yeah.” I nodded. It’s too embarrassing to say the real reason though. Well, we’re all guys. There’s no need to say everything.

In our freshmen contest, I did terribly, while Takeshita took first on the podium. He kept winning, and passed the local preliminaries as a first, even making it to the finals in the prefecture competition.

There were many competitors like Takeshita in the finals, and he really had little chance of winning to begin with, the results had many looking forward to his performances next year, or the year after. “Well, guess that’s how it is.” I remembered him saying that with a dumb smile, and the seniors cheering him on appeared a lot more unhappy.

On the day the third years retired, most of them directed their words to Takeshita. “Do your best.” “You’ll definitely make it to the Nationals.” While the seniors cheered him on with tears in their eyes, “I will.” it appeared Takeshita nodded seriously.

But soon after the second semester started, Takeshita easily quit the track team.

Takeshita never had much interest in track to begin with.

His objective was the senior two years older than he was, who graduated from the same elementary school.

Takeshita liked her.

But the outcome was that his love didn’t bear fruit.

At the end of the retirement ceremony, the senior Takeshita liked announced that she was dating the vice captain.

The first year Takeshita, the fastest in our team, lost to the third year senior who was the slowest. Ah, yeah. He lost. Even so, he was just smiling dumbfoundedly. “Congrats.” He said with a trembling voice. Thinking back, he probably was trembling with such a voice when he lost in the prefectures finals.

Even till now, I don’t know why I was so emotional. I just couldn’t forgive him however.

“Hey，Takeshita. Are you fine with that? You didn’t fight it out against him?”

Takeshita merely laughed in a silly manner.

“Are you just going to keep losing?”

I was really anxious, and yelled.

The shocked classmates around us gave me weird looks, whispering things. Back then, I ignored everything I would have usually listened to. Those were just noises. What I really wanted to hear wasn’t that. I wanted to hear the true thoughts of that classmate, that buddy on the team.

But Takeshita just gave a dumb smile, and left without a doubt.

I could no longer find the Takeshita I once admired. Left there was the same back of the guy who got 13 points in the exam. That’s not the silhouette of a winner, but a loser.

Ever since then, two years passed.

I continued to work hard on the track team. I supposed I was working hard. I wasted two whole years, and finally arrived at the place Takeshita ran at during his first year. Like the guy I once admired, I put my fingers on the starting line. The fingertips turned red as they withstood my body weight.

The gun was fired, I stomped hard off the ground, and sprinted off.

I did my best to run.

And I had no regrets about my defeat.

As an ordinary guy, I made it to the finals of the prefecture. Isn’t this enough. Ah, yeah. It’s enough. But why did I feel so hollow inside? I felt like I was going to be out of breath. The endless sweat slid down my cheeks and neck. The strong sunlight caused me to be unable to open my eyes. I took a deep breath of the scorching air, and looked at the time.

That was the best I ever ran.

That was the shortest time I took.

But it was still 0.1 second slower compared to Takeshita’s best.

❀

The next day, and the day after, Yuki looked for me. She was often holding a sports drink or ice cream.

I was supposed to ask my juniors to handle the stopwatch, but before I knew it, it ended up in Yuki’s hands.

“Ready—”

Yuki called.

I gathered my strength in my legs.

“Bang!”

At that moment, I started running immediately.

The start seemed good. My forward leaning body slowly rose. My body felt light, and my legs could take large strides forward. The impact of my feet on the ground sent my body forward, my arms swinging. Yuki appeared to be increasingly bigger. I felt a painful, burning sensation on several points on my body. I continued to take short breaths, inhaling the oxygen into my lungs.

I gritted my teeth.

I stared at the shadow before me, and gave chase.

The moment I dashed past Yuki, I heard a little ’beep’.

It’s from the other side of the finish line.

Did I make it to where I want to be?

I slowed down little by little, and stopped, my hands on my knees as I held my body up. I felt moisture seeping all over my pores. Ah damn it, it’s tiring.

“Haa, haa, haa. Ho-how is it?”

“Didn’t break your best record. Just a little more.”

“Ah—not good enough.”

I had no strength to stand, so I collapsed to the ground. There’s the smell of dirt, a smell unique to the summer, with the blazing sun. Sweat soaked my shirt, and as a result, the dirt’s sticking to my back. Whatever.

The sky’s blue, the world’s white, and the scalding sun’s burning my skin.

My body’s yearning for oxygen, gasping for breath, and my heart’s beating wildly. My chest expanded, contracted, and expanded again. I felt worn out. My body and soul seemed to be separated.

“It’s hot.”

The moment I said these words, a shadow covered my face.

“Good work. Have a little rest.”

It’s Yuki.

She was holding PET bottles, one containing an isotonic drink and tea. She asked for my preference, and I chose the former. I thanked her, sat upright, and held the PET bottle. Thank goodness she uncapped it, and I was able to drink it immediately. I gulped down about half of it at one go.

Yuki made sure not to sit down as she knelt on the ground, helping me cap and uncap the bottle. She narrowed her eyes, as though looking at the sun, and said,

“Smells like a boy.”

I brought the PET bottle to my lips once again, and this time, I drank it slowly. My throat throbbed greatly. The liquid flowed into my body.

“You’re lying on the ground? You don’t care about your clothes or hair getting dirty.”

“Well, of course I don’t really care about that. You find it dirty?”

“It's fine, isn’t it? I think it’s pretty cool.”

I started to recall the morning weather report, when the big sister reported that it’ll be hotter than yesterday, or something. After finishing the drink, I stood up.

“I’ll go wash my face. Go rest in the shade, Yuki.”

For some reason, my throat felt thirstier than before.

I went to a sink in the courtyard, where there were fewer people.

Using the faucet, I washed my head to cool myself off. My head was heavier after my hair got wet, but I felt refreshed. I then quickly washed my face, the sweat filled water entering my mouth. It tasted a little salty. I gargled, spat the water out, and left the place.

I lifted my wet, bundled hair, and rested a little in the shadow of the classroom block. “Haa.” I let out a long sigh.

I leaned my back on the wall, and closed my eyes, my mind recalling Yuki’s smile. “I think it’s pretty cool.” Her voice echoed countless times. Each time, my heart would feel happy, and at the same time, anguished.

I should be focusing on running. What’s going on?

It was the first time I experienced such feelings. Even at this point, my face’s scalding.

After a while, I opened my eyes, and saw a familiar face pass before me. The person’s giving a very gloomy look, though I might say that’s just compared to her usual look. She’s the most famous person in school who really performed during the summer competitions.

It’s Rindou Akane of the swimming team.

“Eh, Akane? What are you doing here?”

The moment Akane heard my voice and noticed my presence, her expression changed faster than the turning of a page. The gloomy face from before was buried deep within her heart, and she was showing her usual cheery face.

“Hm? Ah, it’s you, Haru. I’m resting. I left something in the classroom. Going over to pick it up now.”

“Nyahahaha.” So she laughed, but well, it’s obviously a lie. There was no way she could be headed to the classroom block in that getup.

She’s wearing only a school swimsuit.

Functionality and design wise, it was the worst design ever. No matter the gender, nobody liked these swimsuits. The cyan colored swimsuits turn black after absorbing water. She was soaking wet all over her hair and body, and clearly she had not dried herself with a towel. Her short hair gathered a little bit of water, and the water droplets fell, gliding down the skin receiving them, before landing on the ground.

“Something happen?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

“I see. Well, if anything happens, give me a shoutout. I can hear you out a little at least. Anyway, what’s with that face?”

“I’m a little shocked.” Akane said,

“Never thought I would hear such words from you, Haru.”

Really, these might not sound like what I would usually say.

“It’s summer after all. I do feel a little weird myself. No, sorry, better to forget about it.”

“No need to be so embarrassed. But well, guess you’re right. I’ll just say what I want then.”

Akane changed her direction, and went to my side.

It was an inexplicable distance that was within my grasp, yet not one I could reach just by stretching my hand out. At the same time, I could smell salt from Akane, no, the smell of the swimming pool.

Akane, leaning on the wall in the same posture as me, sighed as well. Ah, it’s so cold. She muttered to herself, and took a deep breath. I thought she would say something, but the silence continued for a while.

The sound of some wind instruments came from somewhere. I looked around, and found two girls at the window on the second floor corridor, blowing trumpets. The sounds from the high pitched trumpets drifted towards the lust greenery of the summer.

Once the performance ended, Akane spoke up.

“Well actually, I can’t really say that something happened. I just can’t bring out the motivation I had before. When I made the Nationals in the last tournament, I made a new personal best, and just feel a little burned out. Just today, the teacher asked me to guide the juniors, but I …”

Can’t swim like before.

Her voice trailed off at the end, almost inaudible.

Akane expressed herself. “it’s fine.” And I muttered. I knew that Akane was looking at me, but I was looking at those two from the wind instrument club. There’s no encore yet.

“Because well, aren’t you still swimming, Akane?”

“Swimming’s a habit of mine, like toothbrushing. I feel a little uneasy if I don’t swim.”

“Right. So the light’s still there. It may become smaller, harder to see, but it’s not put out. I’ll say this as many times as I need. There’s no doubt you can go to a further place, Akane.”

Akane’s different from Takeshita and I.

She’s swimming for real.

Though I didn’t say out the last two lines.

“…Feels like you’ve changed, Haru.”

“How so?” so I asked. “Back then, you wouldn’t say such things.” So she replied.

“If it were the old you, Haru, there’s no way you would have greeted me if I haven’t noticed you. I don’t know how many times I’ve been ignored by you. Even with everyone around, you would just stand by the side and watch everyone. You would then give some ambiguous lines with some really fake smile. That was different though. I know. These were your true thoughts, Haru. This might be the first time you’re saying what you really feel. So, hm hmm...I’m a little happy.”

“It’s the summer fault. It’s so hot out here that I’m not thinking straight and saying weird stuff. Sorry.”

“I say, you don’t have to be so embarrassed. Hm. But, yay! Since you say so, Haru, I’ll just give it a try. Ah yeah. Can I ask you for something this time?”

“If it’s something within my capabilities.”

“Do you mind saying ‘do your best’? I’m actually a simple person. If I’m cheered on, I might be able to work a little harder.”

“That’s it? Hasn’t everyone else said that to you many times?”

“No, that’s different. Say it to me. Please!”

“Got it. Do your best.”

Akane closed her eyes, seemingly trying to focus as she listened.

“Yes.”

“Do your best.”

“Yes.”

“Do your best, Akane.”

“Yep, I’ll do my best.”

Akane slowly opened her eyes, seemingly back to her normal self. Cheerful, kind, a little clumsy, and very honest. She’s as dazzling as the summer sun.

Looking at her, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

Then, Akane, who arrived by my left, turned around me and returned to where she came from.

The moment her silhouette grew smaller, for some reason, she turned towards me again. She walked out of the shade, and stood in the intense light. The water droplets all over her reflected the sunlight, and she looked really dazzling.

“Yep, I’ll do my best,”

Then, she raised a fist towards me.

“So do your best too, Haru.”

“Ah, I see.”

So I muttered.

Guess I really have to.

I felt a little itch within my heart, yet it felt so comfortable.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Just that I guess I really have to do my best.”

Hearing my reply, Akane’s cheeks turned a little red as she said gleefully,

“Isn’t that right?”

The conversation I had with Akane finally allowed me to regain some composure. I returned to the field, and that calm vanished in an instant.

Yuki was waiting under a tree by the field.

She was talking to someone.

That boy had slightly long hair, and looked pretty cool. He’s wearing the soccer team jersey, and if I remembered correctly, the name’s Sawachika. Three months ago, my classmate Satake proudly boasted that a really fast winger joined them.

Some distance away from the duo were a few guys from the soccer team, spying on them. Once one of them spotted me, they scattered in a panic.

I got a rough idea of what’s going on. It seemed Yuki was being hit on. Well, it’s not strange for her to be hit on, since she’s just standing there, looking beautiful.

If this is really the case, what should I do? What’s the right thing to do?

Suddenly, I realized.

What did I try to do?

Even I found it stupid to think of such a question.

Guess I was really acting weird due to the heat. It’s really unlike me, but well, it’s not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

I approached the duo while they were still talking. Yuki noticed me, and scuttled towards me?

“What’s wrong?”

“Just a little trouble.”

While we were talking, Sawachika approached. Yuki saw him, and ducked behind me. I in turn took a step forward.

The moment I did so, Sawachika seemed hesitant, and swallowed his words. No, that was all he could do.

For us sports club members, seniors are revered like Gods. Sawachika intentionally approached Yuki when I was not around. He probably waited for this opportunity.

With a kind smile on my face, I said to Sawachika.

“I think you’re called Sawachika, right? I guess club activities aren’t easy after the third years retired? Satake does still pop by from time to time, no?”

I didn’t really care what the conversation was about. I just wanted to let him know of my relationship with their ex-soccer team captain Satake.

Sawachika understood what I was getting at, and while feeling unhappy about it, he bowed towards me politely, and returned to his buddies at the club.

That day, after practice.

Yuki, who until yesterday would disappear when I was in the club changing room, was standing before the door, looking up at the sky. The sun was about to set, and the clouds refracted the orange light, the skies turned the land a blazing red. The diagonal sun extended Yuki’s shadow, and compared to the day, her vague, fleeting silhouette gave the impression that she would disappear the moment I looked away from her.

“Hm, what’s the matter?”

I said to Yuki, who turned towards me. Her clear hair was sparkling, and her smile was really pretty. It was the first time in my life that I found someone’s smile so pretty.

“I want to thank you for getting me out of trouble. Let’s go to the convenience store. I’ll treat you to ice cream or something.”

“No need for that. I didn’t do much anyway.”

“I’m happy, so I want to thank you. Can’t I?”

“Not that you can’t.”

“Let’s go then.”

Before I could reply, Yuki turned towards the school gate. I pursued her, and walked alongside her.

Two shadows swayed side by side, but not once did they meet. There was a gap the size of a person between us. I just felt like I was whispering a little as I talked. Why?

“Really, Yuki, you’re pretty popular.”

“That’s not true.。”

“But you were approached by Sawachika today.”

“Ah, so he’s called Sawachika-kun?”

“You never asked for his name?”

“…I forgot to ask. I guess he came to look for me because of you, Yoshi-kun.”

“No, didn’t he approach you when I wasn’t around?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. When I was really alone, nobody actually talked to me. I know I was being watched, but well, that’s all, definitely. Yep, I guess I wasn’t human back then.”

“Alone.” So Yuki muttered. Her voice sounded a little forlorn.

That loneliness of hers caused me to feel lonely as well.

“So does that mean you become a monster when I’m not around?”

I made a joke. I didn’t care if she was angry, shocked, or took me as a fool.

I just wanted her to look anything other than sad. Yes, anything else’s fine, anything but that.

I wanted her to forget her sadness and loneliness. At this point, she’s not alone, since I was walking next to her.

For a moment, Yuki was flabbergasted. “Ahahaha.” And then she burst out laughing.

Her anguish was forgotten, as I had hoped.

“Yeah. I become a monster that spits fire!”

Yuki deliberately widened her mouth, raising her eyebrows “Gyaaa!!!!” she made this sound with her all might. Seriously, I could feel the intent to destroy a town.

“You’re going to wreck the town?”

“Of course.”

“You’re going to fight the hero?”

“Of course!”

“So, you’ll only become human again when I’m around?”

“Yes…”

“Why?”

Yuki didn’t answer. I continued to ask.

“Why do you become human again only when you’re with me?”

Yuki answered with the same joking tone.

“Because you’re a weirdo, Yoshi-kun.”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re the only one who’ll talk to a weirdo like me.”

“I see.” So I went with the flow, nodding, but thinking back about it, I had no memories of being the one who talked to her. It was Yuki who spoke first as far as I knew.

“Wait, aren’t you the one who first spoke to me, Yuki?”

“Is that so?”

“Think about it. I was practicing back then. You’re the one who told me 'You’re really working hard'.”

“Ah, we’re at the convenience store. Come on, let’s go in.”

Before I could finish, Yuki grabbed my arm, and ran off. Our shadows were merged together. For some reason, Yuki’s hand was a little cold, so cold I was worried that it could melt because of my hotter than usual hand.

We bought ice cream at the convenience store, and sat in the shade in the parking lot. I hurriedly removed it from the packaging, and munched on the sugar coating. My teeth broke through, and the sweet ice flowed out. It’s delicious. I munched through the ice, and there was a comforting sound accompanying the nice, chewy feeling.

“Is this really enough? There are some more expensive ones.”

“I like this one.”

“Well, it’s delicious after all.”

It’s evening, and many passed by the convenience store. There’s a young woman taking a dog on a stroll, high school students wearing headphones. The elderly man in a suit hurrying along was probably returning to his company. Two youths on bicycles were yelling, pedaling their ways home.

“Seriously, Yoshi-kun.”

Yuki said as she stood beside me, licking the melted ice cream on her hand.

She noticed me watching her, and commented that she really couldn’t finish her ice cream.

I knew Yuki didn’t really mean that, so I waited patiently for her. Soon after, she nibbled on the wooden stick, just as I was.

“Have you ever competed against someone?”

“Eh?”

“Have you ever wanted to beat someone?”

“You know?”

“Well, I can feel it. I’ve been watching you all the time.”

“All the time?”

“All the time.”

“Ahahaha.” I started laughing to pass the vague statement off. “What are you saying?” but Yuki wasn’t laughing. She was staring intently at me.

The awkward laugh of mine melted in the summer air, slowly fading away, and finally disappeared. I stared towards the tattered tips of my shoes. Suddenly, the tips bent softly. I was a little shocked. Everything in my vision, the world I saw became vague and faltering.

For a moment, for some reason, I started talking about the issue I had intended to hide in my heart forever.

It was something I had sorted out in my mind countless times, and had come to terms with.

Finally, out from my throat, my mouth, came the words, the scattered sequences of unrelated terms—

I had a friend called Takeshita.

About how he was really fast,

That he had a senior he admired,

How that romance ended up going nowhere,

And how he just gave up on track.

My voice was cracking, my body was shaking, my vision wavering. I was just saying out the emotions from my mouth. The parking lot got darker little by little. The hot, sharp emotions took the form of words, and were continuously poking at the softest parts of my inner heart.

How much time passed after I finished what I wanted to say? Two minutes? Three minutes?

“So that’s why you started running.”

Yuki muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always running hard, Yoshi-kun, but not really fully dedicated. That might be because you admire Takeshita-kun too much, and that’s why you’re just a step away from him. Yes, I see. I finally know what I can do.”

I rubbed my face with my palms, and lifted my head. The world was colored in night before I knew it, and there were many blinking little lights behind Yuki, who stood up. She was so pretty, whether it was in the day, evening, or night.

“Hey, just to check, Yoshi-kun, do you really want to surpass Takeshita-kun’s record?”

“I started running because of that guy.”

“You’re not being honest. If you have something you want, say it. If you want to win, say that you want to win.”

“…”

“Come on. Say it.”

“I want to win. I want to beat Takeshita.”

“Right. Good. I’ll get you to beat him.”

Yuki took the stick from my hand, and replaced it with hers. The words ‘You win’ were on it. Guess it’s possible to win this lucky draw after all. It’s the first time I saw it, and I thought for sure it was an urban legend.

“You’re really lucky, Yoshi-kun. It’s like you have a Goddess of luck following you.”

While Yuki was the one saying that, she smiled bashfully. She immediately looked away before me, but as I watched her from behind, I could see her ears redden slightly.

The next day, the sudden downpour meant that I could not go to school.

The day after was the same, and the track was terrible; I could not run. Three days after I ate that ice cream, I reunited with Yuki that afternoon.

I finished my warmups, and was jogging around when Yuki showed up like usual. I saw her, and froze. She in turn raised her hand, “Hi” acting like nothing happened.

“Seems like today’s the hottest day of the summer.”

She said.

“No, that’s one thing altogether. What’s with your getup though?”

I pointed at Yuki’s clothing. For some reason, she was wearing our school’s gym clothes. The white clothes were translucent, and I could see the outline and colors of her underwear. I was thinking that I shouldn’t be looking, but I just couldn’t look away from those lines.

“I bought it.”

“So why again?”

“I might dirty my clothes today.”

“No, that’s not what I want to ask. I’m asking why you bought our school’s gym clothes?”

“If I wear this, nobody’s going to suspect my identity if I’m seen. Anyway, are you ready?”

I felt that, well, with things coming to this point, and Yuki looking a little happy, I didn’t bother to retort. I nodded. Thanks to the sudden rain from before, I had ample rest, and I was feeling fine. This was the feeling I had when I broke my record at the Prefectures.

“But can I really beat, Takeshita?”

“Yep. It’s fine. Just run full speed as you do, Yoshi-kun, and believe me. Just watch me. It’s simple, right?”

I tapped my fist towards hers, which reached out to me with confidence for some reason. After that, Yuki went to the finish line, while I went to the starting line.

Like usual, I closed my mind, and within my mind, I kept repeating the best starting method as I extended my leg tendons. I placed my hand on my wildly beating heart. I took a slow breath, and inhaled the summer air into my lungs.

I opened my eyes.

The blue sky and the daylight entered my eyes, along with Yuki standing by the finishing line.

Before I knew it, my heart calmed down.

I positioned myself on the starting line. I got ready to run. Yuki raised her hand. I looked forward.

“Ready——”

The world turned silent.

“Don!”

That was the only sound I could hear.

I started running. It was a perfect start. I maintained a forward posture as I pushed forth, accelerating as I slowly lifted my upper body. The wind blew by, and the scenery changed. I continued to dash forward with a speed I never felt before.

10m passed. 20m passed. Hah. Hah. My front foot latched onto the ground as I leaped forth.

30m passed. 40m passed. I might really be able to make it.

And the moment I ran past 50, like usual, I looked towards the shadow running before me.

It’s the shadow I could never surpass.

I had always been seeing it as Takeshita. But,

“Yoooooossssssshhhhhhiiiiiikkkkkkkkuuuuunnnn. Lift your hhhheeeeaaaaadddddd!”

Yuki shouted at me.

She’s probably not used to making such a voice. Her voice seemed to be breaking.

I lifted my head, just as she called out to me. I saw the finishing line. Her face was red as she shouted at me.

“Look forrrrwwwwwwaaaaarrrrddd”

Seriously, erm, what are you doing, Yuki?

I ended up grinning.

“I’m here!”

She waved her arms, shouting.

“Fly over here!!!”

Then Yuki exclaimed, “Just trust me, just look at me.”

So I trusted Yuki.

I just looked at her.

Ah, yeah. It’s just that simple. Because—

For every step I took, Yuki was closer to me by a step. I wanted to be faster…I wanted to get towards Yuki faster. Even if it was just a second, a moment, I wanted to be faster.

Yuki’s at the center of the world.

There’s nothing else.

One step, two steps, three steps. I definitely couldn’t slow down. More importantly, I had to be faster.

On the last step, I stepped hard onto the ground, and as Yuki said, I leapt into her open arms. It’s summer, but I scented upon the sweet fragrance of spring. It’s the fragrance of the cherry blossoms.

At that moment, I heard a ‘beep’, and at the same time, the world revolved. Eh? All that was left was the dumbfounded sound echoing in my mind.

And before I knew it, I was lying on the ground, face up. Yuki’s hands were on my neck, herself on my body. It was likely that the moment I was about to crash into her, she pinned me down below.

“It hurts—”

The impact should have hit my back, but I was aching all over. I coughed, and had difficulty breathing. The pain was unbearable, and Yuki moved away her hands from my neck, not worried about me at all. All she cared about was the palm of one of her hands. I thought she would be embracing me firmly, and exclaimed,

“What are you doing? Falling hurts.”

But Yuki didn’t care about what I said at all, her face beaming as she brought her palm to my face.

“Here, have a look.”

I didn’t know what she was saying. The important thing was that my back was hurting, and that my stomach was feeling Yuki’s ass. My reaction was a little strange, it seemed, as Yuki pouted, curling her lips.

“Can’t you be a little happier?”

“Eh. Erm, happy about what?”

“The time. Look, open your eyes.”

I spent about 10 seconds or so to comprehend what she was saying. Another 5 seconds, and I accepted the reality before me. My start was gathered upon the time shown on the stopwatch in Yuki’s hand.

It was a new 100m record.

I beat Takeshita’s record.

“Why?”

Suddenly, I cried. Appearing deep within my eyes was Yuki’s smile. The stopwatch was within my eyes. Ah, I can’t see anymore.

“Well, Yoshi-kun, I think you’ve already long surpassed Takeshita-kun, but you admired him so much that you somehow ended up running in a manner to conserve your strength. When you reach the last 50m, you would always look down. That caused you to slow down a little. You could have just looked forward, but you didn’t. No, you couldn’t do that, right? The Takeshita-kun running before you all the time is no longer before you, and you’re scared. You really admired Takeshita-kun.”

I covered my eyes with my hands, gritting my teeth. If I didn’t, lots of things would flow out. More importantly, I didn’t want Yuki to see this expression of mine.

“He’s a really amazing guy. If that guy was still running track, my speed would be nothing compared to him. That was what I wanted to see. Ah, yeah. I wanted to see the Takeshita that’s faster than he was.”

But such a person didn’t exist.

I knew that. I knew how much I worked hard, prayed for it, and had Yuki help me reach that place, but there was nothing I had hoped for. Even so——

Yuki moved my arm aside, and used her thin, long thumb to wipe away the tears in my eyes. Right, left. For every tear that was shed after, she wiped them for me.

My vision eventually cleared. I finally understood what was at the place I worked so hard to arrive at.

“Congratulations. You worked hard, Yoshi-kun.”

There was Yuki.

Her words.

I guess all my hard work had been repaid in full.

On our way back, we dropped by the convenience store again.

As thanks this time, I offered to treat her to ice cream, and she went for a 300 yen ice cream cup. No, well, it didn’t really matter. After some hesitation, I too chose the same brand of ice cream. Yuki chose strawberry flavour, while I chose rum and raisin. I guess it’s fine splurge a little, since we’re celebrating.

We sat alongside each other, at the same place, and found a cicada carcass there.

Summer was about to end.

Yuki stared at the husk without a soul, and muttered.

“Cicadas spend about 6 years waiting in the dirt.”

“The Aburazemi’s the same, it seems. I think I read somewhere that like the Aburazemi, there are cicadas that wait 17 years in the ground.”

“Yes. And within a week above ground, they’ll die. What’s the meaning of that?”

“…At least, there’s the mission of continuing to the next generation.”

“That might be the case for the females, but the males are different. A male cicada can mate with many, and so there are males unable to leave children behind. So, do you think that male has a purpose to live?”

Yuki’s words seemed poignant, so I put some thought into it, and answered,

“The meaning of life differs according to each individual, and I think this isn’t something I can agree or deny easily. But they definitely lived hard.”

“Even if they did, there’s no point to it at all.”

“I don’t think so. That’s what you taught me, Yuki. If I work hard and reach a certain destination, even if there’s nothing I wanted, there’ll be other things to find. I found it. In fact, it seems like cicadas can survive for a month.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. It’s hard to raise them, and that’s why they can’t last more than a week. That’s why many are mistaken. In fact, wild cicadas can live for about a month. That’s what the TV says, and that’s why they’ll definitely find something”

The last bit was just consolation.

It was a cheap lie I made just to get Yuki to smile.

To be honest, I really didn’t care about what happened to the cicada. Even so, if Yuki wished for it, I would pray, hoping that its life would be meaningful.

Yuki finally picked up the spoon, and brought the somewhat melted ice cream into her mouth. “Nice, nice.” She said, and I kept watching her as I opened the lid.

“Hm? Speaking of which, you found something, Yoshi-kun?”

“It’s a secret.”

Under no circumstances should I say this. Thus, that was what I answered instead.

“But I feel this summer day is one I’ll definitely never forget when I grow up.”

Even when today becomes the past, even when I grow older, even as time passes and fade.

I would never forget this summer heat,

The tears and sweat that were shed,

The sweetness of this ice cream,

The fragrance of the cherry blossoms,

And the important thing I obtained.

Yuki stared at the plastic spoon, muttering.

It was dark, and I couldn’t see her expression.

All I heard was that she seemed to be pouting—

“―Liar.”

## Contact 12 - Haru's Fragrance

“Can I trouble you for a moment?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It happened when I was at the bookstore near the station, looking for new works from my favorite author.

Her voice sounded a little sharp and forceful, probably because she was a little nervous.

“I want that book. Can you get it for me, please?”

Her slender fingertip was pointed at the tallest row on the bookshelf crammed with books. But there were covers of various colors arranged messily there. I couldn’t tell which book she was pointing to.

“Which one?”

“The one with the blue cover.”

“Ah.”

The moment I saw the book, I cried out.

It was the book I was looking for. As she had said, there was only one such book. It was placed on the bookshelf, and not the new publications corner.

“There’s a stool there.”

She didn’t notice my reaction at all as she pointed the same finger at the stool next to me. My eyes followed her finger from the rack to the stool.

And then, I looked towards the girl again.

She’s a cutie, her short hair just over her eye. She’s of similar height to me, maybe a little taller. She should be able to grab the book herself if she wanted to.

She wasn’t willing to grab it herself, because of her clothes.

She was wearing a miniskirt.

Since she’s dressed like this, there’ll be an upskirt if she stood up high. I see. Seems like girls have lots of things they have to take note of.

So I did what she told me to, moved the stool over, and reached my hand for the blue book. I wasn’t tall enough, so I tiptoed, and barely touched the shiny new cover of the book. It’s a new work from the author after a two year hiatus, and it’s in my hands. But…

Though feeling a little conflicted, I handed the book obtained with much difficulty, to her.

“Thank you.”

She embraced the book dotingly in her clutches.

“Ah, it’s okay. You like this author’s works?”

“Yep.”

“I like them too.”

I was trying not to sound too downhearted, but it seemed the girl noticed some things in my tone, for she looked a little gloomy.

“Are you looking for this book too?”

“I never thought it would be up there.”

“I couldn’t find it, so I went to ask the clerk. I was told “This should be the only one left”.”

“I see. So this is the only one left? Too bad. Guess I’ll go elsewhere to look.”

I lied with a smile.

I searched through all the other stores before coming here.

Nada.

In the rural town I lived in, the store would not hold any books unless they were prized works, to be adapted into movies, or bestselling works in the thousands, even if they were new works. It’s my fault for being too naïve to think that I could get it on the release date, and too lazy to preorder.

Looks like I have to give up.

I dropped my shoulders dejectedly, and headed towards the exit.

“Wait!”

For some reason, she called out to me.

“Eh?”

“If you don’t mind, how about I lend you this book? Once I finish it, that is.”

“Why would you lend it to me?”

“Because I like to read. I know the feeling of wanting to read a book as soon as possible.”

And while I was wondering how to answer her, she lowered her head awkwardly for some reason. “Erm, if I’m being too much of a busybody here, my apologies.” From that teeny-weeny voice of hers, I realized how much courage she needed to call out to me.

My chest suddenly became hot, and I naturally looked down.

“It’s alright. Thanks. I’m really grateful. My name’s Segawa Haruyoshi. Please take care of me.”

Upon hearing my words, she heaved a sigh of relief, and showed a bright smile.

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Segawa-kun. I'm Shiina Yuki.”

It happened in Spring, at the end of my second year in Middle School.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

Once we left the bookstore, we went to the café Shiina-san wanted to visit.

We cautiously opened the wooden door, and the bell inside chimed twice. Flowing with an air of calmness in the shop was jazz music I had never heard before, and the fragrance of coffee filled the corners of the shop.

It felt like a place for adults.

Time passed by slowly and gracefully here.

“Welcome. Oh my, what cute guests we have here.”

There’s one young, pretty girl, who seemed to be slightly older than me, in the shop. We’re the only customers. “Choose any seat you like.” The girl beamed.

I was looking around in the shop, and without hesitation, Shiina-san sat at the seats with the brightest lighting. I hurried over, and sat opposite her.

The March sunlight shining from outside the window was really warm.

I had an urge to yawn, but I gritted my teeth, holding it in. Shiina-san saw this, and giggled. “You’re like a cat.”

“We should be ordering something. What do you want, Segawa-kun?”

I looked at the menu laid out on the table, and gulped in shock.

There wasn’t much on the menu, but each item’s shockingly pricey. A can of coke’s worth 450 yen, and black tea’s worth up to 1000. Who would order such stuff? Maybe some company boss. I don’t know.

Shiina-san seemed very familiar with this place as she ordered a cup of black coffee, so I ordered the same. I had never drunk coffee.

“Here, for you. This is the book I just talked about.”

Once we placed our orders, Shiina-san took out two books from her bag. I received one of them.

It’s a book she had, not the one she just bought.

We talked about books while on our way from the bookstore to the café. During that time, Shiina-san recommended me a book.

She so happened to have the book with her, and lent it to me. While she’s reading the new work, I could spend the time reading this.

“I think you’ll like it.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Before I started reading, I flipped through a few pages. The coffee was served at this moment.

The unique, rich aroma drifted leisurely along with the steam.

“Please enjoy.”

The employee bowed towards us, and returned to the counter. The long braids behind her head swayed sideways in a jovial manner.

I looked over at her, though not consciously. For some reason, Shiina-san pouted, as though reproaching me.

“Are you looking at that girl?”

“Eh?”

“So she’s your type?”

“No. But, well, I find her pretty. Long hair’s nice, and she’s pretty feminine.”

“Hmm, so you like long hair.”

Shiina-san touched her hair, and sighed. In a familiar manner, she lifted the cup with her hands, and brought it to her lips. She added neither milk nor sugar, and looked really elegant. Even the way she drank coffee was out of a painting, it felt like.

But I had to add something here. Till this point, she was as pretty as a painting.

Shiina-san slowly brought the coffee to her lips, and the moment she gulped it down, she groaned. What’s with her?

“It’s bitter. What is this? It’s so bitter.”

“Eh? You don’t normally drink this?”

“It’s the first time I’m drinking this, actually.”

“Your first challenge is black coffee, huh?”

“But it seems like all women reading here at the café drink black coffee.”

Shiina-san groaned, looking as though she was poisoned, and reached out to the little saucer at the edge of the table. She put two cubes of sugar into the black liquid, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip. Again she winced, and added another sugar cube.

After that, she cautiously took another sip, “Yep.” And nodded happily.

“Now it’s drinkable.”

To be honest, I was a little nervous to be facing an adult-like Shiina-san, but after seeing this, I heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s really bitter.” So Shiina-san said as she kept adding sugar into the coffee, and clearly she was a girl of my age. There was no reason for me to feel nervous.

“What about you, Segawa-kun? Do you often drink coffee?”

“It’s my first time drinking this too, actually.”

I told the truth. “Ahahaha.” Shiina-san“ laughed.

“Then you’re like me. Do you want sugar? Or are you going to challenge this black coffee?”

“Well, it’s a rare chance, so I’ll accept the challenge.”

Like Shiina-san did before, I brought the coffee to my mouth without adding anything. At that moment, the scalding feeling and bitterness stung my tongue. I couldn’t help but frown. My tongue was aching. I scalded myself, it seemed. I hurriedly took a gulp of water, and put ice on the tip of my tongue.

“How is it? Very bitter?”

“I burned my tongue.”

“You’re unexpectedly careless, Segawa-kun.”

Shiina-san said as she sipped at the coffee, only for her to frown again. After some hesitation, she too cooled her tongue. I knew what happened to her. Surely her tongue’s feeling the same as me this time.

“You’re unexpectedly careless, Shiina-san.”

I commented gleefully. Shiina-san looked a little awkward as she fumbled with the ice in her mouth.

Only the sound of flipping pages echoed in the shop. Once we began reading, the employee switched off the music, and drifted off to dreamland. She looked pretty comfortable. Probably had a nice dream too, since she was smiling.

“Hey,”

I was called, and lifted my head. I saw Shiina-san close her book and look towards me. I tucked a bookmark in mine, and closed it as she did. The coffee cups on the table were empty, and the glasses of water next to us were half empty.

“What is it?”

“How do you write the kanji ‘Haru Yoshi’?”

“Why ask this all of a sudden?”

“I’m just a little curious. It’s a rare name after all.”

“Is this about some novel? A trick question related to the name, or something like that?”

Shiina-san’s body shook. “I-it’s nothing like that at all.” She flatly denied. It’s really a terrible lie, so much so that she raised her voice at the very end.

After thinking about it, I placed my finger on the droplets on the glass, and used the droplets to write on the table. The droplets formed lines on the surface, lines that came together to form words. Soon after, the crooked words ‘Haruyoshi, 春由’ were formed.

“This is the kanji.”

“Ehh. Ah, what a coincidence.”

Shiina-san drew a word ‘ki, 希’ behind the ‘Yoshi, 由’. ‘Yuki由希‘, so I muttered.

“We share a word.”

“How nice.” So Shiina-san said.

We kept reading, chatted from time to time, and ordered cake. Before we knew it, almost five hours passed. No other customers visited this shop.

At night, the temperature dropped drastically, and the colourful lights formed a blurry glow in the town.

I could see stars in the sky.

Shiina-san told me the names of a few stars, so I asked her which of them were the ones she mentioned, but it seemed she only knew of their names.

While I sent Shiina-san back to the station, she gave me the blue book, as promised. “Thanks.” I bowed gratefully. The heaviness of the hard cover left me elated.

“Anyway, are you busy tomorrow, Segawa-kun? It’s Spring break now, isn’t it?

“I have track practice in the morning, but nothing in the afternoon.”

Even though I said that, I guess I just wanted to spend the afternoon reading this book.

“Then can we meet in the afternoon? I want to talk about this book, and what you think?”

I recalled that while we spent the entire day just reading and chatting, I enjoyed it. Shiina-san panicked, probably because she saw that I was being silent,

“Ah, but I don’t need you to finish it by tomorrow, Segawa-kun. You can talk about the book you read too. Well, I really enjoyed myself today.”

Ah. Why’s that? Seeing how Shiina-san had the same feelings as I, I was really happy.

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

The moment we bade farewell, “Ah.” Shiina-san exclaimed as she pointed to the sky. The white mist that occurred when we talked was no longer present. Spring had arrived, the season of all beginnings. Winter's behind us.

“I know that star though.”

She told me the name of that bright, orange star.

“Arcturus. The Hawaiians call it Hōkūleʻa, the star of Gladness.”

Once club activities ended, I walked down the corridor. At this moment, a round white object scampered by me. Time passed slowly during Spring vacation, especially in the side block with clubrooms. Thus, that fast speed really caught my attention. So, what was that?

I walked as I thought about the real identity of the object that caught my attention, only to be smacked in the back of the head.

“Ow. Who did that?”

“Hey, Haru.”

My name was then called out. It’s a familiar voice.

“Akane, can you stop smacking people out of nowhere?”

I called out the culprit’s name as I turned around, and saw my peer Akane Rindou puffing her cheeks angrily, standing almightily. She was holding a white shopping bag in her right hand. So that was the white thing. Seemed like there’s lots of juice inside it.

Probably some reward for her juniors.

Since last summer, she was made captain of the swimming team.

“No, it’s your fault, Haru.”

“So tell me, what did I do?”

“It’s your fault for doing nothing. You should at least greet a classmate who passed by. Seriously, you’re always like this, Haru, acting like nothing happened. It isn’t good.”

It’s unreasonable, but since Akane said so, the passive me chose to lower my head in apology. Well, let’s just get this done and over with.

“My bad. Didn’t notice you there, Akane. I was spacing out.”

“So you’re saying that I’ve no presence? Return my maiden heart for hoping even a little that you’ll talk to me.”

“I’m shocked.”

“Shocked about what?”

“Shocked that you have such a thing, Akane.”

Smack.

Ah, for some reason, I heard a sound I should not be hearing.

“What do you think I am?”

Akane’s tsurime eyes were completely raised. She raised the blunt weapons in her two hands. Akane’s pretty thin, but due to her swimming training, she’s full of muscles. Yeah. I knew that arm strength-wise, she’s stronger than me. At this point, it’s very dangerous. I continued to dodge her repeatedly, for dear life.

“Wait, it’s dangerous! Stop!”

“Shut up!”

“I get it! My bad.”

“Then what do you understand?”

“Eh, well.”

“So you don’t understand anything!”

“No, erm. Yeah. I get that you’re a really charming girl.”

The moment I shouted that, the blunt weapon grazed my nose. My heart was pounding wildly, and it sounded really loud. My body was shaking all over. For a moment, my body was shivering, and cold sweat broke out.

I didn’t know if my desperation reached her, but Akane finally stopped her attacks.

“For some reason, it feels like you just said that without putting your heart into it. It’s annoying.”

“Then what am I supposed to say?”

“Whatever. I’m at fault too for believing in you, Haru. Both sides lost out here.”

No, I’m the only one who suffered. This time, I managed to swallow these words before they left my mouth. Clearly I would have added oil to the fire otherwise. I won’t make the same mistake again.

“So Haru, what are you doing?”

“What? Practice’s over, so I’m returning to the clubroom. What about you?”

“Well, I’m cleaning the clubroom with everyone else. Want to do that before the new members come in. You can help out if you want. I’ll reward you with juice.”

“Sorry. Got an appointment to keep.”

Upon hearing that, Akane’s nicely shaped eyebrows frowned.

“Again? Feels like you’re being antisocial recently. Is it like the last time when you said that you got something on, and went off alone?”

“No no no. I really have an appointment with someone today.”

“Hmm. Guess there’s no helping it. It’s a pity. But well, spend some time with me.”

“I said I got something on.”

“I’m not asking you to clean the clubroom with me. I’m taking a break. I won’t take up that much of your time. I’ll have to deliver juice over anyway. Since you’re spacing out and walking, that means you have lots of time, right?”

Akane’s right. There’s still 40 minutes until the appointment.

“Well, that, I don’t mind.”

“It’s decided then..”

Akane snapped her fingers, and put the pile of juice by the pillar. She then started to open the corridor windows one by one.

Whenever she opened the transparent glass windows, Akane’s short hair would flutter with the wind. Her face was steaming with hot air, probably due to work. Her face was dyed pink.

“Ahh—the wind really feels good.”

“Yeah.”

I poked my head from the same window as hers, and for some reason, she showed a weird face. “Hiee” she shrieked, “How rude.” She pulled some distance from me, and I really felt emotionally hurt.

To heal my broken heart as much as possible, I looked towards the hills. The weather’s fine, and the distant places are all clear and visible. The lingering pink might be cherry blossoms, or maybe plum flowers.

“The club seniors have all graduated, haven’t they?”

Akane pointed her finger at a window nearby, saying that.

Her voice lacked the vigor she had before.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you think it’s scary when so many things happen out of a sudden? Like, next year, and the stuff after that. Can I really handle them all?”

Ah, so this is why Akane called me over.

But unfortunately, Akane called for the wrong person.

It’s true that Akane and I will be seniors, and we’ll be club presidents.

But Akane also had to handle the expectations of the entire school. Just the previous year, she barely missed out on the Nationals. The pressure she bore was something I couldn’t match.

I turned around, and leaned my body on the railing. I then pulled myself back, looking up, and saw the sun half-hidden behind the roof. That caused me to narrow my eyes.

It’s so bright. So I thought.

It wasn’t the sun that was too bright for me, but Akane.

For me, the natural reaction after defeat was regret.

Those that had no such thoughts would never make it as a competitor. Akane was terrified of that because there was something of equilibrium to the utmost effort she put in.

And I had none of that.

My mind was just filled with the cliché, passive mindset of ‘it’s fine’, ‘you can do it’. For her, these useless words of mine probably would seem so empty to her.

Even if I did try to think hard about it—

Ah, it’s useless after all.

The half-hidden sun was burning my skin. “Ahh.” I opened my mouth, and for some reason, I felt parched, probably because the rotten words reaching behind my teeth had vaporized.

I had nothing else to say.

“Anyway, do you know? The maths teacher Matsue-chan’s getting married soon.”

In the end, I chose to escape by changing the topic.

Akane didn’t say anything, and forgave this dishonesty that was so typical of me.

“No way. Who is it? The PE teacher Jimi-sensei? The language teacher Yone-sensei? There’s lots of rumors about her. So she finally decided on one?”

“Eh, Matsue-chan has that many rumors?”

I was a little shocked. I always thought she was the pure, pretty teacher.

“You’re too naïve, Haru. If you’re not careful, you’ll be led astray by a bad girl, you know?”

Akane laughed.

I laughed with her.

Just the pointless time trickled by quietly.

One day,

Will I too be able to find something I will give my utmost for?

So I thought blankly in a corner of my mind.

I bade farewell to Akane, and met up with Shiina-san as promised. She came to a place near school to pick me up. I noticed her leaning on the telephone phone, “Good afternoon.” She greeted me.

“Since you’re here, how about you observe my club activities?”

“I really want to, but you aren’t running by yourself, are you, Segawa-kun?”

“Of course. It’s a club activity after all. I was running with the others.”

“Hm, in that case, I guess not. That’s not a place I can enter.”

“I don’t think you’ll be found out.”

“That’s not the problem. It’s just a rule I set for myself.”

We chit-chatted, and went to the beach area near the school, as Shiina-san suggested. The butterflies with pure white wings fluttered around the golden Nanohanas, as though dancing around.

Shiina-san happily reached out for one the butterflies, and her fingertip touched one of them.

Without looking at me, she asked,

“Hey, Segawa-kun, why did you help me pick that book at the bookstore?”

She pulled back her finger, and the petal shook. The tremor reached the other petals, and the butterflies reacted as they flew towards the sky. Till the very end, Shiina-san watched the butterflies rise with the wind, fluttering gracefully.

“You asked me to pick it for you, right?”

“Yep. But you’re looking for that book too, Segawa-kun. You wanted it too, so why did you give me the book?”

“Well, you’re the one who found it first, Shiina-san. That’s why you have the right to buy it.”

“You don’t feel reluctant about it?”

“I guess I probably didn’t feel reluctant about it at all, just some regret.”

I didn’t know if Shiina-san had taken my answer for a yes, “I see.” As she was of similar height to me, her eyes were about the same level.

“Things you really want can’t be obtained if you don’t reach out for yourself.”

“What’s that? Who came up with that saying?”

“No-one. It’s my own sage wisdom.”

Saying that, Shiina-san reached her hand out towards me. Her clenched fist opened up like a flower.

“Can you hold my hand?”

“Eh?”

“Please?.”

“…Well, I can.”

Just as she touched the Nanohana, I gently touched her fingertips, and my fingers reached hers. Finally, our palms matched.

At that moment, we exerted strength, and our hands were finally held together.

“Yep. This is what I’m talking about. Do you understand?”

I could only shake my head.

I understood nothing.

“If only you’ll understand this one day, Segawa-kun.”

I didn’t manage to hear what she was muttering about, and when I asked, Shiina-san laughed it off.

“Nothing at all. More importantly, where are we going today?”

After that, we went to various places.

We went to the game center, the bowling alley, and watched a movie. The hour hand passed six, and while sending Shiina-san to the train station, I met a familiar face.

It’s my classmate, Takuma Midou.

Seemed like he was hanging out with his buddies from the basketball team.

“Yo, ain’t it Haru? Whatcha doing here?”

Takuma gestured for the others to head off first.

“Nothing much, well, just hanging out. Just finished club activities, Takuma?”

“Sorta. We’re going for karaoke later. You wanna come along?”

“No, thanks. I’m not too familiar with the guys on the basketball team, and I’m not alone.”

“You’re together with your club guys?”

“No, not them.”

Once I was asked this question, I suddenly thought of something.

What’s my relationship with Shiina-san? Acquaintances? Friends? While I fumbled about, she poked her head out over my shoulder.

“Good evening. Are you Segawa-kun’s friend?”

“Eh?”

Upon seeing Shiina-san, time stood still for Takuma, and only restarted five seconds later. Well, I can’t say that I don’t understand. If it were me, I would have showed the exact same reaction.

“Hah? Ehhhhhh, wait wait wait. Who’s this pretty girl? She’s not from our school, right? Anyway, eh, eh, you, are you…”

It’s a rare sight.

Takuma’s smart and athletic, and he’s normally a lot more matured than those in our school year. He’s always able to deal with each problem calmly. And that Takuma’s mouth was wide upon, looking back and forth between Shiina-san and me.

“Wait, Takuma. You’re mistaken.”

“What am I mistaken about, you traitor.”

“No, I’m telling you to hold up. I didn’t betray you or anything.”

I was trying to coax Takuma, but Shiina-san tugged at the hem of my shirt. “What now?” so I thought, and at that moment, she put her hand at my ear, blowing into it. It was a nerve wrecking feeling, and I covered my ear with my hand, exclaiming wildly. I felt a chill down my spine, and my cheek was heating up. What’s she playing at?

Takuma glared at me as though I was the enemy who killed his relatives.

“Hey, whatcha mean you’re not betraying me? What did she just whisper to you? That she likes you? Aren’t you just flirting!?”

“No, it’s not what you think, you know. Shiina-san, help me out here.”

“Ehh, have my feelings not reached you, Segawa-kun?”

Shiina-san deliberately turned her body around, delivering the haymaker.

The perfectly fatal hit left me completely speechless.

“Dammit!!!” Takuma yelled.

Then, he gently tapped my head, before running off into the night streets. “Haru, you traitor!!! Explode already!!” That booming voice of his echoed. Once he vanished from my sight, I asked Shiina-san, who had been laughing the entire time.

“That was on purpose, right?”

“What are you saying?”

She put her hand under her chin, playing the fool.

“You’re really a criminal who believes she’s right.”

“Fine, fine. You don’t like that, Segawa-kun?”

“Eh?”

“You hate that people may think you’re in that kind of relationship with me?”

“…Not really.”

“I see. Then it’s alright, no? More importantly, I’m a little shocked that you’ll address a classmate by name directly, Segawa-kun. You don’t seem to give that sort of impression..”

“I call those I’m on good terms with by name.”

“I see. So call me ‘Yuki’, Segawa-kun. I’ll start calling you ’Yoshi-kun’.”

“You’re not calling me Haru?”

“Well, I hate the Spring for ‘Haru’, but I like the ‘Yoshi’. We both have the same kanji, so I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

“You hate spring? Why?”

“…When Spring comes, the air warms, and the snow melts away, disappearing. Everyone will forget the snow, right? The snow’s there, but it gets forgotten. I just don’t really like it.”

Though the kanji’s different, her name sounds like ‘Snow’ in Japanese.

Shiina-san probably experienced the feeling of being forgotten.

It wasn’t something I could easily deny or affirm, since I knew nothing about her.

All I knew was that when I heard ‘I hate the Spring’, my heart ached.

For I got the feeling she was saying that the snow and the spring could never be together.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. Call me Yuki.”

But even so, if she hoped for it, I’ll call her Yuki.

“Got it, Yuki.”

At that moment, Yuki’s face reddened.

“Woah, being called by name’s a lot more amazing than I thought. This might be the first time a guy other than my dad called me that.”

I watched Yuki point at her face with her finger, and found it a little funny. However, her words repeated themselves countless times in a corner of my mind, deep within my heart.

——I hate the spring.

On the only rest day in spring vacation for club activities, I went to Yairo Park with Yuki.

The park built around the lake was 5km in perimeter, and it was said that different scenes could be seen from eight different points, thus the name Yairo Park.

It’s a week day, and the park’s a lot quieter than usual. At night, it would be bustling full of adults wanting to smell the flowers, but not so in the daytime.

But Yuki’s a lot happier than I thought.

“Wow, there’s a place like this too.”

My hands were in my coat pockets as I followed Yuki, who was looking around with much curiosity. I fumbled for the shape of the little item in my pocket, checking if it was there. It was something I could easily hold in my palm, but I just felt that it was really heavy, not physically heavy though. I had an additional emotional weight to this certain item.

The reason why I brought Yuki here was because I wanted a place nobody would disturb us, and gift her something I bought yesterday.

The other conditions were fulfilled.

All I need was the mood and timing, but it’s difficult to get them to align.

We went halfway around the park, and the gift was still bouncing in my pocket.

Ever since I met Yuki, I found myself to be interestingly useless. I thought I could handle a lot more things perfectly, but I ended up fumbling before Yuki. Why’s that?

The light shone towards the leaves, and through them. Shadows were formed, forming stark contrasts of black and white on my face.

Under the gentle sunlight, I aimed for a moment to talk. Instead, I was approached by someone instead.

It’s a deeper voice, different from Yuki.

“Ah, the two of you there. Hold on a moment.”

“Eh?”

We turned around to the voice calling for us, and found a large bear-like man sprinting towards us. I could hear a rumbling sound effect. He looked so panicky, so we just stopped in our tracks——that was a wrong choice.

That man was huffing so hard, he was almost dying. He went behind me, and suddenly grabbed me by the elbow.

“Ahh——I’m saved. Please come along with us.”

“Wh-what’s going on?

“We’re filming a movie, but we don’t have enough actors at the last moment. It’s causing us lots of trouble.”

“No no no, hold on. I don’t get what you mean.”

“Don’t get, what I mean?”

The man turned towards me with bewilderment. I took a closer look at his face, and found him to be still somewhat young. He’s probably in his twenties, at the phase when I’m still somewhat able to call him a young man.

That man's eyes were fixed upon Yuki, who's behind me, and the round eyes hidden behind the hair were dazzling.

It was obvious what he was thinking. I wanted to run immediately, but my arm got grabbed, and I couldn't break free. He spaced out for about three seconds or so, and called me again.

"Boy."

"Don't wanna."

If I had been alone, I might have been overwhelmed by this guy and thrown in the white towel. However, I'm different, since Yuki's behind me.

"But I haven't said anything?"

"I know what you want to say. You want Yuki to appear in the movie."

"Please consider."

"That's impossible."

And at this point, Yuki, who had been watching the entire development, raised her hand,

"Why is it that you're deciding about me, Yoshi-kun?"

Both of us looked towards Yuki.

"...You want to act?"

"It sounds fun. It's a great way to commemorate today too."

The man didn't let the words slip him by, and immediately chimed in loudly.

"Yes yes. Don't decide on what the girl wants, boy."

Then you should have asked Yuki instead of me, right? Speaking of which, it seemed like this guy never intended to negotiate with Yuki to begin with. What's going on?

"Hey, let's go, Yoshi-kun."

The whole process was a little unpleasant, but I was forced to got it. Understood, that was all I could say.

"Really? Then it's decided. Both of you shall perform then. Yosh, thank goodness."

The guy forced the conclusion, probably to stop us from changing our minds.

I lost.

But since I don't like it, just let me continue to struggle a little.

"Mind letting go of my arm now?"

The filming scene was at the bench in the park.

I wasn't sure of the scenes before and after, but it seemed we're going to film a scene of a quarreling couple making amends.

The guy who called us over was apparently the director of this movie. "Yo director." someone called for him, and he responded, giving a completely different look from what we just saw. The aura around him changed immediately.

Calling for him was a slightly plump young woman. She approached us, looked back and forth between Yuki and me, and finally fixed her eyes on Yuki.

"What's with this girl? Isn't she a real cutie?"

"Yeah. I want to get her to act in our movie."

"Nice, nice. For the next movie?"

"Nope, this movie."

"Heh?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere froze over. "No no no no no no no no", the woman kept repeating those words. "No no no no no no no."

"What are you thinking? This won't work"

"Really? I want to see how she performs."

"Look, I get how you feel. I want her to act too. But what about this movie? I don't know what role you want her to appear as, but if she's acting too, the whole movie might get scrapped."

"Don't worry. I'll get this film done properly. But well, I might have to cause you guys some trouble...your efforts won't be wasted. Trust me."

The director smacked his chest without hesitation.

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah. That's right."

The young woman gave up and sighed, probably because this little conversation allowed for them to communicate a few things.

"Haa. I got it. It's pointless for me to say anything. Anyway, I'll leave you to do the follow shot Kazuha-chan. She's a sharp one, and she'll know when we aren't taking this seriously enough. If that happens, she'll kick up a fuss, and there won't be any other scenes to film. We can't allow that to happen."

"Got it. I'll do that. Sorry, but I'll leave you to guide these two."

After saying that, the director hurried off.

We watched his back, along with the woman whose name we didn't know.

The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant. There's just the woman smiling as happily as the director did, and us two, who didn't know the meaning of that conversation.

"Erm, just now, what did you two just talk about,"

"Ahh, don't worry about it. You'll understand. But well, I'll say this first. That guy's really selfish and stubborn, so just say what you want to him."

Yuki and I exchanged looks, tilting our heads.

In the end, we were imprisoned for almost four hours.

It was just a single scene, but there were multiple retakes.

It seemed these would be edited into a scene later on.

The roles we were assigned were passers-by A and B. If Yuki walked in front, she would attract too much attention, so the director instructed that I be a shield to block her.

But even so, the director saw the short that was just completed, "Hmm."

"I guess she attracts too much attention. My eyes just end up looking towards her."

He muttered, making sure the actors didn't hear him, but as Yuki and I were nearby, we heard him clearly. After that, we realized the director just wanted us to hear that, and that was why he kept his voice down.

"Wanna look?"

He waved us over, and we did as he said, looking at the laptop screen. It showed 10 minutes of footage.

In the center of the footage was a college couple.

And behind them were two passers-by.

These two passers-by had no lines, no description, and they were just talking. Before we knew it, we found that the scene had changed. Eh, what's going on? I couldn't remember what the protagonists were talking about. Yuki's face was the only thing left in my memory. In that memory, Yuki and I were smiling, chatting. This little thing alone was like a miracle.

If it were a complete movie, surely I would not want to spend this time watching any other scenes. Even if I did see the entire movie, in the end, what remained in my mind might only be Yuki's smile.

As the woman had said, the story was all wasted.

"Hey boy. Don't you find it a pity? It's rare to see such a pretty human around. You want to see more stories involving the girl, right?"

I finally understood the meaning of the conversation between the director and the woman.

The director knew this movie would be scrapped, but he spent the time and effort just to get the actress Yuki.

But Yuki shook her head.

"Erm, it's fine. Don't worry, it's usable."

"No no no, girl, you don't understand. We can't use this movie. Everyone watching will just look towards you."

The director seemed taken aback by Yuki's response, and he panicked. Before I knew it, he was already talking to Yuki directly. He might be feeling really anxious, or maybe it's his nature as a director.

"Shall we have a bet then?"

Yuki proposed, her face showing some intent.

"If this scene causes the movie to be scrapped, I'll listen to anything you'll say, director."

"So that means you'll agree if I say that I want you to appear in a movie?"

"Right. But it's impossible if a miracle doesn't happen. A miracle doesn't happen many times."

"What do you mean?"

"...In other words, if a miracle occurs once, that's luck, and there won't be a second time. No, for every miracle, an equivalent price has to be paid, so it's not all down to luck."

I couldn't get what Yuki was saying.

The director probably felt the same. After some thinking, "I see." he summized. He's probably content just to have Yuki appear in the movie.

Before we knew it, the day was darkening, and the night grew.

The director and the others hastily began to pack up.

I stared blankly at them; the director noticed me, and approached me.

“Good work there.”

"It's been a long day."

“You really helped me out. Well, you only appeared for like 10 seconds or so though. Acting's fun, right?"

"Not really. I've had enough of it. I'm not suited to standing out."

We talked at a place a little far away, looking at Yuki.

The common saying goes that three women make a market, so if there's five, there's no end. Girls are creatures who like to chat. I grew up listening to my mother and little sister insist their way out, so I had no choice but to wait for their conversation to end.

"Well, to be honest, can the scene today be used?"

"Well, to be honest, it's impossible to use it by itself. Since I had a bet with the girl, I'll try to edit it. If our internal critical review is bad, we'll just have to scrap it. Then I'll have to bow down to those guys and get them to reshoot it."

"I see."

That's all I could say. Everything left was up to the director to decide, since it's a bet between him and Yuki.

“Oh yeah, these tickets are for you. There’ll be a public screening during the culture festival next Autumn, so do come by to watch. I'll deliver the best movie for everyone”

“Next year? Not this year?”

“The production probably won’t be finished this year. Once this is done next year, I’ll be graduating.”

I received the tickets from the director's hands.

The tickets were crumpled, probably because he just shoved it into his pocket. I tried to flatten them in my hands, but I couldn't even it out. The red words 'Yasaka University' were a little worn out.

"Eh? Why two?"

"Invite the girl along. I'm dumb with such things, but I can understand a little through the camera. Do your best. Normally, it's the guy who asks the girl out to watch."

The director said some vague thing, and patted my back hard with a smile.

My organs were hurting.

We bade farewell to the director and the others, and arrived at a large cherry blossom tree.

Unfortunately, the sakuras had bloomed a long time ago, and the tree looked a little forlorn. The white flowers had scattered, and the trees on the branches were lush. The next season was coming.

"What did you talk about with the director?"

"Just small talk. What about you, Yuki? What did you say to the women?"

"Secrets."

"Secrets, huh?"

"Secrets are important to a girl, you know?"

She said demurely, and ran towards the sakura trees. The breeze rustled, and the petals danced. Her skirt fluttered. Her fluffy hair shook.

Suddenly, I felt an aching heat in my heart. The director's large hand shoved me on the back.

I made up my mind.

"Yuki!"

I shouted out to her, from a not-so-far distance.

"What--is--it?"

"I got something for you."

I pulled out the thing that was inside my pocket the entire time. There was no turning back. I approached Yuki. It was a few meters, but I was gasping for breathing. My heart was breathing faster than a 100m sprint.

"If you don't mind, will you accept this?"

I handed over the finely wrapped box to her. My pocket was finally a little lighter. It was the first time I gave a gift to a girl other than my family, and I was really nervous.

I gulped hard, and said,

"Open it."

Hearing that, Yuki opened the box, and retrieved a little pink bottle from it.

"A sakura perfume?"

"Yep. You said that you hate the spring because everyone forgets the snow. If there's the smell of sakura all the time, maybe you might think of snow as well."

Yuki said that she hated the Spring.

So I've been thinking.

I was thinking how to get her to remember the snow even after it melted, when winter ends and spring comes. This was the answer I got after much thinking.

"I see. So this is the smell of spring."

"Yes, that's why."

I hope that you won't say that you hate the spring.

I swallowed down the last bit of words. Even if I didn't say anything, my thoughts probably reached her.

After some consideration, Yuki knew that I wouldn't continue to talk, and she said,

"But will it be as you say?"

"I guess."

"Ah--you aren't confident about it."

"Of course, I will remember. Or rather, I definitely can't forget. I can't say the same for others though."

"Then it's enough."

Yuki said. "If you could remember, that'd be good enough, Yoshi-kun."

We looked up at the rows of sakura trees. We smelled the sweet scent. Whenever I smell it, I'll remember Yuki, I guess. Ah, how can I forget then?

"And then, there's something else you want to give me too, right?"

Eh? There's something else?

I tried to recall, "Haa." and Yuki gave a deliberately long sigh, telling me the answer impatiently,

"You're not giving me what the director gave you?"

"So you know?"

I reached my hand into my other pocket, and took out the two color raffles. I wanted to invite her out another day, but well, so be it. I handed a pretty crumpled movie ticket to Yuki.

"It's a movie ticket. If you can, you mind watching it with me?"

"Yep."

Yuki nodded. "But." she added.

"I want you to invite me again."

"What?"

"I'm trying to see if you can remember me. Next year, I'll come by with this sakura perfume smell, so invite me to the movie again. You should hold onto these two tickets for now."

"Understood."

"Make sure you do it."

"Yeah, it's a promise."

Hearing my words, Yuki looked really elated, but at the same time, she muttered something. It's an icy cold voice completely unrelated to the expression she showed--

“―Liar.”

## Contact 0 - Blue Eyes White Cat

“I think you should stop,” said an unfamiliar voice, calling me out as I was trying to discreetly slip a pack of common chocolate into my pocket at the convenience store.

It was a voice of someone who firmly believed he was doing the right thing.

“Let go.”

I wanted to shake off the hand that had grabbed mine, but couldn’t.

His face was thin, feminine.

He was a little shorter than me to boot. He was still a guy though.

A guy stronger than me.

With a deeper voice.

“I’ll let go if you stop.”

“This has nothing to do with you, right?”

“It’s still a crime.”

Sure was, but I wanted to snap back even so. In the end, I was still at fault though.

The words at the back of my tongue turned into a sigh, and I glared at the clock on the wall instead. The minute and hour hands were facing in opposite directions bisecting the clock face vertically. In other words, it was six in the afternoon.

In another five hours, the world would be rewritten again.

Everything I did, all traces of my existence, all of it would vanish. Whether I did succeed here or not, it didn't matter. It was all just to kill time, not to keep trying until I get caught.

“Okay, I get it.”

I put the chocolate back onto the shelf, and he let go of my hand as promised. Maybe it was because he had grabbed me firmly, but my arm was still aching even after he let me go. I put my other hand on the stinging, painful place, and made my way towards the the entrance without looking back at him.

Once outside, I felt the howling winds slash at my bare face like sharp blades.

Rather than feeling cold, it actually hurt.

“Ouch, ow…” I muttered under my breath.

Nobody stopped though, not even for a moment.

They just kept on smiling, indulging the vibrant lights and colors of the streets, as if bound by some sort of legal duty to keep living on happily, and never notice someone like me.

I deliberately tuned out the various sounds of the world, just listening to my own breathing and the sound of my footsteps instead. I had feet. I was moving forward. I was breathing. My heart kept beating.

I was here.

Still alive.

It should be all that I yearned for, being what I had so desperately reached out for.

But then, why did I feel such pain?

The pain was not severe, nor was the fear intense, but, in a certain sense, living in this world was the same as existing in Hell. The loneliness, the forlornness piling on day after day were slowly killing my heart.

“Wait.”

Suddenly, unexpectedly, I heard someone calling out after me.

I thought that for me to become so envious about such little things, I might have become tired of the idea of living.

“Wait.”

And I heard the voice again.

It was closer than before. Loud. I had the niggling feeling I had heard this voice before.

“I said—”

I kept walking to escape those streets filled with happiness.

For me, the cheerful music, people’s smiling faces, even hearing people call one another, all that was poison.

“—wait for me. I’m calling for you, can you just stop for a moment, please?”

I was grabbed by the shoulder and, honestly, taken aback too. I thought my heart was about to jump out of my chest. How many years had it been since I last heard my shocked voice?

I turned round and found the boy from before standing behind me, panting.

Feeling a little awkward, I stepped back a bit and glared at him.

“Wh-what? Got something you want?”

“Well, not really. If you don’t mind, this one’s for you.”

He took out a bag of chocolate out of the convenience store bag he was holding and reached to hand it over to me. The very same one I had tried to steal.

Once I realized what he was trying to do, cold rage gripped me.

“I don’t need it.”

“Why? Didn’t you want to eat this?”

I didn’t really want the chocolate. I was after something completely different.

But I couldn’t express myself clearly.

Because I didn’t know what the thing I wanted was.

“You don’t understand me at all, so why do this? Seriously… I really hate busybodies like you, you know. I really, really hate you!!”

I started shouting like a kid and my breathing turned erratic. That made me gasp, and the cold air that entered my body caused me much pain.

But I wouldn’t admit that I was hurting again.

Because I didn’t want sympathy from the boy before me.

Hearing that, the boy looked down.

After a moment, however, he grabbed the bag in his hand firmly and raised his head once more. He looked straight at me. His eyes were glittering with the specks of light.

“Regardless, if you don’t hate sweets, why not accept these?”

“Why?”

“Look, I know I’m doing something very unlike me, but I guess I’m allowed to give a gift to someone I don’t know just because I feel like it. Besides, —”

The boy looked a little sad, and smiled with some hesitation.

“—it’s Christmas Eve after all.”

“You’re a weirdo.”

The boy didn’t try to argue, he shoved the bag to me, and ran off. Soon after, he disappeared into the darkness of the night city. His departing footsteps continued to echo in my chest.

“…Weirdo,” I muttered once again.

It was a winter day, not long after I turned fifteen.

That was how I encountered the boy whose name I knew not.

❄

Every Tuesday, beginning at 10.54pm, in what might look like some late-night commercial that nobody but me knows about, the whole world changes.

All records of a certain girl are erased and a new reality is born.

All because of a traffic accident eight years ago that caused a slight change to how the world should be.

They are not uncommon things, traffic accidents.

Many instances of them can be seen mentioned in the news weekly.

It is estimated that around 500,000 traffic accidents and minor incidents happen every year in the country I live in. Roughly 4,000 of them involve a fatality and about as many people tend to die in total. In other words, eleven people would die each day, a person every two hours or so, as a result of a traffic accident.

Yep.

Looking at it this way, they are really not rare.

But when the 500,000, or even the 4,000, stop being just ordinary data, and turn into names of actual people related to those near them, how much pain and gloom do you think is involved? That is something I personally experienced.

So, let’s talk about the past.

It’s going to be a story of a family, that not only became part of the 500,000, but also made up three of the 4,000.

Well, maybe a little different actually.

Let’s call it the story of a certain girl who escaped from being one of the 4,000.

❄

On her seventh birthday, the girl lost everything.

That day was supposed to be a special day for her. She, and her beloved family, were going to the theme park she really liked together. There was no reason for her not to be happy.

“Wakey, wakey. We’re here.”

The girl, who had fallen asleep in the car, heard her mother wake her up. She raised her eyelids and saw a silhouette through her still blurry eyes. It was a little smaller than her own body and belonged to her little sister, Umi.

“Onee-tan, we’re here,” said the little girl, mimicking her mother, and shook her big sister’s body.

“Nnn. Morning, Umi.”

“Ai. Morning, onee-tan.”

Seeing this exchange, both the father and the mother smiled.

This, perhaps, was a form of pure, undiluted happiness that shined on the whole world.

“Come on, let’s go. We’re going to enjoy ourselves all day. Let’s get ready!”

Enthusiastically prompted by her father, the girl got out of the car and found the castle she had seen on TV standing before her eyes.

“Wahh!” cried out the girl. Her senses were entirely stolen by the theme park before her. To her, the scenery could only be described as magical, full of lights shining everywhere, and even the voices seemed filled with color.

And just as her father had promised, everyone was enjoying themselves without restraint.

They played at several of the facilities, enjoyed delicious food, and toured a few attractions.

They really enjoyed themselves.

It was the best birthday ever.

Her father, despite having his hands full with gifts, put the sleeping Umi back into the car, and it was 9pm by the time they departed on their way back.

Normally, at this time, the family would be already done showering and in their pajamas, but they were not sleepy at all. Some of the magic still lingered in the air.

The girl chatted away with her mother about the desserts they had that day, with her father chiming in with a few words here and there. Him joining in fully was a no however, girl talk was a domain forbidden to men.

So both of them deliberately ignored the father, causing him to pout and click his tongue just as the girl’s classmates had done earlier. He wasn’t probably angry though. It seemed that he was enjoying the fact that he was teased by his daughter and wife.

The act was a little over the top, and the girl laughed.

As did her mother.

Even the sleeping Umi curled her lips happily.

Only for everything to vanish.

It all happened in an instant.

Bright white lights filled the girl’s vision, a tremendous impact filled her world. After that, the girl lost track of what happened.

It sounded like something broke.

It sounded like something tore apart.

It sounded like something shattered.

The screams of her parents were overwhelmed by something louder. The still young little sister probably couldn’t scream at all.

Finally, there came the sound signalling the end of everyone important to the girl. To be precise, it was not so much a sound, as the absence of one. Yes, her beloved parents met their demise.

How much time had passed?

“Huuu… Huuu…”

The girl’s parched throat finally remembered how to exhale, and she gained the strength to attempt to open her eyes again. Three times her eyelids twitched, before she finally opened them. The world took on the hue of fire.

The girl thought that she had to hurry and find her family, but her body couldn’t move at all. It was as though it didn’t belong to her. Just moments ago, she had been moving her limbs freely, yet now, they refused to budge no matter how much strength she exerted.

Heat was the only thing coming out from her mouth, heat and screaming at her immobilized body and numb heart.

She wanted to keep living.

She did not want it to end like this.

It would be simply too much.

She had lots of things she wanted to do.

She wanted to see the large fireworks during the summer vacation once again. To read books. To wear cute clothing. To visit the theme park again. She wanted to experience romance with an amazing boy, just like described in those stories.

Yet everything was about to be mercilessly taken away from her.

It was a place nothing could reach, not even rage, sadness, or gut-wrenching screams. ‘Death’ was waving before her eyes.

Something nothing could reach, not even rage, sadness, or gut-wrenching screams, ‘Death’ was looming large before her eyes.

“I don’t want this.”

The girl managed a few feeble words with all her might.

“I hate this.”

Her world was hazy with tears.

And, in contrast to the girl’s emotions, her consciousness was fading. It seemed the end was near.

No.

She was unable to open her eyes.

No.

The light was being shut out.

No.

She could not make a sound, and she did not know if she was even breathing.

No.

Even if it was a hellish place, she didn’t want to leave.

She wanted to remain in this world.

Suddenly, the fiercely fighting girl heard something.

No, perhaps it was wrong to say that she heard something. It was rather an awareness of a question, one posed outside the concepts of words or voice.

She just felt it.

She realized that she could live if she nodded.

So, consciously, she reached out with her hand.

Desperately, yearning, she stretched her arm forth.

“I want to live.”

With these words on her lips, the girl grabbed the light.

Once she recovered, she found herself lying on a bed.

The ceiling was white. The room too.

Strangers came and went. All dressed in white. Someone asked for her name. The accident was never a topic.

While she did feel relief, there was also disgust at being abandoned.

She mechanically ate the unpalatable food and then spent the entire day watching the TV. There was a news report of a traffic accident involving a certain family of three, narrated by the news reporter in a monotonous tone. A tired truck driver, having driven for 36 consecutive hours, had blacked out for few crucial seconds, and four lives, including his own, vanished from this world.

It must have been a mistake. Clearly, this should not have been the case.

It should be a family of four. Umi should not have been called an only child. She should have an older sister. However, what the newscaster said was reality to the world.

That burning world of red…

Nobody in the world knew that a girl miraculously survived in a place so hostile to life. No, nobody even knew that a certain girl was there. The fact had ceased to be.

The girl wanted to scream, but desperately forced her mouth to stay shut. She clung to the bedsheets firmly, leaving huge wrinkles and creases on the surface, enduring the impulse.

For it was the path she had chosen to follow herself.

A week had passed since the accident.

On that day, the girl watched the clock hands move. The longer one advanced, effortlessly ushering the time on. 10.54pm. In a split second, the world was rewritten again.

It was the second time the world had been rewritten.

And because of that, she could no longer remain.

The girl, snuggled under her blanket, was prepared to leave the hospital today. However, she kept waiting for the special moment, wanting to personally witness what would happen.

That was why the incident happened.

It started with a scream, one of a familiar voice. It belonged to a young nurse, who happened to be the kindest to the girl in the whole hospital. She had given the girl sweets and some interesting books when she had heard the girl liked to read. This time though, the nurse was shocked to find the girl here, as if she saw a creature of unknown origin.

The scream made other people gather.

The girl’s physician was there too.

The girl knew both of their names. Her mind kept repeating them: Kanzaki-sensei, the doctor; Tanio-san, the nurse.

Kanzaki-sensei approached. The girl got up from the bed, and stood up, facing the man. And then the doctor asked, “Who, are you?”

These supposedly weightless words weighed upon the girl more than what she could have ever imagined.

She stumbled out of the ward room in a daze, unhindered by the people surrounding her who opened a path, shunning her. She stopped outside, looked around, and found the words on the nameplate had vanished. She had confirmed that her name was there before going to bed. That was 30 minutes ago. During that time, nobody passed by the ward room doors.

She took to the stairs and left the hospital through the back entrance.

There was no family.

No place to return to.

All she had was her own life.

Thinking about this made the girl’s feelings finally explode. There was no stopping this. After all, the pent-up emotions had still been there, roaring within her, and if she did not let them out they would shatter her mind.

“Ah, AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!──”

So she screamed.

The night was moonless, with a smattering of forlorn stars flickering in the sky. The exhaled air became white mist. It was winter. The snow never fell. Somehow, the girl felt strangely cold. And yet, her throat was on fire.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!──”

She screamed at the sky.

She hollered at the world.

Tears fell from her eyes.

The people who knew of the girl no longer existed.

❄

That girl is me. I am perfectly alone in this world.

❄

I was sitting on a bench in a small park, nibbling at the chocolate I had received from the boy whose name I knew not. I took a bite and was a little surprised, for I tasted sweetness. For many years, I couldn’t taste anything at all, no matter what I ate.

With every bite I took, the chocolate got a little smaller. I looked at the shrinking chocolate and it made me feel sad. Ah, I see… I thought, So this is ‘sadness’. I never thought I would have such feelings left in me.

“Time to go,” I mumbled feebly. Truthfully though, I had no strength to stand.

Maybe it was the cold. After all my hands were numb and I couldn’t feel anything even after touching it. Still nibbling at the shrunken chocolate I thought I was like a corpse. It tasted very sweet, so sweet that my tears threatened to flow at any moment.

Five minutes had passed, and the chocolate was gone, fully inside my stomach.

I leaned on the backrest, and looked up at the sky.

The grey clouds drifted away, as if leaving me to myself for a while. Maybe it was because of the strength of the breeze, but they twisted and rolled on their way at a shocking speed, changing shapes constantly. Finally though, they were gone.

“What am I doing…”

Nobody answered me. Well, I knew that would happen.

I was about to toss the crumpled wrapping I rolled into a ball into the trash bin, but for some reason, I stopped, held it with both hands, and then put it into my pocket.

A moment of thought later, I put my hands in my pockets, stood up, and began to walk without a goal in mind.

There was nothing significant about me not discarding the wrapping. However, this was a perfect metaphor of my current life. Just breathing, just walking, just letting time pass. See, there was no meaning to anything. And even if I managed to find some, it would disappear soon after.

That was the price I had to pay for living on.

The light I had managed to grab on that day was ‘something’. Yes, ‘something’. Even with the help of all the languages in this world, I probably wouldn’t be able to describe it. If forced the closest concept I could reach for was probably a ‘miracle’.

And now, having touched that ‘something’, I knew various things.

For example, it was predetermined that this existence called the world would progress towards its end. Humanity called that process fate or history, and the path didn’t seem like it could be changed.

I brooded on this as I walked on, only for a pebble to touch my shoe and roll on the ground. It was then kicked by a boy behind me into the high grass startling a bird hidden there to flight..

A chain of events started because I had displaced a pebble.

The gears of fate shifted slightly.

This little distortion might one day, in the distant future, escalate into something huge. Maybe affect something as big as the fate of the world…

I, who should have died at that moment, became an existence that could no longer exist in this world. That transformed all my actions into a Black Box of sorts, full of hidden potential to change the future.

But on the other hand, to live was to move towards the future. Also, a future one would not have was meaningless.

As the price for living, my past was being taken away from me. Thus, before the fang of change I might unleash could reach the distant future, the source was cut off and the path to the future realigned as it was meant to be.

Every Tuesday night, 10.54pm, everything I would have done by then was deemed the ‘past’ from which my existence would be erased. All memories of my name, my face, gone from people’s memory. All discrepancies caused by my disappearance ironed out.

In exchange for all that all I got was a mere one week of future.

God Himself wouldn’t grant an 8th day.

I felt like I was playing Musical Chairs.

Every day, a chair went missing, until, on the 8th day, all of them would be gone. Game over. Please restart to continue.

I had grabbed the light, knowing that would happen. I knew that much.

I couldn’t blame anyone.

I could only continue to live on.

To spend some time, I took the long road towards the station, only to hear a purr from somewhere.

“Meow, meow,” came a wail from near the gutter

The place was overgrown by wild grass, and I couldn’t really see clearly, but something was definitely there. I looked around, but there was nobody here other than me. Another meow came. A sound only I could hear.

I knew that pain.

I knew that loneliness.

I understood that despair more than anyone else

Before I knew it, I spread the wild grass aside and looking deep into the gutter.

“Meow.”

There was a kitten there, little and dirty. It was so covered in grime that the fur color was hard to tell. Probably born not long ago. Tiny claws, legs, body. Feeble voice. Only its blue eyes were large, like the Earth seen from space, even though I never got to see the Earth from space.

“Meow.”

The cry for someone, anyone, turned into a cry for me.

The blue eyes captivated me.

Just me alone.

“Want to come along with me?”

I reached my hand out, touching its fur. It was soft and warm. It felt like forever since I the last time I felt warmth.

I took the kitten back to the hotel. A proper wash revealed beautiful, white fur. I named it ‘Shiro’.

Shiro was a quiet female cat, so quiet in fact that any purring by her seemed like an hallucination.

I fed it milk through a pipette for sustenance. She seemed to hate the powdered milk, but she still swallowed obediently once I brought it to her mouth.

Shiro was still young and not physically able, so I had no intention of taking her out. Of course, I hadn’t gone anywhere either as I had to take care of her.

I remained by the kitten’s side, sitting on the chair, reading to pass the day.

Shiro would fawn about at times, tapping my leg, and at such moments, I would lift her up and put her on my thighs. She would then fall asleep contentedly. I felt the weight and warmth of life as I flipped through the pages. It had been a long while since I felt the warmth of somebody. I felt that I was being saved by these things.

“If you keep sleeping, you’ll grow fat.”

Shiro continued to sleep though, not purring at me at all. It was a little boring. I wanted to chat.

“You really have such pretty fur. You’re slim too. It would be a waste if you were to grow fat.”

“Meow.”

I got scolded for being noisy.

Shiro seemed a little annoyed by being disturbed during her nap. It left me a little happy though. There would be times when I teased her too much, earning a scratch in return. But the pain was a source of joy too.

After all, a wound caused by someone else is proof that I made contact with that someone.

“Sorry, sorry.”

I gently stroked Shiro’s fur, and she fell asleep again.

“Ahh, I feel like sleeping too.”

I closed the book, and put it on the table, closing my eyes. I was sitting on the chair, with Shiro sleeping on my lap. It was a difficult posture to sleep in, but somehow I managed to fall asleep like that easily. At first, my consciousness danced between soberness and delirium. Then, I quickly fell asleep, as though falling into a trap.

A long time passed.

When I woke up, I found the surroundings to be completely covered in darkness. Maybe because of my weird posture, the first thing I felt was pain. First in my neck, and then my back. My legs were completely numb too, but Shiro was still sleeping there, so I couldn’t really move. I reached with my arms and, after much effort, I got the remote control from the table and pressed the button. The 4-tatami-sized room lit up with orange light, like illuminated by a weak flame.

“Nn…”

I stretched my back to relax my stiff muscles, and checked the time. 10.57pm. It had been 3 minutes past 10.54pm. Seemed like I slept for almost eight hours.

It was Tuesday. The correction had been performed.

I had to hurry and leave. But before that, I had to wake up this lazy, sleepy cat.

Would Shiro be shocked when she woke up?

She had no memories of me after all.

But Shiro was a kitten, so she probably wouldn’t ask me “Who are you?”, I hoped. Once I fed her, she would just cling to me again.

“Hey, Shiro.”

I called her name, stroking her fur. Almost instantly, I was taken aback and reeled, snapping my hand back.

Shiro’s body was stiff and cold.

“Shiro, are you dead?” I asked softly, just for confirmation.

But Shiro would never ever purr again.

That was the answer for me.

Shiro surely was fated to die in that gutter. Probably due to starvation and the cold. I prevented that.

However, a creature fated to die would never get past that destined moment, and continue into the future.

So, the reality deemed that for the past week, I had never fed Shiro. The world was corrected accordingly.

Her body lost its vitality, strength, and felt a lot lighter than when she had been alive. It was said that 21 grams was the weight of a soul. Was that true? I couldn’t tell.

Tears trickled down my face.

Tears that landed on Shiro’s soft fur.

“Ahh… Uuuu…”

I gritted my teeth, holding back a sob. Normally, on a typical day, I could easily keep myself quiet, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself even after exerting much more effort than usual. A muffled voice kept escaping from between my lips.

I wanted to stop my tears. They were not pretty at all.

Because, I was not crying for Shiro. I was crying for myself. My tears were the loneliness I felt after this warmth I had finally managed to obtain had disappeared, and the unease in my heart. My chest was aching. The softest part of my heart was being gouged at, and it hurt.

I kept shaking, gritting my teeth, grabbing my arms firmly. That hurt too.

But my heart was aching infinitely more so.

I couldn’t just leave Shiro’s body like that so, on the next day, I started looking for a place to bury her.

If I died, I wouldn’t want anyone else to see my rotting body. Shiro must have surely thought that as well.

I bought a cardboard box at a supermarket, laid a pretty white bath towel inside, and put Shiro on it. She looked like she was sleeping. Would she open her eyes if I talked to her? Would she purr at me again? She was welcome to scratch me all she wanted.

I wondered about all this even though I knew it was impossible.

In the end, I decided to bury Shiro’s empty husk in vacant lot not too far away from the station. There was a ‘private property’ signboard there, but who cared? I started digging in the ground with a scoop.

As I worked, I sensed a few curious looks from people wondering what was I doing, but they all looked aside soon enough. That was to be expected, not many people were passing next to this piece of land, but it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be anyone. No weirdos attempted to talk to me though. Everyone just glanced at me and looked away.

I kept digging, but all the while my shoulders got increasingly heavier due to the fear and fatigue caused by the worry that this too would be erased. Any actions I did on my own might be deemed as ‘never done’ and the possibility grew with the number of witnesses.

But even so, I had to press on.

For I had nobody else to ask.

My physical strength had been on the wane over the past few years, and maybe that was why I needed lots of time to dig a hole large enough for Shiro to rest in. Eventually, a sharp sound pierced through my ears as I dragged the scoop across the bottom of the hole.

“Ow.”

It seemed that I dug into a rock buried underneath. The hand holding the scoop ached from the feedback and I fell onto my butt, not something I would normally do. I took a gulp of tea from the PET bottle I had bought. After some time, the numbness in my hand vanished.

Suddenly, I heard a voice above me.

“What are you doing?”

I looked up, and found a boy of similar age standing there. He was wearing a black shirt with red trim and had large shoulder bag slung over his shoulder. His was a familiar face I had seen before.

“Not you again?”

“Eh? Have we met before?”

The boy looked incredulous.

I understood instantly. Two rewrites had happened since we met. There was nothing about me in his memories. He didn’t remember me, how he chased after me, or that he gave me chocolate.

But I had that sudden thought, that if it was him…

If it was him, the goody-goody stranger who gave me chocolate, maybe he’d listen to my request.

I stood up, dusted the sand off my butt, and lowered my head. I forced out a smile too, probably, that grimace was a little stiff. Not by choice, mind you, I had just long forgotten how to make a natural smile.

“Forgive me. I took you for someone else. You see, the cat I have been raising died, so I’m making a grave for her. If you don’t mind, would you help me out?”

I thought he would have been a little unwilling, but he responded with a “Got it,” and a nod. He put his shoulder bag down, pulled out the scoop on the ground, and began to dig. This time, I made sure that I wasn’t sitting on the ground as I watched the back that was surprisingly more reliable than it looked.

“Hey,” I asked, “why did you talk to me?”

The boy didn’t stop what he was doing. “You looked like you’re about to cry,” he answered.

“Lies. I wasn’t, crying at all.”

I touched my cheeks with my hand anyway to make sure. My fingers weren’t wet.

I didn’t cry after all? I guessed.

“Sure. But that’s how it looked to me anyway. Troubled, and helpless, and all, but still working hard with grim determination. How can I ignore you when you look that way?”

“I get it. You’re a weirdo.”

“How rude.”

“Nobody ever called you that?”

He avoided giving a straight answer.

“…Well, it’s like I don’t have a passion or discipline to do anything, so I guess that’s why. I think I just really admire those that do, the ones who seriously insist on doing what they want, fighting on. It’s pure stubbornness, but I really hope such people don’t give up and don’t look back. Honestly, I’m just pushing my ideals on others hoping to help out in turn.”

“You ever met a person like that?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Person like that, as in?”

“Someone that looks cool, but ends up messing up.”

“Okay, I get it. It is really tough, unbearable even. Still…”

His voice was increasingly softer as he spoke, before trailing off completely. However, there was passion in his words, I felt, and it didn’t seem like he lacked discipline. He just thought that he lacked both.

Or maybe, he just hadn’t encountered anything that could get him fired up yet.

“Hmm. In that case… It would be great if you find it one day.”

“Eh?”

“Find what you say you desire.”

The boy chuckled, but said nothing more. He continued to work in silence.

Finally, a deep hole gaped open before me. It was enough to bury Shiro in.

“Is it her?”

The boy looked at Shiro’s remains in the box.

“Yes.”

“What’s her name?”

“I called her Shiro.”

“Because she’s white?”

“Yes. Simple, right?”

“Well, I think it’s a nice name. They say that the name describes the person after all.”

After burying Shiro’s carcass into the ground, we both put our hands together in prayer. We didn’t build a grave. I also didn’t know what to pray for despite going through the motions.

“This little one was alone in the gutter when I first met her.”

The boy just listened. He didn’t even look at me with suspicion in his eyes when I suddenly spoke up.

“A week has passed since then. At the time it seemed like she was calling me. When I asked her if she wanted to come along, she purred. But Shiro’s life was extended by just a week. Which made me wonder. If she stayed in that gutter, would her end be a little easier? Say, was there a point to prolong her lifespan by just a week?”

I might ask the same thing about my life at this point.

I watched my parents and Umi die and then cheated death alone. But reality was not some kind stranger. I didn’t know when that had started, but for a while now, I had been wondering why had I wanted to live on.

The Winter Skies allowed me to discover Sirius’ powerful flow.

In Greek, that word attached to that blueish-white light meant ‘scorching’. I should have had disappeared in that flame back then.

But the reality was that I was still alive. I chose to live on with my own will. Ever since the night I lost everything, I had been simply looking for a reason to do so.

“All that said, you did accompany her, right?” replied the boy after a moment of quiet contemplation. “If there was any meaning to letting Shiro live for a week longer, I’m guessing that meaning lies in your heart. She got your love, so much so that her death caused you sadness. That chance alone makes her happy, I guess. Ah, yeah. That’s because,——you won’t forget this week, right?”

That was his conclusion.

“Is there even a purpose to life?”

“I guess so. I don’t know what Shiro would think, but here’s my take: If someone’s able to remain in a certain person’s heart and be loved, that’s a blessing of Life.”

The boy’s words sank deep into my heart.

I understood now. If I was able to remain in a certain person’s heart, then there was a point to me having lived. If I could do it, maybe I could find a little meaning to my life in the process too.

I looked at the boy next to me. This goody-two-shoes could probably remember me, no matter for how many years I would be gone.

All that thinking about how to use my life…

Yep. I made up my mind.

“Say, what’s your name?”

“Haruyoshi Segawa. Yours?”

The boy’s mere existence in my heart assumed the shape of Haruyoshi Segawa .

There were words there I didn’t say to Segawa-kun.

Hey, Segawa-kun…

Please like me.

Please stamp me in your heart, and remember me forever.

When that reality occurs, surely, I’ll…

Thinking about that, I beamed,

“I’m Yuki Shiina. Please take care of me.”

## Contact 137 – Beyond the Vanished Words

“May I sit here?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened when I was in the free space of the town library, working on my summer homework.

The clear voice was like a wind bell echoing.

I looked around, and found the other tables occupied by other students, who like me had laid out their textbooks, studying. Of them, many of them were using the red book series, preparing for the college entrance exams. These guys will be how I look a year later.

“Please do.”

I was about to clear up the unused textbooks from the table, “It’s fine.” but she waved her hand, “I’m just reading. This much space is enough. Are you doing your summer homework?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll just read quietly then.”

She put the index finger on her lips, seemingly shushing me. She revealed her pearly white teeth, and the first impression she gave me was a little immature. Even so, she seemed a little older than me. Disposition-wise, she seemed rather relaxed.

As she said, she’s basically quietly flipping through the pages, but sometimes, she would chuckle softly, or hum a little. I was captivated by her voice, looking towards her, and then, I lowered my head. I felt a little apologetic, sorry, so I apologized. She looked a little shocked, widening her eyes.

“Why are you the one apologizing?”

She chuckled. Seriously, I want to hear her voice, so I thought.

This wish was fulfilled earlier than I expected. I went to the toilet, and upon returning, found that she wasn’t reading her book, but peering at my homework.

I returned to my seat, and she whispered to me in a secretive manner,

“Your answer for the third question is wrong.”

She took my mechanical pencil, and began to write. Within a minute, she arrived at a different answer. I had a look, and found her answer to be exactly the same as the one on the answer sheet.

“You’re bad at maths? Shall I teach you?”

She smiled slyly, her slender fingers gently pulling her hair behind her ears. Suddenly, there was a sweet fragrance. What’s this scent? After some thought, I got the answer–

It’s the fragrance of sakura.

It happened in summer, during my second year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

I inhaled the morning air, and ran out of the house.

Summer homework, stationery, wallet, smartphone, and towel. For every step I took, the items in my bag touched, clanking away.

I strode forth hard, and the world began to spin a little faster. So I kept running, my emotions rising. On the way, I turned right, and went down a jogging alley by the riverside. Light sparkles appeared on the river surface, and it seemed the air was filled with the light of summer. Fuu, haa. Sweat started appearing on my forehead.

After I abandoned track in middle school, I would regularly run, but my body was extremely sluggish compared to my physical prime. Well, this should be enough, I think. Everything has become a thing of the past.

On the last summer day in middle school, I surpassed the one I ‘admired’.

Before I realized, the finish line was behind me. Ah, I finally did it. That was what I thought, for that particular moment, there was nothing I looked forward to. However, I was past the finish line.

That was the place I finally reached after running for three years in middle school.

I felt something exploding in my heart.

It was something I had already given up on.

It was something I let go of.

It was something that had ended.

I slowed down, quietly waiting for those things to calm down. Beside my feet was a distinct black shadow. Crickets could be heard from afar. My memories were slowly awakened.

It seemed I was alone when I broke my record on the hottest day that summer, ending off my track club career, I guess?

While thinking about this, I suddenly heard a voice.

“What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?”

That shocked me.

It was my classmate, Akane Rindou.

Her hair, a little shorter than the average girl, covered her forehead, and large beads of sweat flowed down her forehead.

It’s summer vacation, but she’s wearing a uniform instead of her plain clothes. Is she attending club activities?

“Just spacing out.”

Ahahaha. I tried to laugh it off, but Akane asked worriedly.

“You got heatstroke? Are you alright? Need me to buy you some water?”

“I’m going to the library now. There’s a water cooler at the lobby, don’t worry. Are you attending club activities now, Akane?”

Akane was on her bicycle, and the basket at the front had a bag messily stuffed into it. It’s the orange bag she would always bring for her club activities, and I saw it all the time.

“Lewd.”

Akane interpreted my stare to be something else, scolding me.

“What?”

“You’re looking at my bag. You know what’s inside, right?”

“Your swimsuit, right? I’m just looking at the bag. Don’t call me lewd.”

But upon hearing my reply, Akane leered cheekily.

“Too bad. It’s underwear.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m already wearing my swimsuit.”

Akane lifted a little of her skirt. The black school swimsuit could be seen.

“Akane, just a reminder, don’t do that even if it’s a swimsuit underneath. Isn’t there an old song with the lyrics, ‘men are all perverts, be careful out there’.”

“See? You’re a pervert after all.”

Akane gleefully grinned. It’s my complete defeat.

I recovered to realize the thing that was raging within me had disappeared completely. Instead of that, there was something a little more honest, trying to peek out. It’s a swimsuit, a swimsuit. The underneath of a skirt that was not to be seen to begin with was getting my male instincts riled up.

Well, I can’t help myself here, right? So I muttered and defended myself.

I’m a healthy high school boy in his second year after all.

“Thanks.”

I sheepishly said, and Akane immediately froze up, running away from me.

“P-per-pervert–!!”

So, why are you calling me a pervert after I thanked you?

After thinking for a moment, I realized my verbal gaffe.

Am I an idiot? Saying thanks after seeing an upskirt? That’s perverted of me.

“No, it’s different, Akane.”

“What’s the difference?”

She sounded really repulsed.

“I’m lewd, but I’m not a pervert.”

“How’s that different?”

Akane went a little further away. Ah, I said it’s different, it really is. But the more I denied it, the distance between us increased. At this point, it’s a shouting distance between us, rather than a talking distance.

“Hey–pervert–!”

“Stop calling it as if it’s my name. That’s not what I’m called.”

“Hey, lewd guy. You remember the promise two days later?”

Ahh damn it, can’t deny what I just admitted.

“Remember!! 6pm at the temple, right?”

“Yeah–! I’m–!”

“Hm?”

“Looking forward to it!!”

“Got it!”

“I’ll be wearing a yukata, so look forward to it, pervert!”

Once she said that, Akane peddled off without hearing my answer. I watched her cycle off towards the school, thinking about needless things. Ahh, it’s really unnecessary.

Do people go commando when wearing yukatas?

I was at the water cooler of the library lobby, drinking. The cold water slipped through my throat, into my stomach.

Back then, I had trouble using it, as I had difficulty lowering my head to drink. The water in my mouth always flowed out due to gravity.

When did I become capable of drinking like this?

This memory remained in a corner of my hazy consciousness, and remained difficult to extract. It’s like eating, going to the toilet alone, or riding a bicycle.

I guess it’s the same, that somehow or another, I learned how to do it.

After quenching my throat sufficiently, I went to the self-study room. I pushed the glass door aside, and the air conditioning met me. It felt really comfortable.

I found Yuki at the table by the wall.

On the first day we met, she had two books on the table, and was reading one of them. It had been three days since we met, but she had not progressed, and the reason was me. Ever since that day, I had been bothering her with my assignments. Maths especially was a bother; without her help, I wouldn’t be able to finish most of them.

“Good morning.”

I approached Yuki, and sat opposite her.

“Good morning, Yoshi-kun.”

“Sorry for being late.”

We didn’t agree to a time to meet up, but I apologized. I felt that since I had owed her so much, and showed up late, it was unbecoming of me.

I left home earlier, and ran over because I didn’t want to be late, but my conversation with Akane today caused me to be later than expected. I’ll leave home a little earlier tomorrow, so I decided.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. I just arrived myself.”

“But I can’t keep a girl waiting.”

“Hm hm, you’re pretty sincere, Yoshi-kun. You’re the same as before.”

“Eh?”

“Nothing. Anyway, have you solved yesterday’s questions?”

“Nope. I just don’t get it. The given method was correct, but the answer just don’t match.”

“Hmm, you’re always making some simple mistakes Yoshi-kun. If you can’t get the correct answer, it’s normally because of that. Look.”

Yuki took the notebook, looked for less than a minute, ahh, and blurted.

“See? It’s a simple mistake here.”

Yuki looked a little dumbfounded, and pointed the operation symbol.

It seemed I forgot to put a minus sign.

Ahahahaha, I tried to laugh it off, only to be smacked on the forehead by Yuki. A beat later, I instinctively held my forehead. It didn’t sound heavy, probably because she held back.

“Sorry.”

“Be careful next time.”

“Alright, sensei.”

Yuki might have liked the ‘sensei’ part a little too much, for she gave a dazzling smile.

“Good boy.”

We spent the entire time studying until closing time, but the sun didn’t set even then. I could see it fully, clearly.

The setting sun colored the world vibrantly, dragging our shadows.

I accompanied Yuki to the station, like usual, and she stepped on the torso of my shadow. The place stepped on was right at my heart.

“What are you doing?”

“Stepping on your shadow. Now you’ll be like me, Yoshi-kun.”

“Eh? Is there such a rule for shadow stepping? I remember the rule is more like tag, whoever shadow gets tagged becomes it.”

“What? So you’re not going to be like me, Yoshi-kun?”

“What do you mean, like you?”

Yuki put her index finger on her chin, and teased,

“Errm, like a pretty girl?”

“Stop bragging.”

Ehhh, I karate chopped her head, and she squealed like a pig, Ow ow, that’s violent. You’re terrible, hitting a girl. She kept grumbling, and I continued to listen to her delightful voice, remaining silent.

A pouting Yuki was very cute, and I just kept staring at her.

We continued walking, and the position of the shadows changed. Yuki’s shadow shifted to my feet, while I was following from behind.

“Now you’re it, Yuki.”

“Umu.”

We continued walking, checking the position of the sun was right beneath our feet as we tried to tag each other. A second ago, I thought my shadow was moving towards Yuki, but at the next second, Yuki’s shadow shifted towards my feet. Even at different places, I could see many different sceneries.

From time to time, we would turn left, then right, and into the alleys. We were just focused on the positions of the sun, and before we knew it, we didn’t know where we ended up at.

I was the first to realize.

“Yuki, you familiar with this area?”

“Nope. No idea at all.”

“Well, it’s not too far, so we should be fine. Let’s walk back.”

“You’re right.”

I turned around to leave, but Yuki suddenly grabbed my hands, her fingers intertwined with mine. At that moment, the nerves in my body froze up. Yuki’s fingers were twitching clumsily, trying to ease my tension, and once she figured out how to interlock the fingers, she grasped my hand firmly. Our palms were thus touch each other’s.

“Eh?”

“Ah, sorry, I’m scared of going lost, so.”

“Erm, are you worried about that?”

“No. Erm, it’s a habit I had since young. I held hands with my little sister, just making sure she didn’t get lost.”

“I see. Well, I get that experience.”

She had no intention of letting go, so I didn’t say anything else, and held her hand gently.

I didn’t know how much strength I should use, and it’s difficult trying to figure that out. My little sister Natsuna had a smaller hand than Yuki, but it’s a completely different situation. I was a lot more nervous holding Yuki’s hand.

“A little tighter.”

“Eh?”

“I know you’re worried, Yoshi-kun. You want to treat me gently. But right now, please hold my hand a little tighter, like when you grabbed mine at the convenience store.”

“Did that happen?”

Hearing that, for some reason, Yuki exerted more strength in her hand, seemingly angry.

“Ow.”

“This much strength is also fine.”

“But won’t it hurt?”

“I want you to hold my hand…tightly. Don’t let go.”

“Got it.”

So I cautiously exerted more strength into the hand. My palms were starting to heat up, my cheeks hot, and so were my ears. I was quietly hoping that the hot palm wouldn’t let go. What’s this?

The name of this heat is–

“Yep, it’s nice to get lost once in a while.”

Yuki nodded with satisfaction.

“Eh, ah, yep. I guess it’s nice to do something irregular once in a while.”

“That isn’t what I mean.”

We walked back for a short while, and saw the familiar road. It seemed we just went deep into a side path away from the usual road. Going straight down, we could see the public hall, and we arrived on the main road.

“What? We aren’t exactly lost after all.”

Yuki suddenly waved her hand, smiling at me. My hand was pulled over, and I ended up waving as well. Ahahaha. Well, Yuki’s happy. I ended up swinging my hand. Yuki’s small body never fell over, and was pulled up again due to recoil. Ahahaha. I ended up laughing as well.

I thought it would continue, but Yuki quickly stopped.

She stopped swinging, and stopped walking as she looked at the billboard of the public hall. Is there something rare there?

“What is it?”

“That.”

Yuki pointed at the poster of the local summer festival. The black paper contained a photo of the fireworks. At this time of the year, such posters would be pasted all over the shopping streets and the like; thus, it was not a rare sight.

“Ahh, the Nobume festival? It’s two days later. I–“

“Say, Yoshi-kun, if you have time.”

“I agreed to go out with a classmate though.”

Yuki, having made up her mind, called out to me, and my trailing words overlapped with hers.

“”Eh???””

The reactions, responses and emotions were all the same. However, Yuki calmed down before I could. I couldn’t; my heart was feeling all chaotic.

“When did you?”

“Eh?”

“When?”

“Ehh…two nights ago. I was supposed to go along with everyone in the class.”

“Two days? It’s summer vacation, I got careless.”

Yuki looked up at the sky, seemingly frustrated by something as she closed her eyes. Her front hair was dropping forward, onto the face. Well, I found her straightened neck to be beautiful. She frowned, let out a sigh, and let go. Her body temperature became distant.

“…Guess the promise is gone.”

Yuki left me behind, and left. I could have said “Wait for me”, but I was still confused, unable to say such simple words.

A little distance away from me, Yuki turned around, looking at me. As the light was shining on her back, I couldn’t tell what was the expression she made.

“Goodbye.”

Yuki then turned to leave again. As she said goodbye, I naturally thought we would meet the next day, so I waved to her, byebye,

But on the next day, and the day after, Yuki didn’t show up at the library.

❄

“If ya don’t wear this, it’ll be see through.”

I heard a voice when I was wearing the yukata over the slip. It’s a distinct, raspy voice of an old person, of an unknown dialect. Yes, yes. Put the hands through the sleeves, and pull. Isn’t this good now? Straight out that side. Can’t not dress up there. Yep, looks good.

I looked around, but naturally, I was the only one in the hotel room.

This is where I should wrap around.

It’s been a year since I wore a yukata, but I managed to wear it successfully with the voice of the old granny guiding me. It’s a dark blue yukata, decorated with red and black goldfish swimming in a river. It was something the old granny left for me, despite me only meeting her once, and not knowing her name at all.

I spun around before the mirror, checking for any wrinkles on the yukata. Nope, perfect. It’s a pity, but it doesn’t seem to match the mood of this Western styled room.

The yukata really seemed befitting of the old, nostalgic house the granny stayed at.

It was a year ago, last summer, when I met that old granny.

That day, I was about to go for the summer festival with Yoshi-kun. If we mention about summer festivals and fireworks, then yukatas should be mentioned as well. So, I went to a common old house.

Actually, I was always curious about that place.

There was a signboard with the words ‘Yukata/Kimono Rental’. I nudged aside the fence that was waist high, and with a creak, it revealed the path linking towards the house. The old granny was at the house at the end, flapping her fan.

She narrowed her eyes, and because of the wrinkles, for a moment, I couldn’t tell where she was looking. The pure white hair looked well taken care of, silky and glittering.

“Whatcha. Who are ya?”

Her voice sounded harsh, but there was some warmth in it. Why’s that?

“Erm, I saw the signboard outside. I want to rent a yukata from you.”

“Signboard. Singaboard. Ahh, that. Beencha while since I did that, ya. Sorry.”

“Eh, I see.”

I lowered my shoulders dejected. I was really looking forward to wearing one.

Despite her saying sorry, the old granny was fanning away happily.

“But Missy, ya’re pretty. Want to be a little cuter, ya?”

“…Yes.”

“For a boy?”

“Yes.”

“Ya like him?”

The old granny beamed, but unfortunately, it’s a little different.

“No. But I want him to say he likes me.”

“A bad girl you are, ya.”

“You think so?”

Of course, I knew that, but I pretended not to.

“Well, it’s better for a girl to be feisty, but well, ya have to dress yourself up better. This old granny ain’t able to wear it anymore, so guess this is fate, ya. Here’s something good for ya, Missy.”

Righto, the granny was slow to get onto her feet, and went from the porch to the house. I didn’t what to do, so I stood there blankly. After a while, the granny called me,

“Stop standing around. Come here. This old granny will dress you up good.”

I did as the granny told me to, and went from the porch to the house. There were few belongings, let alone furniture, and it seemed only the bare necessities were present. There was a classy looking cabinet amongst these belongings, and the old granny was carefully rummaging through it.

The room was filled with the unique smell of an old house. The air was thick, filled with many various things, life, age, death, a compression of human life.

I looked around the room, “Ah, here, here.” The granny muttered.

“A little old, ya, but still wearable. Come on, strip and wear this.”

The granny pulled out what was obviously an expensive dark blue yukata.

“Eh?”

“Hurry.”

With the granny’s strict, relentless voice beckoning me, I stripped myself, as she ordered me to.

And right when I was about to put on the yukata.

“Goodness, if ya don’t wear this, it’ll be see through.”

Saying that, the granny handed me a slip. As it was to be worn by the sleeve, the slip dropping from the chest to the waist looked really pitiful. I was a little hesitant, wondering if I should wear it, but I obediently wore it in the end.

“Yes, yes. Put the hands through the sleeves, and pull. Isn’t this good now? Straight out that side. Can’t not dress up there. Yep, looks good.”

The granny chose not to lend me a hand, and repeatedly reminded me when I made mistakes. While I was wondering how to tie the obi, she asked,

“Ya’re going to Nobume-sama’s festival, ya?”

“Yes.”

“I went there with a few others back in my day.”

“Yes.”

“But ever since those elders left, I never went again. The fireworks looked so colorless to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Not that I’m old. Just a matter of feelings. That’s wrong. Yes, hold it there ya.”

“Like this?”

“Ya. Then pull it back. Right, done.”

Before I realized it, I saw myself in the mirror. I was a little touched.

“Hm, how pretty. Any boy will fall for such beauty. Go out there and make him say ‘I like you’. Ahh, go out there in this yukata with a cute smile next year, and the next.”

I thanked the granny, and went to the place I agreed to meet with Yoshi-kun.

Once he saw me, his eyes widened. I had never seen him like that before. After then, he shook his head like a drenched puppy. So cute. I was hoping for him to say such words, so I was a little unhappy about his response. I guess I’m a little happy to see his blushing face though.

We walked down the bridge, side by side, waiting for the fireworks as we ate shaved ice.

“You know, Yuki? The shaved ice syrup’s all the same, just different colors.”

I stood next to Yoshi-kun, whose tongue was colored lemon, and brought the blue ice into my mouth. It was chewy initially, but the more I chewed, the ice melted, and became textureless.

“I see.”

Actually, I knew that.”

It was written in the novel I lent Yoshi-kun, but he didn’t know that. The reality’s probably changed such that he ended up borrowing the novel from the library.

“I did read it in a novel before.”

“So that means this is the same flavor as that.”

“Most likely.”

“I want to try.”

Before I got Yoshi-kun’s approval, I took a scoop of lemon ice from his cup, using my spoon, and ate it. Ah. he exclaimed. I found it really sweet.

“How is it?”

“Hmm, can’t tell. How about you try it?”

This time, I took a scoop of my ice, and reached it towards him. At this moment, he was a little flustered, but I pretended not to notice. What is it? I tilted my head.

Two seconds later, Yoshi-kun gave up as he bit on my outstretched spoon.

“How is it?”

“Yeah, can’t tell. It’s like the same flavor, but a little different.”

“Well, sweet is sweet.”

We continued with some idle chit-chat, and a firework bloomed in the air, as though ending our conversation before fading. The loud echos shook our heart, and the fireworks, colored just like our tongues, gradually colored the world differently. Blue, green, yellow, red.

“So pretty.”

I marvelled.

“Yeah.”

He too said.

After that, things naturally developed.

“I want to see this again with you next year, Yoshi-kun.”

“Okay. Let’s watch next year.”

For what was probably the first time since the accident, I looked forward to seeing the future beyond that moment.

Well, that future never came.

I was alone, wearing the same yukata, and went to the shrine alone.

For every step I took, the clogs a little larger than my feet clicked.

I arrived at the old house that had been sold, and suddenly stopped in my tracks.

The fence was locked by metallic wire-like things. It was like this ever since a few days past the festival last year.

–Go out there and make him say ‘I like you’.

The smiling old granny with a few mere teeth left was no longer around.

This yukata alone was the only proof of me interacting with her.

“Sorry granny. You put in so much effort to doll me up, but I couldn’t do it.”

❀

I went to the shrine, and for some reason, my feet felt heavy.

It’s not that I was unhappy about going to the festival, but I’ve been like this since yesterday. My mind was always thinking of a certain girl.

“Oh, you really came, Segawa.”

The classmates gathered before the shrine perimeter called out upon seeing me.

Typically, I wouldn’t participate in such group gatherings, so they’re probably shocked to see me.

I would normally go alone, and they probably had the impression that I liked to be alone. It was the same last year at the Nobume Festival. I ate shaved ice alone, and watched the fireworks alone.

The guys were all dressed the same, either with shirts matching pants, or shirts matching jeans. A few of the girls were wearing yukata. Speaking of which, Akane did mention that she’s wearing a yukata.

“Hey, that’s rude. I said I’ll come, so I came.”

“Why are you so angry?”

I started sounding harsh for some reason, and a few others pulled their distance away from me.

“Well, Haru might not be used to this. Maybe he doesn’t know how to react.”

Hooking my neck with that meaty arm of his was my friend, Takuma. Yeah, so he said up close to me, sounding a little intimidating and concerned. It’s too immature for me not to change my attitude after knowing that. I relaxed my shoulders. It’s rare for me to be invited out, so I should just enjoy it a little.

“Ah, sorry. Actually, I didn’t progress much with the homework. Just a little annoyed.”

“Heh, it’s rare to see the model student Haru unable to work.”

I understood what he was getting at, so I graciously went along with the flow.

“You trying to pick a fight? You’re the one with better grades.”

“Well, I’m a genius.”

“Hey, you guys wanna beat Takuma up?”

Saying that, a few of the boys deliberately cheered loudly in agreement.

I’ll smack him good. Righto, a blood festival. I could hear such cruel words beyond my imagination. Wait, hold on, seriously, don’t do this. Ow. Which idiot hit me there? Takuma was surrounded by the guys, yelling away; I met him in the eyes, and found him still laughing away. I nodded at him. The awkward mood from before was gone in the noise. This should be good. Look, it’s important to keep going until the very end, but we’re still kids. There’s no need to be so stubborn.

Takuma then mouthed to me, help me out here already. He blinked a few times, giving me a few clumsy expressions.

Naturally, I shook my head.

As for what I should do, the situation’s beyond my control. You can’t be serious. Having said such words of despair, Takuma’s massive body crouched over as he covered his head, disappearing as he continued to be beaten by everyone. I clapped my hands together. Namusan.

Suddenly, I sensed a stare.

I looked over, and found a girl a little distance from us. She appeared to be looking at something dazzling as she narrowed her eyes. She was wearing a dark blue yukata, which depicted a river with red and black goldfish.

I wanted to call out her name, and I took a step out from the circle. The moment I was about to call out her name, my name was called.

“Hey Haru–“

The one calling me was Akane. As she had said, she too was wearing a yukata. It’s faint green, with green and yellow Morning Glories. The bright colors were befitting of her lively self.

While I was distracted by the voice, the girl vanished into the darkness. The place she stood at was empty.

I quietly called her name.

But it was pointless.

“Yuki.”

And Akane, who arrived next to me, tilted her head in confusion?

“Yuki? It’s summer now.”

While we were chatting, Takuma finally managed to return from Hell, and called everyone over. Let’s go. So Akane said, and teetered towards everyone. I took my time as I went over.

Finally, I turned back towards that place with some hope, but it was empty.

The Nobume Festival is an old summer one with at least 150 years of history.

Apparently, this festival was to celebrate the shrine lady named Nobume who married the dragon god disrupting humanity. However, the dragon god here refers to the river, and this festival’s held to comfort the souls of the girls who became human pillars to stop the flood.

Like the previous years, people were beating drums and blowing fluters for Nobume-sama.

I heard the noise from the center of the festival, and sat alone on the stone steps, laying out my prizes.

Five butter grilled chicken, baby castellas. For us high school kids with limited pocket money, it’s common sense for us to share money for such events.

Everyone else went off to buy food that’s easy to share.

After waiting for a while, Akane alone returned. She was holding two Ramunes, three beef sticks, and a packet of takoyaki. Kept you waiting, she said bashfully.

“This is for you. Keep this a secret from the others.”

Saying that, she handed me a light blue bottle.

“Can i?”

“Yep. But it’s just for you and me. Finish it before everyone comes back.”

“Got it. Thanks. Is everyone else buying stuff? It’s been a long time. Is it really that much trouble?”

I thanked her, receiving the Ramune. I suppose it’s chilled in iced water, since it felt cold. I held the glass marble down with my tongue, and drank the soda water. The bubbles exploded, causing me much bitterness inside.

“No, I don’t know whether they’re worrying too much, or that they’re being busybody.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. If you don’t understand, forget about it. You don’t need to know.”

Akane sat next to me, blushing as she nodded a few times.

While sitting next to her, I looked at the bustling sceneries of the festival, mesmerized while my mouth was on the Ramune bottle mouth, sipping little by little. There were various voices, dazzling colors that caught my sights, and many people gathered around. Various things filled the place.

So I continued chatting with Akane, waiting, but none of my classmates showed up.

“Aren’t they too slow? I’ll go look for them–“

Saying that, I was about to get up, but Akane said,

“…I feel a little giddy right now.”

“Eh? Ah, it’s a festival. It’s normal to feel agitated.”

“Hm? Really? I guess if you say so.”

A light breeze blew by, gently stroking my hair.

“But you seem a little distracted today.”

“…I don’t think so.”

I was being honest. I wasn’t lying. I was really enjoying the day, fooling around with Takuma and the others, enjoying the sights of the girls in yukata, basked in the mood of the festival. I was really enjoying everything, but–

“Then, where are you going?”

“I said I’m going to look for them.”

“Really? That’s not it, right? You might not have realized it, Haru, but you’re looking distracted. What are you looking for?”

Once she asked, I found myself speechless.

Distracted, huh?

Maybe it’s as Akane had said.

I was having fun, joking around with everyone, but my mind was preoccupied with a certain person. I was looking around, even when we were queuing at the stores, or when waiting on the stone steps with everyone. I wasn’t actually looking for my classmates. I was looking for Yuki.

There was only one girl I wanted to see.

My heart recalled the softness of the palm, the feeling, the warmth.

Once I realized those feelings, my body began moving.

“Sorry, time out.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll go call someone. Regroup with everyone first, Yuki.”

Wait, while Akane called out behind me, I didn’t stop.

I kept running, looking, and wanted to invite her to see the fireworks. I wanted to use all the courage I mustered to invite her.

Will she be shocked? Will she be happy? If she’s happy, then great. If she’s able to smile happily, that’s greater.

I went into the crowd, looking around, searching. The scenes changed as I moved. I looked around, but no luck, so I kept running, repeating.

On the way, I bumped by Takuma.

“Haru, what are you doing here? What about Akane?”

“Sorry, I’ll explain later. It’s urgent.”

“Ahh? Seriously, where are you going? Hey, where’s Akane?”

Takuma’s unhappy voice faded behind me.

Where is she? Where is Yuki?

❄

The world’s quiet as ever. It felt as if time stood still. I quietly made a countdown. 3, 2, 1, 0. Once it ended, I heard a loud bang ripping through the silence, and at the next moment, there were cheers.

It seemed the fireworks had started.

Triggered by the sounds of the fireworks, the imagery from before appeared in my mind. He’s surrounded by the other classmates, looking really happy, having fun. For some reason, I felt my heart aching when I saw that.

I couldn’t really handle my own feelings as I looked up to the source of the sound.

The red fireworks lit the darkness.

But the light immediately vanished.

Eh, what’s wrong? It’s weird.

I tilted my head.

The colors of the world were gone.

And so were the sounds.

Just last year, I found the fireworks to be beautiful, but at this point, they just appeared bland, black and white to me.

It felt like I was watching a black and white TV without sound.

So I lost all interest, looking up at the poster before me reluctantly. The poster had the picture of last year’s fireworks. It’s black and white here after all. Ahh, it’s so boring. I’m a little bored. I was the one who made the promise first last year.

And with a voice nobody else could hear, I muttered,

“Idiot.”

❀

The starting fireworks got me anxious. The explosions seemed powerful enough to rip through the night air. BANG. BANG. As the fireworks rang, so did my heartbeat become louder.

In another thirty minutes, the fireworks will end. There was someone out there yelling Tamaya during the display, while others elsewhere were yelling Kagiya with a similarly loud voice.

I ran to the back of the arena, the bridge that’s the best place to view the fireworks.

She’s not here.

I hurried to the crowds heading to the station. There were kids around, along with grandpas holding the kids hands. There were five elementary school kids. The ones taking photos with smartphones were probably college students.

And while everyone was looking at the sky, I was the only one running on the ground.

The throat’s hurting more than it’s boiling. My heavy breathing couldn’t calm down. Ahh. It feels so difficult to breathe. Hah, hah. No matter how much I gasped, the oxygen wasn’t enough. My head was dizzy. It’s tiring. Hah, it’s unbearable.

I pinched my sweat soaked shirt hard, and wiped off the sweat dropping into my eyes. Even after being so tired, I kept running.

I couldn’t find her at the station.

Not at the library either.

Ahh, the star mine’s starting. Various voices echoed as the fireworks lit the sky with their distinct colors. It’s almost the climax.

“Shit.”

I cursed as I continued running towards the alley I brought Yuki into.

We once held hands, shaking each other’s arm back and forth, laughed, and spent happy times together.

The flames bloomed in the pitch dark sky, and the rain of light followed. The breathtaking sight glided by like a shooting star. As I kept running, I quietly prayed for a wish towards the hundreds of trailing lights.

–This isn’t some ridiculous wish. So help me out here.

–Bring me to a girl.

I passed the alley, and continued running, before I stopped.

The faint lights of the telephone booth shone upon the adjacent building I was familiar with.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Yuki’s here.

She’s standing at the display board before the public hall, her hand touching the poster of the summer festival. She’s wearing the yukata I saw two hours ago, but she wasn’t looking at the fireworks blooming in the sky. Her sidelong face was colored blue, yellow, green and red.

“Yuki.”

I felt exhausted, probably due to relief. I had no strength to keep running, so I stumbled over a step at a time, approaching her.

“Why are you here?”

Yuki’s face was showing much confusion and shock, and she frowned, before looking through me with a piercing glare. Her face was as pretty as usual, and her raising her eyebrows slightly left me rather intimidated.

But even so, I couldn’t back down.

“Look, I’m here to hear what you didn’t finish.”

The trailing words that vanished when she spoke up at the same time I did.

“You’re only talking about that now? Yoshi-kun, you meanie.”

“Yep.”

Another five steps. Yuki’s face got lower.

“You knew what I wanted to say.”

“I guess.”

Another four steps. Yuki got bigger.

“You knew what I wanted to say, but you didn’t say anything.”

“Sorry.”

I took the third step.

“And, and, you’re a guy, and you want a girl to say that?”

Two steps left.

“You’re despicable.”

With all my desire, I took the last step.

Yuki was within reach.

“So I’ll say it. Can you come watch the fireworks with me? If I’m with you, I’ll be happy.”

“…”

“Can’t I?”

“…No.”

“Why?”

“Because the fireworks ended.”

Yuki lifted her lowered head. There’s signs of sadness and anger in her eyes, but at this moment, she was giggling away.

“You’re a meanie too, Yuki.”

As Yuki looked up at the sky, little fireworks bloomed in the sky with a bang.

Standing next to Yuki, I was the only one who saw her black eyes, lit by the red lights.

## Contact 213 - The 214th Confession

"Who are you?"

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened after I left Yoshi-kun, and went off to the hotel before the station.

The girl's voice was filled with the natural feistiness, along with some uneasiness.

Suddenly, I recalled the boy I was with till just now.

An uneasy premonition left my mouth dry. Most of my hunches about anything good hardly come true, while the bad ones strike so often, I could strike the lottery. It's ridiculous, this time, definitely--

"Who are you?"

I lowered my voice, trying to ensure that she wouldn't determine my thoughts. Most of them wouldn't talk whenever I did this. It seemed there was such pressure from me whenever I did so.

And it seemed the girl before me was intimidated by the pressure in my voice, for she widened her eyes in shock.

I wanted to turn away and leave immediately, but I was grabbed by the elbow, unable to slip away.

"What?"

"Erm."

Her voice lacked the feistiness from before, but even so, she didn't back down, and instead stared into my eyes intently. The eyes were as dazzling as the light of the summer sun; hot, sharp, mesmerizing.

It was then that I realized again that I couldn't run away. No matter how I tried to shun her, she's not going to let me go until I gave her a proper answer. I'm a girl, and she's a girl. Either way, I knew that.

"Anyway, please tell me your name."

"Ahh, I see. Sorry. I'm Akane Rindou. And, erm, you?"

I had some vague recollection of the name.

Yoshi-kun mentioned her many times.

The premonition I had was increasingly becoming a reality. It felt as discomforted as something rough licking at my neck and back.

But even so, I reined in the various things rising up my heart, let out a sigh, and brought my dangling hair to the back. I didn't know if I looked sufficiently conceited. At the very least, it'll be good if I can hold her off for a while.

"I'm Yuki Shiina. So you're that Akane-chan? I heard from Yoshi-kun."

"Who's Yoshi-kun?"

"Haruyoshi Segawa-kun. It's how I call him. You're from the same year as him, right?"

Even as a female, Akane-chan's a pretty girl.

The long slender limbs were nimble. Beneath the long eyelashes were fiery, proud eyes, but there was some honesty hidden within them, and the weakness that accompanied it. The soft hair's something to be envied.

I guess most boys can't resist such girls.

My throat was increasingly parched.

"Then, is there anything you want with me, Akane-chan?"

"Ermm, yeah. Actually, what's your relationship, with Haru, Shiina-san?"

A car horn could be heard from somewhere. It seemed near, and far.

It happened in my 19th winter.

That was how I met Akane Rindou.

This isn't something that can be settled with a few words, so I told Akane-chan, and without for her reply, I went to the cafe I visited several times. Once I saw the indoor lights of the unimpressive looking, empty cafe, I heaved a sigh of relief. I nudged the door aside, and the bell chimed.

Welcome, the big sister approached with a smile. For two please, I told her, and went to the place by the window, as I did the first time I visited this place with him.

"Erm, Shiina-san."

The moment I sat, Akane-chan called my name.

Luckily, her voice was soft enough that I could pretend to ignore. I ordered a hot black coffee. Akane-chan didn't, and stared at me intently.

Once the big sister left, I asked with a harsher voice than expected.

"Have you been to this shop before?"

"Nope."

"I see. I've visited this place with Yoshi-kun before."

What am I being gleeful for? I'm the one losing if I say such things here. The fact that I came to this shop with him no longer exists on this world.

I feel gaudy and tragic for having to rely on such facts.

"I hope you'll answer my questions."

She went back on topic, maybe unhappy with what I said.

Her voice remained soft after all.

"...What?"

"Your relationship with Haru."

I didn't want to order anything more, but I was slowly flipping through the pages, with the menu in hand. Curry rice, sandwiches. Yoshi-kun liked the Napolitan pasta. Hey, did you know that, Akane-chan?

"Even if you ask me of our relationship, I don't know what to say."

I flipped to the next page. There's Blue Mountain coffee, Kilimanjaro and others. Various coffee names were listed. On the adjacent page, there were names of black tea. I remembered Yoshi-kun once going something like, who would order such stuff, maybe some company boss.

"A friend?"

"Who knows?"

"Acquaintance?"

"Well."

"...Not his girlfriend, right?"

I slammed the menu instinctively. Uh oh. No choice left. I could only put the menu back at its original position. Finally, I looked towards Akane-chan.

"Hey, I say, does that have anything to do with you? You're just ordinary classmates, right?"

"We're not just classmates."

"Then what? Acquaintances? Friends?"

I retorted back with the words she said ten seconds ago.

"You're not his girlfriend, right?"

"Not, at all."

At this moment, Akane-chan's eyes were blazing with a completely different emotion. Rage, or rather, hatred. Ahh, this makes it easier for me. We can fight.

For I would find myself pitiful in the face of that honesty. I can no longer look at anyone with such eyes again.

"Then it doesn't matter what my relationship with Yoshi-kun is now. I don't have anything to say to a mere classmate--"

Before I could finish, a sound rang.

I realized that I got slapped, for my cheek was feeling hot.

"I said I'm not just a classmate. I've always liked him."

"But that's just what you wish."

Once I answered calmly, Akane-chan raised her hand again.

This time, I was mentally prepared, for I knew she was at her limit.

But her raised hand slowly dropped, weakly.

She bit her lips hard, her eyes overflowing with tears as she carelessly grabbed her bag. Sorry for hitting you, she said, and ran off.

Phew, I heaved a sigh, and my shoulders turned weak. My hands were shaking. It's a good thing she hadn't realized it. I really didn't want to do that. But since she wasn't going to let me go, I had no reason to back off.

Especially since she's a girl with so much charm, it was vexing.

Since neither of us were going to back down, we're just going to be enemies for eternity.

Soon after, the big sister brought the coffee out. She didn't say anything, and put it on the table with the usual smile. Ahh, why did I order this again? I sipped the piping hot coffee, and grimaced.

"Ow."

My tongue was stinging.

This coffee was so much bitter compared to everything else I had ever tasted.

It was morning. I woke up, and found the fragments of my dreams slowly fading away.

It happened from time to time. Like the snowflake grasped in my hand fading away, I couldn't contain the fragments within my memories.

In my dreams, I was holding hands with someone. I was smiling.

But when I woke up, I couldn't remember who it was. The emotions in my heart too vanished. Finally, I too forgot about having such dreams.

This is probably how I vanish from his memories.

Yoshi-kun, who was in his second year of Middle School, is now a third year in High School.

Ever since that, he, who had been shorter than me, grew much taller, and I had no choice but to look up to him. Looking at how his face is no longer effeminate, I guess nobody will say that he looks like a girl now.

This is the proof that four years had elapsed, a period that was not short in any way.

But in these four years of Yoshi-kun, I never existed.

Every Tuesday night, 10.54pm, the world will erase my existence.

Completely without a trace, like white snow melting into the Spring. There is no sign of my existence anywhere in the past world.

And every day, I would encounter Yoshi-kun again and again.

All for one purpose, to get Yoshi-kun to like me no matter what.

I finished my shower, and began my thorough preparations. The hairstyle Yoshi-kun likes. The clothes Yoshi-kun likes. It seems he likes girls wearing slightly oversized coats. It seems he thinks it's cute that I reveal some fingers from my sleeves. They call it Moesode or something. I forgot when it was when he told me about that excitedly.

I can't understand. But well, since he likes it, so be it. I'll be cute for him.

After a long time, I finally dolled myself into a fashion Yoshi-kun would like.

And with heartfelt feelings, I sprayed the sweet fragrance.

It was the sakura perfume he said he wouldn't forget.

When I left the hotel, the sky's completely grey.

It seems like it'll snow again.

Let the snow pile up, so I prayed.

I left the hotel, and made my way back again, tossing the red gloves onto the bed. I didn't know what to do with the pale hands now that I had removed my gloves, so I bent my reddened fingertips, before heading to school to meet Yoshi-kun again.

Till this point, I had talked to Yoshi-kun 213 times.

But never once did he say that he liked me.

❀

I heard a sharp screech from the chair grinding the floor, and lifted my head up from the book.

The third year classroom had many empty seats, for it was the time when students were free to attend school. Nijou, the one seated before me, hadn't been around for a week, so it's been a while since I heard him.

However, sitting down wasn't the classmate with the iconic spiky hair. It was a girl with shoulder-length soft hair. If she hasn't spoken up, she would be a cute, pretty girl, but she had no intention of hiding her crude personality as she beamed.

"Yo, Haru."

"What, Akane?"

"What do you mean, what? I'm here. You got a problem with that?"

She's the one who seemed to have a problem as she pouted with a sulk. If it's the usual routine, the follow up will be a little punch. Honestly, I want to avoid that.

Luckily, there's something else to discuss, so I made use of it.

"Not really. Just a little shocked. It's rare to see you let your hair down, and I couldn't tell. It gives a really different impression. You kept it longer since half a year or so, right?"

"Ahh, yeah. My big sister told me how to take care of my hair, and I'm working hard on it. It's fun, though there's some troublesome part about it."

Ever since Akane retired from club activities in the summer, she's been acting more like a girl.

She kept her hair longer, and seemed have been putting on makeup. It's not too obvious if I didn't pay attention to her, but a little bit of makeup increased her charm dramatically. All I knew was that over the past half year, five people tried to woo Akane.

She fiddled her fingertips, maybe because I was staring at her, and she asked,

"Do you find it weird?"

She asked with some hesitation. I guess a charm of hers was that her expression was always changing, so I thought blankly.

"No, not at all. I just find it cute."

"Really? Then, great. Eh, yeah. Forgot what I wanted to talk about. I just chatted with Takuma. Want to go to the shrine to pray today?"

"Didn't we go already?"

"Any, way, we can go there many times, probably…"

Is that so? Won't God feel annoyed to be pestered by countless prayers? Or will he fulfill wishes because he feels the passion in those praying?

Well, anyway,

"No, I'm not going today. Got an appointment."

I had to shake my head and refuse.

Because I had an appointment with a girl I had just met.

Once I said that, Akane frowned, and the mood changed completely. Well, it's like a summer downpour. Some feeling of a crazy thunderstorm coming. Her face was completely covered with grey clouds.

"...With Yuki Shiina-san? She's a pretty one."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Ah. I guess so. You've been with her recently, right Haru? Guess you have lots of free time before the exams. We're examinees. There's no time to go out and play with such a ridiculous person, you know?"

"That's not it…"

"Anyway, it's a promise."

I wanted to retort, but Akane's words swallowed me. Everyone in class was looking at us, for her voice was loud. Several of them, all girls, were watching with glittering eyes. They're hoping to see what'll happen.

"No, just wait a minute, Akane."

Akane left the classroom, as if she didn't hear me. Even so, I had to shout.

"I got a prior appointment!"

❄

The 3.30pm bell rang, and I got up, moving from the electric pole to the school gate. I promised with Yoshi-kun yesterday that we're going to meet at the school gate.

I tidied my hair with help from a hand mirror, rolled up my muffler, and breathed some air onto the aching, frozen fingertips. They were warmed for a little moment, only to cool down immediately. Once Yoshi-kun comes, let's go and get something warm to eat. I'll treat him as reward for his hard work.

But soon, it was past 4pm, 4.30pm, and Yoshi-kun still didn't show up.

I wasn't really worried. I understood he had reasons for not showing up.

For example, there was a chance he was asking his teachers about questions he solved.

But my legs ignored all sense of logic as I went off towards school. I was thinking about the girl I met the previous day. She's pretty. Once I recalled the honest eyes, my chest ached. It was painful. Hey, Yoshi-kun. I'm in pain. Why is this?

As I got closer to school, there were more students around. I hastened.

wIt was the first time I went to pick him up at school.

For I never once entered Yoshi-kun's school life.

Because of my presence, Yoshi-kun lost lots of time.

He should be spending time with his family and friends, but ended up lonely. In his memories, he was alone in many scenes.

So at the very least, I thought I should take away his memories in school.

And for me, at this point, I wasn't in the mood to abide by the rules I set.

I entered the school gates. I wasn't wearing a school uniform, and didn't look like a teacher, so I was really standing out. Various stares were stinging at my skin. I was used to this, but on this day, I was a little disturbed.

I was starting to think, in an unbefitting manner, that if I was a student here, nobody will be looking at me like this.

❀

No matter how many times I tried talking to Akane, it's useless. It's rare to see her this angry. There's no doubt I hit a sore spot on her, but I didn't know what it was. Immediately after class, I went to talk to her, but she hid in the girls toilet every time, and I didn't get the chance to talk to her.

After at least 6 times, it was after school.

"So I said that I got an appointment already. Listen to me already, Akane."

I went to the corridor linking the club building and the school building. The bamboo floor rattled slightly due to our weights.

"I heard that. So you're saying that you prefer to go out with a girl you just met instead of me?"

"Not really. How about tomorrow? Can we go to the shrine tomorrow?"

Akane might have been annoyed about hearing the same words over and over again, and finally turned towards me.

Then, something unbelievable happened. I thought Akane would be really angry, and was prepared to be glared at. However, she looked towards me, giving a stunned look, and after a while, glared at me. What's with that look?

"...Got it. Then, lend me some of your time. Just a little while. Over here."

Then, she grabbed the tip of my uniform, and went further in.

"Wait, Akane. I can walk by myself. Don't pull me like this."

I tried to steady myself, making sure not to fall over while being dragged off by her.

❄

I was in school, looking for Yoshi-kun. I passed the courtyard, and went into the opposite corridor, hearing a few voices. They were from behind me. Some people were on the corridor I just passed.

"So I said that I got an appointment already."

I sought out the source of the voice.

But I never could look back, and I hid behind a pillar. What? Why? There's no need to hide. I had to talk to him. Say something.

But my body wouldn't obey.

"Listen to me already, Akane."

"I heard that. So you're saying that you prefer to go out with a girl you just met instead of me?"

"Not really. How about tomorrow? Can we go to the shrine tomorrow?"

Tomorrow. Once I heard that word, I shuddered.

Tomorrow, I'll vanish from his memories. That 'tomorrow' will be taken by someone else. I suddenly lost my balance, and fell over. I couldn't exert strength in my legs. I barely manage to lift myself off the wall, and looked towards the source of the voice, only to meet one person in the eyes.

She was a little shocked as she glared over. Then, she said, probably for me to hear.

"...Got it. Then, lend me some of your time. Just a little while. Over here."

She then pulled the boy by the shirt, and left.

They went away, and left behind was an emptiness contrasting the commotion from before, spreading as though left behind there.

Why was it that even though I wanted to cry, I couldn't make a sound?

I stood there for about two minutes or so, stunned.

Even so, I summoned my courage, grasping at straws as I went over to the disappearing voice.

If I didn't do so, I would lose something.

That premonition forced me to move.

Both of them vanished into the school building with few people.

It seemed to be the clubroom building. On the day of the culture festival, Yoshi-kun introduced me around school, and I recalled his voice, "I sometimes play in this classroom. Keep it a secret." He put his index finger on his lips, shushing me.

I'm not even a student here. Who am I supposed to say this to? I was surprised, but I was happy that he was willing to share a secret with me, yes, so I obediently nodded. If I remember, the classroom's--

I ran up the stairs with large steps, and at the turnaround, I took large steps up again. Grabbing the handrail, I exerted strength into my thighs as I moved into the second floor. I didn't meet anyone on the way. I went to the third floor, just like this. My footsteps alone echoed on the corridor.

Finally, I arrived before the room furthest West of the third floor.

It's a classroom that's no longer used. However, there's human presence inside. I couldn't hear clearly, but I knew there's talking. Yoshi-kun's definitely inside. Let's go. If I go now, I should be able to make it.

I did my best to maintain a smile as I put my hand on the handle. At that moment, a loud voice rang.

“I like you, Haru. Please go out with me.”

Her always earnest eyes must be captivating Yoshi-kun.

I moved my hand away from the handle, and ran down the stairs.

Where exactly was I going? There's nowhere for me to go in this world. The place I've always been had been taken away.

But even so, I prioritized escaping, rather than staying.

❀

The door to the empty classroom closed, Akane and I were the only ones left in this space.

At that moment, the mood around us changed.

Even this dullwitted me knew what was going to happen from now on.

"Haru."

My name was called, yes, and I responded, remaining rigid. Poof, Akane snorted.

"Why are you nervous?"

"Well."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you up. Just listen to me, okay?"

"Got it.

I nodded, and faced the girl before me. Our eyes met. Something was about to begin, or rather--

"Yeah. Thanks. Um, I've always been interested in you, Haru. But I just noticed it during the last summer vacation of middle school. Remember when we met once in the courtyard back in middle school?"

Was it when Akane was thinking about whether she should give up on swimming?"

"Back then, you told me, I can hear you out a little at least. You might have thought it wasn't anything much, but for me, that's not true at all."

Our surroundings was a little dim, so I hadn't noticed, but Akane's legs were shaking. Her honest eyes were filled with a flickering light. However, she's the type of person who's able to overcome her fear or nervousness.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. About what happens after I graduate from high school, or if I get into university. But I guess this is the last chance. I'm going to say it now…"

Akane then said those words, with a loud voice typical of her,

"I like you, Haru. Please go out with me."

Her words were like a stone thrown into my heart. It entered with a plop, and the ripples spread. In the ripples that spread, I saw my future with Akane.

We seemed really happy.

I didn't hate Akane.

Well, to be honest, I do find her cute.

I was able to talk about many things with her, and we like the same type of foods. We share similar friends, and we had fun playing sports on our rest days.

There were definitely times where we quarrelled. Lots in fact.

But after quarrelling, we're always able to patch up. I don't know how many times we argued, but we're always able to smile and patch things up until now. I can't really say that I like Akane as someone of the other gender, but I'm confident that we can continue to slowly make up for what's lacking.

Because there's clearly the time we spent together.

But even so, why?

At this moment, I clearly heard someone call for my name. It's a name I shouldn't be able to heard.

"Yoshi-kun."

There's only one person in the entire world calling me that.

I recovered, and heard footsteps coming from somewhere. The footsteps got further. It's impossible, but there's only one girl on my mind.

And that girl wasn't Akane.

"Sorry."

Before I knew it, I lowered my head.

❄

My chest ached. Maybe it's because I was running, and my lungs took in lots of cold air. Yes. That's definitely it. There's no other reason.

Because I don't like Yoshi-kun.

Anyone can do. It's just that Yoshi-kun seems to fit what I want, and so happened to be before me. That's why I chose him.

WIth my frozen palms, I did my best to wipe my twisted vision. I didn't know if I used too much strength, but my eyes were a little hot, burning with pain. I should have worn my gloves after all. Haah. It's difficult to breathe. My throat's thirsty. I gritted my teeth hard, just as the night when I screamed into the sky.

"Idiot, idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot--"

Who exactly were these feelings, these words directed at?

Akane? Yoshi-kun?

Or myself?

I repeated the words over and over again, not knowing why.

The word that signified a fool was delivered countless times into the world, melting into the darkness of the night.

❀

My mind was preoccupied with Yuki.

I was just confessed to by a female friend I knew for a long time, and yet I, being so heartless, prioritized another girl instead.

An hour passed since the meeting time, and as expected, she's not there. I felt my heart ache.

Deep within my ears were the echoing footsteps of a certain person leaving, and that got me to move.

It was the first time in my life--

The first time I yearned to meet someone.

I wanted to meet Yuki.

So I kept running.

❄

In the end, I couldn't figure out what this lingering pain was. I kept running, running, until I reached an empty land not too far away from the station.

It wasn't long ago that the billboard on this land was changed. In the coming Spring, it seemed there'll be a skyscraper built here. Another thing important to me will be taken away.

This is where Shiro lies in eternal rest.

Gasping for breath, I tried to sort out my breathing. My mouth was really dry, so I kept swallowing saliva. Why? Wondering that, I kept rubbing my eyes, but it didn't vanish.

It should be reality.

I asked reluctantly. I was asking the person who somehow arrived at that place before me, who shouldn't be at this empty space.

"Why are you here?"

He had his palms put together, as though praying. Once he heard my voice, he lifted his head.

It's Yoshi-kun, wearing the school coat he had been complaining about. He didn't appear to be returning home anytime soon. At his feet was that old school bag.

"A long time ago, there's a pretty cat I buried here. I so happened to think about it when passing the road there, so I decided to come here to put my hands together and pray."

Saying that, he stood up, dusting his knees.

"Found you. Since I couldn't find you at the place we agreed, I came to look for you."

"I'm going back."

I turned around, and hurried off. Two meters away from the road however, I was grabbed on the hand. His hand was really cold, probably because he was outside the entire time. And I, who's supposed to be colder, was a little warmer because I had been touching my hands. Everything's different from the past, the hand temperature, the conversations, the one being chased. I was the one chasing him up till now.

"What are you doing?"

"Sorry for breaking the promise. You angry?"

"Not at all."

"I'm apologizing to you. I'm really sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

I instinctively scolded him.

"Aren't you always like this? Haven't you broken the promise countless times already? Why are you apologizing now? Let go. My hand hurts!"

I knew I was just throwing a tantrum, but I had no choice. I had yet to sort my feelings out. His words were just adding fuel to my strung emotions.

I needed some time to recompose to my usual self.

So let go of me.

"Wait. Sorry. Don't cry already. I never thought you'd be this sad."

Ah, you're still saying such things now? Do you need to repeat this misunderstanding again?

I couldn't take it.

I was unhappy.

I was hurt.

I felt the heat of the tears down my cheeks.

"Because it's not like this. Because you don't know. That's why I'm unhappy, that's why I'm sad!"

I hammered at Yoshi-kun's chest hard. For every hit I delivered, my hands hurt. I was bleeding inside. But even so, I couldn't stop myself from hammering away.

"I'm lonely because you just wouldn't like me. I'm suffering."

Yoshi-kun remained silent as he let me hammer away.

"Because, you belong to someone other than me, and tomorrow, my daily life with you won't be there, Yoshi-kun. I feel cold, scared--"

I kept hammering until the very end, thud, causing loud thuds. My hands touching Yoshi-kun were hot. Thud. I pressed my forehead on his chest. My forehead's hot. I felt Yoshi-kun's heartbeat. This is what I want.

This is what I lost.

"So that's why you're crying?"

Breathing alone took a lot out of me, and I could only nod.

It's really weird.

Yoshi-kun should be the one suffering. Yoshi-kun should be the one crying. Yoshi-kun should be the one remembering my name.

Why do I have to suffer so much?

Why do I have to endure such painful memories?

Why? Why? Why am I the only one remembering Yoshi-kun? It's unfair. Why is it that anything about me just keeps disappearing?

"Look, I get what you're saying. It's true that I might not know anything about you. No, I really don't know anything about you. But,"

Saying that, Yoshi-kun passed, his hands pressing down on my cheeks. With a gentle, irresistible force, he lifted my head. These are the gruff hands of a man. My tears wet his hands. He smiled, and then frowned.

"I don't agree with the last two lines you say, so I'll respond to that."

"Heh?"

Yoshi-kun curled his middle finger in, and held it back with his thumb. The next moment, the middle finger was flicked hard onto my forehead. Tck. It didn't sound like my forehead was hit, even though it was. I felt my forehead hurting, and hurriedly covered my forehead.

"Huu. What are you doing?"

"You're the one who beat me up first. I'm hurting too."

"But you're a guy."

"It doesn't matter. Anyone being beaten will hurt."

As for me.

I ended up yelling.

"I'm hurting a lot more than you, Yoshi-kun. You're going out with that girl called Akane-chan, right? She confessed to you, right?"

You abandoned me. I'm alone because of you, you know?

"How do you know?"

I didn't say that I eavesdropped on them. While I remained silent, well, Yoshi-kun sighed.

"Yeah, she confessed. But i rejected her."

"Why?"

Faced with my question, he, who got beaten up and scolded, faltered a little. I didn't know what caused him to make such a face.

After some thought, he closed his eyes, and then a while later, opened them, saying,

"Well, I like you."

I felt my heart stop. It's that shocking. I didn't understand what he said. What, did he just say?

"...Huh?"

"I just said it, right? I can't agree with the last two lines. I like you, so I don't intend for belong to anyone other than you."

It seemed I didn't mishear.

"When did that happen?"

"Probably from when we first met. No. I guess I fell for you from when you first talked to me."

These should be the words I really wanted to hear.

But someone in my heart was insisting that it was out of pity.

If it's pity, I don't need it. This kind of confession is meaningless. I'm angry, I'm crying, and this gentle him's just telling me this.

"Enough with the careless words!"

If he didn't say that he likes me from the bottom of his heart, I can't remain there. If there's no passionate heat that burns the body, there's nothing to chain me down. One day, I'll vanish.

"I'm serious."

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying."

How many times does he think I tried this?

I did various things to get him to like him. But every time, never once did he say, I like you. The feelings he had for me weren't enough to get him to confess.

This time, we're just strolling around after school, nothing out of the ordinary, and there's no way he'll like me because of this. In reality, he said that he likes me. I can't believe it. I don't believe me.

"How do you expect me to believe you when you don't know anything?"

"Then what do you want me to do before you believe me?"

After thinking, I said. I felt like I was giving up on something.

"I'll tell you something. It's not something that exists anywhere in this world, but it's definitely something that involves me and you. If you hear this and can say something stupid like 'I believe you'--"

I didn't continue.

There's no way he'll believe.

Believing me will mean doubting the world, doubting his memories. Compared to the world I speak of, it's obvious which one he'll be more likely to believe in.

That's why I never mentioned it once.

He kept staring at me, not averting his eyes once. I took it as a yes, and slowly began to explain.

I explained the many things that happened ever since the accident on my 7th birthday.

A long time passed by the time I was done talking.

There's another ten minutes until the end of the world, or rather, the reset of the world.

"So you want to believe what I just said?"

"I believe you. No, I want to believe."

He answered without hesitation.

"Why can you still say that?"

Hearing what I said, Yoshi-kun looked up at the sky.

Behind the grey clouds, Sirius must be glowing away, and so should Betelgeuse and Rigel. Once, we spent time looking for constellations. We had no knowledge of them, so we just kept looking at the picture books, searching for them.

You don't know about this, right?

Soon after, Yoshi-kun muttered. Ahh, seriously, you're a troublesome woman."

"Wh-what? Why troublesome?"

"You are. Well, I think you're cute because of that. I guess it's a game of, whoever falls in love first loses. Hey Yuki."

He scratched his head, smiling, and stared right at me.

Just like that Christmas Eve four years ago.

"It's true that I do find what you say weird. What you say is different from my memories, and normally, it's hard for me to believe you fully. Truth be told though, no matter what you say is true or not, it doesn't matter to me. Either way, I'm going to say, I believe you. I don't want you to misunderstand, this isn't pity. When I see you in pain, my heart hurts, my heart suffers. If you can smile, I'll believe in anything. The me who's been with you all the time has always been like this, right?"

I couldn't disagree.

Because it's as he said.

The four years of feelings in my heart didn't allow me for to refute.

Ah, yes. Yoshi-kun never got to fulfill any promise with me, but he never let me down on any of my wishes. He did everything to fulfill what I hoped for. Whenever I state my frustrations, he'll help me, and he'll reach out to me no matter when.

"I guess I've liked you all this time."

These words were similar, but this time, they touched my heart.

The heat equivalent to his palm's spread within me. I see. Guess I have no choice.

People probably call this warmth 'love'.

In that case, I too might have been the same. For a very long time.

Before I knew it, the snowflakes flew. The world's covered in white.

"Speaking of which, you'vve been a weird one ever since our first meeting, Yoshi-kun."

I smiled, as he wished, and reached my hand out. He too smiled and held my hand.

My long journey should come to an end here.

I kept living for this moment, wanting him to say that he likes me. Right now, my existence should be able to remain permanently in his heart.

But I have a sudden lingering regret.

I haven't been able to convey my feelings to Yoshi-kun properly.

That's why it can't end here. For us, who kept meeting even though we never got to say goodbye properly, it was a line we had to mark.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun, I--"

But my words never got to reach Yoshi-kun. It just ended. Ah, I see.

Once I saw Yoshi-kun's face, I understood.

LIke before, he was giving me the look of a stranger. There was no longer the boy who said to me, I like you.

Silent, without any sign, the world resetted.

Before I knew it, our hands parted ways.

Surely, the fact that he held my hand was erased. Even so, there's still that lingering warmth on my hand.

This is enough.

This alone is enough for me to keep moving on.

My heart's pounding.

I took a deep breath.

I did it dozens of times, hundreds of times, but even until the very end, I never got used to it.

Whenever I talked to Yoshi-kun when he didn't know me, I was always tense.

And the words I said were always different. It's hot, it's cold, you're working hard. I even told him, bring me to the movies. Please help me get a book.

Just like that, I approached Yoshi-kun 213 times.

Not once did he feel annoyed by it.

The many 'hellos' I said were this clumsy me's attempts to confess.

I wanted Yoshi-kun to like me, so I kept approaching him. For this reason, I kept meeting him. In this case, isn't there something simpler and suitable?

I made up my mind.

I slowly opened my mouth. The air shook.

Come on, let's begin with the first and last goodbye.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you."

## Contact 214 - This is the Happiest Love Story on this World

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you."

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It was when I didn't return home, and stumbled around town.

It was a voice warmth as the spring sun, like the breeze as the petals fluttered.

Thinking back, I felt I was initially mesmerized by that voice.

We were at an ordinary empty space, commonly seen in town. This place had nothing to do with me, other than a white cat which I once buried here.

So naturally, I knew nothing about her at all.

Her skin's white as porcelain.

She had soft cloud-like silky hair.

Her large eyes were clear and deep.

And a confession from such a girl left my mind completely blank at that moment.

Finally, left behind was an emotion I felt for the first time in my life. It's hot, painful, but didn't feel bad. I allowed my to be driven by that heat, and earnestly conveyed my feelings.

And once I answered, she beamed.

She seemed really happy.

Yet, she seemed a little forlorn.

Finally, she reached her little hand forth.

"I hope that you'll hold my hand willingly."

I did as she said, and held her hand.

Her hands were cold, maybe because they were bare the entire time. Once both of us held hands however, the warmth spread from there. Making sure I didn't hurt her hands, I held them carefully and firmly.

"Thanks. Then I'll introduce myself again. My name's--"

It happened in winter, during my third year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

The next day, Yuki and I met up at the front school gates.

You're going to school tomorrow, right? I'll be waiting for you at the school gates, 4pm. So she proposed, giving me a look of one unwilling to compromise. Because of that, I could only nod my head in agreement.

I left school a little earlier than the agreed time, and found Yuki dressed in a slightly oversized camel-colored coat, waiting for me.

"Yuki."

I called her name, and she waved her slender hand hard. It's like a puppy seeing its master return, wagging its tail. Every movement of hers was filled with delight.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Because you finally noticed me. You called my name. It's something to be happy about."

"I see."

I reached my hand out, and Yuki held my hand.

"Woah, it's so cold."

"I've been waiting for a long time after all."

"Eh? Did I mistake the time?"

Yuki shook her head.

"Nope. Just that I was really looking forward, so I waited. I've always been like this."

What did she mean by the word always?

"Speaking of which, wear some gloves already."

"If my hands are cold, that'll give me reason, right?"

"For what?"

"To hold hands?"

"You don't have to prepare for that reason. There should be others. Anyway, Yuki, you and I are...well, dating, so you can hold my hand whenever you want...eh, what's with that look?"

Yuki's mouth was half opened as she blinked away. Several seconds later, she burst out laughing. I don't think I said anything funny, right? For some reason, my face was a little hot.

"You're amazing, Yoshi-kun. Yep, we're dating now."

"Are you treating me as an idiot?"

"That's not true. I'm praising you."

"Really?"

"Really really. Now, let's go, boyfriend."

Yuki suddenly grabbed my hand, and went forth. I panicked, chased after her, and walked beside her. Our clasped hands just so happened to end up right between us.

Yuki and I were dating.

But it lasted only for a week.

❀

"Actually, our date lasts only for a week."

After Yuki confessed to me, and we agreed to go dating, she set a time limit."

"No no, wait a moment. What do you mean?"

I asked, and Yuki started to take a deep breath. Following that, she started breathing in and out cutely, her ample breasts expanding and contracting.

After doing that for three times, she finally seemed to have made up her mind, her eyes glowing. However, that light immediately vanished from her eyes again.

Nevertheless, she never gave up.

Once again, she took a deep breath, and slowly spoke,

"I need to get one thing clear with you, Yoshi-kun."

It's the story of a girl whose existence will vanish like the snowflakes in a week, and her 213 encounters with an ordinary boy.

They had several encounters together, spent time together, and created memories together. But in the end, everything was erased.

But even so, when Yuki talked about that unbelievable story, she was giving a sad, yet blissful smile, just as when she confessed to me.

We saw the flowers in spring, the fireworks in summer, ate lots of delicious stuff in autumn, and went to the seaside in winter, so she said.

"Why the sea in winter?"

"Because I suddenly wanted to go to a beach with nobody around. You were complaining away, saying, if you want to go, it's better to go during the summer, but you got pulled along by me. You remember, right? Your memories might be a little different from mine though."

I tried recalling, and it seemed that did happen.

I was alone at the beach during winter.

With nobody next to me.

Naturally, there was only one set of footprints on the beach. I remembered how chilly it was very well. Ah, but when I went back, I recalled buying some delicious oden at the convenience store. I bought a lot, and ate a lot.

What Yuki spoke of ended up like that.

It's not so much that I forgot everything.

So this girl called Yuki, who should have existed, vanished from the past word, and the new world buried the emptiness caused by her disappearance. As for me, I just took this sculpted, seemingly flawless world as it was. Thus, I never suspected a thing. Or rather, maybe the world Yuki spoke of was wrong, or so the common sense within me pleaded. However--

"So, are you going to believe my words, Yoshi-kun?"

"I believe you. No, I want to believe you."

I said. Without any hesitation.

"Because I like you."

I really liked her little face, her slightly curly hair, her wearing the slightly oversized coat, and the silky fingertips poking out from the sleeves...her chest's big too, and her clear voice's fine too. I like everything about Yuki, even the air surrounding her.

She's giving off the sakura fragrance I like.

That's what I thought the moment I met her.

It's like Yuki's the ideal girl God created for me.

But that's not it.

Yuki wasn't like this in the first place. She spent a lot of time trying to become my ideal girl.

Thus, the answer's simple.

I wanted to believe the four years she told me about. I couldn't deny Yuki's words and feelings with just common sense. For me, what she told me with a smile was the truth.

I suppose that's good enough.

"You're the same as always, Yoshi-kun. A weirdo after all."

"You hate weird people?"

"Nope, I like them."

"Then I guess it's fine to be weird. If you like me because of this...no, if you're willing to smile at me because of this, then I'm fine with it."

And this is how we started our limited period of love.

❀

We left school, and for the entire time, Yuki was feeling pleased. She hummed away. It was a love song commonly aired on the radio during winter. She was humming a love song that was trendy several years before I was born, with that wonderful voice and somewhat offkey rhythm.

We passed the arcade before the station, and then passed the rotary intersection. We glanced back at the old pachinko shop that had closed just last month, arrived at the post office, and made a turn at the third corner.

My left hand was still holding Yuki's hand, and her right hand kept holding mine.

In our free hands, we were holding taiyakis. A moment ago, Yuki spotted a shop on the shopping street in operation.

She was watching that little shop with a watering mouth, so I asked, want me to treat you to one? She gave a delighted look, really? And so she beamed like an innocent kid.

Over the next five minutes, Yuki was wondering if she wanted the red bean or the custard cream.

I was intending to buy the taiyaki Yuki didn't buy, so to be honest, the 5 minutes were meaningless. It's simple. There's two of us here, each one of us buys one flavor, and we'll just swap. I didn't say it though, because seeing Yuki troubled like this is pretty cute too.

So Yuki chose the red bean, and I bought the custard cream.

We both had cat tongues, so we waited for the taiyaki to cool before we dared to eat. The crispy skin and the custard cream meshed together, and the inside felt soft. Yep, delicious. I nibbled and enjoyed it slowly, but Yuki finished hers in a matter of seconds.

"Erm, you're pretty fast."

Yuki chewed a few mouthfuls, and heartily swallowed the taiyaki. She then smiled to me, ahhh, opening her mouth. It basically means, give me yours.

"Erm, that."

"..."

"This is mine."

Yeah, I know that. So what? Yuki made such a look as she tilted her head.

"..."

"...Erm…"

"..."

"...Here."

I completely lost.

Hearing what I said, Yuki finished the remaining 80% taiyaki into her mouth. She puffed her little cheeks, chewing away heartily.

"You're unexpectedly a glutton."

I said what I was thinking, and Yuki seemed to be panicking a little. She chewed quicker than before, and quickly finished the taiyaki.

"It's sweet. I can't help myself."

She said that a little faster than usual.

"You say that, but you're actually worried about what I think, right?"

"Not at all!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

I enjoyed Yuki's panicked look as I kept walking. Suddenly, something red appeared in my sights. Once I saw the words, I stopped in my tracks.

I see. Next Wednesday's--

❄

Yoshi-kun, who teased me with a really, really mean joke, suddenly stopped in his tracks. What's the matter? So I thought, and looked towards where he was looking. I saw a red flag fluttering in the wind, the flag of a little cake shop.

The one to speak up first was me,

"Speaking of which, it's a week, huh?"

"Yeah."

Next Wednesday's February 14. It's said that's the day boys really want to eat sweet stuff. Once our date ends, it'll be Valentine's.

"If possible, can you gift me chocolate?"

"You want some?"

"Of course. Well, because it'll be from my girlfriend."

Yoshi-kun was bashful whenever he mentioned the word girlfriend, and it's pretty cute.

"Sure."

Now that he mentioned it, I never gave him chocolate before.

Also, I owed him a huge favor. It's better to repay what I can.

"I received chocolate from you before, Yoshi-kun."

"Did that happen?"

"Yep. Once."

You might not know, but that's the start between us. The chocolate I received from you was really sweet. It's so sweet that I'm happy. That's why I continue to exist."

"I see. Then, please do so."

"Yes yes. Look forward to it. Then, take back what you said."

"What I said?"

"That I'm a glutton?"

"What? You're worried about that?"

Of course. I'm a girl after all.

❀

That morning, I woke up from my dreams, and saw a world of silver outside the window.

It seemed the snow that fell since yesterday had piled up. The sunlight shining through the clouds were refracted by the white snow, and my just opened eyes were aching. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, left the room, and the cold air that came caused me to shiver and sober up. The wooden floor was really cold. My soles were aching.

Like usual, I descended the stairs with much hesitation, and saw mom sweeping the room without much fuss.

"Morning Haru. Breakfast's ready."

"Eh? It's too early today, right? You normally do that after cleaning up."

"All because of this snow. Natsuna's excited so early in the morning. She said she wanted to go out to play, so she made it earlier."

"Oh, guess I'm lucky then."

Saying that, I opened the corridor door, and went to the postbox to retrieve today's newspapers.

Dad's more terrified of the cold than I am, so in winter, I'm the one collecting the newspapers. Natsuna doesn't fear the cold, but she's disobedient.

The little courtyard was covered in white, with a set of footsteps leading outside. Surely that kid ran out while yelling yahoo or something. I could vividly imagine my little sister having fun. Given how deep the footsteps were, it's obvious she ran out with much vigor.

Uuu, so I groaned, and the white breath I huffed out was blown away by the frigid winds. I pulled the sleeves of my jumper to my fingers, and opened the postbox, reaching for the morning newspaper stored in the clear bag like usual.

Suddenly, there was a voice.

"So you read the newspapers, Yoshi-kun."

"No, I'll just check the TV channel column. It's dad who gets me to take it. Hm? Eh?"

I lifted my head from the postbox, and there was Yuki. There's a floral fragrance, a little too early for this icy weather, coming from the courtyard covered in white snow. Why's she here so early in the morning?

"The snow's piled up, so I came here happily. Yoshi-kun, do you have some time now? Spend time with me."

"...Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"Nope. I really just showed up. I was ready to wait for two hours or so, but thank goodness you came out so early."

I thought she could have just called me, but Yuki had no cellphone.

"Might waiting for a moment? I'll get ready immediately."

"You don't have to rush."

"But it's cold outside. Ah, why don't you wait inside?"

"No, it's fine. I'll wait here."

"Got it. I'll get ready quickly then."

As I said, I hurried back into the house, and got ready to leave. I left the newspapers before my dad, who's huddled completely in the kotatsu, devoured the breakfast Natsuna prepared, changed clothes, brushed teeth, combed my hair, and told my dad, who had no intention of leaving the kotatsu, I'm going out. Ohh, he weakly replied, and I wasn't sure if he understood me or not.

I shoved the door aside, and Yuki said happily,

"That's pretty fast. Shall we go?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

The brand new snow surface was left with our footprints alone.

My house's in a suburb a little away from the town center, and the endless fields there were covered completely white. There were many little light particles glittering upon the pure white snow.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yep. It's really pretty."

So after walking a while, someone could be heard screaming.

"Hey, Haru-nii."

I looked over at the voice, and saw a little silhouette. It's Shouta, the elementary school kid living nearby, and his blue sweater was covered with snow.

His face was really red, his forehead covered with lots of sweat.

He ran to us, thank goodness, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

"Haa...haa...it's you, Haru-nii. I saw you, haa, from far, so I ran. Haa."

"...What?"

"Help me."

"Huh?"

I didn't get what he was saying, and wondered if he was being pursued, so I looked behind him, only to see a few silhouettes running around on the fields. It seemed they were having a snowball fight. Back when I was in elementary school, I remembered playing around with some friends. I really enjoyed myself back then."

Once I remembered this, I stopped thinking. I should have, but just as I can't stop immediately after sprinting, I couldn't stop thinking that quickly. Yeah, I just so happened to notice it.

Wasn't there someone who went out to play early in the morning?

"Yuki, let's go."

"Don't run away. You know what I want you to help with?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it."

"Then have a look."

"Don't' wanna."

I firmly refused.

I don't want to be her nanny on such a precious day.

But my determination was immediately changed. Without looking, I could hear a familiar, distinct girl's laugh. Very clearly.

"Nhahahaha."

See, you can't run now, Shouta seemed to be scolding me as he called my name.

"Haru-nii!"

"Stop. Don't say anything."

But Shouta ignored my pleas as he mentioned the cause of that laugh.

"That's the monster (bakemono) from your house, Haru-nii. Do something!"

Ahh, he said it.

Damn it. Alright, I get it. Yes. I really do. So I sighed, and gave on up resisting as I looked over at the source of the voice. There's no doubt.

"Yep. That's our big idiot (bakamono)."

That's the voice of our super duper cute little sister highness.

Well, my little sister, Natsuna Segawa, she's like a typhoon.

She's cute, and pretty popular, but she always gets all kinds of people along to expend energy, which she had lots of. The elementary school kids nearby notably were often her sacrifices, and they're all terrified of her.

This time, it seemed to be a case.

According to Shouta, it was just a snowball fight between the kids, but Natsuna saw them. She, who had the heart of a schoolboy to begin with, couldn't possibly hold in her desire. I vividly imagined her joining in with a bright smile, without a care in the world.

Shouta and the others might have thought it'll be fun to have more people, so they just let her join in…

Problem is, once Natsuna joined, she added a rule that the losing side has to obey what the winning side says. A group of elementary school kids versus someone whose athletic ability is top notch amongst middle schoolers. Now what will happen? It's easy to imagine.

The boys had to fight to the death to avoid the future of becoming Natsuna's lackeys.

Ahh, that's why I didn't want to hear them. I feel really embarrassed as the brother, and depressed…

"I get the situation. I'll think of something. But I'll just beat Natsuna to even things up. I don't care about everything else. Is that okay?"

"Yep. It's okay."

"Then, sorry Yuki. Please wait for a moment."

"Heh? Why?"

I looked over, and saw Yuki stretching and warming up for some reason.

"Are you going to join this snowball fight?"

"Yes. It looks fun. I never did it before."

Shouta, watching her grin like an angel, asked,

"Hey, Haru-nii. I wanted to ask. Who's this big sister? An actress?"

Faced with Shouta's innocent question, Yuki knelt down to his eye level, and smiled at him. He immediately blushed.

"Sorry, this big sister here isn't an actress. Haru-nii's girlfriend, actually."

In response, Shouta's eyes were glittering more than I ever saw of him.

"You're amazing Haru-nii. You got such a pretty girlfriend."

"Well, I guess. Anyway, Shouta. You mind letting this big sister join a team?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. Please take care of her."

"Yes. Nice to meet you."

Yuki said that, and Shouta, who was shaking hands with her, suddenly frowned. He looked down, giving off an apologetic look.

"Ah, sorry. Onee-chan. Looks like you have to join Natsu-nee's team."

"Why?"

"Well, you have the smell of the enemy."

"The enemy's smell?"

Yuki and I exchanged looks.

What's going on?

After Yuki joined in, Natsuna's team had ten players.

After I joined, there's five in the team.

They outnumber us two to one, but in this snowball fight, anyone's tagged out whether they fall knee first, fall over, or give up. If they don't panic too much, they probably won't lose. That was what I thought. As a guy, if I'm to lose in a battle of strength to a girl, to my girlfriend and little sister for that matter, it'll be really embarrassing.

Both teams had gathered piles of snow in their camps, and while it's not tall, it's possible to curl up and use that snow as a wall. I hid beneath the snow closest to the enemy, quietly waiting for the moment.

Suddenly, my team stopped attacking.

Natsuna loves to make noise, so once things calms down, she'll definitely charge out alone. My aim's to go for the unexpected and counter with a sucker punch.

So I waited for a while. As I planned, there's a madlad charging madly into the enemy camp.

It's a showy girl with a red muffler, red coat, and red muffler. This energetic girl really loves red.

"Nhahahaha. Charge after me!"

So she yelled as she charged in with tremendous speed. Well, there's a nice target. I aimed at her wide open mouth, and threw a snowball in with all I got.

"Hbuch!"

A clean hit.

Natsuna made a weird sound, and stopped running. She wiped at the snow sticking to her face, and kept spitting it all out.

"What charge after me? What are you going, Natsuna?"

"Gek. Haru-kun. Wh-why are you here?"

"Now's not the time for that."

Natsuna's taken aback by my sudden entrance, and as expected, she lost her balance. She often acted on instinct, and was bad at dealing with the unexpected. Nevertheless, her natural athletic ability prevented her from falling over immediately. I knew that very well, so naturally,

I created a strategy for this purpose.

I threw a snowball at Natsuna's face while she was still wobbly. Every shot was aimed high enough for her to evade if she ducked. Natsuna's able to dodge one by jumping back, but her center of gravity went back as a result. I threw the next one a little lower, and she dodged that too. Her center of gravity was shifting back.

Basically, it's a limbo dance.

I repeated the same three throws, and Natsuna finally lost her balance as she landed back with a thud.

"Victory!"

I raised a hand, informing my teammates that I beat Natsuna. She, having collapsed, kept complaining.

"Cheater! You cheater! You're a guy, Haru-kun. In high school! How can I beat you!"

Seemed like she's not reflecting on her actions, so I fired another shot at the loser.

"Puk! Uuu. Ahh, snow got into my mouth again!"

"You're calling me a cheater? You're in middle school, and you joined an elementary school kid snowball fight?"

Everything's as planned till this point. But I forgot something. I forgot that among the enemy team, there was a very forthright elderly.

It's her first time playing a snowball fight.

Thus, she didn't know of any tactics or counters.

And without thinking of anything, she just did what my sister told her to do.

Yep, she knew nothing.

She didn't know this was the best way for them to beat us.

"Come on! Everyone. Follow Natsuna-chan and attack!"

"Ngh!"

With a clear shout, all nine remaining members of the enemy team came attacking with snowballs.

If there were similar numbers, our side would be advantaged. We could counter with sucker punches just as I did against Natsuna. However, they have almost twice our numbers. If they just attacked with numbers, there's no way we could handle them.

"Hbuch!"

Many snowballs flew by, and one of them landed right on my face, causing me to make a similar sound.

Hm? What's going on? This snow has a sweet smell. This smell is--

"Hey Natsuna. Doesn't this snow have a sakura smell to it?"

Natsuna, playing dead on the snow, opened her eyes slightly, and glanced towards me, saying,

"I sprayed some sakura perfume on to identify our team's snowballs."

That explains things.

That's why Yuki, who has the sakura smell on her, was assigned to the opposing team.

"Why spray perfume? No, wait, where did that come from? There's no why those kids will have them. Was it you?"

Ah, damn it. Natsuna gave such a look, and quickly looked aside. She couldn't whistle, but she was still pouting, blowing as she pretended to whistle and bluff her way out. My little sister's really hopeless after all.

Speaking of which, mom wanted Natsuna, a middle schooler, to act more like a girl, and pushed many things on her, but it seemed she wasn't really accepting.

"Don't waste them just because you aren't using them."

"No, I'm not wasting it at all. I said it's to identify."

"There's no need to identify snowballs at all."

"Feels like it'll be delicious if there's a sweet smell."

"Please, I beg of you. Don't eat it. You'll hurt your stomach. Anyway, why spray sakura perfume on snow? These two aren't of the same season."

While we're arguing, the enemy team came attacking, and I was bombarded in concentrated fire. I intended to recover, but they didn't give me the time.

"Wait...stop! Time, time! Ow ow!"

"Watch this! Everyone, beat that big brother."

Leading the charge and pelting snowballs at me was a girl who minutes ago said the unbelievable adorable words, this big sister is Haru-nii's girlfriend. Yuki's words kept echoing in my mind. This big sister is Haru-nii's girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend. It's just my imagination. My delusion.

Finally, i fell. My face lost all senses for a moment after being heavily bombarded. I didn't know if I was aching or cold, and I couldn't smell.

"Target killed."

Yuki looked down on this fallen me, and gave me a guts pose.

"No, I'm not dead."

"Mfufufu. Yoshi-kun, since you lost, you'll have to obey what I say."

"That rule applies for me too?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Right, so the loser has to obey the winner. I weakly waved my hand to admit defeat, and Yuki nodded heavily.

"Then everyone. Time to defeat the rest. Let's charge!"

So I watched Yuki continue to attack with vigor. Next to me, Natsuna said,

"Hey, Haru-kun. Who's that pretty one? Your acquaintance?"

"...A snow pixie, no? With a sakura smell, right?"

I just muttered, as I was too lazy to explain. That's weird, snow and sakura are of different seasons, so she muttered, just as a certain person just said.

February 13, Tuesday.

It's the seventh day Yuki and I became lovers. On this workday, we went to the theme park at the rooftop of the department store.

The mini ferris wheel there was rusted all over due to the wind and the rain, and of the five cars designed with anime characters, three of them were labelled with 'malfunctioned'. The only ones that could work were a blue cat robot and an electric mouse with red cheeks. There's a boy seated in the electric mouse, and after moving for about 3 minutes or so, it stopped right in the middle of the theme park.

The thick pile of snow yesterday had basically melted completely, with a few in the shade. The snowmen faces were half melted.

We sat on a plastic bench missing a corner. This was the only place for us to sit and rest. I looked up at the grey sky, muttering.

"So, why are we here?"

"You lost to me in the snowball fight, so you're going to listen to me for the whole day."

She answered, as though it was a matter of fact.

I lost in the snowball fight yesterday, so I had to obey Yuki's wishes. Initially, the rule was that the loser had to obey one thing the winner wanted, but now for some reason, it ended up as me having to obey her for the entire day. Seriously, girls are amazing at getting others to accept their demands. Well, I don't really hate it.

Yuki said, so my first wish is, a date. There are two places I want to go with you, Yoshi-kun.

This is one of the places.

"No, I get what you're saying, but that's not it. Why this rooftop theme park?"

"Because I like them. So I want you to come here, Yoshi-kun."

"In that case, this is the wrong place. We should be going to a more decent place."

"No. This is decent enough for a theme park."

"Are you happy just to be here, Yuki?"

"Yes."

"You enjoy it?"

"Yes."

"I guess it's fine then."

Yes. Anything's fine as long as Yuki's happy.

I patted my knees, stood up, and reached my hand out to Yuki.

"Since we're here, we might as well ride on the ferris wheel."

"Ehh, that'll be embarrassing."

"It's fine. There's nobody else here other than us anyway. Think about it. We made it all the here here, and we're not riding anything. That's unbelievable, isn't it?"

Yuki tried various excuses to get out of this, before she finally held my hand. It's my victory for ignoring all her excuses. I asked her which one she wanted to ride on, and since she liked cats, we took the cat robot.

"100 yen going in."

"You're not riding, Yoshi-kun?"

"It's for one. I'll go in later."

"Later?"

While Yuki tilted her head cutely, I inserted a coin, excusing myself.

"I'm already 18. It's really embarrassing to ride on this."

"Ah, is that so?"

After hearing my excuse, Yuki scowled in anger, but I managed to escape the cat robot before her fist reached my face. It began to move slowly, along with the strange music.

The kid riding on the electric mouse pointed at Yuki,

"Mama. Can I ride on that now?"

"Wait for the big sister to be done."

Ahh. It's really embarrassing. I looked towards Yuki, and found her face reddened to the bottom of her neck, her hands covering her face. She's really cute when she acts like this. I quietly decided that I would let her beat me once or twice.

Finally, Yuki had me treat her to juice from the vending machine, instead of hitting me.

I slipped the coins in, and green lights appeared on the buttons.

"Choose one you like."

She gave a grim look, wondering, before choosing the cocoa drink, and I too bought the same. Both of us couldn't drink black coffee. While we're not kids, we're not old enough to be called adults. At this point, we're on the boundary between these two age groups.

We leaned our backs on the parapet, drinking the cocoa in unison.

Both of us were close to each other, and I just needed to move a little to touch Yuki. I could truly feel her presence, her warmth, and her smell. Her hands were on the can, trying to warm them, as she drank slowly.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. Thanks."

Suddenly, Yuki said that.

"Why thank me? I didn't do anything."

"That's not true. You bought cocoa, brought me here, and the other yous created many, many memories with me. Hey, I guess these should be enough reason to thank you, right?"

Yuki closed her eyes, as though recalling something.

"I really like seeing you smile, seeing your angry face, your crying face, your bashful face, your troubled face, and your anxious face. I guess, before I die, I'll definitely remember every day since the moment I met you. One day, it'll be as you say, Yoshi-kun. Even if I keep struggling, and even if I reach the place, only to not find what I wanted, there should be something more valuable there…"

Saying that, Yuki paused. She probably wanted me to ask what she wanted to say, since she waited for me to ask. So I did.

"What did you find there?"

"I found you there. You're there, Yoshi-kun, in the heart I thought was empty."

Nn, so she muttered, and opened her eyes slowly with satisfaction.

"Every day I lived, there's you around, Yoshi-kun."

Why's that?

It's not some tear inducing words, yet I felt my nose a little itchy. I looked up at the sky to hide this sight, staring at the reddened clouds there. The bright, stinging red shone deep into my eyes.

Suddenly, Yuki reached her hand out, patting my head. She's not as tall as me, so she tiptoed. The place she touched was very warm, very comfortable.

"...What are you doing?"

"Hm? I'm comforting you, Yoshi-kun. You look like you're going to cry."

"I'm not a kid."

"It's not a bad thing. I think just now was pretty embarrassing, so you should experience that, Yoshi-kun."

Now we're even, so she said as she stroked her fingers on my hair.

Ahh, it's itchy. What's going on? Why do I feel this happy just because of this little thing? I could feel the soft touch of her hand, and ended up smiling.

Very good, so Yuki said after seeing me smile.

"You're finally smiling."

The sun set, and the place we were headed after the theme park was my high school.

It's the other place Yuki wanted to visit.

It's past 7pm, and in the darkness, the school lights were already off. The only places with orange lights on were the office, self study rooms, two second year classrooms and a first year classroom. Those taking the entrance exams were probably in the self study rooms. The third year classrooms were completely dark, just nice for us.

I held Yuki's hand as I snuck into the darkness of the night, slipping into school.

Our footsteps echoed in the dark stairs. On the way, we spotted a teacher, so I hid Yuki behind me, telling the teacher that I forgot something. Oh, so the response as the teacher let us off. I guess the teacher couldn't see Yuki's face clearly due to the darkness.

Once the teacher disappeared, we heaved a sigh of relief, before we went over to my classroom.

Luckily, the classroom isn't locked. I slid the door aside, and with a familiar creak, the classroom and the corridor were linked.

The sacred moonlight shining through the window dyed half the classroom silver.

It was a very familiar classroom to me, but for Yuki, it was a new sight as she looked around with excitement. Wow. She squealed with excitement, touching the desks as though they were gemstones. Ahh, there's graffiti, so she said as she wandered around the classroom, before she suddenly looked towards me.

"Hey, which is your table, Yoshi-kun?"

"Eh? Ahh, third column from the right, fourth seat."

I was mesmerized as I watched her, and was a little slow to react. However, I somehow answered her. 1, 2, 3, 4, Yuki counted as she went over to my seat.

"This one?"

"Yes."

I thought she would sit on the chair next to mine, but for some reason, she took the one next to it, and then,

"Alright, Yoshi-kun, this is the second wish. You're going to sit here."

She patted my chair. What else was I supposed to do? Of course, I was to sit on where she indicated.

I should be familiar with the sight of this classroom from my own seat, but with Yuki sitting next to me, everything seemed brand new. The old desks, the chalk marked blackboard, the papers with the boring class targets were all filled with light.

"It feels like it'll be great to have you as a classmate around, Yuki."

"You get that?"

I blurted out my thoughts, and for some reason, Yuki said, looking really gleeful.

"I wonder who was the one three years ago who said he didn't know what's good about this place?"

"There's such an idiot?"

"Yep. There was. Ah, even if we're in the same school, we might not be in the same class. After all, I'm older by a year. Yes, yes. Call me Shiina-senpai."

Yuki's voice was very close. For every move she made, the desk shook. Something within me kept shaking away.

"...Shiina-senpai."

Once I said that, Yuki grinned.

Hey, repeat that again. Don't wanna. Please. Really got no choice here, huh, Shiina-senpai? Good, now one more time. Shiina-senpai. Once more, a little more intimate. Call me Yuki-senpai? Not bad, not bad. One more time. Seriously, don't Yuki. You're like a pervert here. Your eyes are glowing. You're calling me a pervert? How rude.

Whatever I said, Yuki would laugh, get angry, look disappointed, or pout.

Within this classroom, Yuki and my voices were the only things echoing.

While we chatted, so why? I asked. I really wanted to ask this right from the beginning.

"Why did you want to come to my classroom."

"...Well, I told Akane-chan."

Once that name was suddenly mentioned, I was taken aback.

"You're just ordinary classmates, right?. Then it doesn't matter what my relationship with Yoshi-kun is now. After that, I was unhappy about it. Even though she's just a classmate, I was envious of her. I don't know how you're like at school, Yoshi-kun. This is the last time."

She stood up from the chair, and pulled her distance from me. The breeze lifted her long skirt slightly.

She was in the darkness, standing there like a divide between the light and the darkness.

"Last time."

I repeated this words, and immediately felt the pain all over my body.

"You're going to graduate, Yoshi-kun. I wanted to come to your classroom before then. This is the perfect chance."

"Ahh, I see."

Guess she wasn't planning anything else.

Yuki said that we met hundreds of times. Surely in the future, we'll meet countless times again. Hey, isn't that right?

"Hey, Yuki-senpai."

I called her out to appeal to her, and she narrowed her eyes, scratched her cheeks, and finally shook her head.

"That sounds good, but I prefer the usual. Call me Yuki."

"Yuki."

Her name's like a preset as it came naturally from my mouth.

"I like you. I really, really do."

"I know. You told me that many times already. I like you too, Yoshi-kun."

Suddenly, a sudden impulse struck me. I couldn't resist it. I hurried towards Yuki, and embraced her petite body slightly. The sweet sakura scent came. No, that's not it.

For me, this is already Yuki's smell.

"Wawa, why out of a sudden?"

"It's your fault, Yuki."

"My fault?"

"Yeah, your fault, Yuki. Everything's all your fault."

"I see. Then there's no choice there. It's my fault you like to fawn around with me."

It's all Yuki's fault for making me like this.

I brought my face to Yuki's chuckling face.

It seemed Yuki knew what I wanted to do as she closed her eyes tight, Her cheeks turned red as she finally got ready to accept me. She's really cute; I really didn't know how many times I thought that.

In this corner of the world even the moonlight couldn't reach, we made a kiss nobody else knew of.

As we touched, her lips were really cold, trembling. It's clumsy, just a tender kiss between lips, but we were so much sure of each other's feelings, each other's warmth, compared to the countless confessions and hand holdings.

Humanity as a species had used this act to clearly identify each other's existence.

After what seemed like an eternal five seconds, Yuki buried her face into my chest, seemingly to cover her own face as she sulked away. But I knew she was just hiding her embarrassment.

"This is my first kiss."

She was really cute in that state, so I smiled. See, it's all Yuki's fault, right? No boy can resist it when there's such a cute girl before him.

"No doubt that's my first kiss too."

"Hey."

Yuki lifted her head. Her face, and even till her ears, were completely red.

"My third request. One more time?"

So our lips kept touching over and over again.

Yuki and I split up at the front gates, and while I was walking home, the smartphone in my pocket rang.

'Public number' were the words written there. Normally, I would never pick up this call, but I did. For a reason.

I had a feeling I knew who called.

"Hey Yuki?"

Before she said her name, I called her. You're right, so she answered.

The voice from the phone was very soft, yet it seemed closer than usual, and I could even hear her breathing. It was something just right beside me, within my hand.

I went to the street light, which was still buzzing away, and leaned my back on the pillar, looking up at the sky. Where is she right now? So I thought as I pricked my ears to listen.

"I want to talk a little more, so I called. Mind chatting for a little longer?"

"Of course. But, what's the matter? Something happened?"

"...Why you ask?"

Well, the reason's simple, but I couldn't say it out. I gulped, and sorted myself out. Because. This time, I managed to say it. So I had to continue,

"Your voice is shaking."

Even this dull witted me knew that her voice was because she was feeling cold.

"My voice is shaking?"

"Yeah."

"I see. So it's shaking. I guess so. Hey, Yoshi-kun, I'll ask something. You don't want to forget about me, right? You want to keep remembering me, right?"

"Of course."

"No matter the price?"

"Yes."

I answered without giving much thought.

I didn't realize that this was the last fork in the road.

"Yes, you're right. I knew you'll say that, Yoshi-kun. In that case, I have one request. A final one. Are you willing to hear?"

"Of course. I spent an entire day fulfilling your wishes after all."

"Thank you. Then…"

Please bring me to the theme park. Please bring me to school. With the same warmth as when she said these wishes, Yuki said,

"Please be hurt for my sake."

"Eh?"

"Please like me, love me, hate me. Please regret over me, suffer for me. Please use all your emotions to bind our hearts together. Please don't forget about me."

This was Yuki's last wish.

I immediately looked at the watch. There's still an hour until 10.54pm. Sweat was slowly seeping from my back. The weather's cold, but for some reason, I was feeling hot, unbearable. I didn't want to hear anything. I wanted to cover my ears, to grab the happiness that was in my hand moments ago, go back home, and sleep.

Ahh, what if it's as I wish? But Yuki immediately turned that into an illusion.

She gently muttered those words.

--I'm going to die now.

Her voice seemed to be filled with joy, and tears.

"Why?"

"I took lots and lots of time from you, Yoshi-kun. I did take away the time that should be in your heart, your memories, and everything. Till this point, I did lots of cruel things."

"That's not true."

"No. That's true, but you told me that you like this me. I'm happy. Really happy. Because of that, I really pray that I'll be able to remain in your heart. Even if it hurts you, Yoshi-kun, even if I'm hated by you, I'll stick to my wish. If there's one resting place on this world for me, that'll be your heart."

It's not the answer to my question. Yuki herself probably understood this, and deliberately said these words.

But even so, I had to realize there was no pretense in her words.

Again I ran towards the road I took.

I passed the bridge, and dashed into the park. The toilet lights dimly lit the road. I retracted my steps at the fork, hesitating on where I should go. Ahh, damn it. I'm wasting precious time just being frustrated. In the end, I went to the station.

"Hey, Yuki, wait a moment. I'm on my way to you, right now. We'll talk then, alright."

"Didn't you say that you'll listen to my wishes no matter what? Are you going to break this promise again?"

"Again?"

"Yes, again. You're always like this, Yoshi-kun, always making promises you couldn't fulfill."

"What promises did I break?"

"You said you'll remember."

"Eh?"

"You said that you'll remember me when you smell the sakura."

"..."

"You said you'll never forgot."

"..."

"You said you'll invite me out to the movies."

"..."

So Yuki kept listing the promises made nowhere on this world, but in her heart. I couldn't even apologize to her. No, I had no right to apologize.

"Isn't it all a lie!?"

So, Yuki's voice was feeble, at least fulfill this promise!

"It has to be you. I can no longer say that anyone can do. I don't want to do this if it's not you. I don't care what form it is, I want to remain in your heart all the time. I don't want to be forgotten by you. I don't want to take anything away from you. Little is fine, anything is fine, I want to remain in your heart. This is the only way to do those…"

I arrived at the station.

I saw no signs of Yuki.

I looked around, nearby crashing into an uncle riding on a bicycle, stumbling around. Watch where you're going! Don't call and run! The uncle glared and yelled at me angrily. I lowered my head slightly in apology, and ran to the town hall. I could hear what the uncle was saying, but I didn't look back.

I kept running, all to keep looking for Yuki.

❄

Ever since the day I lost everything, I walked on alone till this point.

The directionless emptiness, rage and hatred unwittingly became the reason I lived. Without any of these things, I probably wouldn't be able to stand up again.

Until the day he called out to me.

It's not a metaphor, and it's not a joke. The world changed ever since that day.

He helped change me.

I got a dream.

That became my reason to live.

He fulfilled the many things the younger me wanted to do.

Before I knew it, the emptiness, rage, and even hatred vanished, and something warmer filled me instead. I can no longer look away from these feelings.

Ah, that's right.

I've fallen in love for the first time.

What shall I call these cute, wonderful days? I wondered, and shook my head. This isn't something worth being named.

We wanted to be together, forever.

To head to the ends of the world together.

But it's impossible, it can't be fulfilled.

The end of these days, our ending will be filled with overbearing sadness.

We kept encountering each other, for the sake of this one farewell.

❀

The road before the town hall was pretty empty, nobody on the road, and it's quiet everywhere. The round street light was making a round prism. Looking down, I saw three shadows at my feet, one facing right, one facing left, and one facing forward. There's probably light sources from each direction; right, left and straight.

Which side should I take to get to Yuki?

I didn't know.

And without knowing, I went forward. I didn't know why exactly, but I was quietly confident of something.

Yuki's only in front of me.

So, yes, I ran forward.

The shortest distance, the fastest speed possible, towards Yuki.

❄

The orange light shone upon me, hiding with the clear glass. The wind's howling outside, and a poster was fluttering with the wind, probably because a nail holding it down on the old billboard had fallen off.

I tried reaching my fingers forward, but I was blocked by the glass, unable to touch it.

I moved my fingers away, and there were marks of my touch on it.

Right now, I still exist on this world. Yes, I still exist in his heart.

Surely, to Yoshi-kun, I'm a very cute girl.

If he finds me cute, that's fine. Ahh, but he did say I'm very stubborn, that I'm a meanie to him, that I fawned around with him, so it might not be cute. I showed him my dirty side. He said I was really a glutton.

And in the very end, everything will be erased away. Sadness, agony and despair will definitely take my form, replacing my place in Yoshi-kun's heart.

If I can do this much, I'm finally in his heart.

This is the only way to remain in his heart.

Originally, the reason why all traces of me vanished was because I wanted to go to the future. The world had to keep erasing my existence because I lived. In that case, if I die, there's no reason for me to be erased. Of course, the past that was erased won't return, but the present that's not taken away will remain.

I've been waiting for this moment.

Being lovers for just one week.

Our thoughts truly intertwined.

During that golden period of time, I probably had engraved myself firmly, strongly within him.

More importantly, Yoshi-kun yearned for me. He reached his arms out, crawling out to me. He kept struggling for me.

But even after all that, to not obtain what one wants will surely became a large wound that can never disappear. He'll cry, endure pain, and remember me. Thus, I can continue to remain in his heart.

I could hear Yoshi-kun's tired panting from the other end of the phone.

I could hear him sprinting.

Everything's going according to plan.

Sorry. I wanted to say this selfish word, but I swallowed it back.

Those words were too sharp, such that I, who forced myself to swallow, nearby burst into tears.

❀

My arms hurt.

My feet hurt.

My heart hurt.

Beads of sweat slid towards my cheeks. My body's feeling hot, and heavy.

But I couldn't stop. I had to keep running.

I turned right down the long highway, down the slope. It's a really deep slope. I quietly warned myself to be careful, but my anxious feelings wouldn't allow myself to slow down. After taking the first step, the second step strode forth without control. Uh oh. My heart's pounding wildly. Even so, I couldn't stop. I was like a fly in the sky, moving forward. Whenever my feet landed, there would be a shock dozens of time greater.

I kept running, and naturally, I reached my limit. The right leg gave up on supporting the body weight as it bent over. I could clearly hear that stupid sound.

"Ahh."

Then, I tumbled over.

❄

Fuu. I let out a long sigh.

Time was the only thing that passed.

Several times already, I wanted to hang up, but I couldn't. What's wrong with me? The time limit's ticking closer. Come on, hang up. There's no way he'll make it here. It's a waste of time to keep hesitating. If I don't die now, I won't remain in his heart.

But my body couldn't move.

Yuki.

My name he called countless times surrounded my arm.

Yuki.

I closed my eyes, saw his gentle smile, and my legs felt heavier.

I kept thinking and thinking.

I kept brooding and brooding.

And after that, I should have chosen my wish. Even though I knew it'll hurt him. Even though I knew it'll make him sad.

But even so--

Suddenly, I heard something.

It was from the other end of the phone, from him.

It was the sound of someone crashing, someone groaning. No, I couldn't even hear that sound.

For me, the one memory I didn't want to remember awoke in me.

Forgetting everything, I called out his name.

"Yoshi-kun, are you alright? What happened? Hey! Yoshi-kun. Answer me!"

❀

At that moment, I grabbed the smartphone in my hand with all my might, curled up, and brought the cellphone to the my core.

Because of that, I just fell onto the ground without using any ukemi technique. There was a sharp pain striking my left shoulder, causing me to groan. After rolling for a while, I stopped.

I had difficulty breathing, and did my best to speak up, inhaling the cold winter air into my lungs with all my might. No matter how much oxygen I took in, I was having difficulty breathing.

I had difficulty running, and my body's in pain all over. This is terrible. I can't even stand up. Physically, and mentally.

I had a strange doubt remaining in my me.

Why am I doing this?

Someone within me said.

Isn't this enough?

Yuki's definitely suffering. She's always been alone, working hard till this point. At the very least, let her be selfish to the very end.

I kept thinking of words telling me to give up.

And even if I did find her, what did I intend to do? Was I prepared to change Yuki's determination?

I had all sorts of excuses coming up in my mind.

I'm already working hard. I had lots of unbearable experiences, and got myself dirty all over. This should be enough, right?

Once this ends, nobody will grumble. But--

There's one thing. Yuki's voice was coming from the smartphone in my hands. Yoshi-kun, are you alright? What happened? Hey! Yoshi-kun. Answer me!

I barely managed to move my body, and ended up lying on the ground, slowly opening my eyes. The dazzling light shone into my vision. The moon was shining upon me.

Sirius was shining.

I could see Aldebaran.

My mind's completely awake. The voice in my mind faded, and I could only hear a girl's voice.

Ahh, what? You don't have to be so worried about me. But I'm really happy about this.

I called out the name.

Just as she called out my name, so I called hers.

"Yuki."

"What?"

"You're cruel."

With the same trembling voice, Yuki snorted. She didn't seem to be enjoying this.

"I said this before, you know? It happened a long time ago, and though it disappeared, I did say that I'm doing something cruel to you. I did say that you can't not believe what I say."

"So what did the me back then answer?"

"...Can we meet tomorrow. You said to me."

"I'm an idiot."

"Yes. An idiot. That's why you're targeted by this bad girl."

"Yep. I'm really an idiot."

There should be more things I wanted to say.

There should be more things I had to say.

"I should have said I like you."

"...How weird are you?"

That should be fine.

You like weirdos, don't you?

Then I'll be a weirdo.

"Yes, I'm a weirdo who likes you. I might have lied a lot, broken a lot of promises, but this is the one thing that's true."

After some silence, yes, Yuki muttered. She knew.

"So I'm going over to you now. I don't know what you're thinking, what you thought, what you're frustrated about, what you're worried about, what made you decide that. In the future, I want to meet you many times, to love, to live together."

The past would refer to four years ago. Back then, there was a boy who couldn't honestly say what he wanted. For most of the things, he chose to endure, to give up. That boy no longer exists anywhere in this world.

Because I can't stand for this. I can't accept that Yuki's crying.

If I can ensure that the girl dearest to me won't cry, I'll do everything, even if I'll have to give my all.

I finally got it.

Something I really wanted from the bottom of my heart.

Something I was afraid of losing.

Something I was willing to give my all for.

Because I met Yuki.

Because, I met Yuki?

Suddenly, various things linked in my mind. Lines were formed, like the constellations appearing in my eyes. I caught sight of Orion's light.

Some time back, I mapped the stars with the picture books, connecting the stars into constellations. Was I really alone back then? Definitely not.

Found it!

I exclaimed. Yes. I finally found the link.

"Yuk. You said everything doesn't exist, but that's not true. You said you took everything from me, but that's not it."

Finally, I can confidently say that I believe you.

"You see, I'm here."

"What are you trying to say?"

Yuki's voice on the phone was filled with doubt, but I ignored her, and continued.

"A week ago, we met at that empty land. It's not a coincidence. Shiro's sleeping there. I stopped because Shiro was buried there. If you didn't ask me four years ago, there's no way we would have met there."

On the other end of the phone, Yuki gasped.

"Because of your existence, Shiro didn't live her last moments alone. Because of your determination, she's sleeping in the place filled with warmth. And because you kept mustering your courage to talk to me, I'm here. It's all connected. All this time, you've been in my heart."

I went to various places alone, and did lots of things. I enjoyed these things in my memories, all because Yuki was next to me. It's fine, Yuki. It's fine. You didn't take anything away from me. Not only that, you gave me lots of things.

A girl did her best to change me to my current self.

Yuki muttered.

"I'm already in your heart, Yoshi-kun?"

"Yeah, that's right. You're right here, within me."

"...I see. I guess that's enough. Then my life has already--"

"No, it's nothing. More importantly, hey, Yoshi-kun. Can I change the last wish a little? If I'm really in your heart, prove it to me. Get to me. Please. Call my name."

I closed my eyes tightly. I opened them. The vision's shockingly brighter.

"I'll go over right now. Immediately."

"...I'll be waiting."

I exerted strength into my right hand. I felt heat. It might be because I was using the phone for a long time that the phone was a little hot. However, it's not burning. It's as warm as Yuki's palm.

I grasped it.

I had to keep grabbing it, so that I wouldn't lose it, that I wouldn't let it slip.

Because--

We call that heat 'love'.

I put my hands on the floor, and stood up.

Tsuu, haa. I was aching inside. I nearly cried. But I took the first step. I took the second step. I gritted my teeth, and sped up.

I ran by my middle school. How many times did I chase after a certain person's shadow here? --she's not here.

I ran by the convenience store, which I passed on my way home after club activities ended. How many times did I eat ice cream alone here? --she's not here.

I passed the bookshop I often visited. How many times did I purchase the new novel publications? --she's not here.

Before I knew it, the library's right behind me. How many times did I struggle with the maths homework alone? --she's not here.

I passed the game center, the karaoke, the bowling alley, the batting center, the cinema. She's not in any of them.

This town's filled with my lonely memories.

None of them had Yuki's presence.

I was alone.

But at this point, I can see a certain person over there. After she was erased, something was always used to cover up a person's existence, yet I did hear laughter. It sounded really happy, belonging to the girl I like.

I turned right at the T junction, and ran straight ahead. How many times did I run down this road alone? But back then, surely there was Yuki before me. Haa, haa. I kept driving my legs. I looked forward. It's the path towards Yuki, from the vanished time.

So I believe.

I looked towards the public hall far away.

I saw the little billboard.

I saw someone inside a public phone booth that was glowing dimly in the darkness. Even though I could only see a silhouette, that person's making a call. I found her. I heaved a sigh of relief.

I reached my hand out.

Just a little. Just a little more.

But even so, why--

The clock hands wouldn't stop.

There was still some distance between us. I couldn't see Yuki's face clearly. I couldn't hear Yuki's voice. My voice couldn't reach her. I was here, but Yuki never noticed me.

Emotions immediately exploded.

Anxiety, sadness, rage. And most of all, fear.

I was gasping, short of breath. I couldn't make a sound. The word end appeared in my mind. No, no, no. I don't want this end, no!

Yuki, who's been quiet the entire time, suddenly said.

The voice came from the phone.

"Thank you very much for everything. I'm really happy. I really enjoyed myself. Actually, ever since I met you, I had been really happy. It's great to live till now."

Why are you saying it like it's the end? This isn't the end! It's not over. You're still here, Yuki. You're still here.

"Actually, no matter what happens, I probably won't be able to get what I want. I used to be a hollow shell, yet right now, my heart's filled with so many memories. We went to the seaside that winter, but it wasn't cold because both of us were together. We went to the cinema together, but I enjoyed myself, because we watched the movie together. When we had my first snowball fight together, I was really pumped up. I tried lots of delicious things, no doubt about that. I'm not defending myself here, but I'm not really a glutton, you know? It's too delicious when you're with me, Yoshi-kun, so I overate. Eating's living after all."

That's not enough, right? Let's create lots of memories together. Let's go to various places. Let's go eat lots and lots of delicious things. So,

"We held hands many times. Your hand has always been warm, and I like it. My heart was pounding so wildly, I thought it'll explode, but it felt nice."

Yuki's hand was really cold. But soon it got warm. Because of that, I was happy.

"Actually, this is the first time in my life that I like someone. I told him that I like him, and he told me that he likes me. I said lots of stubborn things to him, and fooled around with me. Wooing a boy feels pretty good. Hm. Yeah, it really feels good."

If I could have said, it was my first love, that would be great, but it's probably not. I guess I fell in love with the same certain person 214 times. The same person. You.

"The first kiss was actually after school, in the classroom. It's really dramatic. Speaking of which, in the manga, they say a first kiss tastes like lemon, but I think that's not true. It's embarrassing, a happy thing to kiss, there's no way to taste anything. Or do you know what it is, Yoshi-kun? How does the first kiss taste like?"

There's no way I could tell.

Hey, Yoshi-kun.

Yuki called out to me.

"...Looking at this, our romance's pretty normal. It's like an ordinary boy going out with an ordinary girl, just an ordinary story. But. No. Actually, it's because of this that I feel something worth giving my all for. Because of you, I'm able to say these words now. Eheheh. It feels a little embarrassing. But I'll say it now. Listen. This is my life. The dazzling days I spent with you, Yoshi-kun."

Surely, Yuki kept living for the sake of these words.

--This is the Happiest Love Story on this World.

Her voice was no longer shaking.

Finally, my dearest Yuki said the words of farewell, as proudly as she normally was.

And at the same time, the chest ripping pain became heat as it slid down my cheeks.

"Why are you saying this? I still want to be with you. So, I beg of you. Live on! Keep living!"

Did my words reach her?

Did she hear me?

Are we still connected?

Just a little longer. Yuki can change her mind again if there's some opportunity, some time. But that some wasn't enough.

"I'll wait for you. I'll always be waiting for you. For you to call my name!"

My knees ached. I endured, making sure that I didn't let out a groan. My knees were shaking, and I couldn't exert strength. It's like my strength was flowing out from a wound, along with blood. I was losing balance. I expended everything just gritting my teeth, forcing myself not to fall.

Why!? Why now!? Get moving! I don't care that I won't move ever again! Get me over to Yuki! Please! The girl I like is over there!

"...I like you. I really do! I like you more than anyone, anything!"

I yelled.

I called out the name dearest to me in this world, towards that little light.

I prayed that my voice could reach her.

"Yu,--"

This was all I could do.

And at that moment, the world silently changed.

In that moment, when eternity seemed compressed, I dreamt that I saw a girl.

The Yuki who said she likes me.

The Yuki who sought a reason to hold hands.

Who fought in a snowball fight.

Who went to the theme park.

Who kissed in the classroom no one else was in.

Who said that she'll be waiting. But I--

Our memories together, past events, Yuki's voice, actions, expressions, each of them fell one by one, and upon contact, didn't pile up. Instead, they slipped from my hands. Ahh, wait. Wait a second.

Soon, the final words melted, and fell.

"Bye bye, Yoshi-kun. You're always the only one on my mind. Yuki Shiina is the one who loves Haruyoshi Segawa most on this world."

Yuki's smile appeared in my mind. This was the last fragment belonging to Yuki within me.

My foot speed slowed. Not long after, I stopped in my tracks.

There was just one syllable left in my sentence.

But I no longer knew what it was.

I never knew what the world took from me.

❀

I took a deep breath to recover.

Where was I going?

Suddenly, I felt a sudden pain in my knees. It was the grazed wound after I fell. I took a hard tumble, and ended up injured all over. I was scared of pain, and shed tears, but I kept running to a certain place. Even so, I ended up stopping.

Seriously, what was I doing?

"Ahh damn it! It hurts! It really does! I want to cry!"

I was crying, but I ended up acting tough, and the voice ultimately never reached anyone as it slowly disappeared.

A half moon was high up in the sky, and the moonlight shone into these eyes of mine, while I knew nothing.

❄

The phone line was quietly cut off.

Like the two hundred and so times before, the world cruelly cut off my contact with him.

I couldn't stand up at all, and remained knelt in the phone booth. There's no need to endure anymore. I shriveled, hugging myself. My breathing alone sounded really noisy. Once this too faded away, I started noticing the echo deep within my ears. It's a hallucination. I knew. But…

The voice was teeny weeny, yet it was like the stars dazzling in the night sky, sparkling in the middle of my heart.

Wait for me. Keep living.

These words were still calling for me.

They should have vanished.

They shouldn't have existed at all.

So why were they still shaking my heart?

He's a meanie. He's an annoying one. Ah, but even so,

He's the weirdest person on this world.

Before I knew it, I was smiling. I was able to smile.

For my hands were full with what I could hold.

The place I finally reached, the place Yoshi-kun led me to, the ending that was more wonderful than I expected. In the future, he'll surely be smiling. He'll be smiling along with the long time he spent with me. That's why I'm happy enough.

I wiped my tears hard, and stood up.

I put my hands in my pocket, and my fingers touched something hard. What is it? I took it out, and found chocolate. It's a really common type sold everywhere. It doesn't cost 100 yen, and it was given by the boy whose name I knew not of back then. That was our beginning.

"If possible, can you gift me chocolate?"

His voice sounded hopeful.

"Of course. Well, because it'll be from my girlfriend."

His expression was bashful.

Well, at the very least, I should give this to him. We promised. Didn't the lying boy finally fulfill this promise for me?

He called out my name. Half of it.

It's just one syllable, but I did hear it. It's not a voice through the phone line, but his honest voice. Let's go fulfill that promise. Dad, mom, Umi. Mind waiting a little longer...just a little?

I left the phone booth, and in a corner of my eyes, I caught sight of a silhouette whose name I knew not of, but I didn't check, and left in the opposite direction of that person.

In the distant horizon, the light of the half moon shone into my eyes.

It's a pretty moon.

So I earnestly thought.

It's been a long while since I was so madly in love with this world.

Back when I loved this world, so much that I wished to live on.

## Epilogue - Yuki's Smell

It's morning, I woke up as usual, had breakfast, and washed my face, only to realize something. No, I already knew about it, just that my heart just caught up to reality.

The sleeves of the school uniform I wore for three years no longer fit me.

At the end of February, I took the second exam. Not even a week passed, and it was the graduation ceremony. Yesterday's the results announcements.

For the past few days, I was scrambling around.

I intended to check my number on the computer, to see if I made it, but dad had a peek at it earlier. Congratulations, so he said over the phone, his voice shaking. Thank you. That was the brief conversation we had. Once I hung up, elation rose up my heart.

I immediately collapsed onto the bed, my hand reaching for the orange light. My palm felt some warmth, so I clenched it. I felt I was grabbing something. Then, I opened the hand. There's nothing on it, but…

I did grab something.

I changed into shirt and jeans, and put on a cardigan, before heading down the road to school I walked for three years. During mid-February, there's lots of snow piled up, but at this point, it's already Spring.

With the warm sun shining down, the snow vanished without a trace.

I looked at the sky blue like water as I kept walking, and spotted a familiar face.

It's been a week since we met, right? Before then, we would meet every single day. It's weird. This human relationship thing can easily break like this if neither of us maintain it. Those things I don't ever want to give up on, I'll have to keep reaching my hands out for them.

"Yaa, morning Akane."

I lifted my hand to greet her, and she waved back,

"Morning. What are you doing early in the morning."

"Go report to school that I passed. The results were out yesterday."

"You're too serious. I settled it with a call."

"Well, a lot of teachers helped me out, so I want to tell them the good news directly. If you got time, do you want to come along with me, Akane?"

"Sure. This Akane-san's kind enough to come along with you."

"Thanks."

There were few pedestrians on this working day, and there was a little silhouette before us, nobody else to be seen. As we approached it, it seemed the silhouette was approaching us, being a little bigger. Despite that, we're so far away that we can't determine each other's gender. Will that silhouette approach us, pass us by, or turn away on the way?

Without thinking too much, I started wondering about these useless things, and that's why I ended up saying the rest,

"Akane. I want to ask you something, so promise me, don't get angry, okay?"

"Nope. Even if I say no, you're going to ask. Nice personality you have there, Haru."

"Thanks for that."

"No, I'm not praising you. I'm being sarcastic."

"Of course I know that."

I said with a proud look, and Akane sighed, seemingly having given up on something.

"So, what's it that you want to ask?"

"That day, February 14th. Did you give me chocolate or something…?"

For every word I said, Akane's words clearly looked increasing annoyed. Just looking at her mood, I knew the answer. Ahh, she's really angry. No, she's just sulking.

"That never happened, right?"

Once I said that, Akane pinched my face. Anyway, it hurts.

"You're asking the girl you dumped?"

"That's why I asked you not to get angry."

"In your dreams."

Akane pinched my other cheek with her other hand. Yay, yay, she fooled around as she tugged on my cheeks to both sides. Seriously, what's this? It really hurts.

Puhahaha, she couldn't help but laugh. You're really ugly, she said.

"Haa, such a good laugh here. Since I'm feeling merciful, I'll get this clear. So, what did you say? Ah, I remember. You received chocolate from someone on the 14th, didn't you, Haru?"

"Yesu."

My cheeks are pulled so much, I couldn't open my mouth, so I couldn't answer properly. It seemed Akane too knew as she finally let go. Once I had such a thought of relief, I got slapped by her with both hands. This hurts five times more than before.

"You don't know where you got it from, so that means, you didn't receive it from that person's hands, right?"

I rubbed my cheeks, nodding.

"It was in my house mailbox. I found it while picking up the morning newspapers. There's no sender name on it, but I guess it's probably from someone who knows that I collect the newspapers every morning."

It's a common chocolate. Yes, it's sold at the nearby convenience store, and doesn't have packaging. I often ate such chocolate in middle school, but the taste seemed different from what I ate back then. It feels really sweet.

"I didn't know you have the habit of picking up the newspapers, Haru."

"Fumu. If it's not you, Akane, then who?"

"You ask who, but it doesn't matter now, right? That person probably mustered all her courage to deliver that chocolate to you. Right now, the chocolate's in your hands. Yep, that's right. Her love might have been repaid. Such love does exist anyway. Look, personally, I don't think unrequited love is necessarily meaningly.

Once I was told of that, I didn't pursue the matter further.

I couldn't respond to Akane's courage and adoration. But it's to be expected. Besides,

"While you're still angry, I want to ask something, alright?"

"...Sure."

"How does it feel to like something?"

Akane stared at me.

"I haven't fallen in love anyway."

Over the past 18 years, I never had a romance with anyone.

For all my life, I never knew of the fearless passion to think of the world as the enemy, and neight did I know of any scorching pain in my heart.

Relax, you know love very well. So Akane denied what I said.

"Back then, Haru, when you rejected my confession, you had fallen for someone. No. Maybe that's not love, but back then, your heart's definitely feeling something as blazing as love. Back then, your heart surely contained an existence more important than me. That's why you rejected my confession, Haru."

Akane, walking backwards the whole time, turned around, and continued with her back facing me.

"Girls are pretty strong, and yet weak, stupid creatures, I guess. Men probably won't understand this, I guess. It's like putting a gem in a drawer, and taking it out to look and satisfy her feelings. If there's a gem or something similar in the heart, then no matter the despair, a girl's able to keep on living. I think that passion of yours became that certain person's gem, Haru."

"You're exaggerating it. There's no proof to what you said."

"Yep. But I got something more convincing."

"What's that?"

"A girl's instinct."

After saying that, Akane stopped talking. Her back clearly had the words 'don't ask' inscribed on it.

That moment, I finally noticed something. The silhouette that should be far from us passed us by. We chatted for a long time, huh? Seemed like it's a female. The long hairlocks entered a corner of my eyes for a moment, before leaving. I didn't get to see her. The sweet fragrance of spring however was proof that she once existed, lingering in the air.

Suddenly, a gust blew by, pushing my back.

A voice came along with it.

Just one sentence.

Yoshi-kun.

I felt that I was called by the latter bit of my name.

Hearing this for the first time, I hurriedly turned back, but there was nobody behind. Akane noticed me stopping, and turned to look towards me.

The next moment, we were both shocked, at a loss for words.

Before us, there was a breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

In the spring breeze, something akin to white light particles glittered, as though blessing the world.

It scattered.

LIke snowflakes.

--The sakura petals are dancing.

I opened my palm, gently grasped it, and opened it to see a white petal lying on it. The petal didn't melt because of my palm, and it got taken by the breeze again, flying to a distant unknown.

To a place I couldn't reach.

I was feeling a little forlorn. Why's that?

I sighed, and inhaled hard at this fresh air of spring.

"Tastes like snow."

"Eh, no way. There's no snow. It's the sakura smell."

I recalled myself playing a snowball fight against the elementary school kids this Winter.

To split teams, we used the sakura perfume. The snow with that fragrance hit my face, bringing much pain and cold. That, along with the sakura fragrance that followed, was ingrained deeply in my mind.

Snow giving off sakura fragrance. Two things that definitely couldn't coexist definitely meshed together. Isn't that interesting? There's nothing weird about that.

It's like the world's trying to hide a secret--

Most likely, it's called a miracle.

So I thought as I smiled, denying Akane's words,

"No, it's Yuki's smell."

I believe that in the future, every spring, I'll remember the melted snow.

For some reason, that alone is enough for me to happy about.

## Afterword

It's nice to meet you.

In a sentence, I'll say this work is the first 'Hello' from me to you. I'm really happy to use encounter you using this heavy hearted story. This is Aya Hazuki.

Henceforth, please take care of me.

Now then, before I started writing, I was wondering what I should write for my afterword. There aren't many pages, so I'll write a little episode involving me and this work.

It was the end of March, 2017, while it was still cold. On that day, I sent my manuscript through the internet, and dreamed of myself debuting as an author, editing this work. That day, I intended to change the heroine's name to kanji, and my hands were tapping quicking, changing them.

Finally, the screen showed a kanji I studied in elementary school. It's not Yuki (由希), nor was it snow (雪). When I saw that, ahh, so I thought, and just smiled to myself.

It's embarrassing, I finally realized the nature of the story I wrote. Right now, I realized that the final words Yuki left behind were truly heartfelt. We never met, but I really believe she existed.

That's why she said with the brightest smile possible.

This is a happy (幸, Yuki) love story.

Now then, for the thanksgivings.

Starting off, the judges who appraised this work with the rare 'gold award', and lavished lots of passion into it. Buuta-san, who provided the amazing illustrations of Yuki and Haruyoshi. The designer Kamabe-san who's legendary to me. Everyone who helped me out, it's all thanks to your assistance that this book's the most special in the world. For someone who loves books, this is something I'm most delighted by.

Thank you very much.

Of course, my sincerest thanks to you, reading this work, with book in hand.

If, in the hottest midsummer, a certain autumn culture festival, or a snowy night, you're able to smell the morning fragrance of spring, and remember her story a little.

This will be of utmost joy to this work, and to me.

“It’s sudden, but can I request something from you?”

If one day, if you're able to hear this voice in the middle of the sakura fragrance.

Please think of the girl pretty as snow, smiling happily--

December 2017. The day he and her met. Aya Hazuki.

### 002. Prologue: My Encounter with Her

## Prologue

This is the one week love story I (boku) lost 214 times.

And—

This is the love story I (watashi) obtained which spanned four years.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. I—”

A girl I did not know of called out to me.

It was a voice as warm as the spring sun, as gentle as the breeze lifting the flowers.

Thinking back about it, that voice was the first thing that attracted me.

The hour hand passed 10, and it was 11pm.

My shoulder bag was filled with textbooks, the belt of the bag sinking deep into my shoulder, causing pain. My stomach was rumbling away. Normally, I would have returned home at this time.

But on that day, I wandered aimlessly around town.

What happened hours ago could not leave my mind.

The truly earnest eyes I ran away from.

The strong emotions.

Back in the dim classroom after school, my classmate, Akane Rindou said to me,

“I like you, Haru. Please go out with me.”

Her face was completely red, and her shoulders were quivering before me. Her voice alone was loud, unfaltering.

She was as charming and pretty as usual.

Really, really pretty.

Thus, it’d be great if I said that I liked her back.

In fact, I was a little admiring of Akane. However, the feelings I had for her was different from hers. It didn’t matter whether it was the color, the shape, the weight, or even the types.

The feelings we harbored for each other were of unequal values.

That fact alone prevented our feelings from reaching each other.

“Sorry.”

I swallowed my saliva that quenched my parched throat, and eked out these words.

Akane’s head lowered slowly, and finally dropped. The long hair covering her shoulders covered her expression. Even though, Akane tried to speak up a few times, but her thoughts were merely conveyed in breaths, unable to form words.

I too could not say anything as I lowered my head, and escaped the empty classroom.

I forgot everything that happened after that. Part of my mind was numb, unable to move. I didn’t return home, and merely wandered about.

It was winter, but my back was soaked in sweat. The world in my eyes was without focus, shaking about. My feet seemed to have forgotten how to stop as I kept moving forward again and again.

And so, I finally stopped after walking to an ordinary space.

For it was not the billboard, which had changed sometime back, that I noticed.

This place had been vacant for many years, but it seemed a building would be built starting next season. I see. So this place will be gone? I didn’t know if I should consider them memories, but this was a place I had some memories of.

It was the place I buried a cat at.

A beautiful cat with pure white fur.

The white cat had closed its eyes, looking asleep when I touched its little body with my fingertips. It was then, that for the first time in my life, I understood that concept. Yes, no life exists in it. It was just a hollow husk. Stiff, heavy, colder than anything.

What appeared before the middle schooler me was ‘death’.

I was powerless before this.

And like most people on this world, I poured dirt upon the white body just to get my heart to relax, and clapped my hands together. That happened about four years ago.

By the time I realized it, my feet had stumbled towards the center of the space. Maybe I should clap my hands together to pray again. It would be a perfect opportunity to end this never-ending escape, so I thought.

And it was there that I met her.

It was a pretty girl as white as the cat. Her skin was white as snow, her cheeks as red as apples. The long hair had snowflakes resting on her hair.

A snowflake touched the face of this girl, whose name I knew not of, and it melted away. She was smiling blissfully, yet because of that one snowflake, she appeared to be crying.

Her finely-shaped lips moved, finally composing pure white words.

--Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you.

Why was that?

Why was it that Akane’s words did not move me at all, but a stranger girl easily got me moving? Aspects like composure and rationality were shredded apart at that moment.

Before those emotions, I was utterly powerless.

Upon hearing my answer, she smiled.

She seemed really happy.

And also, a little forlorn.

It was winter, in my third year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

This was my encounter with Yuki.

Thus,

Yes, because of that, I knew nothing.

Nothing of Yuki’s feelings when she confessed to me back then.

Nothing of the determination Yuki had at that moment when she decided to smile before me.

Nothing of what Yuki gave me, of the things that melted and fell from my hands.

Really, I knew of nothing at all.

### 003. Contact 92 - The Promise That Existed Nowhere

“It’s sudden, but can I request something from you?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It happened when I was on the way home from school.

I heard a delightful voice, one that I knew I wouldn't be able to forget.

“I want you to bring me to the movies.”

I was at the old bus stop I had been familiar with since I was young; the faded zinc sheets, the wooden bench continually exposed to the weather.

Standing next to them was an unfamiliar girl.

The street lights were somewhere between orange and yellow, draping the girl’s nice body in gold, bringing her out from the darkness. Even the somewhat old lights made her out to be some kind of sacred being when shining upon her.

She tilted her head cutely, probably because I remained silent.

“You didn’t hear me?”

Before I knew it, the me reflected in the girl’s eyes looked a lot larger than before. They’re close, real close. Why’s she able to just approach me so casually. Feeling disturbed, I gulped, the saliva doing nothing to quench my thirst.

“No, I heard you.”

My voice was a lot softer than I wanted, hoarse even.

This time, it was I who was worried if she heard me.

“Really? That’s good.” This time however, it was the girl who said that, patting down her ample breasts. It appeared my message did reach her.

“I’m Shiina Yuki. Nice to meet you, Haruyoshi-kun.”

“Huh? Hello. Erm, Shiina-san?”

“Call me Yuki.”

Shiina Yuki beamed. She’s really a shockingly cute girl.

The hair reaching her shoulders seemed ironed, a little curly. Her skin was white as snow. Because of this, her fine, blood red lips looked alluring despite her not having any accessories on.

When a gust of wind blew, her hair fluttered. What is this scent? After thinking for a moment, I had an answer. Yeah, it’s the fragrance of cherry blossoms.

The moment I found this answer, what struck my heart was a sudden torrent of emotions: pain, agony, searing heat. My heart tightened.

I put my hand on the left chest of my uniform, and at the same time, called out her name as she had wished. Yes, I really am trying to bluff my way out of things I should be doing.

“Yuki, you said you want me to bring you to the movies. What’s going on?”

“You’ll be going to watch a movie tomorrow, right?”

“……Tomorrow’s a school day.”

“Yes, I know. But your high school will be closed tomorrow to celebrate its founding.”

Yuki's tone was matter-of-fact. Tomorrow’s set lunch is curry, it’s written on the menu. That’s the manner in which she replied.

“You’ll use this vacation to watch a movie, right? You have two tickets. Or have you asked someone out?”

“How do you know, Yuki? I never mentioned it to anyone.”

I recalled back to a few days ago, when my friends invited me out. I rejected them, saying that I had something important. Akane in particular fervently questioned why; since you’re going out alone, bring me along. Nevertheless, I never mentioned the reason.

I didn’t want an acquaintance to notice us together, and watching a movie with her would just lead to an interrogation. Obviously, I’ll be teased about this matter years later.

The girl before my eyes seemingly failed to comprehend my emotions as she smiled.

“Uu, hmm. I think I'll keep it a secret”

“Why?”

“Because, a girl with secrets should be more attractive, right?”

It appeared she had no intention of answering me directly.

I tried waiting for a while, but I didn’t get a decent answer. Yuki merely stood there, smiling, knowing that I was waiting for her reply, but choosing to remain silent.

In this battle of patience, I lost.

“I didn’t ask anyone out. Got two tickets on hand.”

“Then bring me along.”

“Why do you want to see the movie?”

“……I promised to watch it.”

“Promised who?”

Yuki continued to smile. I didn’t know if it was just me, but her smile seemed a little sadder than before.

I looked up at the sky, and so did Yuki.

Without me noticing, the darkness in the sky had become very deep.

The clouds in the night sky were thin and few, and many stars sparkled. It would be really cool if I could find just one constellation here. Unfortunately, I don’t have any such knowledge.

I found nothing in the vast, endless night sky.

“I see. So you promised.”

“Yes.”

“Since it’s a promise, I can only go along with that.” I tried saying this instead of talking about the constellations. It’s embarrassing, but I was spent just from saying this line.

“Ok. Let’s go together then, Yuki.”

“Really? Thank you.”

“I remember there’s a train ride at 10.10. Shall we meet up at the gantry?”

“Mn, sounds great. I’m really looking forward to tomorrow!”

We waved, bidding each other goodbye.

Yuki went off down the street in the opposite direction. Soon, her petite silhouette vanished.

I watched her until she vanished, before moving on.

My mind was filled with the girl I had just met, and she lingered for a long, long time.

The fragrance of Spring, the slender body, the fine fingers moving through the hair fluttering in the wind, resembling a piece of glass art. The long, narrow eyebrows, the pitch black eyes, the nicely shaped red lips. So I recalled, and then——

The moment Yuki’s voice echoed in my mind, I stopped.

For a question floated to the front of my mind.

“Did I tell her my name?”

Of course, nobody would answer. Yuki’s pleased smile as she sidestepped the issue remained in my mind.

That happened in Autumn, during my first year of High School.

This was how I encountered Shiina Yuki.

I arrived at the station 30 minutes early, but it was Yuki who arrived earlier. We could probably ride in on an earlier train.

I wanted to run towards Yuki, but I hesitated, no longer sure if I should approach her.

Her back was leaning on a pillar, looking into an empty void. Her sidelong face had the disposition of an artistic masterpiece, giving her an unapproachable vibe.

Looking closer, I could see many people peek towards her from time to time, but none dared to speak to her. It takes a lot of courage to go up and talk to her.

I gulped, rubbed my sweaty palms on my pants, forced my legs to move towards her, slowly raised my hand, and finally managed to talk to her.

“Good morning. You’re really early.”

Yuki turned around at the sound of my voice. Her palms pushed off the pillar, and she hurried towards me.

“Have you waited for long?”

“No. I just arrived.”

“Ehehe,” Yuki giggled.

The thorns around her vanished before I knew it. I heaved a sigh of relief, and the heat rising from the bottom of my lungs seemingly merged into the clear air.

“Sorry, I’ll take note of it next time. It’s not good to keep a girl waiting.”

“You don’t have to worry. You’re really sincere there, Yoshi-kun.”

“Yoshi-kun?”

“Yes. Haruyoshi, so Yoshi-kun. Can’t I call you that?”

“Not that you can’t but I never had anyone call me that before.”

Normally, I’m either called Segawa or Haru.

My little sister Natsuna and my parents call me Haru. I’m a little uneasy to be called something different for the first time.

“Then this is my personal way of addressing you.”

Yuki smiled, showing her white teeth, and pulled my arm towards her.

I barely managed to maintain my balance and avoid falling forward. The distance between us decreased by a step or so.

Yuki’s small, cold hand seemed to rob me of my warmth as she grabbed onto my wrist. I felt hot just from being grabbed. I was unable to look up, and merely continued to stare at the dirty tips of my shoes.

“Okay, let’s go then, Yoshi-kun.”

The moment she said this, I thought of something I forgot to ask yesterday.

“Anyway, do you know where we’re going today?”

The movie I was going to see on this day was different. To describe it, well, it’s different from those movies heavily featured on the TV ads, and it’s not aired at a cinema either.

But Yuki ignored all of my concerns.

“That’s a weird question. We’re going to Yasaka University, right?”

There’s a town two stations from where I’m living, with lots of slopes. Yasaka University’s located at the longest slope in that town.

In fact, after reaching the closest train station, we will still need to take the bus.

“Ah, it’s there, right, Yoshi-kun? Here, have a look?”

Yuki said. We were almost ten minutes into our bus ride.

There was a large gate where she was pointing, and a large sign.

The sign contained colourful popup words “60th Aksho Festival’.

This Yasaka University began holding this one week festival since Sunday. The tickets I had are for the ‘movie club's self-produced film’ airing during this culture festival.

I forgot if it happened a year ago, or at least half, but due to a certain incident, I so happened to obtain these two tickets.

The moment I entered the school gates, I felt a sudden change in the atmosphere around me.

There was an infrequent sight of the leaves colored in Autumn, and beneath them,

There were many stalls on display in the school, along with the intense riff of guitars from afar. For a YOSAKOI, the clappers sounded delightful. It really seemed like a real festival.

I received a pamphlet from a young woman, and immediately flipped through it, intending to check the schedule of the movie. It’s a 30 minute short film, and including break time, it airs once every one and a half hours.

There’s ten minutes until the next airing. I checked the location on the map, and if we hurry, we might be able to make it. I continued to flip through, wanting to confirm the route there, but my pamphlet got snatched away.

I lifted my hands, and found Yuki holding a pamphlet in each hand.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m asking you that, Yoshi-kun. What are you doing?”

“Doing what…looking for where the movie screening is, of course?”

“Haa.” Yuki sighed, shaking her head as she gave a ‘you don’t understand’ look.

“We can just explore and find that place. More importantly, this is a rare festival. Stalls, performing bands, and haunted houses. If you ignore them all and go straight to your destination, it’ll be a waste. Karma will strike you, know?”

“I don’t want to be hit by karma.”

“Then let’s walk around. It’ll be fun. Come on, let’s go!”

That’s how we started walking around the festival.

Yuki sniffed around the stalls corner with her little nose, and when she was finally tempted by a fragrance, she queued at the crepes shop. She couldn't decide whether she should add strawberries or chocolate bananas, so she chose both. I personally chose chestnut to fit with the autumn theme.

“It’s amazing that you’re able to eat two.”

“Seeds du go indo amoda starbuck.”

Yuki’s mouth was stuffed with crepes, her cheeks puffed. What she said sounded alien, though I never met an alien myself.

“What are you saying?”

This time, she began to close her mouth, and chew carefully. However, she seemed reluctant as she slowly swallowed the crepes, and with cream still on the side of her lips, she emphasized once again,

“Sweets do go into another stomach.”

“Yuki, you got cream on your lips.

“Ah, sorry. This side?”

“The other.”

“This side huh?”

Yuki tried wiping hard with her palm, but she did not wipe the cream.

“Hold on.”

I took a piece of pocket tissue, and wiped her mouth. She let me do so without resistance, but she was always eyeing more the next opportunity to take a bite. I had to remind her “It’s not off yet. Wait.” Seriously, girls are such creatures. I do like sweets myself, but their passionate easily exceeds the like I have.

“Alright, done..”

“Thanks, Yoshi-kun. You’re well prepared..”

“It’s fine, just a tissue. I think high school students normally have them around.”

“I’m almost 17, but I never brought any before.”

“So you’re older than me by a year, Yuki?”

“Yes. I’m your senior, so you have to respect me.”

“There’s no respect to speak of when you still have cream on your mouth.”

“No way! There’s still more?”

I saw Yuki rub her mouth flusteredly, and chuckled. Her white skin reddened slightly, probably because she panicked and rubbed too hard. Even the cheeks, which were not rubbed, were a little red.

“Kuku, it’s gone..”

“Uu. You’re so mean, Yoshi-kun. Really mean..”

Yuki pouted as she walked before me.

She had a slender back, fluffy hair, and thin legs reaching out from her skirt. I tailed Yuki from a little distance, wanting to eye them a little more.

But Yuki went straight for the library, and began to marvel at the exhibits of the photography club, and I had to chase after her in an instant.

We marvelled at the many monochrome photos lined together—talking about the work we both liked.

I chose a photo of a man jumping on a beach, while Yuki chose a photo of a girl alone on the shopping street.

The lonely girl was cut away from the vast world, looking so helpless. It’s definitely a nice picture wanting to convey something, but it didn’t match my impression of Yuki. I thought she’ll be like me, and would choose a photo filled with life.

“Really?”

Yuki’s soft voice in the library sparsely filled with people.

“But this is definitely me.”

We went to the arts club store, bought a few doujins, and read them together while next to each other. Our tastes in novels are similar, and we like the same works.

Then, Yuki noticed something, and approached it without hesitation. Before I realized, we’re at furthest end of the school, far away from the noise. There’s an old building deep inside, and Yuki eyed at the building that appeared to be secretly built, muttering, “what’s that building for?”

The originally white building had changed colors due to the many years of weathering, and on the walls, there were plants whose names I didn’t know of. The green stuff’s probably moss. Anyway, the building such seem so unapproachable.

I wanted to call for Yuki to return, but at this moment,

“Ah, the boy there. Hold on a moment.”

I was called out by this slightly familiar voice, by this familiar sounding line.

Even after a long time, I could recognize that muscular body.

He had a messy 3 days stubble, his hair was tied behind his head, and he was showing childish, dazzling eyes between his long bangs.

It’s been at least a year since we met, but he’s exactly the same.

It’s the director.

The director of the movie we’re going to see today.

And the person who gave me these two tickets.

❀

I first met the director during winter break, while I was still in middle school.

Club activities were suspended, and I was alone, with nothing to do, so I went strolling in the park nearby.

There would be many visitors at the park during the vacation and the evening, but it’s very quiet on a normal workday. It made me a little lonely.

Breaking this silence was an exceptionally gruff voice.

“Ah, the boy there. Hold on a moment.”

“Eh?”

I was called out, and turned to the voice. I saw a muscular man, much older than I was, running towards me. I could hear the frantic sound effects of a person running. I knew he was in a fix, so I stopped without thinking——that was a mistake.

That man was huffing so hard, he was almost dying. He went behind me, and suddenly grabbed me by the elbow.

“Ahh——I’m saved. Please come along with us.”

“Wh-what’s going on?

“We’re filming a movie, but we don’t have enough actors for the last scene. It’s causing us lots of trouble.”

“No no no, hold on. I don’t get what you mean.”

“You don't get what I mean?”

The man turned towards me with bewilderment. I took a closer look at his face, and saw that he was still fairly young. He was probably in his twenties, at the phase when I should call him a young man.

“I don’t.”

“As I said, you’ll be a temporary actor for a movie.”

“That’s not what I don’t understand. I’m saying that I don’t know why I have to come along with you.”

“Didn’t I just say why? If you don’t come along, I’ll be in real trouble..”

“…Huh?”

“That’s how it is. Let’s go.”

“No, wait,”

Just like that, I was dragged off by him.

Everything I said thereafter was a waste of effort. There was an overwhelming difference in strength, and no matter how I resisted, I couldn’t escape. Three minutes into my struggle, I gave up.

I was left at his whim, either to be roasted or fried.

It appeared the man who called me was the director of this work. He showed a different expression from what I had seen, the aura around him changing drastically. I felt really annoyed to think that he was a little cool.

The filming scene was at the bench in the park.

I was assigned the role of passer-by A.

All I had to do was to follow behind the protagonist. I had no lines or actions. Even so, I was instructed to do a series of actions, where I should look at what time, how fast I should be walking.

We were filming a single scene, so I carelessly thought I could go home once I was done, but the reality was that I was caught in a four hour deadlock, due to the many retakes.

The sky was dark blue when they started collecting the equipment. In another 10 minutes or so, the world will be plunged into darkness, more even in a blink of an eye. See, night is coming.

“So you’re here. Good work there..”

I looked towards the voice and found the director walking towards me. It seemed he had been looking for me for quite a while.

“It took quite a long time.”

“You really helped me out. Well, you only appeared for like 10 seconds or so, but I really didn’t want to compromise on the quality, so I dragged it out. Oh yeah, this is for you. As a gift of thanks.”

Saying that, the director took out a can of corn soup. The weather’s cold after the sunset, so I accepted gratefully. The soup’s still warm. As I held the can with both hands, I felt the warmth spreading in my palms.

“Thank you very much.”

“Also, these tickets are for you. There’ll be a public screening during the culture festival next Autumn, so do come by to watch”

“Next year? Not this year?”

“The production probably won’t be finished this year. Once this is done next year, I’ll be graduating.”

The rectangular color paper had the words “60th Akiho Festival Movie Screening Ticket”. The ‘59th’ had two strikethroughs over them, and the ‘60th’ written above were larger than the other words, as though conveying the director’s determination.

By the side of the words was the name of the university and the crest. The rectangular red words ‘Yasaka University’ were a little blurry. I had heard of rumors about the school, like it’s built on a demonic slope or something.

“But there are two tickets..”

“It’s a romance film. If you have a girl you like, invite her along..”

Just like this, I had two tickets and a can of corn soup. It’s a cheap payout compared to the four hours of work. But well, it’s a valuable experience, so whatever.

I saw the director wave as he left with his back facing me, drinking the soup. For this cat-tongued me, the warm soup was just right. It flowed past my throat, and immediately after, I felt a gentle warmness spreading through my belly.

The brightest star was sparkling in the sky.

It seemed to be the leading star.

So I started walking towards the little light of Venus.

❀

“You’re here, boy.”

The director called for us, his muscular body taking up two thirds of the bench or so. There were a dozen or so tickets messily laid out on the table, along with a promotional pamphlet for the Akiho Festival, and so. There’s a movie magazine, probably flipped through lots of times as the actress’ face on the cover was disfigured.

“It’s been a while. Is the movie airing here?”

“Yeah. The innermost room of this clubroom building is our clubroom. It’s on the second floor. Hm?”

At this moment, the director finally noticed Yuki, it seemed. Like a man possessed, he sized her up several times. Then, he averted his eyes, and called out to me.

“Boy, a word.”

“Huh?”

I went towards the director as he said, and he dragged me to the end of the building.

We’re some distance away from Yuki, so even at normal volume, our voices probably wouldn’t reach her. However, “What’s with that girl? Isn’t she super cute?” the director whispered softer than a mosquito.

“What’s her relationship with you?”

“Friends, I guess. She seems like she wants to see this movie no matter what. I don't know how she got wind of me having two tickets, but I brought her along.”

“A fan of mine?”

The director eyed sideways, smirking.

“Guess not. She told me she promised someone that she’ll see this movie.”

I had enough of the director’s leery face, so I had to insistently deny.

“Promised who?”

“Who knows?”

Both of us looked towards Yuki in unison.

Yuki was flipping through the magazine on the bench. She’s probably not reading, just flipping through. Probably enjoying the feeling of paper and the sound.

“She’s like a painting.”

The director marvelled as he appraised her, muttering,

“Such girls are rare. She’s not just cute or pretty, she has a certain charm that attracts attention. It’s a really rare thing. So boy, mind negotiating for her to appear in a movie?”

“I’m not going to. Can’t you just ask her yourself?”

“Well, but..”

“What do you mean, but?”

“…I’ll be hurt if such a cute girl rejects me.”

“Huh?”

I really, seriously did show an outraged look.

Hold on a moment. What’s this guy saying? And what happened to the crazy guy who dragged me away that year?

“Aren’t guys such creatures? We become weak in the face of beauties.”

“Why are you saying it like it’s a motto?”

I couldn’t help but retort, and the large eyes of the director stared at me intently.

“You've changed, boy.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah, you’ve changed. The old you, well, how do I put it? Easy to deal with. It’s like if I begged you, you'd agree to do anything. You’re a little different now. You’re able to express yourself..”

“Is that a good thing?”

“That’s definitely a good thing. Those that go with the flow can’t catch anything. If you want something, you need to grab it with your hands, even if it’s by force. That’s how it is, so please. I’ll get down on my knees and beg if you continue to refuse. But you’re just going to refuse me again, so.”

Why be so forceful to me? Can’t you do that to Yuki?

Well, I’m a guy. Can’t say that I don’t understand what the director’s feeling.

“Well, so be it. I’ll introduce her to you, but you will have to ask her yourself.”

“Tch, got it.”

“Yuki.”

I called for Yuki’s name, and she closed the magazine, her body swaying side by side as she approached us.

“Finished whispering?”

“Yeah, basically, he gave me the tickets, and he’s the director of this movie we’re going to see. Seems like he wants to ask for something from you.”

“Ask me?”

“Speak up, director.”

“Oh, yeah.”

I nudged hard at his large back.

It’s like a rock: hard, solid, and unmoving. Even so, my little nudge might have motivated him to move forward.

“Th-th-thank you very much for coming to see this movie today!”

“Yes. I’m looking forward to today’s movie.”

Yuki smiled, and the director blushed, his body shaking. He’s already at his mental limit, huh? Never expected that.

Feeling that he was helpless, I was about to speak up for the director, only for him to say,

“And erm, erm, if it’s okay, can I get you to act in my movie next time?”

He reached his massive hand out towards Yuki.

“Please?”

“hmm.”

“No can do?”

“hmm.”

“So is it a yes?”

Yuki smiled impishly.

“Anyway, I can decide after watching the movie, right?”

That was the smile of a little devil.

There were twelve chairs in a room large enough for twenty. Four chairs to a row, three rows. We were seated in the second row, and the chairs were wobbly, probably because the floor was old. Other than us, there were another three people. When the movie began screening, the lights in the room were switched off.

Then, aired on the screen commonly used during lessons was a visual.

The movie depicts a typical daily life, the encounter of a boy and a girl, their breakup, and their encounter again. It was a simple and common story.

There was no alien invasion, no monster destroying the world. The world wasn’t in any crisis, but there was clearly something in the movie.

The scene I appeared in was the important one, when the duo, after having a huge argument, regretted their actions, and reunited at the bench in the park. I was far into the background, but I realized it was me, just passing by.

Yuki must have noticed my appearance, as she poked at my flank.

I grabbed her mischievous finger, and glanced towards her discreetly.

Yuki, next to me, never looked towards me, her eyes staring at the screen, looking really serious.

I might be being too harsh, but it’s just an amateur movie for a culture festival, not something meant to be watched so seriously. Why’s she being that serious?

In the darkness, her sidelong face brightened by the movie lights looked really beautiful. For the last five minutes, I was just staring at her, mesmerized.

We arrived at the bus stop at the main entrance, only to see the bus turn around a corner. The red taillights slowly got smaller, and finally vanished.

It seemed the next ride would arrive 10 minutes later.

I was seated alongside Yuki, on the plastic seats. We were the only ones here.

“Yoshi-kun, the movie really left me nervous.”

Yuki beamed, “But the movie’s really interesting.”, so she said.

“The part where the protagonist confessed was really good. I want to be confessed to passionately like that for once..”

Yuki delightedly told me what she thought, but I barely listened. There’s one thing I was more interested in than the review, and I kept thinking about it. Should I ask? Or not? After much deliberation, I couldn’t help but ask.

“In that case, why did you refuse the director?”

❀

It happened at least ten minutes ago.

The director had been outside the room, waiting for our exit.

“How’s the movie?”

“Yes, it’s really nice.”

“Really?”

He probably felt nervous before getting this answer, and he heaved a huge sigh of relief. I’m guessing he’s clenching his right fist in victory, the smile on his face dazzling.

Yuki too nodded with a smile.

“I guess the miracle never happened after all.” So she said.

“So as promised, I think I shall refuse.”

“Eh?”

Both I, who was next to her, and the smiling director never understood what Yuki was saying, and neither did we remember the reason for her saying so.

From our faces, she probably understood what we were thinking.

Yuki repeated herself, emphasizing that there’s no mistake on anyone’s part,

“Sorry, I can’t appear in your movie.”

She bowed, and hastily left the club building.

I looked back and forth between Yuki’s back and the dumbfounded director, and finally bowed towards the director as Yuki had done, before giving chase after her.

❀

“Because I promised.” So Yuki answered my question.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun, do you think there’s a scene that looks out of sorts?”

“…No.”

“In that case, I shouldn’t appear in the movie. It’s a promise after all.”

“I don’t get what you mean at all. Who did you make a promise with, and what’s the promise?”

Yuki’s eyes looked towards the slightly worn out tips of her red shoes. They touched and broke away like over and over again, like a kiss.

“Anyway, now that we’re talking about this, I’ll ask again, Yuki? Who did you make the promise to watch this movie with?”

Yuki took a deep breath, and breathed out towards the sky. She stopped her shaking legs, and stood up.

I immediately looked up towards her without thinking. Her back was facing the setting sun, so I couldn’t tell what expression she was making.

“We made a promise that exists nowhere. Nowhere in the past, present or future.”

“What’s going on? You made a promise, didn’t you, Yuki?”

“I did, but it no longer exists. Even the part about us making that promise never existed.”

“I don’t really get you, but in that case, it’s fine for you not to go with the promise, right?”

“No. It’s still very important to me.”

There was clearly something in Yuki’s voice, something stubborn. It’s not something I could settle just because I want to, and that’s the only thing I got.

Finally, the bus arrived.

Yuki reached her hand towards me, and I did my best to hold it as gently as possible, standing up from the seat. Her hand was delicate, cold, weak and fleeting. It’s so weak that if I exerted a little too much strength, I might break it.

“If possible, can I meet you tomorrow?”

“It will have to be after school, if you’re fine with that.”

“Of course.”

“See you tomorrow then.”

So we promised.

We made a promise that really existed in this world.

We were together the next day, and the following day.

We visited the bookstore, and studied at the library.

Yuki’s great at studies, and patiently explained the solutions to the questions I couldn’t solve.

Before I knew it, a week passed from the moment I met Yuki.

“You’re a good kid, Yoshi-kun.”

“Look, even if you say that, I’m not treating you to tea..”

As thanks for having her check my work, I bought a meat bun for her at the convenience store.

“Tch, you’re not treating me?”

Yuki clumsily sang, “it’s cold, it’s cold.” And we walked down the town while the lights started to brighten. “I’m scared of the cold.” So she said as she rubbed her little hands, breathing out on her fingertips. Winter was coming, and surely the tomorrow would be colder than this day.

We passed by the post office, and arrived at a place a little distant from the station. With a gentle, correcting tone, Yuki said .

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. You shouldn’t be too trusting of me, you know?”

“Why?”

“Because I want to do something cruel to you.”

Saying that, Yuki shook her head. She closed her eyes hard, and three seconds passed. She opened her eyes again, and there was a mysterious glint to them. What’s that? Confusion? Fear? Rage? Rugged determination? Finally, that light too vanished.

“No. It’s nothing. Forget about it.”

Yuki ran towards me, step by step, trying to hide her face, it seemed.

“Can we meet again tomorrow?”

It feels like Yuki will vanish, so I shouted at her back.

At that moment, Yuki quickly turned towards me. Her skirt fluttered slightly due to the turn, Her hair rose slightly, and she appeared to be dancing. Just like the day when we first met, my heart pounded tremendously, so much that it was aching.

“Ehehe. It’s the first you you started a promise with me, Yoshi-kun.”

“If that’ll make you happy, I’ll keep inviting you starting tomorrow.”

“Really?”

“I promise you.”

“I’m happy.”

Like before, I bade farewell with Yuki before the train station.

She waved hard at me, so hard that I was worried if her arm would rip off. I waved hard at her in response. The distance between us was increasing, little by little.

After some distance, Yuki put her hand down, and shouted my name,

“Yoshi-kun.”

At that moment, my body froze.

Yuki’s expression changed, and I had the impression that her smile was a lie. At the same time, she muttered something.

That delightful voice was immediately buried in the noise, and did not reach my ears.

But through the movements of her lips, I understood what she said.

At the last moment, Yuki said with an anguished look.

“――Liar.”

### 004. Contact 33 - The Hottest Day in the Summer

“You’re really working hard.”

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened after I did five 100m sprints on the track.

It was a gentle, sweet voice, akin to the evening when the heat had just subsided.

As I had just finished a sprint, I was gasping for breath, unable to respond to her words. The girl approached me, and handed me a towel. I instinctively grabbed it, but can I really use it? I smelled the sweet scent of the fabric softener, and hesitated.

“You’re not wiping your sweat off?”

She asked while I remained silent, tilting her head cutely. Her hair was on her face, looking a little itchy. The tip of her pretty index finger stroked down her soft face, putting the fine hair behind her ear.

“Can I?”

“Of course. That's why I'm giving it to you.”

The girl smiled, looking bemused, and it made her look a lot more immature. Maybe it’s because the atmosphere around her had lightened up a little.

All the concerns in my heart immediately vanished, and the tension in my shoulders eased.

But even so, my heart was moving a little faster than usual.

Whenever I finished running, I would be panting, feeling unbearable, my heart aching in pain. I experienced this feeling hundreds, thousands of times ever since I joined the track team. But why? Why does this racing heartbeat seem a little weird, different from before?

But I didn’t know what exactly was different, in what way.

This thing…seemed to be called ambiguity. “I’ll use it then. Thanks.”

“Please do,” so the girl said.

“I’m Shiina Yuki. Nice to meet you”

“Huh? Nice to meet you. I’m Segawa Haruyoshi.”

I gave my name, “Haruyoshi, Haruyoshi.” And Shiina-san muttered it.

“Alright, I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

So she suddenly declared.

“Not Haru or something like that?”

“You don’t like it?”

“Not that you can’t, but I never had anyone call me that before. Just a little shocked to hear it.”

“If nobody called you that, isn’t it better? This is my personal way of addressing you. Oh yes, just call me Yuki.”

“Yuki-san?””

“Leave the ‘-san’. Just call me ‘Yuki’.”

“Alright then, Yuki. I got something to ask.”

Once I said that, Yuki looked away from me, and towards the guys from the soccer club. Seemed like she noticed them ogling her.

“What is it?”

“You’re not from our school, right?”

“…You figured it out, huh?”

The soccer club guys were spotted by her, and panicked as they returned to practice. “Pass! Yes! Run! Yes! Minigame! Yes.” Loud voices echoed from the field.

“Are they your friends, Yoshi-kun?”

“More like juniors, I guess. We never interact though. I’m from the track team, and those in the soccer team on good terms with me are all retired. I’m a third year after all.”

They’re probably in an air-conditioned room, cramming through the words on the textbooks, and not thinking about soccer. For us third years, the term ‘exam candidates’ really was annoying.

It was the middle of summer vacation.

The intense sunlight of the summer day dyed everything white, and I was unable to open my eyes.

The soft cream-like clouds were drifting forward.

Due to the heat, the field appeared to be floating, unsteady.

The cricket voices heard from nowhere made it sound hot and unbearable.

“So?”

“So what?”

“How did you know I’m not a student from this school?”

“Ah, it’s simple. I have no memory of you.”

“Yoshi-kun, are you able to remember the faces of everyone in school?”

Yuki was really shocked. Of course, I couldn’t possibly remember all the students’ faces.

There were many students I didn’t know, let alone the entire school. However, there’s no doubt I knew Yuki’s not a student’s of this school.

It’s simple.

She had white skin, wavy hair as fluffy as cotton candy, raised eyebrows, large, deep looking black eyes. She’s pretty special compared to all the other girls I met.

If there’s such a girl in school, there would be a huge commotion the moment she first came to school.

Picking out cute girls in the school is a necessary subject for all the boys, including me.

But I couldn’t say this reason so blatantly in front of her. “Sorta” I tried to dodge the subject.

“Hm, I failed. I even dressed up as a student of your school too.”

“Relax, I’m not telling the teacher.”

Yuki kicked lighting at a stone by her feet, and it bounced off, landing 2m away from us. She wasn’t exactly going over to kick the stone.

“No, that’s not what I’m getting at. More or less, I think I’ll be a little happier if you think of me as a classmate, Yoshi-kun?”

“What do you mean?”

“I see. So you don’t know.”

Soon after, the 3pm bell rang.

“It’s about time to start running soon, right?”

Yuki held an end of the towel wrapped around my neck, and pulled it away. My neck was a little cold without it.

“I’ll wash it and return it to you.”

“It’s fine. Don’t worry.”

Yuki waved, basically telling me, “Go on”. I couldn’t ask any more, so I thanked her, and returned to the starting line.

I stood at the starting line, and took a deep breath. Before my eyes was a shadow cut out with a shaver, clinging to the ground. I glared at the guy. No matter how hard I tried to sprint, this guy’s always easily making it just before me. I could never catch up to it. It’s like a nightmare. Even so, why am I running?

“Hey.”

And before I knew it, Yuki, who wisely went to the shade under the tree, said.

“The third years in the track team should be retiring soon. Why are you still running, Yoshi-kun?”

She had practically read my mind.

I didn’t answer, and merely smiled as I placed my hand gently on the starting line, crouching down as I prepared to sprint. The ground had amply absorbed the heat from the sun, nearly burning my skin, and my fingers felt a burning sensation. Ready. So I quietly noted. BAM. I exerted strength in my legs, and started sprinting.

It happened during the summer of my third year in middle school.

Thus, I encountered Shiina Yuki.

❀

Initially, I didn’t like running .

I could get second or third in elementary school, I got seconds and thirds during the sports festival. I guess I should be proud to be second to a really fast guy, but the ones sprinting at the sports festival were all similar to me in speed. Results wise, it’s all a matter of ability.

And the reason why I joined the track team was because I met a classmate called Takeshita.

Right after I entered middle school, we switched seats for the first time, and Takeshita sat next to me, dressed in the same uniform I was unfamiliar with.

“Are we seriously wearing this every day starting today? Isn’t this hell?”

I truly understood the discomfort of having my neck touch the shirt collar, along with the urge to scratch away the itch.

For us, who had been wearing comfy, practical clothes that’s easy to move in over the past few weeks, this uniform’s too heavy and uncomfortable, and also strangely shameful.

“Yeah. Really want to get rid of this as soon as possible”

I agreed, “Oh.” Takeshita widened his eyes, before beaming with an earnest smile.

I had been a student for six years, and to a certain extent, I got the feeling, “Yep, looks like I can be friends with this guy.”

“Please take care of me”. I said to Takeshita, and shook his outstretched hand.

Takeshita had been part of the track team since elementary school. He’s usually quiet, but when it comes to club activities, he got really excited.

For example, he would talk about how he beat his rivals in the last competition, the memories of summer camp, the harsh winter training as he hated the cold and loved the heat, that there were many seniors he was familiar with.

Personally, I had no interest in athletics, but I was invited by Takeshita once to watch the track team.

Takeshita’s really fast.

In a 100m sprint, not even the third years could beat him.

The way he sprinted, nobody would think of him as the guy who got an unbelievable 13 points in the language test. His running self was a far cry from the guy who till an hour ago was trying to figure out how to destroy his answer script, not the guy who spouted such nonsense. “It’s stupid to just burn it though.”

He was really cool when he ran. Really cool.

The next day, Takeshita happily took the track team’s application form to me.

“That’s a lot more fun than you imagined, right?” Takeshita seemed a little proud when he said that.

“Yeah.” I nodded. It’s too embarrassing to say the real reason though. Well, we’re all guys. There’s no need to say everything.

In our freshmen contest, I did terribly, while Takeshita took first on the podium. He kept winning, and passed the local preliminaries as a first, even making it to the finals in the prefecture competition.

There were many competitors like Takeshita in the finals, and he really had little chance of winning to begin with, the results had many looking forward to his performances next year, or the year after. “Well, guess that’s how it is.” I remembered him saying that with a dumb smile, and the seniors cheering him on appeared a lot more unhappy.

On the day the third years retired, most of them directed their words to Takeshita. “Do your best.” “You’ll definitely make it to the Nationals.” While the seniors cheered him on with tears in their eyes, “I will.” it appeared Takeshita nodded seriously.

But soon after the second semester started, Takeshita easily quit the track team.

Takeshita never had much interest in track to begin with.

His objective was the senior two years older than he was, who graduated from the same elementary school.

Takeshita liked her.

But the outcome was that his love didn’t bear fruit.

At the end of the retirement ceremony, the senior Takeshita liked announced that she was dating the vice captain.

The first year Takeshita, the fastest in our team, lost to the third year senior who was the slowest. Ah, yeah. He lost. Even so, he was just smiling dumbfoundedly. “Congrats.” He said with a trembling voice. Thinking back, he probably was trembling with such a voice when he lost in the prefectures finals.

Even till now, I don’t know why I was so emotional. I just couldn’t forgive him however.

“Hey，Takeshita. Are you fine with that? You didn’t fight it out against him?”

Takeshita merely laughed in a silly manner.

“Are you just going to keep losing?”

I was really anxious, and yelled.

The shocked classmates around us gave me weird looks, whispering things. Back then, I ignored everything I would have usually listened to. Those were just noises. What I really wanted to hear wasn’t that. I wanted to hear the true thoughts of that classmate, that buddy on the team.

But Takeshita just gave a dumb smile, and left without a doubt.

I could no longer find the Takeshita I once admired. Left there was the same back of the guy who got 13 points in the exam. That’s not the silhouette of a winner, but a loser.

Ever since then, two years passed.

I continued to work hard on the track team. I supposed I was working hard. I wasted two whole years, and finally arrived at the place Takeshita ran at during his first year. Like the guy I once admired, I put my fingers on the starting line. The fingertips turned red as they withstood my body weight.

The gun was fired, I stomped hard off the ground, and sprinted off.

I did my best to run.

And I had no regrets about my defeat.

As an ordinary guy, I made it to the finals of the prefecture. Isn’t this enough. Ah, yeah. It’s enough. But why did I feel so hollow inside? I felt like I was going to be out of breath. The endless sweat slid down my cheeks and neck. The strong sunlight caused me to be unable to open my eyes. I took a deep breath of the scorching air, and looked at the time.

That was the best I ever ran.

That was the shortest time I took.

But it was still 0.1 second slower compared to Takeshita’s best.

❀

The next day, and the day after, Yuki looked for me. She was often holding a sports drink or ice cream.

I was supposed to ask my juniors to handle the stopwatch, but before I knew it, it ended up in Yuki’s hands.

“Ready—”

Yuki called.

I gathered my strength in my legs.

“Bang!”

At that moment, I started running immediately.

The start seemed good. My forward leaning body slowly rose. My body felt light, and my legs could take large strides forward. The impact of my feet on the ground sent my body forward, my arms swinging. Yuki appeared to be increasingly bigger. I felt a painful, burning sensation on several points on my body. I continued to take short breaths, inhaling the oxygen into my lungs.

I gritted my teeth.

I stared at the shadow before me, and gave chase.

The moment I dashed past Yuki, I heard a little ’beep’.

It’s from the other side of the finish line.

Did I make it to where I want to be?

I slowed down little by little, and stopped, my hands on my knees as I held my body up. I felt moisture seeping all over my pores. Ah damn it, it’s tiring.

“Haa, haa, haa. Ho-how is it?”

“Didn’t break your best record. Just a little more.”

“Ah—not good enough.”

I had no strength to stand, so I collapsed to the ground. There’s the smell of dirt, a smell unique to the summer, with the blazing sun. Sweat soaked my shirt, and as a result, the dirt’s sticking to my back. Whatever.

The sky’s blue, the world’s white, and the scalding sun’s burning my skin.

My body’s yearning for oxygen, gasping for breath, and my heart’s beating wildly. My chest expanded, contracted, and expanded again. I felt worn out. My body and soul seemed to be separated.

“It’s hot.”

The moment I said these words, a shadow covered my face.

“Good work. Have a little rest.”

It’s Yuki.

She was holding PET bottles, one containing an isotonic drink and tea. She asked for my preference, and I chose the former. I thanked her, sat upright, and held the PET bottle. Thank goodness she uncapped it, and I was able to drink it immediately. I gulped down about half of it at one go.

Yuki made sure not to sit down as she knelt on the ground, helping me cap and uncap the bottle. She narrowed her eyes, as though looking at the sun, and said,

“Smells like a boy.”

I brought the PET bottle to my lips once again, and this time, I drank it slowly. My throat throbbed greatly. The liquid flowed into my body.

“You’re lying on the ground? You don’t care about your clothes or hair getting dirty.”

“Well, of course I don’t really care about that. You find it dirty?”

“It's fine, isn’t it? I think it’s pretty cool.”

I started to recall the morning weather report, when the big sister reported that it’ll be hotter than yesterday, or something. After finishing the drink, I stood up.

“I’ll go wash my face. Go rest in the shade, Yuki.”

For some reason, my throat felt thirstier than before.

I went to a sink in the courtyard, where there were fewer people.

Using the faucet, I washed my head to cool myself off. My head was heavier after my hair got wet, but I felt refreshed. I then quickly washed my face, the sweat filled water entering my mouth. It tasted a little salty. I gargled, spat the water out, and left the place.

I lifted my wet, bundled hair, and rested a little in the shadow of the classroom block. “Haa.” I let out a long sigh.

I leaned my back on the wall, and closed my eyes, my mind recalling Yuki’s smile. “I think it’s pretty cool.” Her voice echoed countless times. Each time, my heart would feel happy, and at the same time, anguished.

I should be focusing on running. What’s going on?

It was the first time I experienced such feelings. Even at this point, my face’s scalding.

After a while, I opened my eyes, and saw a familiar face pass before me. The person’s giving a very gloomy look, though I might say that’s just compared to her usual look. She’s the most famous person in school who really performed during the summer competitions.

It’s Rindou Akane of the swimming team.

“Eh, Akane? What are you doing here?”

The moment Akane heard my voice and noticed my presence, her expression changed faster than the turning of a page. The gloomy face from before was buried deep within her heart, and she was showing her usual cheery face.

“Hm? Ah, it’s you, Haru. I’m resting. I left something in the classroom. Going over to pick it up now.”

“Nyahahaha.” So she laughed, but well, it’s obviously a lie. There was no way she could be headed to the classroom block in that getup.

She’s wearing only a school swimsuit.

Functionality and design wise, it was the worst design ever. No matter the gender, nobody liked these swimsuits. The cyan colored swimsuits turn black after absorbing water. She was soaking wet all over her hair and body, and clearly she had not dried herself with a towel. Her short hair gathered a little bit of water, and the water droplets fell, gliding down the skin receiving them, before landing on the ground.

“Something happen?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

“I see. Well, if anything happens, give me a shoutout. I can hear you out a little at least. Anyway, what’s with that face?”

“I’m a little shocked.” Akane said,

“Never thought I would hear such words from you, Haru.”

Really, these might not sound like what I would usually say.

“It’s summer after all. I do feel a little weird myself. No, sorry, better to forget about it.”

“No need to be so embarrassed. But well, guess you’re right. I’ll just say what I want then.”

Akane changed her direction, and went to my side.

It was an inexplicable distance that was within my grasp, yet not one I could reach just by stretching my hand out. At the same time, I could smell salt from Akane, no, the smell of the swimming pool.

Akane, leaning on the wall in the same posture as me, sighed as well. Ah, it’s so cold. She muttered to herself, and took a deep breath. I thought she would say something, but the silence continued for a while.

The sound of some wind instruments came from somewhere. I looked around, and found two girls at the window on the second floor corridor, blowing trumpets. The sounds from the high pitched trumpets drifted towards the lust greenery of the summer.

Once the performance ended, Akane spoke up.

“Well actually, I can’t really say that something happened. I just can’t bring out the motivation I had before. When I made the Nationals in the last tournament, I made a new personal best, and just feel a little burned out. Just today, the teacher asked me to guide the juniors, but I …”

Can’t swim like before.

Her voice trailed off at the end, almost inaudible.

Akane expressed herself. “it’s fine.” And I muttered. I knew that Akane was looking at me, but I was looking at those two from the wind instrument club. There’s no encore yet.

“Because well, aren’t you still swimming, Akane?”

“Swimming’s a habit of mine, like toothbrushing. I feel a little uneasy if I don’t swim.”

“Right. So the light’s still there. It may become smaller, harder to see, but it’s not put out. I’ll say this as many times as I need. There’s no doubt you can go to a further place, Akane.”

Akane’s different from Takeshita and I.

She’s swimming for real.

Though I didn’t say out the last two lines.

“…Feels like you’ve changed, Haru.”

“How so?” so I asked. “Back then, you wouldn’t say such things.” So she replied.

“If it were the old you, Haru, there’s no way you would have greeted me if I haven’t noticed you. I don’t know how many times I’ve been ignored by you. Even with everyone around, you would just stand by the side and watch everyone. You would then give some ambiguous lines with some really fake smile. That was different though. I know. These were your true thoughts, Haru. This might be the first time you’re saying what you really feel. So, hm hmm...I’m a little happy.”

“It’s the summer fault. It’s so hot out here that I’m not thinking straight and saying weird stuff. Sorry.”

“I say, you don’t have to be so embarrassed. Hm. But, yay! Since you say so, Haru, I’ll just give it a try. Ah yeah. Can I ask you for something this time?”

“If it’s something within my capabilities.”

“Do you mind saying ‘do your best’? I’m actually a simple person. If I’m cheered on, I might be able to work a little harder.”

“That’s it? Hasn’t everyone else said that to you many times?”

“No, that’s different. Say it to me. Please!”

“Got it. Do your best.”

Akane closed her eyes, seemingly trying to focus as she listened.

“Yes.”

“Do your best.”

“Yes.”

“Do your best, Akane.”

“Yep, I’ll do my best.”

Akane slowly opened her eyes, seemingly back to her normal self. Cheerful, kind, a little clumsy, and very honest. She’s as dazzling as the summer sun.

Looking at her, I couldn’t help but narrow my eyes.

Then, Akane, who arrived by my left, turned around me and returned to where she came from.

The moment her silhouette grew smaller, for some reason, she turned towards me again. She walked out of the shade, and stood in the intense light. The water droplets all over her reflected the sunlight, and she looked really dazzling.

“Yep, I’ll do my best,”

Then, she raised a fist towards me.

“So do your best too, Haru.”

“Ah, I see.”

So I muttered.

Guess I really have to.

I felt a little itch within my heart, yet it felt so comfortable.

“What’s the matter?”

“Nothing. Just that I guess I really have to do my best.”

Hearing my reply, Akane’s cheeks turned a little red as she said gleefully,

“Isn’t that right?”

The conversation I had with Akane finally allowed me to regain some composure. I returned to the field, and that calm vanished in an instant.

Yuki was waiting under a tree by the field.

She was talking to someone.

That boy had slightly long hair, and looked pretty cool. He’s wearing the soccer team jersey, and if I remembered correctly, the name’s Sawachika. Three months ago, my classmate Satake proudly boasted that a really fast winger joined them.

Some distance away from the duo were a few guys from the soccer team, spying on them. Once one of them spotted me, they scattered in a panic.

I got a rough idea of what’s going on. It seemed Yuki was being hit on. Well, it’s not strange for her to be hit on, since she’s just standing there, looking beautiful.

If this is really the case, what should I do? What’s the right thing to do?

Suddenly, I realized.

What did I try to do?

Even I found it stupid to think of such a question.

Guess I was really acting weird due to the heat. It’s really unlike me, but well, it’s not a bad thing. Not a bad thing at all.

I approached the duo while they were still talking. Yuki noticed me, and scuttled towards me?

“What’s wrong?”

“Just a little trouble.”

While we were talking, Sawachika approached. Yuki saw him, and ducked behind me. I in turn took a step forward.

The moment I did so, Sawachika seemed hesitant, and swallowed his words. No, that was all he could do.

For us sports club members, seniors are revered like Gods. Sawachika intentionally approached Yuki when I was not around. He probably waited for this opportunity.

With a kind smile on my face, I said to Sawachika.

“I think you’re called Sawachika, right? I guess club activities aren’t easy after the third years retired? Satake does still pop by from time to time, no?”

I didn’t really care what the conversation was about. I just wanted to let him know of my relationship with their ex-soccer team captain Satake.

Sawachika understood what I was getting at, and while feeling unhappy about it, he bowed towards me politely, and returned to his buddies at the club.

That day, after practice.

Yuki, who until yesterday would disappear when I was in the club changing room, was standing before the door, looking up at the sky. The sun was about to set, and the clouds refracted the orange light, the skies turned the land a blazing red. The diagonal sun extended Yuki’s shadow, and compared to the day, her vague, fleeting silhouette gave the impression that she would disappear the moment I looked away from her.

“Hm, what’s the matter?”

I said to Yuki, who turned towards me. Her clear hair was sparkling, and her smile was really pretty. It was the first time in my life that I found someone’s smile so pretty.

“I want to thank you for getting me out of trouble. Let’s go to the convenience store. I’ll treat you to ice cream or something.”

“No need for that. I didn’t do much anyway.”

“I’m happy, so I want to thank you. Can’t I?”

“Not that you can’t.”

“Let’s go then.”

Before I could reply, Yuki turned towards the school gate. I pursued her, and walked alongside her.

Two shadows swayed side by side, but not once did they meet. There was a gap the size of a person between us. I just felt like I was whispering a little as I talked. Why?

“Really, Yuki, you’re pretty popular.”

“That’s not true.。”

“But you were approached by Sawachika today.”

“Ah, so he’s called Sawachika-kun?”

“You never asked for his name?”

“…I forgot to ask. I guess he came to look for me because of you, Yoshi-kun.”

“No, didn’t he approach you when I wasn’t around?”

“Doesn’t seem like it. When I was really alone, nobody actually talked to me. I know I was being watched, but well, that’s all, definitely. Yep, I guess I wasn’t human back then.”

“Alone.” So Yuki muttered. Her voice sounded a little forlorn.

That loneliness of hers caused me to feel lonely as well.

“So does that mean you become a monster when I’m not around?”

I made a joke. I didn’t care if she was angry, shocked, or took me as a fool.

I just wanted her to look anything other than sad. Yes, anything else’s fine, anything but that.

I wanted her to forget her sadness and loneliness. At this point, she’s not alone, since I was walking next to her.

For a moment, Yuki was flabbergasted. “Ahahaha.” And then she burst out laughing.

Her anguish was forgotten, as I had hoped.

“Yeah. I become a monster that spits fire!”

Yuki deliberately widened her mouth, raising her eyebrows “Gyaaa!!!!” she made this sound with her all might. Seriously, I could feel the intent to destroy a town.

“You’re going to wreck the town?”

“Of course.”

“You’re going to fight the hero?”

“Of course!”

“So, you’ll only become human again when I’m around?”

“Yes…”

“Why?”

Yuki didn’t answer. I continued to ask.

“Why do you become human again only when you’re with me?”

Yuki answered with the same joking tone.

“Because you’re a weirdo, Yoshi-kun.”

“Huh?”

“Because you’re the only one who’ll talk to a weirdo like me.”

“I see.” So I went with the flow, nodding, but thinking back about it, I had no memories of being the one who talked to her. It was Yuki who spoke first as far as I knew.

“Wait, aren’t you the one who first spoke to me, Yuki?”

“Is that so?”

“Think about it. I was practicing back then. You’re the one who told me 'You’re really working hard'.”

“Ah, we’re at the convenience store. Come on, let’s go in.”

Before I could finish, Yuki grabbed my arm, and ran off. Our shadows were merged together. For some reason, Yuki’s hand was a little cold, so cold I was worried that it could melt because of my hotter than usual hand.

We bought ice cream at the convenience store, and sat in the shade in the parking lot. I hurriedly removed it from the packaging, and munched on the sugar coating. My teeth broke through, and the sweet ice flowed out. It’s delicious. I munched through the ice, and there was a comforting sound accompanying the nice, chewy feeling.

“Is this really enough? There are some more expensive ones.”

“I like this one.”

“Well, it’s delicious after all.”

It’s evening, and many passed by the convenience store. There’s a young woman taking a dog on a stroll, high school students wearing headphones. The elderly man in a suit hurrying along was probably returning to his company. Two youths on bicycles were yelling, pedaling their ways home.

“Seriously, Yoshi-kun.”

Yuki said as she stood beside me, licking the melted ice cream on her hand.

She noticed me watching her, and commented that she really couldn’t finish her ice cream.

I knew Yuki didn’t really mean that, so I waited patiently for her. Soon after, she nibbled on the wooden stick, just as I was.

“Have you ever competed against someone?”

“Eh?”

“Have you ever wanted to beat someone?”

“You know?”

“Well, I can feel it. I’ve been watching you all the time.”

“All the time?”

“All the time.”

“Ahahaha.” I started laughing to pass the vague statement off. “What are you saying?” but Yuki wasn’t laughing. She was staring intently at me.

The awkward laugh of mine melted in the summer air, slowly fading away, and finally disappeared. I stared towards the tattered tips of my shoes. Suddenly, the tips bent softly. I was a little shocked. Everything in my vision, the world I saw became vague and faltering.

For a moment, for some reason, I started talking about the issue I had intended to hide in my heart forever.

It was something I had sorted out in my mind countless times, and had come to terms with.

Finally, out from my throat, my mouth, came the words, the scattered sequences of unrelated terms—

I had a friend called Takeshita.

About how he was really fast,

That he had a senior he admired,

How that romance ended up going nowhere,

And how he just gave up on track.

My voice was cracking, my body was shaking, my vision wavering. I was just saying out the emotions from my mouth. The parking lot got darker little by little. The hot, sharp emotions took the form of words, and were continuously poking at the softest parts of my inner heart.

How much time passed after I finished what I wanted to say? Two minutes? Three minutes?

“So that’s why you started running.”

Yuki muttered.

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always running hard, Yoshi-kun, but not really fully dedicated. That might be because you admire Takeshita-kun too much, and that’s why you’re just a step away from him. Yes, I see. I finally know what I can do.”

I rubbed my face with my palms, and lifted my head. The world was colored in night before I knew it, and there were many blinking little lights behind Yuki, who stood up. She was so pretty, whether it was in the day, evening, or night.

“Hey, just to check, Yoshi-kun, do you really want to surpass Takeshita-kun’s record?”

“I started running because of that guy.”

“You’re not being honest. If you have something you want, say it. If you want to win, say that you want to win.”

“…”

“Come on. Say it.”

“I want to win. I want to beat Takeshita.”

“Right. Good. I’ll get you to beat him.”

Yuki took the stick from my hand, and replaced it with hers. The words ‘You win’ were on it. Guess it’s possible to win this lucky draw after all. It’s the first time I saw it, and I thought for sure it was an urban legend.

“You’re really lucky, Yoshi-kun. It’s like you have a Goddess of luck following you.”

While Yuki was the one saying that, she smiled bashfully. She immediately looked away before me, but as I watched her from behind, I could see her ears redden slightly.

The next day, the sudden downpour meant that I could not go to school.

The day after was the same, and the track was terrible; I could not run. Three days after I ate that ice cream, I reunited with Yuki that afternoon.

I finished my warmups, and was jogging around when Yuki showed up like usual. I saw her, and froze. She in turn raised her hand, “Hi” acting like nothing happened.

“Seems like today’s the hottest day of the summer.”

She said.

“No, that’s one thing altogether. What’s with your getup though?”

I pointed at Yuki’s clothing. For some reason, she was wearing our school’s gym clothes. The white clothes were translucent, and I could see the outline and colors of her underwear. I was thinking that I shouldn’t be looking, but I just couldn’t look away from those lines.

“I bought it.”

“So why again?”

“I might dirty my clothes today.”

“No, that’s not what I want to ask. I’m asking why you bought our school’s gym clothes?”

“If I wear this, nobody’s going to suspect my identity if I’m seen. Anyway, are you ready?”

I felt that, well, with things coming to this point, and Yuki looking a little happy, I didn’t bother to retort. I nodded. Thanks to the sudden rain from before, I had ample rest, and I was feeling fine. This was the feeling I had when I broke my record at the Prefectures.

“But can I really beat, Takeshita?”

“Yep. It’s fine. Just run full speed as you do, Yoshi-kun, and believe me. Just watch me. It’s simple, right?”

I tapped my fist towards hers, which reached out to me with confidence for some reason. After that, Yuki went to the finish line, while I went to the starting line.

Like usual, I closed my mind, and within my mind, I kept repeating the best starting method as I extended my leg tendons. I placed my hand on my wildly beating heart. I took a slow breath, and inhaled the summer air into my lungs.

I opened my eyes.

The blue sky and the daylight entered my eyes, along with Yuki standing by the finishing line.

Before I knew it, my heart calmed down.

I positioned myself on the starting line. I got ready to run. Yuki raised her hand. I looked forward.

“Ready——”

The world turned silent.

“Don!”

That was the only sound I could hear.

I started running. It was a perfect start. I maintained a forward posture as I pushed forth, accelerating as I slowly lifted my upper body. The wind blew by, and the scenery changed. I continued to dash forward with a speed I never felt before.

10m passed. 20m passed. Hah. Hah. My front foot latched onto the ground as I leaped forth.

30m passed. 40m passed. I might really be able to make it.

And the moment I ran past 50, like usual, I looked towards the shadow running before me.

It’s the shadow I could never surpass.

I had always been seeing it as Takeshita. But,

“Yoooooossssssshhhhhhiiiiiikkkkkkkkuuuuunnnn. Lift your hhhheeeeaaaaadddddd!”

Yuki shouted at me.

She’s probably not used to making such a voice. Her voice seemed to be breaking.

I lifted my head, just as she called out to me. I saw the finishing line. Her face was red as she shouted at me.

“Look forrrrwwwwwwaaaaarrrrddd”

Seriously, erm, what are you doing, Yuki?

I ended up grinning.

“I’m here!”

She waved her arms, shouting.

“Fly over here!!!”

Then Yuki exclaimed, “Just trust me, just look at me.”

So I trusted Yuki.

I just looked at her.

Ah, yeah. It’s just that simple. Because—

For every step I took, Yuki was closer to me by a step. I wanted to be faster…I wanted to get towards Yuki faster. Even if it was just a second, a moment, I wanted to be faster.

Yuki’s at the center of the world.

There’s nothing else.

One step, two steps, three steps. I definitely couldn’t slow down. More importantly, I had to be faster.

On the last step, I stepped hard onto the ground, and as Yuki said, I leapt into her open arms. It’s summer, but I scented upon the sweet fragrance of spring. It’s the fragrance of the cherry blossoms.

At that moment, I heard a ‘beep’, and at the same time, the world revolved. Eh? All that was left was the dumbfounded sound echoing in my mind.

And before I knew it, I was lying on the ground, face up. Yuki’s hands were on my neck, herself on my body. It was likely that the moment I was about to crash into her, she pinned me down below.

“It hurts—”

The impact should have hit my back, but I was aching all over. I coughed, and had difficulty breathing. The pain was unbearable, and Yuki moved away her hands from my neck, not worried about me at all. All she cared about was the palm of one of her hands. I thought she would be embracing me firmly, and exclaimed,

“What are you doing? Falling hurts.”

But Yuki didn’t care about what I said at all, her face beaming as she brought her palm to my face.

“Here, have a look.”

I didn’t know what she was saying. The important thing was that my back was hurting, and that my stomach was feeling Yuki’s ass. My reaction was a little strange, it seemed, as Yuki pouted, curling her lips.

“Can’t you be a little happier?”

“Eh. Erm, happy about what?”

“The time. Look, open your eyes.”

I spent about 10 seconds or so to comprehend what she was saying. Another 5 seconds, and I accepted the reality before me. My start was gathered upon the time shown on the stopwatch in Yuki’s hand.

It was a new 100m record.

I beat Takeshita’s record.

“Why?”

Suddenly, I cried. Appearing deep within my eyes was Yuki’s smile. The stopwatch was within my eyes. Ah, I can’t see anymore.

“Well, Yoshi-kun, I think you’ve already long surpassed Takeshita-kun, but you admired him so much that you somehow ended up running in a manner to conserve your strength. When you reach the last 50m, you would always look down. That caused you to slow down a little. You could have just looked forward, but you didn’t. No, you couldn’t do that, right? The Takeshita-kun running before you all the time is no longer before you, and you’re scared. You really admired Takeshita-kun.”

I covered my eyes with my hands, gritting my teeth. If I didn’t, lots of things would flow out. More importantly, I didn’t want Yuki to see this expression of mine.

“He’s a really amazing guy. If that guy was still running track, my speed would be nothing compared to him. That was what I wanted to see. Ah, yeah. I wanted to see the Takeshita that’s faster than he was.”

But such a person didn’t exist.

I knew that. I knew how much I worked hard, prayed for it, and had Yuki help me reach that place, but there was nothing I had hoped for. Even so——

Yuki moved my arm aside, and used her thin, long thumb to wipe away the tears in my eyes. Right, left. For every tear that was shed after, she wiped them for me.

My vision eventually cleared. I finally understood what was at the place I worked so hard to arrive at.

“Congratulations. You worked hard, Yoshi-kun.”

There was Yuki.

Her words.

I guess all my hard work had been repaid in full.

On our way back, we dropped by the convenience store again.

As thanks this time, I offered to treat her to ice cream, and she went for a 300 yen ice cream cup. No, well, it didn’t really matter. After some hesitation, I too chose the same brand of ice cream. Yuki chose strawberry flavour, while I chose rum and raisin. I guess it’s fine splurge a little, since we’re celebrating.

We sat alongside each other, at the same place, and found a cicada carcass there.

Summer was about to end.

Yuki stared at the husk without a soul, and muttered.

“Cicadas spend about 6 years waiting in the dirt.”

“The Aburazemi’s the same, it seems. I think I read somewhere that like the Aburazemi, there are cicadas that wait 17 years in the ground.”

“Yes. And within a week above ground, they’ll die. What’s the meaning of that?”

“…At least, there’s the mission of continuing to the next generation.”

“That might be the case for the females, but the males are different. A male cicada can mate with many, and so there are males unable to leave children behind. So, do you think that male has a purpose to live?”

Yuki’s words seemed poignant, so I put some thought into it, and answered,

“The meaning of life differs according to each individual, and I think this isn’t something I can agree or deny easily. But they definitely lived hard.”

“Even if they did, there’s no point to it at all.”

“I don’t think so. That’s what you taught me, Yuki. If I work hard and reach a certain destination, even if there’s nothing I wanted, there’ll be other things to find. I found it. In fact, it seems like cicadas can survive for a month.”

“You’re lying.”

“I’m not. It’s hard to raise them, and that’s why they can’t last more than a week. That’s why many are mistaken. In fact, wild cicadas can live for about a month. That’s what the TV says, and that’s why they’ll definitely find something”

The last bit was just consolation.

It was a cheap lie I made just to get Yuki to smile.

To be honest, I really didn’t care about what happened to the cicada. Even so, if Yuki wished for it, I would pray, hoping that its life would be meaningful.

Yuki finally picked up the spoon, and brought the somewhat melted ice cream into her mouth. “Nice, nice.” She said, and I kept watching her as I opened the lid.

“Hm? Speaking of which, you found something, Yoshi-kun?”

“It’s a secret.”

Under no circumstances should I say this. Thus, that was what I answered instead.

“But I feel this summer day is one I’ll definitely never forget when I grow up.”

Even when today becomes the past, even when I grow older, even as time passes and fade.

I would never forget this summer heat,

The tears and sweat that were shed,

The sweetness of this ice cream,

The fragrance of the cherry blossoms,

And the important thing I obtained.

Yuki stared at the plastic spoon, muttering.

It was dark, and I couldn’t see her expression.

All I heard was that she seemed to be pouting—

“―Liar.”

### 005. Contact 12 - Haru's Fragrance

“Can I trouble you for a moment?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It happened when I was at the bookstore near the station, looking for new works from my favorite author.

Her voice sounded a little sharp and forceful, probably because she was a little nervous.

“I want that book. Can you get it for me, please?”

Her slender fingertip was pointed at the tallest row on the bookshelf crammed with books. But there were covers of various colors arranged messily there. I couldn’t tell which book she was pointing to.

“Which one?”

“The one with the blue cover.”

“Ah.”

The moment I saw the book, I cried out.

It was the book I was looking for. As she had said, there was only one such book. It was placed on the bookshelf, and not the new publications corner.

“There’s a stool there.”

She didn’t notice my reaction at all as she pointed the same finger at the stool next to me. My eyes followed her finger from the rack to the stool.

And then, I looked towards the girl again.

She’s a cutie, her short hair just over her eye. She’s of similar height to me, maybe a little taller. She should be able to grab the book herself if she wanted to.

She wasn’t willing to grab it herself, because of her clothes.

She was wearing a miniskirt.

Since she’s dressed like this, there’ll be an upskirt if she stood up high. I see. Seems like girls have lots of things they have to take note of.

So I did what she told me to, moved the stool over, and reached my hand for the blue book. I wasn’t tall enough, so I tiptoed, and barely touched the shiny new cover of the book. It’s a new work from the author after a two year hiatus, and it’s in my hands. But…

Though feeling a little conflicted, I handed the book obtained with much difficulty, to her.

“Thank you.”

She embraced the book dotingly in her clutches.

“Ah, it’s okay. You like this author’s works?”

“Yep.”

“I like them too.”

I was trying not to sound too downhearted, but it seemed the girl noticed some things in my tone, for she looked a little gloomy.

“Are you looking for this book too?”

“I never thought it would be up there.”

“I couldn’t find it, so I went to ask the clerk. I was told “This should be the only one left”.”

“I see. So this is the only one left? Too bad. Guess I’ll go elsewhere to look.”

I lied with a smile.

I searched through all the other stores before coming here.

Nada.

In the rural town I lived in, the store would not hold any books unless they were prized works, to be adapted into movies, or bestselling works in the thousands, even if they were new works. It’s my fault for being too naïve to think that I could get it on the release date, and too lazy to preorder.

Looks like I have to give up.

I dropped my shoulders dejectedly, and headed towards the exit.

“Wait!”

For some reason, she called out to me.

“Eh?”

“If you don’t mind, how about I lend you this book? Once I finish it, that is.”

“Why would you lend it to me?”

“Because I like to read. I know the feeling of wanting to read a book as soon as possible.”

And while I was wondering how to answer her, she lowered her head awkwardly for some reason. “Erm, if I’m being too much of a busybody here, my apologies.” From that teeny-weeny voice of hers, I realized how much courage she needed to call out to me.

My chest suddenly became hot, and I naturally looked down.

“It’s alright. Thanks. I’m really grateful. My name’s Segawa Haruyoshi. Please take care of me.”

Upon hearing my words, she heaved a sigh of relief, and showed a bright smile.

“Yes. Nice to meet you, Segawa-kun. I'm Shiina Yuki.”

It happened in Spring, at the end of my second year in Middle School.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

Once we left the bookstore, we went to the café Shiina-san wanted to visit.

We cautiously opened the wooden door, and the bell inside chimed twice. Flowing with an air of calmness in the shop was jazz music I had never heard before, and the fragrance of coffee filled the corners of the shop.

It felt like a place for adults.

Time passed by slowly and gracefully here.

“Welcome. Oh my, what cute guests we have here.”

There’s one young, pretty girl, who seemed to be slightly older than me, in the shop. We’re the only customers. “Choose any seat you like.” The girl beamed.

I was looking around in the shop, and without hesitation, Shiina-san sat at the seats with the brightest lighting. I hurried over, and sat opposite her.

The March sunlight shining from outside the window was really warm.

I had an urge to yawn, but I gritted my teeth, holding it in. Shiina-san saw this, and giggled. “You’re like a cat.”

“We should be ordering something. What do you want, Segawa-kun?”

I looked at the menu laid out on the table, and gulped in shock.

There wasn’t much on the menu, but each item’s shockingly pricey. A can of coke’s worth 450 yen, and black tea’s worth up to 1000. Who would order such stuff? Maybe some company boss. I don’t know.

Shiina-san seemed very familiar with this place as she ordered a cup of black coffee, so I ordered the same. I had never drunk coffee.

“Here, for you. This is the book I just talked about.”

Once we placed our orders, Shiina-san took out two books from her bag. I received one of them.

It’s a book she had, not the one she just bought.

We talked about books while on our way from the bookstore to the café. During that time, Shiina-san recommended me a book.

She so happened to have the book with her, and lent it to me. While she’s reading the new work, I could spend the time reading this.

“I think you’ll like it.”

“Looking forward to it.”

Before I started reading, I flipped through a few pages. The coffee was served at this moment.

The unique, rich aroma drifted leisurely along with the steam.

“Please enjoy.”

The employee bowed towards us, and returned to the counter. The long braids behind her head swayed sideways in a jovial manner.

I looked over at her, though not consciously. For some reason, Shiina-san pouted, as though reproaching me.

“Are you looking at that girl?”

“Eh?”

“So she’s your type?”

“No. But, well, I find her pretty. Long hair’s nice, and she’s pretty feminine.”

“Hmm, so you like long hair.”

Shiina-san touched her hair, and sighed. In a familiar manner, she lifted the cup with her hands, and brought it to her lips. She added neither milk nor sugar, and looked really elegant. Even the way she drank coffee was out of a painting, it felt like.

But I had to add something here. Till this point, she was as pretty as a painting.

Shiina-san slowly brought the coffee to her lips, and the moment she gulped it down, she groaned. What’s with her?

“It’s bitter. What is this? It’s so bitter.”

“Eh? You don’t normally drink this?”

“It’s the first time I’m drinking this, actually.”

“Your first challenge is black coffee, huh?”

“But it seems like all women reading here at the café drink black coffee.”

Shiina-san groaned, looking as though she was poisoned, and reached out to the little saucer at the edge of the table. She put two cubes of sugar into the black liquid, stirred it with a spoon, and took a sip. Again she winced, and added another sugar cube.

After that, she cautiously took another sip, “Yep.” And nodded happily.

“Now it’s drinkable.”

To be honest, I was a little nervous to be facing an adult-like Shiina-san, but after seeing this, I heaved a sigh of relief. “It’s really bitter.” So Shiina-san said as she kept adding sugar into the coffee, and clearly she was a girl of my age. There was no reason for me to feel nervous.

“What about you, Segawa-kun? Do you often drink coffee?”

“It’s my first time drinking this too, actually.”

I told the truth. “Ahahaha.” Shiina-san“ laughed.

“Then you’re like me. Do you want sugar? Or are you going to challenge this black coffee?”

“Well, it’s a rare chance, so I’ll accept the challenge.”

Like Shiina-san did before, I brought the coffee to my mouth without adding anything. At that moment, the scalding feeling and bitterness stung my tongue. I couldn’t help but frown. My tongue was aching. I scalded myself, it seemed. I hurriedly took a gulp of water, and put ice on the tip of my tongue.

“How is it? Very bitter?”

“I burned my tongue.”

“You’re unexpectedly careless, Segawa-kun.”

Shiina-san said as she sipped at the coffee, only for her to frown again. After some hesitation, she too cooled her tongue. I knew what happened to her. Surely her tongue’s feeling the same as me this time.

“You’re unexpectedly careless, Shiina-san.”

I commented gleefully. Shiina-san looked a little awkward as she fumbled with the ice in her mouth.

Only the sound of flipping pages echoed in the shop. Once we began reading, the employee switched off the music, and drifted off to dreamland. She looked pretty comfortable. Probably had a nice dream too, since she was smiling.

“Hey,”

I was called, and lifted my head. I saw Shiina-san close her book and look towards me. I tucked a bookmark in mine, and closed it as she did. The coffee cups on the table were empty, and the glasses of water next to us were half empty.

“What is it?”

“How do you write the kanji ‘Haru Yoshi’?”

“Why ask this all of a sudden?”

“I’m just a little curious. It’s a rare name after all.”

“Is this about some novel? A trick question related to the name, or something like that?”

Shiina-san’s body shook. “I-it’s nothing like that at all.” She flatly denied. It’s really a terrible lie, so much so that she raised her voice at the very end.

After thinking about it, I placed my finger on the droplets on the glass, and used the droplets to write on the table. The droplets formed lines on the surface, lines that came together to form words. Soon after, the crooked words ‘Haruyoshi, 春由’ were formed.

“This is the kanji.”

“Ehh. Ah, what a coincidence.”

Shiina-san drew a word ‘ki, 希’ behind the ‘Yoshi, 由’. ‘Yuki由希‘, so I muttered.

“We share a word.”

“How nice.” So Shiina-san said.

We kept reading, chatted from time to time, and ordered cake. Before we knew it, almost five hours passed. No other customers visited this shop.

At night, the temperature dropped drastically, and the colourful lights formed a blurry glow in the town.

I could see stars in the sky.

Shiina-san told me the names of a few stars, so I asked her which of them were the ones she mentioned, but it seemed she only knew of their names.

While I sent Shiina-san back to the station, she gave me the blue book, as promised. “Thanks.” I bowed gratefully. The heaviness of the hard cover left me elated.

“Anyway, are you busy tomorrow, Segawa-kun? It’s Spring break now, isn’t it?

“I have track practice in the morning, but nothing in the afternoon.”

Even though I said that, I guess I just wanted to spend the afternoon reading this book.

“Then can we meet in the afternoon? I want to talk about this book, and what you think?”

I recalled that while we spent the entire day just reading and chatting, I enjoyed it. Shiina-san panicked, probably because she saw that I was being silent,

“Ah, but I don’t need you to finish it by tomorrow, Segawa-kun. You can talk about the book you read too. Well, I really enjoyed myself today.”

Ah. Why’s that? Seeing how Shiina-san had the same feelings as I, I was really happy.

“Alright. See you tomorrow.”

“Yes.”

The moment we bade farewell, “Ah.” Shiina-san exclaimed as she pointed to the sky. The white mist that occurred when we talked was no longer present. Spring had arrived, the season of all beginnings. Winter's behind us.

“I know that star though.”

She told me the name of that bright, orange star.

“Arcturus. The Hawaiians call it Hōkūleʻa, the star of Gladness.”

Once club activities ended, I walked down the corridor. At this moment, a round white object scampered by me. Time passed slowly during Spring vacation, especially in the side block with clubrooms. Thus, that fast speed really caught my attention. So, what was that?

I walked as I thought about the real identity of the object that caught my attention, only to be smacked in the back of the head.

“Ow. Who did that?”

“Hey, Haru.”

My name was then called out. It’s a familiar voice.

“Akane, can you stop smacking people out of nowhere?”

I called out the culprit’s name as I turned around, and saw my peer Akane Rindou puffing her cheeks angrily, standing almightily. She was holding a white shopping bag in her right hand. So that was the white thing. Seemed like there’s lots of juice inside it.

Probably some reward for her juniors.

Since last summer, she was made captain of the swimming team.

“No, it’s your fault, Haru.”

“So tell me, what did I do?”

“It’s your fault for doing nothing. You should at least greet a classmate who passed by. Seriously, you’re always like this, Haru, acting like nothing happened. It isn’t good.”

It’s unreasonable, but since Akane said so, the passive me chose to lower my head in apology. Well, let’s just get this done and over with.

“My bad. Didn’t notice you there, Akane. I was spacing out.”

“So you’re saying that I’ve no presence? Return my maiden heart for hoping even a little that you’ll talk to me.”

“I’m shocked.”

“Shocked about what?”

“Shocked that you have such a thing, Akane.”

Smack.

Ah, for some reason, I heard a sound I should not be hearing.

“What do you think I am?”

Akane’s tsurime eyes were completely raised. She raised the blunt weapons in her two hands. Akane’s pretty thin, but due to her swimming training, she’s full of muscles. Yeah. I knew that arm strength-wise, she’s stronger than me. At this point, it’s very dangerous. I continued to dodge her repeatedly, for dear life.

“Wait, it’s dangerous! Stop!”

“Shut up!”

“I get it! My bad.”

“Then what do you understand?”

“Eh, well.”

“So you don’t understand anything!”

“No, erm. Yeah. I get that you’re a really charming girl.”

The moment I shouted that, the blunt weapon grazed my nose. My heart was pounding wildly, and it sounded really loud. My body was shaking all over. For a moment, my body was shivering, and cold sweat broke out.

I didn’t know if my desperation reached her, but Akane finally stopped her attacks.

“For some reason, it feels like you just said that without putting your heart into it. It’s annoying.”

“Then what am I supposed to say?”

“Whatever. I’m at fault too for believing in you, Haru. Both sides lost out here.”

No, I’m the only one who suffered. This time, I managed to swallow these words before they left my mouth. Clearly I would have added oil to the fire otherwise. I won’t make the same mistake again.

“So Haru, what are you doing?”

“What? Practice’s over, so I’m returning to the clubroom. What about you?”

“Well, I’m cleaning the clubroom with everyone else. Want to do that before the new members come in. You can help out if you want. I’ll reward you with juice.”

“Sorry. Got an appointment to keep.”

Upon hearing that, Akane’s nicely shaped eyebrows frowned.

“Again? Feels like you’re being antisocial recently. Is it like the last time when you said that you got something on, and went off alone?”

“No no no. I really have an appointment with someone today.”

“Hmm. Guess there’s no helping it. It’s a pity. But well, spend some time with me.”

“I said I got something on.”

“I’m not asking you to clean the clubroom with me. I’m taking a break. I won’t take up that much of your time. I’ll have to deliver juice over anyway. Since you’re spacing out and walking, that means you have lots of time, right?”

Akane’s right. There’s still 40 minutes until the appointment.

“Well, that, I don’t mind.”

“It’s decided then..”

Akane snapped her fingers, and put the pile of juice by the pillar. She then started to open the corridor windows one by one.

Whenever she opened the transparent glass windows, Akane’s short hair would flutter with the wind. Her face was steaming with hot air, probably due to work. Her face was dyed pink.

“Ahh—the wind really feels good.”

“Yeah.”

I poked my head from the same window as hers, and for some reason, she showed a weird face. “Hiee” she shrieked, “How rude.” She pulled some distance from me, and I really felt emotionally hurt.

To heal my broken heart as much as possible, I looked towards the hills. The weather’s fine, and the distant places are all clear and visible. The lingering pink might be cherry blossoms, or maybe plum flowers.

“The club seniors have all graduated, haven’t they?”

Akane pointed her finger at a window nearby, saying that.

Her voice lacked the vigor she had before.

“Yeah.”

“Don’t you think it’s scary when so many things happen out of a sudden? Like, next year, and the stuff after that. Can I really handle them all?”

Ah, so this is why Akane called me over.

But unfortunately, Akane called for the wrong person.

It’s true that Akane and I will be seniors, and we’ll be club presidents.

But Akane also had to handle the expectations of the entire school. Just the previous year, she barely missed out on the Nationals. The pressure she bore was something I couldn’t match.

I turned around, and leaned my body on the railing. I then pulled myself back, looking up, and saw the sun half-hidden behind the roof. That caused me to narrow my eyes.

It’s so bright. So I thought.

It wasn’t the sun that was too bright for me, but Akane.

For me, the natural reaction after defeat was regret.

Those that had no such thoughts would never make it as a competitor. Akane was terrified of that because there was something of equilibrium to the utmost effort she put in.

And I had none of that.

My mind was just filled with the cliché, passive mindset of ‘it’s fine’, ‘you can do it’. For her, these useless words of mine probably would seem so empty to her.

Even if I did try to think hard about it—

Ah, it’s useless after all.

The half-hidden sun was burning my skin. “Ahh.” I opened my mouth, and for some reason, I felt parched, probably because the rotten words reaching behind my teeth had vaporized.

I had nothing else to say.

“Anyway, do you know? The maths teacher Matsue-chan’s getting married soon.”

In the end, I chose to escape by changing the topic.

Akane didn’t say anything, and forgave this dishonesty that was so typical of me.

“No way. Who is it? The PE teacher Jimi-sensei? The language teacher Yone-sensei? There’s lots of rumors about her. So she finally decided on one?”

“Eh, Matsue-chan has that many rumors?”

I was a little shocked. I always thought she was the pure, pretty teacher.

“You’re too naïve, Haru. If you’re not careful, you’ll be led astray by a bad girl, you know?”

Akane laughed.

I laughed with her.

Just the pointless time trickled by quietly.

One day,

Will I too be able to find something I will give my utmost for?

So I thought blankly in a corner of my mind.

I bade farewell to Akane, and met up with Shiina-san as promised. She came to a place near school to pick me up. I noticed her leaning on the telephone phone, “Good afternoon.” She greeted me.

“Since you’re here, how about you observe my club activities?”

“I really want to, but you aren’t running by yourself, are you, Segawa-kun?”

“Of course. It’s a club activity after all. I was running with the others.”

“Hm, in that case, I guess not. That’s not a place I can enter.”

“I don’t think you’ll be found out.”

“That’s not the problem. It’s just a rule I set for myself.”

We chit-chatted, and went to the beach area near the school, as Shiina-san suggested. The butterflies with pure white wings fluttered around the golden Nanohanas, as though dancing around.

Shiina-san happily reached out for one the butterflies, and her fingertip touched one of them.

Without looking at me, she asked,

“Hey, Segawa-kun, why did you help me pick that book at the bookstore?”

She pulled back her finger, and the petal shook. The tremor reached the other petals, and the butterflies reacted as they flew towards the sky. Till the very end, Shiina-san watched the butterflies rise with the wind, fluttering gracefully.

“You asked me to pick it for you, right?”

“Yep. But you’re looking for that book too, Segawa-kun. You wanted it too, so why did you give me the book?”

“Well, you’re the one who found it first, Shiina-san. That’s why you have the right to buy it.”

“You don’t feel reluctant about it?”

“I guess I probably didn’t feel reluctant about it at all, just some regret.”

I didn’t know if Shiina-san had taken my answer for a yes, “I see.” As she was of similar height to me, her eyes were about the same level.

“Things you really want can’t be obtained if you don’t reach out for yourself.”

“What’s that? Who came up with that saying?”

“No-one. It’s my own sage wisdom.”

Saying that, Shiina-san reached her hand out towards me. Her clenched fist opened up like a flower.

“Can you hold my hand?”

“Eh?”

“Please?.”

“…Well, I can.”

Just as she touched the Nanohana, I gently touched her fingertips, and my fingers reached hers. Finally, our palms matched.

At that moment, we exerted strength, and our hands were finally held together.

“Yep. This is what I’m talking about. Do you understand?”

I could only shake my head.

I understood nothing.

“If only you’ll understand this one day, Segawa-kun.”

I didn’t manage to hear what she was muttering about, and when I asked, Shiina-san laughed it off.

“Nothing at all. More importantly, where are we going today?”

After that, we went to various places.

We went to the game center, the bowling alley, and watched a movie. The hour hand passed six, and while sending Shiina-san to the train station, I met a familiar face.

It’s my classmate, Takuma Midou.

Seemed like he was hanging out with his buddies from the basketball team.

“Yo, ain’t it Haru? Whatcha doing here?”

Takuma gestured for the others to head off first.

“Nothing much, well, just hanging out. Just finished club activities, Takuma?”

“Sorta. We’re going for karaoke later. You wanna come along?”

“No, thanks. I’m not too familiar with the guys on the basketball team, and I’m not alone.”

“You’re together with your club guys?”

“No, not them.”

Once I was asked this question, I suddenly thought of something.

What’s my relationship with Shiina-san? Acquaintances? Friends? While I fumbled about, she poked her head out over my shoulder.

“Good evening. Are you Segawa-kun’s friend?”

“Eh?”

Upon seeing Shiina-san, time stood still for Takuma, and only restarted five seconds later. Well, I can’t say that I don’t understand. If it were me, I would have showed the exact same reaction.

“Hah? Ehhhhhh, wait wait wait. Who’s this pretty girl? She’s not from our school, right? Anyway, eh, eh, you, are you…”

It’s a rare sight.

Takuma’s smart and athletic, and he’s normally a lot more matured than those in our school year. He’s always able to deal with each problem calmly. And that Takuma’s mouth was wide upon, looking back and forth between Shiina-san and me.

“Wait, Takuma. You’re mistaken.”

“What am I mistaken about, you traitor.”

“No, I’m telling you to hold up. I didn’t betray you or anything.”

I was trying to coax Takuma, but Shiina-san tugged at the hem of my shirt. “What now?” so I thought, and at that moment, she put her hand at my ear, blowing into it. It was a nerve wrecking feeling, and I covered my ear with my hand, exclaiming wildly. I felt a chill down my spine, and my cheek was heating up. What’s she playing at?

Takuma glared at me as though I was the enemy who killed his relatives.

“Hey, whatcha mean you’re not betraying me? What did she just whisper to you? That she likes you? Aren’t you just flirting!?”

“No, it’s not what you think, you know. Shiina-san, help me out here.”

“Ehh, have my feelings not reached you, Segawa-kun?”

Shiina-san deliberately turned her body around, delivering the haymaker.

The perfectly fatal hit left me completely speechless.

“Dammit!!!” Takuma yelled.

Then, he gently tapped my head, before running off into the night streets. “Haru, you traitor!!! Explode already!!” That booming voice of his echoed. Once he vanished from my sight, I asked Shiina-san, who had been laughing the entire time.

“That was on purpose, right?”

“What are you saying?”

She put her hand under her chin, playing the fool.

“You’re really a criminal who believes she’s right.”

“Fine, fine. You don’t like that, Segawa-kun?”

“Eh?”

“You hate that people may think you’re in that kind of relationship with me?”

“…Not really.”

“I see. Then it’s alright, no? More importantly, I’m a little shocked that you’ll address a classmate by name directly, Segawa-kun. You don’t seem to give that sort of impression..”

“I call those I’m on good terms with by name.”

“I see. So call me ‘Yuki’, Segawa-kun. I’ll start calling you ’Yoshi-kun’.”

“You’re not calling me Haru?”

“Well, I hate the Spring for ‘Haru’, but I like the ‘Yoshi’. We both have the same kanji, so I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

“You hate spring? Why?”

“…When Spring comes, the air warms, and the snow melts away, disappearing. Everyone will forget the snow, right? The snow’s there, but it gets forgotten. I just don’t really like it.”

Though the kanji’s different, her name sounds like ‘Snow’ in Japanese.

Shiina-san probably experienced the feeling of being forgotten.

It wasn’t something I could easily deny or affirm, since I knew nothing about her.

All I knew was that when I heard ‘I hate the Spring’, my heart ached.

For I got the feeling she was saying that the snow and the spring could never be together.

“Hey, Yoshi-kun. Call me Yuki.”

But even so, if she hoped for it, I’ll call her Yuki.

“Got it, Yuki.”

At that moment, Yuki’s face reddened.

“Woah, being called by name’s a lot more amazing than I thought. This might be the first time a guy other than my dad called me that.”

I watched Yuki point at her face with her finger, and found it a little funny. However, her words repeated themselves countless times in a corner of my mind, deep within my heart.

——I hate the spring.

On the only rest day in spring vacation for club activities, I went to Yairo Park with Yuki.

The park built around the lake was 5km in perimeter, and it was said that different scenes could be seen from eight different points, thus the name Yairo Park.

It’s a week day, and the park’s a lot quieter than usual. At night, it would be bustling full of adults wanting to smell the flowers, but not so in the daytime.

But Yuki’s a lot happier than I thought.

“Wow, there’s a place like this too.”

My hands were in my coat pockets as I followed Yuki, who was looking around with much curiosity. I fumbled for the shape of the little item in my pocket, checking if it was there. It was something I could easily hold in my palm, but I just felt that it was really heavy, not physically heavy though. I had an additional emotional weight to this certain item.

The reason why I brought Yuki here was because I wanted a place nobody would disturb us, and gift her something I bought yesterday.

The other conditions were fulfilled.

All I need was the mood and timing, but it’s difficult to get them to align.

We went halfway around the park, and the gift was still bouncing in my pocket.

Ever since I met Yuki, I found myself to be interestingly useless. I thought I could handle a lot more things perfectly, but I ended up fumbling before Yuki. Why’s that?

The light shone towards the leaves, and through them. Shadows were formed, forming stark contrasts of black and white on my face.

Under the gentle sunlight, I aimed for a moment to talk. Instead, I was approached by someone instead.

It’s a deeper voice, different from Yuki.

“Ah, the two of you there. Hold on a moment.”

“Eh?”

We turned around to the voice calling for us, and found a large bear-like man sprinting towards us. I could hear a rumbling sound effect. He looked so panicky, so we just stopped in our tracks——that was a wrong choice.

That man was huffing so hard, he was almost dying. He went behind me, and suddenly grabbed me by the elbow.

“Ahh——I’m saved. Please come along with us.”

“Wh-what’s going on?

“We’re filming a movie, but we don’t have enough actors at the last moment. It’s causing us lots of trouble.”

“No no no, hold on. I don’t get what you mean.”

“Don’t get, what I mean?”

The man turned towards me with bewilderment. I took a closer look at his face, and found him to be still somewhat young. He’s probably in his twenties, at the phase when I’m still somewhat able to call him a young man.

That man's eyes were fixed upon Yuki, who's behind me, and the round eyes hidden behind the hair were dazzling.

It was obvious what he was thinking. I wanted to run immediately, but my arm got grabbed, and I couldn't break free. He spaced out for about three seconds or so, and called me again.

"Boy."

"Don't wanna."

If I had been alone, I might have been overwhelmed by this guy and thrown in the white towel. However, I'm different, since Yuki's behind me.

"But I haven't said anything?"

"I know what you want to say. You want Yuki to appear in the movie."

"Please consider."

"That's impossible."

And at this point, Yuki, who had been watching the entire development, raised her hand,

"Why is it that you're deciding about me, Yoshi-kun?"

Both of us looked towards Yuki.

"...You want to act?"

"It sounds fun. It's a great way to commemorate today too."

The man didn't let the words slip him by, and immediately chimed in loudly.

"Yes yes. Don't decide on what the girl wants, boy."

Then you should have asked Yuki instead of me, right? Speaking of which, it seemed like this guy never intended to negotiate with Yuki to begin with. What's going on?

"Hey, let's go, Yoshi-kun."

The whole process was a little unpleasant, but I was forced to got it. Understood, that was all I could say.

"Really? Then it's decided. Both of you shall perform then. Yosh, thank goodness."

The guy forced the conclusion, probably to stop us from changing our minds.

I lost.

But since I don't like it, just let me continue to struggle a little.

"Mind letting go of my arm now?"

The filming scene was at the bench in the park.

I wasn't sure of the scenes before and after, but it seemed we're going to film a scene of a quarreling couple making amends.

The guy who called us over was apparently the director of this movie. "Yo director." someone called for him, and he responded, giving a completely different look from what we just saw. The aura around him changed immediately.

Calling for him was a slightly plump young woman. She approached us, looked back and forth between Yuki and me, and finally fixed her eyes on Yuki.

"What's with this girl? Isn't she a real cutie?"

"Yeah. I want to get her to act in our movie."

"Nice, nice. For the next movie?"

"Nope, this movie."

"Heh?"

Suddenly, the atmosphere froze over. "No no no no no no no no", the woman kept repeating those words. "No no no no no no no."

"What are you thinking? This won't work"

"Really? I want to see how she performs."

"Look, I get how you feel. I want her to act too. But what about this movie? I don't know what role you want her to appear as, but if she's acting too, the whole movie might get scrapped."

"Don't worry. I'll get this film done properly. But well, I might have to cause you guys some trouble...your efforts won't be wasted. Trust me."

The director smacked his chest without hesitation.

"...Is that so?"

"Yeah. That's right."

The young woman gave up and sighed, probably because this little conversation allowed for them to communicate a few things.

"Haa. I got it. It's pointless for me to say anything. Anyway, I'll leave you to do the follow shot Kazuha-chan. She's a sharp one, and she'll know when we aren't taking this seriously enough. If that happens, she'll kick up a fuss, and there won't be any other scenes to film. We can't allow that to happen."

"Got it. I'll do that. Sorry, but I'll leave you to guide these two."

After saying that, the director hurried off.

We watched his back, along with the woman whose name we didn't know.

The tense atmosphere vanished in an instant. There's just the woman smiling as happily as the director did, and us two, who didn't know the meaning of that conversation.

"Erm, just now, what did you two just talk about,"

"Ahh, don't worry about it. You'll understand. But well, I'll say this first. That guy's really selfish and stubborn, so just say what you want to him."

Yuki and I exchanged looks, tilting our heads.

In the end, we were imprisoned for almost four hours.

It was just a single scene, but there were multiple retakes.

It seemed these would be edited into a scene later on.

The roles we were assigned were passers-by A and B. If Yuki walked in front, she would attract too much attention, so the director instructed that I be a shield to block her.

But even so, the director saw the short that was just completed, "Hmm."

"I guess she attracts too much attention. My eyes just end up looking towards her."

He muttered, making sure the actors didn't hear him, but as Yuki and I were nearby, we heard him clearly. After that, we realized the director just wanted us to hear that, and that was why he kept his voice down.

"Wanna look?"

He waved us over, and we did as he said, looking at the laptop screen. It showed 10 minutes of footage.

In the center of the footage was a college couple.

And behind them were two passers-by.

These two passers-by had no lines, no description, and they were just talking. Before we knew it, we found that the scene had changed. Eh, what's going on? I couldn't remember what the protagonists were talking about. Yuki's face was the only thing left in my memory. In that memory, Yuki and I were smiling, chatting. This little thing alone was like a miracle.

If it were a complete movie, surely I would not want to spend this time watching any other scenes. Even if I did see the entire movie, in the end, what remained in my mind might only be Yuki's smile.

As the woman had said, the story was all wasted.

"Hey boy. Don't you find it a pity? It's rare to see such a pretty human around. You want to see more stories involving the girl, right?"

I finally understood the meaning of the conversation between the director and the woman.

The director knew this movie would be scrapped, but he spent the time and effort just to get the actress Yuki.

But Yuki shook her head.

"Erm, it's fine. Don't worry, it's usable."

"No no no, girl, you don't understand. We can't use this movie. Everyone watching will just look towards you."

The director seemed taken aback by Yuki's response, and he panicked. Before I knew it, he was already talking to Yuki directly. He might be feeling really anxious, or maybe it's his nature as a director.

"Shall we have a bet then?"

Yuki proposed, her face showing some intent.

"If this scene causes the movie to be scrapped, I'll listen to anything you'll say, director."

"So that means you'll agree if I say that I want you to appear in a movie?"

"Right. But it's impossible if a miracle doesn't happen. A miracle doesn't happen many times."

"What do you mean?"

"...In other words, if a miracle occurs once, that's luck, and there won't be a second time. No, for every miracle, an equivalent price has to be paid, so it's not all down to luck."

I couldn't get what Yuki was saying.

The director probably felt the same. After some thinking, "I see." he summized. He's probably content just to have Yuki appear in the movie.

Before we knew it, the day was darkening, and the night grew.

The director and the others hastily began to pack up.

I stared blankly at them; the director noticed me, and approached me.

“Good work there.”

"It's been a long day."

“You really helped me out. Well, you only appeared for like 10 seconds or so though. Acting's fun, right?"

"Not really. I've had enough of it. I'm not suited to standing out."

We talked at a place a little far away, looking at Yuki.

The common saying goes that three women make a market, so if there's five, there's no end. Girls are creatures who like to chat. I grew up listening to my mother and little sister insist their way out, so I had no choice but to wait for their conversation to end.

"Well, to be honest, can the scene today be used?"

"Well, to be honest, it's impossible to use it by itself. Since I had a bet with the girl, I'll try to edit it. If our internal critical review is bad, we'll just have to scrap it. Then I'll have to bow down to those guys and get them to reshoot it."

"I see."

That's all I could say. Everything left was up to the director to decide, since it's a bet between him and Yuki.

“Oh yeah, these tickets are for you. There’ll be a public screening during the culture festival next Autumn, so do come by to watch. I'll deliver the best movie for everyone”

“Next year? Not this year?”

“The production probably won’t be finished this year. Once this is done next year, I’ll be graduating.”

I received the tickets from the director's hands.

The tickets were crumpled, probably because he just shoved it into his pocket. I tried to flatten them in my hands, but I couldn't even it out. The red words 'Yasaka University' were a little worn out.

"Eh? Why two?"

"Invite the girl along. I'm dumb with such things, but I can understand a little through the camera. Do your best. Normally, it's the guy who asks the girl out to watch."

The director said some vague thing, and patted my back hard with a smile.

My organs were hurting.

We bade farewell to the director and the others, and arrived at a large cherry blossom tree.

Unfortunately, the sakuras had bloomed a long time ago, and the tree looked a little forlorn. The white flowers had scattered, and the trees on the branches were lush. The next season was coming.

"What did you talk about with the director?"

"Just small talk. What about you, Yuki? What did you say to the women?"

"Secrets."

"Secrets, huh?"

"Secrets are important to a girl, you know?"

She said demurely, and ran towards the sakura trees. The breeze rustled, and the petals danced. Her skirt fluttered. Her fluffy hair shook.

Suddenly, I felt an aching heat in my heart. The director's large hand shoved me on the back.

I made up my mind.

"Yuki!"

I shouted out to her, from a not-so-far distance.

"What--is--it?"

"I got something for you."

I pulled out the thing that was inside my pocket the entire time. There was no turning back. I approached Yuki. It was a few meters, but I was gasping for breathing. My heart was breathing faster than a 100m sprint.

"If you don't mind, will you accept this?"

I handed over the finely wrapped box to her. My pocket was finally a little lighter. It was the first time I gave a gift to a girl other than my family, and I was really nervous.

I gulped hard, and said,

"Open it."

Hearing that, Yuki opened the box, and retrieved a little pink bottle from it.

"A sakura perfume?"

"Yep. You said that you hate the spring because everyone forgets the snow. If there's the smell of sakura all the time, maybe you might think of snow as well."

Yuki said that she hated the Spring.

So I've been thinking.

I was thinking how to get her to remember the snow even after it melted, when winter ends and spring comes. This was the answer I got after much thinking.

"I see. So this is the smell of spring."

"Yes, that's why."

I hope that you won't say that you hate the spring.

I swallowed down the last bit of words. Even if I didn't say anything, my thoughts probably reached her.

After some consideration, Yuki knew that I wouldn't continue to talk, and she said,

"But will it be as you say?"

"I guess."

"Ah--you aren't confident about it."

"Of course, I will remember. Or rather, I definitely can't forget. I can't say the same for others though."

"Then it's enough."

Yuki said. "If you could remember, that'd be good enough, Yoshi-kun."

We looked up at the rows of sakura trees. We smelled the sweet scent. Whenever I smell it, I'll remember Yuki, I guess. Ah, how can I forget then?

"And then, there's something else you want to give me too, right?"

Eh? There's something else?

I tried to recall, "Haa." and Yuki gave a deliberately long sigh, telling me the answer impatiently,

"You're not giving me what the director gave you?"

"So you know?"

I reached my hand into my other pocket, and took out the two color raffles. I wanted to invite her out another day, but well, so be it. I handed a pretty crumpled movie ticket to Yuki.

"It's a movie ticket. If you can, you mind watching it with me?"

"Yep."

Yuki nodded. "But." she added.

"I want you to invite me again."

"What?"

"I'm trying to see if you can remember me. Next year, I'll come by with this sakura perfume smell, so invite me to the movie again. You should hold onto these two tickets for now."

"Understood."

"Make sure you do it."

"Yeah, it's a promise."

Hearing my words, Yuki looked really elated, but at the same time, she muttered something. It's an icy cold voice completely unrelated to the expression she showed--

“―Liar.”

### 006. Contact 0 - Blue Eyes White Cat

“I think you should stop,” said an unfamiliar voice, calling me out as I was trying to discreetly slip a pack of common chocolate into my pocket at the convenience store.

It was a voice of someone who firmly believed he was doing the right thing.

“Let go.”

I wanted to shake off the hand that had grabbed mine, but couldn’t.

His face was thin, feminine.

He was a little shorter than me to boot. He was still a guy though.

A guy stronger than me.

With a deeper voice.

“I’ll let go if you stop.”

“This has nothing to do with you, right?”

“It’s still a crime.”

Sure was, but I wanted to snap back even so. In the end, I was still at fault though.

The words at the back of my tongue turned into a sigh, and I glared at the clock on the wall instead. The minute and hour hands were facing in opposite directions bisecting the clock face vertically. In other words, it was six in the afternoon.

In another five hours, the world would be rewritten again.

Everything I did, all traces of my existence, all of it would vanish. Whether I did succeed here or not, it didn't matter. It was all just to kill time, not to keep trying until I get caught.

“Okay, I get it.”

I put the chocolate back onto the shelf, and he let go of my hand as promised. Maybe it was because he had grabbed me firmly, but my arm was still aching even after he let me go. I put my other hand on the stinging, painful place, and made my way towards the the entrance without looking back at him.

Once outside, I felt the howling winds slash at my bare face like sharp blades.

Rather than feeling cold, it actually hurt.

“Ouch, ow…” I muttered under my breath.

Nobody stopped though, not even for a moment.

They just kept on smiling, indulging the vibrant lights and colors of the streets, as if bound by some sort of legal duty to keep living on happily, and never notice someone like me.

I deliberately tuned out the various sounds of the world, just listening to my own breathing and the sound of my footsteps instead. I had feet. I was moving forward. I was breathing. My heart kept beating.

I was here.

Still alive.

It should be all that I yearned for, being what I had so desperately reached out for.

But then, why did I feel such pain?

The pain was not severe, nor was the fear intense, but, in a certain sense, living in this world was the same as existing in Hell. The loneliness, the forlornness piling on day after day were slowly killing my heart.

“Wait.”

Suddenly, unexpectedly, I heard someone calling out after me.

I thought that for me to become so envious about such little things, I might have become tired of the idea of living.

“Wait.”

And I heard the voice again.

It was closer than before. Loud. I had the niggling feeling I had heard this voice before.

“I said—”

I kept walking to escape those streets filled with happiness.

For me, the cheerful music, people’s smiling faces, even hearing people call one another, all that was poison.

“—wait for me. I’m calling for you, can you just stop for a moment, please?”

I was grabbed by the shoulder and, honestly, taken aback too. I thought my heart was about to jump out of my chest. How many years had it been since I last heard my shocked voice?

I turned round and found the boy from before standing behind me, panting.

Feeling a little awkward, I stepped back a bit and glared at him.

“Wh-what? Got something you want?”

“Well, not really. If you don’t mind, this one’s for you.”

He took out a bag of chocolate out of the convenience store bag he was holding and reached to hand it over to me. The very same one I had tried to steal.

Once I realized what he was trying to do, cold rage gripped me.

“I don’t need it.”

“Why? Didn’t you want to eat this?”

I didn’t really want the chocolate. I was after something completely different.

But I couldn’t express myself clearly.

Because I didn’t know what the thing I wanted was.

“You don’t understand me at all, so why do this? Seriously… I really hate busybodies like you, you know. I really, really hate you!!”

I started shouting like a kid and my breathing turned erratic. That made me gasp, and the cold air that entered my body caused me much pain.

But I wouldn’t admit that I was hurting again.

Because I didn’t want sympathy from the boy before me.

Hearing that, the boy looked down.

After a moment, however, he grabbed the bag in his hand firmly and raised his head once more. He looked straight at me. His eyes were glittering with the specks of light.

“Regardless, if you don’t hate sweets, why not accept these?”

“Why?”

“Look, I know I’m doing something very unlike me, but I guess I’m allowed to give a gift to someone I don’t know just because I feel like it. Besides, —”

The boy looked a little sad, and smiled with some hesitation.

“—it’s Christmas Eve after all.”

“You’re a weirdo.”

The boy didn’t try to argue, he shoved the bag to me, and ran off. Soon after, he disappeared into the darkness of the night city. His departing footsteps continued to echo in my chest.

“…Weirdo,” I muttered once again.

It was a winter day, not long after I turned fifteen.

That was how I encountered the boy whose name I knew not.

❄

Every Tuesday, beginning at 10.54pm, in what might look like some late-night commercial that nobody but me knows about, the whole world changes.

All records of a certain girl are erased and a new reality is born.

All because of a traffic accident eight years ago that caused a slight change to how the world should be.

They are not uncommon things, traffic accidents.

Many instances of them can be seen mentioned in the news weekly.

It is estimated that around 500,000 traffic accidents and minor incidents happen every year in the country I live in. Roughly 4,000 of them involve a fatality and about as many people tend to die in total. In other words, eleven people would die each day, a person every two hours or so, as a result of a traffic accident.

Yep.

Looking at it this way, they are really not rare.

But when the 500,000, or even the 4,000, stop being just ordinary data, and turn into names of actual people related to those near them, how much pain and gloom do you think is involved? That is something I personally experienced.

So, let’s talk about the past.

It’s going to be a story of a family, that not only became part of the 500,000, but also made up three of the 4,000.

Well, maybe a little different actually.

Let’s call it the story of a certain girl who escaped from being one of the 4,000.

❄

On her seventh birthday, the girl lost everything.

That day was supposed to be a special day for her. She, and her beloved family, were going to the theme park she really liked together. There was no reason for her not to be happy.

“Wakey, wakey. We’re here.”

The girl, who had fallen asleep in the car, heard her mother wake her up. She raised her eyelids and saw a silhouette through her still blurry eyes. It was a little smaller than her own body and belonged to her little sister, Umi.

“Onee-tan, we’re here,” said the little girl, mimicking her mother, and shook her big sister’s body.

“Nnn. Morning, Umi.”

“Ai. Morning, onee-tan.”

Seeing this exchange, both the father and the mother smiled.

This, perhaps, was a form of pure, undiluted happiness that shined on the whole world.

“Come on, let’s go. We’re going to enjoy ourselves all day. Let’s get ready!”

Enthusiastically prompted by her father, the girl got out of the car and found the castle she had seen on TV standing before her eyes.

“Wahh!” cried out the girl. Her senses were entirely stolen by the theme park before her. To her, the scenery could only be described as magical, full of lights shining everywhere, and even the voices seemed filled with color.

And just as her father had promised, everyone was enjoying themselves without restraint.

They played at several of the facilities, enjoyed delicious food, and toured a few attractions.

They really enjoyed themselves.

It was the best birthday ever.

Her father, despite having his hands full with gifts, put the sleeping Umi back into the car, and it was 9pm by the time they departed on their way back.

Normally, at this time, the family would be already done showering and in their pajamas, but they were not sleepy at all. Some of the magic still lingered in the air.

The girl chatted away with her mother about the desserts they had that day, with her father chiming in with a few words here and there. Him joining in fully was a no however, girl talk was a domain forbidden to men.

So both of them deliberately ignored the father, causing him to pout and click his tongue just as the girl’s classmates had done earlier. He wasn’t probably angry though. It seemed that he was enjoying the fact that he was teased by his daughter and wife.

The act was a little over the top, and the girl laughed.

As did her mother.

Even the sleeping Umi curled her lips happily.

Only for everything to vanish.

It all happened in an instant.

Bright white lights filled the girl’s vision, a tremendous impact filled her world. After that, the girl lost track of what happened.

It sounded like something broke.

It sounded like something tore apart.

It sounded like something shattered.

The screams of her parents were overwhelmed by something louder. The still young little sister probably couldn’t scream at all.

Finally, there came the sound signalling the end of everyone important to the girl. To be precise, it was not so much a sound, as the absence of one. Yes, her beloved parents met their demise.

How much time had passed?

“Huuu… Huuu…”

The girl’s parched throat finally remembered how to exhale, and she gained the strength to attempt to open her eyes again. Three times her eyelids twitched, before she finally opened them. The world took on the hue of fire.

The girl thought that she had to hurry and find her family, but her body couldn’t move at all. It was as though it didn’t belong to her. Just moments ago, she had been moving her limbs freely, yet now, they refused to budge no matter how much strength she exerted.

Heat was the only thing coming out from her mouth, heat and screaming at her immobilized body and numb heart.

She wanted to keep living.

She did not want it to end like this.

It would be simply too much.

She had lots of things she wanted to do.

She wanted to see the large fireworks during the summer vacation once again. To read books. To wear cute clothing. To visit the theme park again. She wanted to experience romance with an amazing boy, just like described in those stories.

Yet everything was about to be mercilessly taken away from her.

It was a place nothing could reach, not even rage, sadness, or gut-wrenching screams. ‘Death’ was waving before her eyes.

Something nothing could reach, not even rage, sadness, or gut-wrenching screams, ‘Death’ was looming large before her eyes.

“I don’t want this.”

The girl managed a few feeble words with all her might.

“I hate this.”

Her world was hazy with tears.

And, in contrast to the girl’s emotions, her consciousness was fading. It seemed the end was near.

No.

She was unable to open her eyes.

No.

The light was being shut out.

No.

She could not make a sound, and she did not know if she was even breathing.

No.

Even if it was a hellish place, she didn’t want to leave.

She wanted to remain in this world.

Suddenly, the fiercely fighting girl heard something.

No, perhaps it was wrong to say that she heard something. It was rather an awareness of a question, one posed outside the concepts of words or voice.

She just felt it.

She realized that she could live if she nodded.

So, consciously, she reached out with her hand.

Desperately, yearning, she stretched her arm forth.

“I want to live.”

With these words on her lips, the girl grabbed the light.

Once she recovered, she found herself lying on a bed.

The ceiling was white. The room too.

Strangers came and went. All dressed in white. Someone asked for her name. The accident was never a topic.

While she did feel relief, there was also disgust at being abandoned.

She mechanically ate the unpalatable food and then spent the entire day watching the TV. There was a news report of a traffic accident involving a certain family of three, narrated by the news reporter in a monotonous tone. A tired truck driver, having driven for 36 consecutive hours, had blacked out for few crucial seconds, and four lives, including his own, vanished from this world.

It must have been a mistake. Clearly, this should not have been the case.

It should be a family of four. Umi should not have been called an only child. She should have an older sister. However, what the newscaster said was reality to the world.

That burning world of red…

Nobody in the world knew that a girl miraculously survived in a place so hostile to life. No, nobody even knew that a certain girl was there. The fact had ceased to be.

The girl wanted to scream, but desperately forced her mouth to stay shut. She clung to the bedsheets firmly, leaving huge wrinkles and creases on the surface, enduring the impulse.

For it was the path she had chosen to follow herself.

A week had passed since the accident.

On that day, the girl watched the clock hands move. The longer one advanced, effortlessly ushering the time on. 10.54pm. In a split second, the world was rewritten again.

It was the second time the world had been rewritten.

And because of that, she could no longer remain.

The girl, snuggled under her blanket, was prepared to leave the hospital today. However, she kept waiting for the special moment, wanting to personally witness what would happen.

That was why the incident happened.

It started with a scream, one of a familiar voice. It belonged to a young nurse, who happened to be the kindest to the girl in the whole hospital. She had given the girl sweets and some interesting books when she had heard the girl liked to read. This time though, the nurse was shocked to find the girl here, as if she saw a creature of unknown origin.

The scream made other people gather.

The girl’s physician was there too.

The girl knew both of their names. Her mind kept repeating them: Kanzaki-sensei, the doctor; Tanio-san, the nurse.

Kanzaki-sensei approached. The girl got up from the bed, and stood up, facing the man. And then the doctor asked, “Who, are you?”

These supposedly weightless words weighed upon the girl more than what she could have ever imagined.

She stumbled out of the ward room in a daze, unhindered by the people surrounding her who opened a path, shunning her. She stopped outside, looked around, and found the words on the nameplate had vanished. She had confirmed that her name was there before going to bed. That was 30 minutes ago. During that time, nobody passed by the ward room doors.

She took to the stairs and left the hospital through the back entrance.

There was no family.

No place to return to.

All she had was her own life.

Thinking about this made the girl’s feelings finally explode. There was no stopping this. After all, the pent-up emotions had still been there, roaring within her, and if she did not let them out they would shatter her mind.

“Ah, AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!──”

So she screamed.

The night was moonless, with a smattering of forlorn stars flickering in the sky. The exhaled air became white mist. It was winter. The snow never fell. Somehow, the girl felt strangely cold. And yet, her throat was on fire.

“AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!──”

She screamed at the sky.

She hollered at the world.

Tears fell from her eyes.

The people who knew of the girl no longer existed.

❄

That girl is me. I am perfectly alone in this world.

❄

I was sitting on a bench in a small park, nibbling at the chocolate I had received from the boy whose name I knew not. I took a bite and was a little surprised, for I tasted sweetness. For many years, I couldn’t taste anything at all, no matter what I ate.

With every bite I took, the chocolate got a little smaller. I looked at the shrinking chocolate and it made me feel sad. Ah, I see… I thought, So this is ‘sadness’. I never thought I would have such feelings left in me.

“Time to go,” I mumbled feebly. Truthfully though, I had no strength to stand.

Maybe it was the cold. After all my hands were numb and I couldn’t feel anything even after touching it. Still nibbling at the shrunken chocolate I thought I was like a corpse. It tasted very sweet, so sweet that my tears threatened to flow at any moment.

Five minutes had passed, and the chocolate was gone, fully inside my stomach.

I leaned on the backrest, and looked up at the sky.

The grey clouds drifted away, as if leaving me to myself for a while. Maybe it was because of the strength of the breeze, but they twisted and rolled on their way at a shocking speed, changing shapes constantly. Finally though, they were gone.

“What am I doing…”

Nobody answered me. Well, I knew that would happen.

I was about to toss the crumpled wrapping I rolled into a ball into the trash bin, but for some reason, I stopped, held it with both hands, and then put it into my pocket.

A moment of thought later, I put my hands in my pockets, stood up, and began to walk without a goal in mind.

There was nothing significant about me not discarding the wrapping. However, this was a perfect metaphor of my current life. Just breathing, just walking, just letting time pass. See, there was no meaning to anything. And even if I managed to find some, it would disappear soon after.

That was the price I had to pay for living on.

The light I had managed to grab on that day was ‘something’. Yes, ‘something’. Even with the help of all the languages in this world, I probably wouldn’t be able to describe it. If forced the closest concept I could reach for was probably a ‘miracle’.

And now, having touched that ‘something’, I knew various things.

For example, it was predetermined that this existence called the world would progress towards its end. Humanity called that process fate or history, and the path didn’t seem like it could be changed.

I brooded on this as I walked on, only for a pebble to touch my shoe and roll on the ground. It was then kicked by a boy behind me into the high grass startling a bird hidden there to flight..

A chain of events started because I had displaced a pebble.

The gears of fate shifted slightly.

This little distortion might one day, in the distant future, escalate into something huge. Maybe affect something as big as the fate of the world…

I, who should have died at that moment, became an existence that could no longer exist in this world. That transformed all my actions into a Black Box of sorts, full of hidden potential to change the future.

But on the other hand, to live was to move towards the future. Also, a future one would not have was meaningless.

As the price for living, my past was being taken away from me. Thus, before the fang of change I might unleash could reach the distant future, the source was cut off and the path to the future realigned as it was meant to be.

Every Tuesday night, 10.54pm, everything I would have done by then was deemed the ‘past’ from which my existence would be erased. All memories of my name, my face, gone from people’s memory. All discrepancies caused by my disappearance ironed out.

In exchange for all that all I got was a mere one week of future.

God Himself wouldn’t grant an 8th day.

I felt like I was playing Musical Chairs.

Every day, a chair went missing, until, on the 8th day, all of them would be gone. Game over. Please restart to continue.

I had grabbed the light, knowing that would happen. I knew that much.

I couldn’t blame anyone.

I could only continue to live on.

To spend some time, I took the long road towards the station, only to hear a purr from somewhere.

“Meow, meow,” came a wail from near the gutter

The place was overgrown by wild grass, and I couldn’t really see clearly, but something was definitely there. I looked around, but there was nobody here other than me. Another meow came. A sound only I could hear.

I knew that pain.

I knew that loneliness.

I understood that despair more than anyone else

Before I knew it, I spread the wild grass aside and looking deep into the gutter.

“Meow.”

There was a kitten there, little and dirty. It was so covered in grime that the fur color was hard to tell. Probably born not long ago. Tiny claws, legs, body. Feeble voice. Only its blue eyes were large, like the Earth seen from space, even though I never got to see the Earth from space.

“Meow.”

The cry for someone, anyone, turned into a cry for me.

The blue eyes captivated me.

Just me alone.

“Want to come along with me?”

I reached my hand out, touching its fur. It was soft and warm. It felt like forever since I the last time I felt warmth.

I took the kitten back to the hotel. A proper wash revealed beautiful, white fur. I named it ‘Shiro’.

Shiro was a quiet female cat, so quiet in fact that any purring by her seemed like an hallucination.

I fed it milk through a pipette for sustenance. She seemed to hate the powdered milk, but she still swallowed obediently once I brought it to her mouth.

Shiro was still young and not physically able, so I had no intention of taking her out. Of course, I hadn’t gone anywhere either as I had to take care of her.

I remained by the kitten’s side, sitting on the chair, reading to pass the day.

Shiro would fawn about at times, tapping my leg, and at such moments, I would lift her up and put her on my thighs. She would then fall asleep contentedly. I felt the weight and warmth of life as I flipped through the pages. It had been a long while since I felt the warmth of somebody. I felt that I was being saved by these things.

“If you keep sleeping, you’ll grow fat.”

Shiro continued to sleep though, not purring at me at all. It was a little boring. I wanted to chat.

“You really have such pretty fur. You’re slim too. It would be a waste if you were to grow fat.”

“Meow.”

I got scolded for being noisy.

Shiro seemed a little annoyed by being disturbed during her nap. It left me a little happy though. There would be times when I teased her too much, earning a scratch in return. But the pain was a source of joy too.

After all, a wound caused by someone else is proof that I made contact with that someone.

“Sorry, sorry.”

I gently stroked Shiro’s fur, and she fell asleep again.

“Ahh, I feel like sleeping too.”

I closed the book, and put it on the table, closing my eyes. I was sitting on the chair, with Shiro sleeping on my lap. It was a difficult posture to sleep in, but somehow I managed to fall asleep like that easily. At first, my consciousness danced between soberness and delirium. Then, I quickly fell asleep, as though falling into a trap.

A long time passed.

When I woke up, I found the surroundings to be completely covered in darkness. Maybe because of my weird posture, the first thing I felt was pain. First in my neck, and then my back. My legs were completely numb too, but Shiro was still sleeping there, so I couldn’t really move. I reached with my arms and, after much effort, I got the remote control from the table and pressed the button. The 4-tatami-sized room lit up with orange light, like illuminated by a weak flame.

“Nn…”

I stretched my back to relax my stiff muscles, and checked the time. 10.57pm. It had been 3 minutes past 10.54pm. Seemed like I slept for almost eight hours.

It was Tuesday. The correction had been performed.

I had to hurry and leave. But before that, I had to wake up this lazy, sleepy cat.

Would Shiro be shocked when she woke up?

She had no memories of me after all.

But Shiro was a kitten, so she probably wouldn’t ask me “Who are you?”, I hoped. Once I fed her, she would just cling to me again.

“Hey, Shiro.”

I called her name, stroking her fur. Almost instantly, I was taken aback and reeled, snapping my hand back.

Shiro’s body was stiff and cold.

“Shiro, are you dead?” I asked softly, just for confirmation.

But Shiro would never ever purr again.

That was the answer for me.

Shiro surely was fated to die in that gutter. Probably due to starvation and the cold. I prevented that.

However, a creature fated to die would never get past that destined moment, and continue into the future.

So, the reality deemed that for the past week, I had never fed Shiro. The world was corrected accordingly.

Her body lost its vitality, strength, and felt a lot lighter than when she had been alive. It was said that 21 grams was the weight of a soul. Was that true? I couldn’t tell.

Tears trickled down my face.

Tears that landed on Shiro’s soft fur.

“Ahh… Uuuu…”

I gritted my teeth, holding back a sob. Normally, on a typical day, I could easily keep myself quiet, but for some reason, I couldn’t stop myself even after exerting much more effort than usual. A muffled voice kept escaping from between my lips.

I wanted to stop my tears. They were not pretty at all.

Because, I was not crying for Shiro. I was crying for myself. My tears were the loneliness I felt after this warmth I had finally managed to obtain had disappeared, and the unease in my heart. My chest was aching. The softest part of my heart was being gouged at, and it hurt.

I kept shaking, gritting my teeth, grabbing my arms firmly. That hurt too.

But my heart was aching infinitely more so.

I couldn’t just leave Shiro’s body like that so, on the next day, I started looking for a place to bury her.

If I died, I wouldn’t want anyone else to see my rotting body. Shiro must have surely thought that as well.

I bought a cardboard box at a supermarket, laid a pretty white bath towel inside, and put Shiro on it. She looked like she was sleeping. Would she open her eyes if I talked to her? Would she purr at me again? She was welcome to scratch me all she wanted.

I wondered about all this even though I knew it was impossible.

In the end, I decided to bury Shiro’s empty husk in vacant lot not too far away from the station. There was a ‘private property’ signboard there, but who cared? I started digging in the ground with a scoop.

As I worked, I sensed a few curious looks from people wondering what was I doing, but they all looked aside soon enough. That was to be expected, not many people were passing next to this piece of land, but it didn’t mean there wouldn’t be anyone. No weirdos attempted to talk to me though. Everyone just glanced at me and looked away.

I kept digging, but all the while my shoulders got increasingly heavier due to the fear and fatigue caused by the worry that this too would be erased. Any actions I did on my own might be deemed as ‘never done’ and the possibility grew with the number of witnesses.

But even so, I had to press on.

For I had nobody else to ask.

My physical strength had been on the wane over the past few years, and maybe that was why I needed lots of time to dig a hole large enough for Shiro to rest in. Eventually, a sharp sound pierced through my ears as I dragged the scoop across the bottom of the hole.

“Ow.”

It seemed that I dug into a rock buried underneath. The hand holding the scoop ached from the feedback and I fell onto my butt, not something I would normally do. I took a gulp of tea from the PET bottle I had bought. After some time, the numbness in my hand vanished.

Suddenly, I heard a voice above me.

“What are you doing?”

I looked up, and found a boy of similar age standing there. He was wearing a black shirt with red trim and had large shoulder bag slung over his shoulder. His was a familiar face I had seen before.

“Not you again?”

“Eh? Have we met before?”

The boy looked incredulous.

I understood instantly. Two rewrites had happened since we met. There was nothing about me in his memories. He didn’t remember me, how he chased after me, or that he gave me chocolate.

But I had that sudden thought, that if it was him…

If it was him, the goody-goody stranger who gave me chocolate, maybe he’d listen to my request.

I stood up, dusted the sand off my butt, and lowered my head. I forced out a smile too, probably, that grimace was a little stiff. Not by choice, mind you, I had just long forgotten how to make a natural smile.

“Forgive me. I took you for someone else. You see, the cat I have been raising died, so I’m making a grave for her. If you don’t mind, would you help me out?”

I thought he would have been a little unwilling, but he responded with a “Got it,” and a nod. He put his shoulder bag down, pulled out the scoop on the ground, and began to dig. This time, I made sure that I wasn’t sitting on the ground as I watched the back that was surprisingly more reliable than it looked.

“Hey,” I asked, “why did you talk to me?”

The boy didn’t stop what he was doing. “You looked like you’re about to cry,” he answered.

“Lies. I wasn’t, crying at all.”

I touched my cheeks with my hand anyway to make sure. My fingers weren’t wet.

I didn’t cry after all? I guessed.

“Sure. But that’s how it looked to me anyway. Troubled, and helpless, and all, but still working hard with grim determination. How can I ignore you when you look that way?”

“I get it. You’re a weirdo.”

“How rude.”

“Nobody ever called you that?”

He avoided giving a straight answer.

“…Well, it’s like I don’t have a passion or discipline to do anything, so I guess that’s why. I think I just really admire those that do, the ones who seriously insist on doing what they want, fighting on. It’s pure stubbornness, but I really hope such people don’t give up and don’t look back. Honestly, I’m just pushing my ideals on others hoping to help out in turn.”

“You ever met a person like that?” I asked nonchalantly.

“Person like that, as in?”

“Someone that looks cool, but ends up messing up.”

“Okay, I get it. It is really tough, unbearable even. Still…”

His voice was increasingly softer as he spoke, before trailing off completely. However, there was passion in his words, I felt, and it didn’t seem like he lacked discipline. He just thought that he lacked both.

Or maybe, he just hadn’t encountered anything that could get him fired up yet.

“Hmm. In that case… It would be great if you find it one day.”

“Eh?”

“Find what you say you desire.”

The boy chuckled, but said nothing more. He continued to work in silence.

Finally, a deep hole gaped open before me. It was enough to bury Shiro in.

“Is it her?”

The boy looked at Shiro’s remains in the box.

“Yes.”

“What’s her name?”

“I called her Shiro.”

“Because she’s white?”

“Yes. Simple, right?”

“Well, I think it’s a nice name. They say that the name describes the person after all.”

After burying Shiro’s carcass into the ground, we both put our hands together in prayer. We didn’t build a grave. I also didn’t know what to pray for despite going through the motions.

“This little one was alone in the gutter when I first met her.”

The boy just listened. He didn’t even look at me with suspicion in his eyes when I suddenly spoke up.

“A week has passed since then. At the time it seemed like she was calling me. When I asked her if she wanted to come along, she purred. But Shiro’s life was extended by just a week. Which made me wonder. If she stayed in that gutter, would her end be a little easier? Say, was there a point to prolong her lifespan by just a week?”

I might ask the same thing about my life at this point.

I watched my parents and Umi die and then cheated death alone. But reality was not some kind stranger. I didn’t know when that had started, but for a while now, I had been wondering why had I wanted to live on.

The Winter Skies allowed me to discover Sirius’ powerful flow.

In Greek, that word attached to that blueish-white light meant ‘scorching’. I should have had disappeared in that flame back then.

But the reality was that I was still alive. I chose to live on with my own will. Ever since the night I lost everything, I had been simply looking for a reason to do so.

“All that said, you did accompany her, right?” replied the boy after a moment of quiet contemplation. “If there was any meaning to letting Shiro live for a week longer, I’m guessing that meaning lies in your heart. She got your love, so much so that her death caused you sadness. That chance alone makes her happy, I guess. Ah, yeah. That’s because,——you won’t forget this week, right?”

That was his conclusion.

“Is there even a purpose to life?”

“I guess so. I don’t know what Shiro would think, but here’s my take: If someone’s able to remain in a certain person’s heart and be loved, that’s a blessing of Life.”

The boy’s words sank deep into my heart.

I understood now. If I was able to remain in a certain person’s heart, then there was a point to me having lived. If I could do it, maybe I could find a little meaning to my life in the process too.

I looked at the boy next to me. This goody-two-shoes could probably remember me, no matter for how many years I would be gone.

All that thinking about how to use my life…

Yep. I made up my mind.

“Say, what’s your name?”

“Haruyoshi Segawa. Yours?”

The boy’s mere existence in my heart assumed the shape of Haruyoshi Segawa .

There were words there I didn’t say to Segawa-kun.

Hey, Segawa-kun…

Please like me.

Please stamp me in your heart, and remember me forever.

When that reality occurs, surely, I’ll…

Thinking about that, I beamed,

“I’m Yuki Shiina. Please take care of me.”

### 007. Contact 137 - Beyond the Vanished Words

## Contact 137 – Beyond the Vanished Words

“May I sit here?”

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened when I was in the free space of the town library, working on my summer homework.

The clear voice was like a wind bell echoing.

I looked around, and found the other tables occupied by other students, who like me had laid out their textbooks, studying. Of them, many of them were using the red book series, preparing for the college entrance exams. These guys will be how I look a year later.

“Please do.”

I was about to clear up the unused textbooks from the table, “It’s fine.” but she waved her hand, “I’m just reading. This much space is enough. Are you doing your summer homework?”

“Yep.”

“I’ll just read quietly then.”

She put the index finger on her lips, seemingly shushing me. She revealed her pearly white teeth, and the first impression she gave me was a little immature. Even so, she seemed a little older than me. Disposition-wise, she seemed rather relaxed.

As she said, she’s basically quietly flipping through the pages, but sometimes, she would chuckle softly, or hum a little. I was captivated by her voice, looking towards her, and then, I lowered my head. I felt a little apologetic, sorry, so I apologized. She looked a little shocked, widening her eyes.

“Why are you the one apologizing?”

She chuckled. Seriously, I want to hear her voice, so I thought.

This wish was fulfilled earlier than I expected. I went to the toilet, and upon returning, found that she wasn’t reading her book, but peering at my homework.

I returned to my seat, and she whispered to me in a secretive manner,

“Your answer for the third question is wrong.”

She took my mechanical pencil, and began to write. Within a minute, she arrived at a different answer. I had a look, and found her answer to be exactly the same as the one on the answer sheet.

“You’re bad at maths? Shall I teach you?”

She smiled slyly, her slender fingers gently pulling her hair behind her ears. Suddenly, there was a sweet fragrance. What’s this scent? After some thought, I got the answer–

It’s the fragrance of sakura.

It happened in summer, during my second year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

I inhaled the morning air, and ran out of the house.

Summer homework, stationery, wallet, smartphone, and towel. For every step I took, the items in my bag touched, clanking away.

I strode forth hard, and the world began to spin a little faster. So I kept running, my emotions rising. On the way, I turned right, and went down a jogging alley by the riverside. Light sparkles appeared on the river surface, and it seemed the air was filled with the light of summer. Fuu, haa. Sweat started appearing on my forehead.

After I abandoned track in middle school, I would regularly run, but my body was extremely sluggish compared to my physical prime. Well, this should be enough, I think. Everything has become a thing of the past.

On the last summer day in middle school, I surpassed the one I ‘admired’.

Before I realized, the finish line was behind me. Ah, I finally did it. That was what I thought, for that particular moment, there was nothing I looked forward to. However, I was past the finish line.

That was the place I finally reached after running for three years in middle school.

I felt something exploding in my heart.

It was something I had already given up on.

It was something I let go of.

It was something that had ended.

I slowed down, quietly waiting for those things to calm down. Beside my feet was a distinct black shadow. Crickets could be heard from afar. My memories were slowly awakened.

It seemed I was alone when I broke my record on the hottest day that summer, ending off my track club career, I guess?

While thinking about this, I suddenly heard a voice.

“What are you doing standing in the middle of the road?”

That shocked me.

It was my classmate, Akane Rindou.

Her hair, a little shorter than the average girl, covered her forehead, and large beads of sweat flowed down her forehead.

It’s summer vacation, but she’s wearing a uniform instead of her plain clothes. Is she attending club activities?

“Just spacing out.”

Ahahaha. I tried to laugh it off, but Akane asked worriedly.

“You got heatstroke? Are you alright? Need me to buy you some water?”

“I’m going to the library now. There’s a water cooler at the lobby, don’t worry. Are you attending club activities now, Akane?”

Akane was on her bicycle, and the basket at the front had a bag messily stuffed into it. It’s the orange bag she would always bring for her club activities, and I saw it all the time.

“Lewd.”

Akane interpreted my stare to be something else, scolding me.

“What?”

“You’re looking at my bag. You know what’s inside, right?”

“Your swimsuit, right? I’m just looking at the bag. Don’t call me lewd.”

But upon hearing my reply, Akane leered cheekily.

“Too bad. It’s underwear.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m already wearing my swimsuit.”

Akane lifted a little of her skirt. The black school swimsuit could be seen.

“Akane, just a reminder, don’t do that even if it’s a swimsuit underneath. Isn’t there an old song with the lyrics, ‘men are all perverts, be careful out there’.”

“See? You’re a pervert after all.”

Akane gleefully grinned. It’s my complete defeat.

I recovered to realize the thing that was raging within me had disappeared completely. Instead of that, there was something a little more honest, trying to peek out. It’s a swimsuit, a swimsuit. The underneath of a skirt that was not to be seen to begin with was getting my male instincts riled up.

Well, I can’t help myself here, right? So I muttered and defended myself.

I’m a healthy high school boy in his second year after all.

“Thanks.”

I sheepishly said, and Akane immediately froze up, running away from me.

“P-per-pervert–!!”

So, why are you calling me a pervert after I thanked you?

After thinking for a moment, I realized my verbal gaffe.

Am I an idiot? Saying thanks after seeing an upskirt? That’s perverted of me.

“No, it’s different, Akane.”

“What’s the difference?”

She sounded really repulsed.

“I’m lewd, but I’m not a pervert.”

“How’s that different?”

Akane went a little further away. Ah, I said it’s different, it really is. But the more I denied it, the distance between us increased. At this point, it’s a shouting distance between us, rather than a talking distance.

“Hey–pervert–!”

“Stop calling it as if it’s my name. That’s not what I’m called.”

“Hey, lewd guy. You remember the promise two days later?”

Ahh damn it, can’t deny what I just admitted.

“Remember!! 6pm at the temple, right?”

“Yeah–! I’m–!”

“Hm?”

“Looking forward to it!!”

“Got it!”

“I’ll be wearing a yukata, so look forward to it, pervert!”

Once she said that, Akane peddled off without hearing my answer. I watched her cycle off towards the school, thinking about needless things. Ahh, it’s really unnecessary.

Do people go commando when wearing yukatas?

I was at the water cooler of the library lobby, drinking. The cold water slipped through my throat, into my stomach.

Back then, I had trouble using it, as I had difficulty lowering my head to drink. The water in my mouth always flowed out due to gravity.

When did I become capable of drinking like this?

This memory remained in a corner of my hazy consciousness, and remained difficult to extract. It’s like eating, going to the toilet alone, or riding a bicycle.

I guess it’s the same, that somehow or another, I learned how to do it.

After quenching my throat sufficiently, I went to the self-study room. I pushed the glass door aside, and the air conditioning met me. It felt really comfortable.

I found Yuki at the table by the wall.

On the first day we met, she had two books on the table, and was reading one of them. It had been three days since we met, but she had not progressed, and the reason was me. Ever since that day, I had been bothering her with my assignments. Maths especially was a bother; without her help, I wouldn’t be able to finish most of them.

“Good morning.”

I approached Yuki, and sat opposite her.

“Good morning, Yoshi-kun.”

“Sorry for being late.”

We didn’t agree to a time to meet up, but I apologized. I felt that since I had owed her so much, and showed up late, it was unbecoming of me.

I left home earlier, and ran over because I didn’t want to be late, but my conversation with Akane today caused me to be later than expected. I’ll leave home a little earlier tomorrow, so I decided.

“It’s fine. Don’t worry. I just arrived myself.”

“But I can’t keep a girl waiting.”

“Hm hm, you’re pretty sincere, Yoshi-kun. You’re the same as before.”

“Eh?”

“Nothing. Anyway, have you solved yesterday’s questions?”

“Nope. I just don’t get it. The given method was correct, but the answer just don’t match.”

“Hmm, you’re always making some simple mistakes Yoshi-kun. If you can’t get the correct answer, it’s normally because of that. Look.”

Yuki took the notebook, looked for less than a minute, ahh, and blurted.

“See? It’s a simple mistake here.”

Yuki looked a little dumbfounded, and pointed the operation symbol.

It seemed I forgot to put a minus sign.

Ahahahaha, I tried to laugh it off, only to be smacked on the forehead by Yuki. A beat later, I instinctively held my forehead. It didn’t sound heavy, probably because she held back.

“Sorry.”

“Be careful next time.”

“Alright, sensei.”

Yuki might have liked the ‘sensei’ part a little too much, for she gave a dazzling smile.

“Good boy.”

We spent the entire time studying until closing time, but the sun didn’t set even then. I could see it fully, clearly.

The setting sun colored the world vibrantly, dragging our shadows.

I accompanied Yuki to the station, like usual, and she stepped on the torso of my shadow. The place stepped on was right at my heart.

“What are you doing?”

“Stepping on your shadow. Now you’ll be like me, Yoshi-kun.”

“Eh? Is there such a rule for shadow stepping? I remember the rule is more like tag, whoever shadow gets tagged becomes it.”

“What? So you’re not going to be like me, Yoshi-kun?”

“What do you mean, like you?”

Yuki put her index finger on her chin, and teased,

“Errm, like a pretty girl?”

“Stop bragging.”

Ehhh, I karate chopped her head, and she squealed like a pig, Ow ow, that’s violent. You’re terrible, hitting a girl. She kept grumbling, and I continued to listen to her delightful voice, remaining silent.

A pouting Yuki was very cute, and I just kept staring at her.

We continued walking, and the position of the shadows changed. Yuki’s shadow shifted to my feet, while I was following from behind.

“Now you’re it, Yuki.”

“Umu.”

We continued walking, checking the position of the sun was right beneath our feet as we tried to tag each other. A second ago, I thought my shadow was moving towards Yuki, but at the next second, Yuki’s shadow shifted towards my feet. Even at different places, I could see many different sceneries.

From time to time, we would turn left, then right, and into the alleys. We were just focused on the positions of the sun, and before we knew it, we didn’t know where we ended up at.

I was the first to realize.

“Yuki, you familiar with this area?”

“Nope. No idea at all.”

“Well, it’s not too far, so we should be fine. Let’s walk back.”

“You’re right.”

I turned around to leave, but Yuki suddenly grabbed my hands, her fingers intertwined with mine. At that moment, the nerves in my body froze up. Yuki’s fingers were twitching clumsily, trying to ease my tension, and once she figured out how to interlock the fingers, she grasped my hand firmly. Our palms were thus touch each other’s.

“Eh?”

“Ah, sorry, I’m scared of going lost, so.”

“Erm, are you worried about that?”

“No. Erm, it’s a habit I had since young. I held hands with my little sister, just making sure she didn’t get lost.”

“I see. Well, I get that experience.”

She had no intention of letting go, so I didn’t say anything else, and held her hand gently.

I didn’t know how much strength I should use, and it’s difficult trying to figure that out. My little sister Natsuna had a smaller hand than Yuki, but it’s a completely different situation. I was a lot more nervous holding Yuki’s hand.

“A little tighter.”

“Eh?”

“I know you’re worried, Yoshi-kun. You want to treat me gently. But right now, please hold my hand a little tighter, like when you grabbed mine at the convenience store.”

“Did that happen?”

Hearing that, for some reason, Yuki exerted more strength in her hand, seemingly angry.

“Ow.”

“This much strength is also fine.”

“But won’t it hurt?”

“I want you to hold my hand…tightly. Don’t let go.”

“Got it.”

So I cautiously exerted more strength into the hand. My palms were starting to heat up, my cheeks hot, and so were my ears. I was quietly hoping that the hot palm wouldn’t let go. What’s this?

The name of this heat is–

“Yep, it’s nice to get lost once in a while.”

Yuki nodded with satisfaction.

“Eh, ah, yep. I guess it’s nice to do something irregular once in a while.”

“That isn’t what I mean.”

We walked back for a short while, and saw the familiar road. It seemed we just went deep into a side path away from the usual road. Going straight down, we could see the public hall, and we arrived on the main road.

“What? We aren’t exactly lost after all.”

Yuki suddenly waved her hand, smiling at me. My hand was pulled over, and I ended up waving as well. Ahahaha. Well, Yuki’s happy. I ended up swinging my hand. Yuki’s small body never fell over, and was pulled up again due to recoil. Ahahaha. I ended up laughing as well.

I thought it would continue, but Yuki quickly stopped.

She stopped swinging, and stopped walking as she looked at the billboard of the public hall. Is there something rare there?

“What is it?”

“That.”

Yuki pointed at the poster of the local summer festival. The black paper contained a photo of the fireworks. At this time of the year, such posters would be pasted all over the shopping streets and the like; thus, it was not a rare sight.

“Ahh, the Nobume festival? It’s two days later. I–“

“Say, Yoshi-kun, if you have time.”

“I agreed to go out with a classmate though.”

Yuki, having made up her mind, called out to me, and my trailing words overlapped with hers.

“”Eh???””

The reactions, responses and emotions were all the same. However, Yuki calmed down before I could. I couldn’t; my heart was feeling all chaotic.

“When did you?”

“Eh?”

“When?”

“Ehh…two nights ago. I was supposed to go along with everyone in the class.”

“Two days? It’s summer vacation, I got careless.”

Yuki looked up at the sky, seemingly frustrated by something as she closed her eyes. Her front hair was dropping forward, onto the face. Well, I found her straightened neck to be beautiful. She frowned, let out a sigh, and let go. Her body temperature became distant.

“…Guess the promise is gone.”

Yuki left me behind, and left. I could have said “Wait for me”, but I was still confused, unable to say such simple words.

A little distance away from me, Yuki turned around, looking at me. As the light was shining on her back, I couldn’t tell what was the expression she made.

“Goodbye.”

Yuki then turned to leave again. As she said goodbye, I naturally thought we would meet the next day, so I waved to her, byebye,

But on the next day, and the day after, Yuki didn’t show up at the library.

❄

“If ya don’t wear this, it’ll be see through.”

I heard a voice when I was wearing the yukata over the slip. It’s a distinct, raspy voice of an old person, of an unknown dialect. Yes, yes. Put the hands through the sleeves, and pull. Isn’t this good now? Straight out that side. Can’t not dress up there. Yep, looks good.

I looked around, but naturally, I was the only one in the hotel room.

This is where I should wrap around.

It’s been a year since I wore a yukata, but I managed to wear it successfully with the voice of the old granny guiding me. It’s a dark blue yukata, decorated with red and black goldfish swimming in a river. It was something the old granny left for me, despite me only meeting her once, and not knowing her name at all.

I spun around before the mirror, checking for any wrinkles on the yukata. Nope, perfect. It’s a pity, but it doesn’t seem to match the mood of this Western styled room.

The yukata really seemed befitting of the old, nostalgic house the granny stayed at.

It was a year ago, last summer, when I met that old granny.

That day, I was about to go for the summer festival with Yoshi-kun. If we mention about summer festivals and fireworks, then yukatas should be mentioned as well. So, I went to a common old house.

Actually, I was always curious about that place.

There was a signboard with the words ‘Yukata/Kimono Rental’. I nudged aside the fence that was waist high, and with a creak, it revealed the path linking towards the house. The old granny was at the house at the end, flapping her fan.

She narrowed her eyes, and because of the wrinkles, for a moment, I couldn’t tell where she was looking. The pure white hair looked well taken care of, silky and glittering.

“Whatcha. Who are ya?”

Her voice sounded harsh, but there was some warmth in it. Why’s that?

“Erm, I saw the signboard outside. I want to rent a yukata from you.”

“Signboard. Singaboard. Ahh, that. Beencha while since I did that, ya. Sorry.”

“Eh, I see.”

I lowered my shoulders dejected. I was really looking forward to wearing one.

Despite her saying sorry, the old granny was fanning away happily.

“But Missy, ya’re pretty. Want to be a little cuter, ya?”

“…Yes.”

“For a boy?”

“Yes.”

“Ya like him?”

The old granny beamed, but unfortunately, it’s a little different.

“No. But I want him to say he likes me.”

“A bad girl you are, ya.”

“You think so?”

Of course, I knew that, but I pretended not to.

“Well, it’s better for a girl to be feisty, but well, ya have to dress yourself up better. This old granny ain’t able to wear it anymore, so guess this is fate, ya. Here’s something good for ya, Missy.”

Righto, the granny was slow to get onto her feet, and went from the porch to the house. I didn’t what to do, so I stood there blankly. After a while, the granny called me,

“Stop standing around. Come here. This old granny will dress you up good.”

I did as the granny told me to, and went from the porch to the house. There were few belongings, let alone furniture, and it seemed only the bare necessities were present. There was a classy looking cabinet amongst these belongings, and the old granny was carefully rummaging through it.

The room was filled with the unique smell of an old house. The air was thick, filled with many various things, life, age, death, a compression of human life.

I looked around the room, “Ah, here, here.” The granny muttered.

“A little old, ya, but still wearable. Come on, strip and wear this.”

The granny pulled out what was obviously an expensive dark blue yukata.

“Eh?”

“Hurry.”

With the granny’s strict, relentless voice beckoning me, I stripped myself, as she ordered me to.

And right when I was about to put on the yukata.

“Goodness, if ya don’t wear this, it’ll be see through.”

Saying that, the granny handed me a slip. As it was to be worn by the sleeve, the slip dropping from the chest to the waist looked really pitiful. I was a little hesitant, wondering if I should wear it, but I obediently wore it in the end.

“Yes, yes. Put the hands through the sleeves, and pull. Isn’t this good now? Straight out that side. Can’t not dress up there. Yep, looks good.”

The granny chose not to lend me a hand, and repeatedly reminded me when I made mistakes. While I was wondering how to tie the obi, she asked,

“Ya’re going to Nobume-sama’s festival, ya?”

“Yes.”

“I went there with a few others back in my day.”

“Yes.”

“But ever since those elders left, I never went again. The fireworks looked so colorless to me.”

“Is that so?”

“Not that I’m old. Just a matter of feelings. That’s wrong. Yes, hold it there ya.”

“Like this?”

“Ya. Then pull it back. Right, done.”

Before I realized it, I saw myself in the mirror. I was a little touched.

“Hm, how pretty. Any boy will fall for such beauty. Go out there and make him say ‘I like you’. Ahh, go out there in this yukata with a cute smile next year, and the next.”

I thanked the granny, and went to the place I agreed to meet with Yoshi-kun.

Once he saw me, his eyes widened. I had never seen him like that before. After then, he shook his head like a drenched puppy. So cute. I was hoping for him to say such words, so I was a little unhappy about his response. I guess I’m a little happy to see his blushing face though.

We walked down the bridge, side by side, waiting for the fireworks as we ate shaved ice.

“You know, Yuki? The shaved ice syrup’s all the same, just different colors.”

I stood next to Yoshi-kun, whose tongue was colored lemon, and brought the blue ice into my mouth. It was chewy initially, but the more I chewed, the ice melted, and became textureless.

“I see.”

Actually, I knew that.”

It was written in the novel I lent Yoshi-kun, but he didn’t know that. The reality’s probably changed such that he ended up borrowing the novel from the library.

“I did read it in a novel before.”

“So that means this is the same flavor as that.”

“Most likely.”

“I want to try.”

Before I got Yoshi-kun’s approval, I took a scoop of lemon ice from his cup, using my spoon, and ate it. Ah. he exclaimed. I found it really sweet.

“How is it?”

“Hmm, can’t tell. How about you try it?”

This time, I took a scoop of my ice, and reached it towards him. At this moment, he was a little flustered, but I pretended not to notice. What is it? I tilted my head.

Two seconds later, Yoshi-kun gave up as he bit on my outstretched spoon.

“How is it?”

“Yeah, can’t tell. It’s like the same flavor, but a little different.”

“Well, sweet is sweet.”

We continued with some idle chit-chat, and a firework bloomed in the air, as though ending our conversation before fading. The loud echos shook our heart, and the fireworks, colored just like our tongues, gradually colored the world differently. Blue, green, yellow, red.

“So pretty.”

I marvelled.

“Yeah.”

He too said.

After that, things naturally developed.

“I want to see this again with you next year, Yoshi-kun.”

“Okay. Let’s watch next year.”

For what was probably the first time since the accident, I looked forward to seeing the future beyond that moment.

Well, that future never came.

I was alone, wearing the same yukata, and went to the shrine alone.

For every step I took, the clogs a little larger than my feet clicked.

I arrived at the old house that had been sold, and suddenly stopped in my tracks.

The fence was locked by metallic wire-like things. It was like this ever since a few days past the festival last year.

–Go out there and make him say ‘I like you’.

The smiling old granny with a few mere teeth left was no longer around.

This yukata alone was the only proof of me interacting with her.

“Sorry granny. You put in so much effort to doll me up, but I couldn’t do it.”

❀

I went to the shrine, and for some reason, my feet felt heavy.

It’s not that I was unhappy about going to the festival, but I’ve been like this since yesterday. My mind was always thinking of a certain girl.

“Oh, you really came, Segawa.”

The classmates gathered before the shrine perimeter called out upon seeing me.

Typically, I wouldn’t participate in such group gatherings, so they’re probably shocked to see me.

I would normally go alone, and they probably had the impression that I liked to be alone. It was the same last year at the Nobume Festival. I ate shaved ice alone, and watched the fireworks alone.

The guys were all dressed the same, either with shirts matching pants, or shirts matching jeans. A few of the girls were wearing yukata. Speaking of which, Akane did mention that she’s wearing a yukata.

“Hey, that’s rude. I said I’ll come, so I came.”

“Why are you so angry?”

I started sounding harsh for some reason, and a few others pulled their distance away from me.

“Well, Haru might not be used to this. Maybe he doesn’t know how to react.”

Hooking my neck with that meaty arm of his was my friend, Takuma. Yeah, so he said up close to me, sounding a little intimidating and concerned. It’s too immature for me not to change my attitude after knowing that. I relaxed my shoulders. It’s rare for me to be invited out, so I should just enjoy it a little.

“Ah, sorry. Actually, I didn’t progress much with the homework. Just a little annoyed.”

“Heh, it’s rare to see the model student Haru unable to work.”

I understood what he was getting at, so I graciously went along with the flow.

“You trying to pick a fight? You’re the one with better grades.”

“Well, I’m a genius.”

“Hey, you guys wanna beat Takuma up?”

Saying that, a few of the boys deliberately cheered loudly in agreement.

I’ll smack him good. Righto, a blood festival. I could hear such cruel words beyond my imagination. Wait, hold on, seriously, don’t do this. Ow. Which idiot hit me there? Takuma was surrounded by the guys, yelling away; I met him in the eyes, and found him still laughing away. I nodded at him. The awkward mood from before was gone in the noise. This should be good. Look, it’s important to keep going until the very end, but we’re still kids. There’s no need to be so stubborn.

Takuma then mouthed to me, help me out here already. He blinked a few times, giving me a few clumsy expressions.

Naturally, I shook my head.

As for what I should do, the situation’s beyond my control. You can’t be serious. Having said such words of despair, Takuma’s massive body crouched over as he covered his head, disappearing as he continued to be beaten by everyone. I clapped my hands together. Namusan.

Suddenly, I sensed a stare.

I looked over, and found a girl a little distance from us. She appeared to be looking at something dazzling as she narrowed her eyes. She was wearing a dark blue yukata, which depicted a river with red and black goldfish.

I wanted to call out her name, and I took a step out from the circle. The moment I was about to call out her name, my name was called.

“Hey Haru–“

The one calling me was Akane. As she had said, she too was wearing a yukata. It’s faint green, with green and yellow Morning Glories. The bright colors were befitting of her lively self.

While I was distracted by the voice, the girl vanished into the darkness. The place she stood at was empty.

I quietly called her name.

But it was pointless.

“Yuki.”

And Akane, who arrived next to me, tilted her head in confusion?

“Yuki? It’s summer now.”

While we were chatting, Takuma finally managed to return from Hell, and called everyone over. Let’s go. So Akane said, and teetered towards everyone. I took my time as I went over.

Finally, I turned back towards that place with some hope, but it was empty.

The Nobume Festival is an old summer one with at least 150 years of history.

Apparently, this festival was to celebrate the shrine lady named Nobume who married the dragon god disrupting humanity. However, the dragon god here refers to the river, and this festival’s held to comfort the souls of the girls who became human pillars to stop the flood.

Like the previous years, people were beating drums and blowing fluters for Nobume-sama.

I heard the noise from the center of the festival, and sat alone on the stone steps, laying out my prizes.

Five butter grilled chicken, baby castellas. For us high school kids with limited pocket money, it’s common sense for us to share money for such events.

Everyone else went off to buy food that’s easy to share.

After waiting for a while, Akane alone returned. She was holding two Ramunes, three beef sticks, and a packet of takoyaki. Kept you waiting, she said bashfully.

“This is for you. Keep this a secret from the others.”

Saying that, she handed me a light blue bottle.

“Can i?”

“Yep. But it’s just for you and me. Finish it before everyone comes back.”

“Got it. Thanks. Is everyone else buying stuff? It’s been a long time. Is it really that much trouble?”

I thanked her, receiving the Ramune. I suppose it’s chilled in iced water, since it felt cold. I held the glass marble down with my tongue, and drank the soda water. The bubbles exploded, causing me much bitterness inside.

“No, I don’t know whether they’re worrying too much, or that they’re being busybody.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing. If you don’t understand, forget about it. You don’t need to know.”

Akane sat next to me, blushing as she nodded a few times.

While sitting next to her, I looked at the bustling sceneries of the festival, mesmerized while my mouth was on the Ramune bottle mouth, sipping little by little. There were various voices, dazzling colors that caught my sights, and many people gathered around. Various things filled the place.

So I continued chatting with Akane, waiting, but none of my classmates showed up.

“Aren’t they too slow? I’ll go look for them–“

Saying that, I was about to get up, but Akane said,

“…I feel a little giddy right now.”

“Eh? Ah, it’s a festival. It’s normal to feel agitated.”

“Hm? Really? I guess if you say so.”

A light breeze blew by, gently stroking my hair.

“But you seem a little distracted today.”

“…I don’t think so.”

I was being honest. I wasn’t lying. I was really enjoying the day, fooling around with Takuma and the others, enjoying the sights of the girls in yukata, basked in the mood of the festival. I was really enjoying everything, but–

“Then, where are you going?”

“I said I’m going to look for them.”

“Really? That’s not it, right? You might not have realized it, Haru, but you’re looking distracted. What are you looking for?”

Once she asked, I found myself speechless.

Distracted, huh?

Maybe it’s as Akane had said.

I was having fun, joking around with everyone, but my mind was preoccupied with a certain person. I was looking around, even when we were queuing at the stores, or when waiting on the stone steps with everyone. I wasn’t actually looking for my classmates. I was looking for Yuki.

There was only one girl I wanted to see.

My heart recalled the softness of the palm, the feeling, the warmth.

Once I realized those feelings, my body began moving.

“Sorry, time out.”

“Eh?”

“I’ll go call someone. Regroup with everyone first, Yuki.”

Wait, while Akane called out behind me, I didn’t stop.

I kept running, looking, and wanted to invite her to see the fireworks. I wanted to use all the courage I mustered to invite her.

Will she be shocked? Will she be happy? If she’s happy, then great. If she’s able to smile happily, that’s greater.

I went into the crowd, looking around, searching. The scenes changed as I moved. I looked around, but no luck, so I kept running, repeating.

On the way, I bumped by Takuma.

“Haru, what are you doing here? What about Akane?”

“Sorry, I’ll explain later. It’s urgent.”

“Ahh? Seriously, where are you going? Hey, where’s Akane?”

Takuma’s unhappy voice faded behind me.

Where is she? Where is Yuki?

❄

The world’s quiet as ever. It felt as if time stood still. I quietly made a countdown. 3, 2, 1, 0. Once it ended, I heard a loud bang ripping through the silence, and at the next moment, there were cheers.

It seemed the fireworks had started.

Triggered by the sounds of the fireworks, the imagery from before appeared in my mind. He’s surrounded by the other classmates, looking really happy, having fun. For some reason, I felt my heart aching when I saw that.

I couldn’t really handle my own feelings as I looked up to the source of the sound.

The red fireworks lit the darkness.

But the light immediately vanished.

Eh, what’s wrong? It’s weird.

I tilted my head.

The colors of the world were gone.

And so were the sounds.

Just last year, I found the fireworks to be beautiful, but at this point, they just appeared bland, black and white to me.

It felt like I was watching a black and white TV without sound.

So I lost all interest, looking up at the poster before me reluctantly. The poster had the picture of last year’s fireworks. It’s black and white here after all. Ahh, it’s so boring. I’m a little bored. I was the one who made the promise first last year.

And with a voice nobody else could hear, I muttered,

“Idiot.”

❀

The starting fireworks got me anxious. The explosions seemed powerful enough to rip through the night air. BANG. BANG. As the fireworks rang, so did my heartbeat become louder.

In another thirty minutes, the fireworks will end. There was someone out there yelling Tamaya during the display, while others elsewhere were yelling Kagiya with a similarly loud voice.

I ran to the back of the arena, the bridge that’s the best place to view the fireworks.

She’s not here.

I hurried to the crowds heading to the station. There were kids around, along with grandpas holding the kids hands. There were five elementary school kids. The ones taking photos with smartphones were probably college students.

And while everyone was looking at the sky, I was the only one running on the ground.

The throat’s hurting more than it’s boiling. My heavy breathing couldn’t calm down. Ahh. It feels so difficult to breathe. Hah, hah. No matter how much I gasped, the oxygen wasn’t enough. My head was dizzy. It’s tiring. Hah, it’s unbearable.

I pinched my sweat soaked shirt hard, and wiped off the sweat dropping into my eyes. Even after being so tired, I kept running.

I couldn’t find her at the station.

Not at the library either.

Ahh, the star mine’s starting. Various voices echoed as the fireworks lit the sky with their distinct colors. It’s almost the climax.

“Shit.”

I cursed as I continued running towards the alley I brought Yuki into.

We once held hands, shaking each other’s arm back and forth, laughed, and spent happy times together.

The flames bloomed in the pitch dark sky, and the rain of light followed. The breathtaking sight glided by like a shooting star. As I kept running, I quietly prayed for a wish towards the hundreds of trailing lights.

–This isn’t some ridiculous wish. So help me out here.

–Bring me to a girl.

I passed the alley, and continued running, before I stopped.

The faint lights of the telephone booth shone upon the adjacent building I was familiar with.

I heaved a sigh of relief.

Yuki’s here.

She’s standing at the display board before the public hall, her hand touching the poster of the summer festival. She’s wearing the yukata I saw two hours ago, but she wasn’t looking at the fireworks blooming in the sky. Her sidelong face was colored blue, yellow, green and red.

“Yuki.”

I felt exhausted, probably due to relief. I had no strength to keep running, so I stumbled over a step at a time, approaching her.

“Why are you here?”

Yuki’s face was showing much confusion and shock, and she frowned, before looking through me with a piercing glare. Her face was as pretty as usual, and her raising her eyebrows slightly left me rather intimidated.

But even so, I couldn’t back down.

“Look, I’m here to hear what you didn’t finish.”

The trailing words that vanished when she spoke up at the same time I did.

“You’re only talking about that now? Yoshi-kun, you meanie.”

“Yep.”

Another five steps. Yuki’s face got lower.

“You knew what I wanted to say.”

“I guess.”

Another four steps. Yuki got bigger.

“You knew what I wanted to say, but you didn’t say anything.”

“Sorry.”

I took the third step.

“And, and, you’re a guy, and you want a girl to say that?”

Two steps left.

“You’re despicable.”

With all my desire, I took the last step.

Yuki was within reach.

“So I’ll say it. Can you come watch the fireworks with me? If I’m with you, I’ll be happy.”

“…”

“Can’t I?”

“…No.”

“Why?”

“Because the fireworks ended.”

Yuki lifted her lowered head. There’s signs of sadness and anger in her eyes, but at this moment, she was giggling away.

“You’re a meanie too, Yuki.”

As Yuki looked up at the sky, little fireworks bloomed in the sky with a bang.

Standing next to Yuki, I was the only one who saw her black eyes, lit by the red lights.

### 008. Contact 213 - The 214th Confession

"Who are you?"

I was approached by a girl I had never met before.

It happened after I left Yoshi-kun, and went off to the hotel before the station.

The girl's voice was filled with the natural feistiness, along with some uneasiness.

Suddenly, I recalled the boy I was with till just now.

An uneasy premonition left my mouth dry. Most of my hunches about anything good hardly come true, while the bad ones strike so often, I could strike the lottery. It's ridiculous, this time, definitely--

"Who are you?"

I lowered my voice, trying to ensure that she wouldn't determine my thoughts. Most of them wouldn't talk whenever I did this. It seemed there was such pressure from me whenever I did so.

And it seemed the girl before me was intimidated by the pressure in my voice, for she widened her eyes in shock.

I wanted to turn away and leave immediately, but I was grabbed by the elbow, unable to slip away.

"What?"

"Erm."

Her voice lacked the feistiness from before, but even so, she didn't back down, and instead stared into my eyes intently. The eyes were as dazzling as the light of the summer sun; hot, sharp, mesmerizing.

It was then that I realized again that I couldn't run away. No matter how I tried to shun her, she's not going to let me go until I gave her a proper answer. I'm a girl, and she's a girl. Either way, I knew that.

"Anyway, please tell me your name."

"Ahh, I see. Sorry. I'm Akane Rindou. And, erm, you?"

I had some vague recollection of the name.

Yoshi-kun mentioned her many times.

The premonition I had was increasingly becoming a reality. It felt as discomforted as something rough licking at my neck and back.

But even so, I reined in the various things rising up my heart, let out a sigh, and brought my dangling hair to the back. I didn't know if I looked sufficiently conceited. At the very least, it'll be good if I can hold her off for a while.

"I'm Yuki Shiina. So you're that Akane-chan? I heard from Yoshi-kun."

"Who's Yoshi-kun?"

"Haruyoshi Segawa-kun. It's how I call him. You're from the same year as him, right?"

Even as a female, Akane-chan's a pretty girl.

The long slender limbs were nimble. Beneath the long eyelashes were fiery, proud eyes, but there was some honesty hidden within them, and the weakness that accompanied it. The soft hair's something to be envied.

I guess most boys can't resist such girls.

My throat was increasingly parched.

"Then, is there anything you want with me, Akane-chan?"

"Ermm, yeah. Actually, what's your relationship, with Haru, Shiina-san?"

A car horn could be heard from somewhere. It seemed near, and far.

It happened in my 19th winter.

That was how I met Akane Rindou.

This isn't something that can be settled with a few words, so I told Akane-chan, and without for her reply, I went to the cafe I visited several times. Once I saw the indoor lights of the unimpressive looking, empty cafe, I heaved a sigh of relief. I nudged the door aside, and the bell chimed.

Welcome, the big sister approached with a smile. For two please, I told her, and went to the place by the window, as I did the first time I visited this place with him.

"Erm, Shiina-san."

The moment I sat, Akane-chan called my name.

Luckily, her voice was soft enough that I could pretend to ignore. I ordered a hot black coffee. Akane-chan didn't, and stared at me intently.

Once the big sister left, I asked with a harsher voice than expected.

"Have you been to this shop before?"

"Nope."

"I see. I've visited this place with Yoshi-kun before."

What am I being gleeful for? I'm the one losing if I say such things here. The fact that I came to this shop with him no longer exists on this world.

I feel gaudy and tragic for having to rely on such facts.

"I hope you'll answer my questions."

She went back on topic, maybe unhappy with what I said.

Her voice remained soft after all.

"...What?"

"Your relationship with Haru."

I didn't want to order anything more, but I was slowly flipping through the pages, with the menu in hand. Curry rice, sandwiches. Yoshi-kun liked the Napolitan pasta. Hey, did you know that, Akane-chan?

"Even if you ask me of our relationship, I don't know what to say."

I flipped to the next page. There's Blue Mountain coffee, Kilimanjaro and others. Various coffee names were listed. On the adjacent page, there were names of black tea. I remembered Yoshi-kun once going something like, who would order such stuff, maybe some company boss.

"A friend?"

"Who knows?"

"Acquaintance?"

"Well."

"...Not his girlfriend, right?"

I slammed the menu instinctively. Uh oh. No choice left. I could only put the menu back at its original position. Finally, I looked towards Akane-chan.

"Hey, I say, does that have anything to do with you? You're just ordinary classmates, right?"

"We're not just classmates."

"Then what? Acquaintances? Friends?"

I retorted back with the words she said ten seconds ago.

"You're not his girlfriend, right?"

"Not, at all."

At this moment, Akane-chan's eyes were blazing with a completely different emotion. Rage, or rather, hatred. Ahh, this makes it easier for me. We can fight.

For I would find myself pitiful in the face of that honesty. I can no longer look at anyone with such eyes again.

"Then it doesn't matter what my relationship with Yoshi-kun is now. I don't have anything to say to a mere classmate--"

Before I could finish, a sound rang.

I realized that I got slapped, for my cheek was feeling hot.

"I said I'm not just a classmate. I've always liked him."

"But that's just what you wish."

Once I answered calmly, Akane-chan raised her hand again.

This time, I was mentally prepared, for I knew she was at her limit.

But her raised hand slowly dropped, weakly.

She bit her lips hard, her eyes overflowing with tears as she carelessly grabbed her bag. Sorry for hitting you, she said, and ran off.

Phew, I heaved a sigh, and my shoulders turned weak. My hands were shaking. It's a good thing she hadn't realized it. I really didn't want to do that. But since she wasn't going to let me go, I had no reason to back off.

Especially since she's a girl with so much charm, it was vexing.

Since neither of us were going to back down, we're just going to be enemies for eternity.

Soon after, the big sister brought the coffee out. She didn't say anything, and put it on the table with the usual smile. Ahh, why did I order this again? I sipped the piping hot coffee, and grimaced.

"Ow."

My tongue was stinging.

This coffee was so much bitter compared to everything else I had ever tasted.

It was morning. I woke up, and found the fragments of my dreams slowly fading away.

It happened from time to time. Like the snowflake grasped in my hand fading away, I couldn't contain the fragments within my memories.

In my dreams, I was holding hands with someone. I was smiling.

But when I woke up, I couldn't remember who it was. The emotions in my heart too vanished. Finally, I too forgot about having such dreams.

This is probably how I vanish from his memories.

Yoshi-kun, who was in his second year of Middle School, is now a third year in High School.

Ever since that, he, who had been shorter than me, grew much taller, and I had no choice but to look up to him. Looking at how his face is no longer effeminate, I guess nobody will say that he looks like a girl now.

This is the proof that four years had elapsed, a period that was not short in any way.

But in these four years of Yoshi-kun, I never existed.

Every Tuesday night, 10.54pm, the world will erase my existence.

Completely without a trace, like white snow melting into the Spring. There is no sign of my existence anywhere in the past world.

And every day, I would encounter Yoshi-kun again and again.

All for one purpose, to get Yoshi-kun to like me no matter what.

I finished my shower, and began my thorough preparations. The hairstyle Yoshi-kun likes. The clothes Yoshi-kun likes. It seems he likes girls wearing slightly oversized coats. It seems he thinks it's cute that I reveal some fingers from my sleeves. They call it Moesode or something. I forgot when it was when he told me about that excitedly.

I can't understand. But well, since he likes it, so be it. I'll be cute for him.

After a long time, I finally dolled myself into a fashion Yoshi-kun would like.

And with heartfelt feelings, I sprayed the sweet fragrance.

It was the sakura perfume he said he wouldn't forget.

When I left the hotel, the sky's completely grey.

It seems like it'll snow again.

Let the snow pile up, so I prayed.

I left the hotel, and made my way back again, tossing the red gloves onto the bed. I didn't know what to do with the pale hands now that I had removed my gloves, so I bent my reddened fingertips, before heading to school to meet Yoshi-kun again.

Till this point, I had talked to Yoshi-kun 213 times.

But never once did he say that he liked me.

❀

I heard a sharp screech from the chair grinding the floor, and lifted my head up from the book.

The third year classroom had many empty seats, for it was the time when students were free to attend school. Nijou, the one seated before me, hadn't been around for a week, so it's been a while since I heard him.

However, sitting down wasn't the classmate with the iconic spiky hair. It was a girl with shoulder-length soft hair. If she hasn't spoken up, she would be a cute, pretty girl, but she had no intention of hiding her crude personality as she beamed.

"Yo, Haru."

"What, Akane?"

"What do you mean, what? I'm here. You got a problem with that?"

She's the one who seemed to have a problem as she pouted with a sulk. If it's the usual routine, the follow up will be a little punch. Honestly, I want to avoid that.

Luckily, there's something else to discuss, so I made use of it.

"Not really. Just a little shocked. It's rare to see you let your hair down, and I couldn't tell. It gives a really different impression. You kept it longer since half a year or so, right?"

"Ahh, yeah. My big sister told me how to take care of my hair, and I'm working hard on it. It's fun, though there's some troublesome part about it."

Ever since Akane retired from club activities in the summer, she's been acting more like a girl.

She kept her hair longer, and seemed have been putting on makeup. It's not too obvious if I didn't pay attention to her, but a little bit of makeup increased her charm dramatically. All I knew was that over the past half year, five people tried to woo Akane.

She fiddled her fingertips, maybe because I was staring at her, and she asked,

"Do you find it weird?"

She asked with some hesitation. I guess a charm of hers was that her expression was always changing, so I thought blankly.

"No, not at all. I just find it cute."

"Really? Then, great. Eh, yeah. Forgot what I wanted to talk about. I just chatted with Takuma. Want to go to the shrine to pray today?"

"Didn't we go already?"

"Any, way, we can go there many times, probably…"

Is that so? Won't God feel annoyed to be pestered by countless prayers? Or will he fulfill wishes because he feels the passion in those praying?

Well, anyway,

"No, I'm not going today. Got an appointment."

I had to shake my head and refuse.

Because I had an appointment with a girl I had just met.

Once I said that, Akane frowned, and the mood changed completely. Well, it's like a summer downpour. Some feeling of a crazy thunderstorm coming. Her face was completely covered with grey clouds.

"...With Yuki Shiina-san? She's a pretty one."

"Huh? How do you know?"

"Ah. I guess so. You've been with her recently, right Haru? Guess you have lots of free time before the exams. We're examinees. There's no time to go out and play with such a ridiculous person, you know?"

"That's not it…"

"Anyway, it's a promise."

I wanted to retort, but Akane's words swallowed me. Everyone in class was looking at us, for her voice was loud. Several of them, all girls, were watching with glittering eyes. They're hoping to see what'll happen.

"No, just wait a minute, Akane."

Akane left the classroom, as if she didn't hear me. Even so, I had to shout.

"I got a prior appointment!"

❄

The 3.30pm bell rang, and I got up, moving from the electric pole to the school gate. I promised with Yoshi-kun yesterday that we're going to meet at the school gate.

I tidied my hair with help from a hand mirror, rolled up my muffler, and breathed some air onto the aching, frozen fingertips. They were warmed for a little moment, only to cool down immediately. Once Yoshi-kun comes, let's go and get something warm to eat. I'll treat him as reward for his hard work.

But soon, it was past 4pm, 4.30pm, and Yoshi-kun still didn't show up.

I wasn't really worried. I understood he had reasons for not showing up.

For example, there was a chance he was asking his teachers about questions he solved.

But my legs ignored all sense of logic as I went off towards school. I was thinking about the girl I met the previous day. She's pretty. Once I recalled the honest eyes, my chest ached. It was painful. Hey, Yoshi-kun. I'm in pain. Why is this?

As I got closer to school, there were more students around. I hastened.

wIt was the first time I went to pick him up at school.

For I never once entered Yoshi-kun's school life.

Because of my presence, Yoshi-kun lost lots of time.

He should be spending time with his family and friends, but ended up lonely. In his memories, he was alone in many scenes.

So at the very least, I thought I should take away his memories in school.

And for me, at this point, I wasn't in the mood to abide by the rules I set.

I entered the school gates. I wasn't wearing a school uniform, and didn't look like a teacher, so I was really standing out. Various stares were stinging at my skin. I was used to this, but on this day, I was a little disturbed.

I was starting to think, in an unbefitting manner, that if I was a student here, nobody will be looking at me like this.

❀

No matter how many times I tried talking to Akane, it's useless. It's rare to see her this angry. There's no doubt I hit a sore spot on her, but I didn't know what it was. Immediately after class, I went to talk to her, but she hid in the girls toilet every time, and I didn't get the chance to talk to her.

After at least 6 times, it was after school.

"So I said that I got an appointment already. Listen to me already, Akane."

I went to the corridor linking the club building and the school building. The bamboo floor rattled slightly due to our weights.

"I heard that. So you're saying that you prefer to go out with a girl you just met instead of me?"

"Not really. How about tomorrow? Can we go to the shrine tomorrow?"

Akane might have been annoyed about hearing the same words over and over again, and finally turned towards me.

Then, something unbelievable happened. I thought Akane would be really angry, and was prepared to be glared at. However, she looked towards me, giving a stunned look, and after a while, glared at me. What's with that look?

"...Got it. Then, lend me some of your time. Just a little while. Over here."

Then, she grabbed the tip of my uniform, and went further in.

"Wait, Akane. I can walk by myself. Don't pull me like this."

I tried to steady myself, making sure not to fall over while being dragged off by her.

❄

I was in school, looking for Yoshi-kun. I passed the courtyard, and went into the opposite corridor, hearing a few voices. They were from behind me. Some people were on the corridor I just passed.

"So I said that I got an appointment already."

I sought out the source of the voice.

But I never could look back, and I hid behind a pillar. What? Why? There's no need to hide. I had to talk to him. Say something.

But my body wouldn't obey.

"Listen to me already, Akane."

"I heard that. So you're saying that you prefer to go out with a girl you just met instead of me?"

"Not really. How about tomorrow? Can we go to the shrine tomorrow?"

Tomorrow. Once I heard that word, I shuddered.

Tomorrow, I'll vanish from his memories. That 'tomorrow' will be taken by someone else. I suddenly lost my balance, and fell over. I couldn't exert strength in my legs. I barely manage to lift myself off the wall, and looked towards the source of the voice, only to meet one person in the eyes.

She was a little shocked as she glared over. Then, she said, probably for me to hear.

"...Got it. Then, lend me some of your time. Just a little while. Over here."

She then pulled the boy by the shirt, and left.

They went away, and left behind was an emptiness contrasting the commotion from before, spreading as though left behind there.

Why was it that even though I wanted to cry, I couldn't make a sound?

I stood there for about two minutes or so, stunned.

Even so, I summoned my courage, grasping at straws as I went over to the disappearing voice.

If I didn't do so, I would lose something.

That premonition forced me to move.

Both of them vanished into the school building with few people.

It seemed to be the clubroom building. On the day of the culture festival, Yoshi-kun introduced me around school, and I recalled his voice, "I sometimes play in this classroom. Keep it a secret." He put his index finger on his lips, shushing me.

I'm not even a student here. Who am I supposed to say this to? I was surprised, but I was happy that he was willing to share a secret with me, yes, so I obediently nodded. If I remember, the classroom's--

I ran up the stairs with large steps, and at the turnaround, I took large steps up again. Grabbing the handrail, I exerted strength into my thighs as I moved into the second floor. I didn't meet anyone on the way. I went to the third floor, just like this. My footsteps alone echoed on the corridor.

Finally, I arrived before the room furthest West of the third floor.

It's a classroom that's no longer used. However, there's human presence inside. I couldn't hear clearly, but I knew there's talking. Yoshi-kun's definitely inside. Let's go. If I go now, I should be able to make it.

I did my best to maintain a smile as I put my hand on the handle. At that moment, a loud voice rang.

“I like you, Haru. Please go out with me.”

Her always earnest eyes must be captivating Yoshi-kun.

I moved my hand away from the handle, and ran down the stairs.

Where exactly was I going? There's nowhere for me to go in this world. The place I've always been had been taken away.

But even so, I prioritized escaping, rather than staying.

❀

The door to the empty classroom closed, Akane and I were the only ones left in this space.

At that moment, the mood around us changed.

Even this dullwitted me knew what was going to happen from now on.

"Haru."

My name was called, yes, and I responded, remaining rigid. Poof, Akane snorted.

"Why are you nervous?"

"Well."

"Don't worry. I'm not going to eat you up. Just listen to me, okay?"

"Got it.

I nodded, and faced the girl before me. Our eyes met. Something was about to begin, or rather--

"Yeah. Thanks. Um, I've always been interested in you, Haru. But I just noticed it during the last summer vacation of middle school. Remember when we met once in the courtyard back in middle school?"

Was it when Akane was thinking about whether she should give up on swimming?"

"Back then, you told me, I can hear you out a little at least. You might have thought it wasn't anything much, but for me, that's not true at all."

Our surroundings was a little dim, so I hadn't noticed, but Akane's legs were shaking. Her honest eyes were filled with a flickering light. However, she's the type of person who's able to overcome her fear or nervousness.

"I've been thinking about it a lot. About what happens after I graduate from high school, or if I get into university. But I guess this is the last chance. I'm going to say it now…"

Akane then said those words, with a loud voice typical of her,

"I like you, Haru. Please go out with me."

Her words were like a stone thrown into my heart. It entered with a plop, and the ripples spread. In the ripples that spread, I saw my future with Akane.

We seemed really happy.

I didn't hate Akane.

Well, to be honest, I do find her cute.

I was able to talk about many things with her, and we like the same type of foods. We share similar friends, and we had fun playing sports on our rest days.

There were definitely times where we quarrelled. Lots in fact.

But after quarrelling, we're always able to patch up. I don't know how many times we argued, but we're always able to smile and patch things up until now. I can't really say that I like Akane as someone of the other gender, but I'm confident that we can continue to slowly make up for what's lacking.

Because there's clearly the time we spent together.

But even so, why?

At this moment, I clearly heard someone call for my name. It's a name I shouldn't be able to heard.

"Yoshi-kun."

There's only one person in the entire world calling me that.

I recovered, and heard footsteps coming from somewhere. The footsteps got further. It's impossible, but there's only one girl on my mind.

And that girl wasn't Akane.

"Sorry."

Before I knew it, I lowered my head.

❄

My chest ached. Maybe it's because I was running, and my lungs took in lots of cold air. Yes. That's definitely it. There's no other reason.

Because I don't like Yoshi-kun.

Anyone can do. It's just that Yoshi-kun seems to fit what I want, and so happened to be before me. That's why I chose him.

WIth my frozen palms, I did my best to wipe my twisted vision. I didn't know if I used too much strength, but my eyes were a little hot, burning with pain. I should have worn my gloves after all. Haah. It's difficult to breathe. My throat's thirsty. I gritted my teeth hard, just as the night when I screamed into the sky.

"Idiot, idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot idiot--"

Who exactly were these feelings, these words directed at?

Akane? Yoshi-kun?

Or myself?

I repeated the words over and over again, not knowing why.

The word that signified a fool was delivered countless times into the world, melting into the darkness of the night.

❀

My mind was preoccupied with Yuki.

I was just confessed to by a female friend I knew for a long time, and yet I, being so heartless, prioritized another girl instead.

An hour passed since the meeting time, and as expected, she's not there. I felt my heart ache.

Deep within my ears were the echoing footsteps of a certain person leaving, and that got me to move.

It was the first time in my life--

The first time I yearned to meet someone.

I wanted to meet Yuki.

So I kept running.

❄

In the end, I couldn't figure out what this lingering pain was. I kept running, running, until I reached an empty land not too far away from the station.

It wasn't long ago that the billboard on this land was changed. In the coming Spring, it seemed there'll be a skyscraper built here. Another thing important to me will be taken away.

This is where Shiro lies in eternal rest.

Gasping for breath, I tried to sort out my breathing. My mouth was really dry, so I kept swallowing saliva. Why? Wondering that, I kept rubbing my eyes, but it didn't vanish.

It should be reality.

I asked reluctantly. I was asking the person who somehow arrived at that place before me, who shouldn't be at this empty space.

"Why are you here?"

He had his palms put together, as though praying. Once he heard my voice, he lifted his head.

It's Yoshi-kun, wearing the school coat he had been complaining about. He didn't appear to be returning home anytime soon. At his feet was that old school bag.

"A long time ago, there's a pretty cat I buried here. I so happened to think about it when passing the road there, so I decided to come here to put my hands together and pray."

Saying that, he stood up, dusting his knees.

"Found you. Since I couldn't find you at the place we agreed, I came to look for you."

"I'm going back."

I turned around, and hurried off. Two meters away from the road however, I was grabbed on the hand. His hand was really cold, probably because he was outside the entire time. And I, who's supposed to be colder, was a little warmer because I had been touching my hands. Everything's different from the past, the hand temperature, the conversations, the one being chased. I was the one chasing him up till now.

"What are you doing?"

"Sorry for breaking the promise. You angry?"

"Not at all."

"I'm apologizing to you. I'm really sorry."

"Sorry about what?"

I instinctively scolded him.

"Aren't you always like this? Haven't you broken the promise countless times already? Why are you apologizing now? Let go. My hand hurts!"

I knew I was just throwing a tantrum, but I had no choice. I had yet to sort my feelings out. His words were just adding fuel to my strung emotions.

I needed some time to recompose to my usual self.

So let go of me.

"Wait. Sorry. Don't cry already. I never thought you'd be this sad."

Ah, you're still saying such things now? Do you need to repeat this misunderstanding again?

I couldn't take it.

I was unhappy.

I was hurt.

I felt the heat of the tears down my cheeks.

"Because it's not like this. Because you don't know. That's why I'm unhappy, that's why I'm sad!"

I hammered at Yoshi-kun's chest hard. For every hit I delivered, my hands hurt. I was bleeding inside. But even so, I couldn't stop myself from hammering away.

"I'm lonely because you just wouldn't like me. I'm suffering."

Yoshi-kun remained silent as he let me hammer away.

"Because, you belong to someone other than me, and tomorrow, my daily life with you won't be there, Yoshi-kun. I feel cold, scared--"

I kept hammering until the very end, thud, causing loud thuds. My hands touching Yoshi-kun were hot. Thud. I pressed my forehead on his chest. My forehead's hot. I felt Yoshi-kun's heartbeat. This is what I want.

This is what I lost.

"So that's why you're crying?"

Breathing alone took a lot out of me, and I could only nod.

It's really weird.

Yoshi-kun should be the one suffering. Yoshi-kun should be the one crying. Yoshi-kun should be the one remembering my name.

Why do I have to suffer so much?

Why do I have to endure such painful memories?

Why? Why? Why am I the only one remembering Yoshi-kun? It's unfair. Why is it that anything about me just keeps disappearing?

"Look, I get what you're saying. It's true that I might not know anything about you. No, I really don't know anything about you. But,"

Saying that, Yoshi-kun passed, his hands pressing down on my cheeks. With a gentle, irresistible force, he lifted my head. These are the gruff hands of a man. My tears wet his hands. He smiled, and then frowned.

"I don't agree with the last two lines you say, so I'll respond to that."

"Heh?"

Yoshi-kun curled his middle finger in, and held it back with his thumb. The next moment, the middle finger was flicked hard onto my forehead. Tck. It didn't sound like my forehead was hit, even though it was. I felt my forehead hurting, and hurriedly covered my forehead.

"Huu. What are you doing?"

"You're the one who beat me up first. I'm hurting too."

"But you're a guy."

"It doesn't matter. Anyone being beaten will hurt."

As for me.

I ended up yelling.

"I'm hurting a lot more than you, Yoshi-kun. You're going out with that girl called Akane-chan, right? She confessed to you, right?"

You abandoned me. I'm alone because of you, you know?

"How do you know?"

I didn't say that I eavesdropped on them. While I remained silent, well, Yoshi-kun sighed.

"Yeah, she confessed. But i rejected her."

"Why?"

Faced with my question, he, who got beaten up and scolded, faltered a little. I didn't know what caused him to make such a face.

After some thought, he closed his eyes, and then a while later, opened them, saying,

"Well, I like you."

I felt my heart stop. It's that shocking. I didn't understand what he said. What, did he just say?

"...Huh?"

"I just said it, right? I can't agree with the last two lines. I like you, so I don't intend for belong to anyone other than you."

It seemed I didn't mishear.

"When did that happen?"

"Probably from when we first met. No. I guess I fell for you from when you first talked to me."

These should be the words I really wanted to hear.

But someone in my heart was insisting that it was out of pity.

If it's pity, I don't need it. This kind of confession is meaningless. I'm angry, I'm crying, and this gentle him's just telling me this.

"Enough with the careless words!"

If he didn't say that he likes me from the bottom of his heart, I can't remain there. If there's no passionate heat that burns the body, there's nothing to chain me down. One day, I'll vanish.

"I'm serious."

"You're lying."

"I'm not lying."

How many times does he think I tried this?

I did various things to get him to like him. But every time, never once did he say, I like you. The feelings he had for me weren't enough to get him to confess.

This time, we're just strolling around after school, nothing out of the ordinary, and there's no way he'll like me because of this. In reality, he said that he likes me. I can't believe it. I don't believe me.

"How do you expect me to believe you when you don't know anything?"

"Then what do you want me to do before you believe me?"

After thinking, I said. I felt like I was giving up on something.

"I'll tell you something. It's not something that exists anywhere in this world, but it's definitely something that involves me and you. If you hear this and can say something stupid like 'I believe you'--"

I didn't continue.

There's no way he'll believe.

Believing me will mean doubting the world, doubting his memories. Compared to the world I speak of, it's obvious which one he'll be more likely to believe in.

That's why I never mentioned it once.

He kept staring at me, not averting his eyes once. I took it as a yes, and slowly began to explain.

I explained the many things that happened ever since the accident on my 7th birthday.

A long time passed by the time I was done talking.

There's another ten minutes until the end of the world, or rather, the reset of the world.

"So you want to believe what I just said?"

"I believe you. No, I want to believe."

He answered without hesitation.

"Why can you still say that?"

Hearing what I said, Yoshi-kun looked up at the sky.

Behind the grey clouds, Sirius must be glowing away, and so should Betelgeuse and Rigel. Once, we spent time looking for constellations. We had no knowledge of them, so we just kept looking at the picture books, searching for them.

You don't know about this, right?

Soon after, Yoshi-kun muttered. Ahh, seriously, you're a troublesome woman."

"Wh-what? Why troublesome?"

"You are. Well, I think you're cute because of that. I guess it's a game of, whoever falls in love first loses. Hey Yuki."

He scratched his head, smiling, and stared right at me.

Just like that Christmas Eve four years ago.

"It's true that I do find what you say weird. What you say is different from my memories, and normally, it's hard for me to believe you fully. Truth be told though, no matter what you say is true or not, it doesn't matter to me. Either way, I'm going to say, I believe you. I don't want you to misunderstand, this isn't pity. When I see you in pain, my heart hurts, my heart suffers. If you can smile, I'll believe in anything. The me who's been with you all the time has always been like this, right?"

I couldn't disagree.

Because it's as he said.

The four years of feelings in my heart didn't allow me for to refute.

Ah, yes. Yoshi-kun never got to fulfill any promise with me, but he never let me down on any of my wishes. He did everything to fulfill what I hoped for. Whenever I state my frustrations, he'll help me, and he'll reach out to me no matter when.

"I guess I've liked you all this time."

These words were similar, but this time, they touched my heart.

The heat equivalent to his palm's spread within me. I see. Guess I have no choice.

People probably call this warmth 'love'.

In that case, I too might have been the same. For a very long time.

Before I knew it, the snowflakes flew. The world's covered in white.

"Speaking of which, you'vve been a weird one ever since our first meeting, Yoshi-kun."

I smiled, as he wished, and reached my hand out. He too smiled and held my hand.

My long journey should come to an end here.

I kept living for this moment, wanting him to say that he likes me. Right now, my existence should be able to remain permanently in his heart.

But I have a sudden lingering regret.

I haven't been able to convey my feelings to Yoshi-kun properly.

That's why it can't end here. For us, who kept meeting even though we never got to say goodbye properly, it was a line we had to mark.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun, I--"

But my words never got to reach Yoshi-kun. It just ended. Ah, I see.

Once I saw Yoshi-kun's face, I understood.

LIke before, he was giving me the look of a stranger. There was no longer the boy who said to me, I like you.

Silent, without any sign, the world resetted.

Before I knew it, our hands parted ways.

Surely, the fact that he held my hand was erased. Even so, there's still that lingering warmth on my hand.

This is enough.

This alone is enough for me to keep moving on.

My heart's pounding.

I took a deep breath.

I did it dozens of times, hundreds of times, but even until the very end, I never got used to it.

Whenever I talked to Yoshi-kun when he didn't know me, I was always tense.

And the words I said were always different. It's hot, it's cold, you're working hard. I even told him, bring me to the movies. Please help me get a book.

Just like that, I approached Yoshi-kun 213 times.

Not once did he feel annoyed by it.

The many 'hellos' I said were this clumsy me's attempts to confess.

I wanted Yoshi-kun to like me, so I kept approaching him. For this reason, I kept meeting him. In this case, isn't there something simpler and suitable?

I made up my mind.

I slowly opened my mouth. The air shook.

Come on, let's begin with the first and last goodbye.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you."

### 009. Contact 214 - This is the Happiest Love Story on this World

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. I like you."

I was approached by a girl I had never met.

It was when I didn't return home, and stumbled around town.

It was a voice warmth as the spring sun, like the breeze as the petals fluttered.

Thinking back, I felt I was initially mesmerized by that voice.

We were at an ordinary empty space, commonly seen in town. This place had nothing to do with me, other than a white cat which I once buried here.

So naturally, I knew nothing about her at all.

Her skin's white as porcelain.

She had soft cloud-like silky hair.

Her large eyes were clear and deep.

And a confession from such a girl left my mind completely blank at that moment.

Finally, left behind was an emotion I felt for the first time in my life. It's hot, painful, but didn't feel bad. I allowed my to be driven by that heat, and earnestly conveyed my feelings.

And once I answered, she beamed.

She seemed really happy.

Yet, she seemed a little forlorn.

Finally, she reached her little hand forth.

"I hope that you'll hold my hand willingly."

I did as she said, and held her hand.

Her hands were cold, maybe because they were bare the entire time. Once both of us held hands however, the warmth spread from there. Making sure I didn't hurt her hands, I held them carefully and firmly.

"Thanks. Then I'll introduce myself again. My name's--"

It happened in winter, during my third year of high school.

That was how I met Yuki Shiina.

The next day, Yuki and I met up at the front school gates.

You're going to school tomorrow, right? I'll be waiting for you at the school gates, 4pm. So she proposed, giving me a look of one unwilling to compromise. Because of that, I could only nod my head in agreement.

I left school a little earlier than the agreed time, and found Yuki dressed in a slightly oversized camel-colored coat, waiting for me.

"Yuki."

I called her name, and she waved her slender hand hard. It's like a puppy seeing its master return, wagging its tail. Every movement of hers was filled with delight.

"Why are you so happy?"

"Because you finally noticed me. You called my name. It's something to be happy about."

"I see."

I reached my hand out, and Yuki held my hand.

"Woah, it's so cold."

"I've been waiting for a long time after all."

"Eh? Did I mistake the time?"

Yuki shook her head.

"Nope. Just that I was really looking forward, so I waited. I've always been like this."

What did she mean by the word always?

"Speaking of which, wear some gloves already."

"If my hands are cold, that'll give me reason, right?"

"For what?"

"To hold hands?"

"You don't have to prepare for that reason. There should be others. Anyway, Yuki, you and I are...well, dating, so you can hold my hand whenever you want...eh, what's with that look?"

Yuki's mouth was half opened as she blinked away. Several seconds later, she burst out laughing. I don't think I said anything funny, right? For some reason, my face was a little hot.

"You're amazing, Yoshi-kun. Yep, we're dating now."

"Are you treating me as an idiot?"

"That's not true. I'm praising you."

"Really?"

"Really really. Now, let's go, boyfriend."

Yuki suddenly grabbed my hand, and went forth. I panicked, chased after her, and walked beside her. Our clasped hands just so happened to end up right between us.

Yuki and I were dating.

But it lasted only for a week.

❀

"Actually, our date lasts only for a week."

After Yuki confessed to me, and we agreed to go dating, she set a time limit."

"No no, wait a moment. What do you mean?"

I asked, and Yuki started to take a deep breath. Following that, she started breathing in and out cutely, her ample breasts expanding and contracting.

After doing that for three times, she finally seemed to have made up her mind, her eyes glowing. However, that light immediately vanished from her eyes again.

Nevertheless, she never gave up.

Once again, she took a deep breath, and slowly spoke,

"I need to get one thing clear with you, Yoshi-kun."

It's the story of a girl whose existence will vanish like the snowflakes in a week, and her 213 encounters with an ordinary boy.

They had several encounters together, spent time together, and created memories together. But in the end, everything was erased.

But even so, when Yuki talked about that unbelievable story, she was giving a sad, yet blissful smile, just as when she confessed to me.

We saw the flowers in spring, the fireworks in summer, ate lots of delicious stuff in autumn, and went to the seaside in winter, so she said.

"Why the sea in winter?"

"Because I suddenly wanted to go to a beach with nobody around. You were complaining away, saying, if you want to go, it's better to go during the summer, but you got pulled along by me. You remember, right? Your memories might be a little different from mine though."

I tried recalling, and it seemed that did happen.

I was alone at the beach during winter.

With nobody next to me.

Naturally, there was only one set of footprints on the beach. I remembered how chilly it was very well. Ah, but when I went back, I recalled buying some delicious oden at the convenience store. I bought a lot, and ate a lot.

What Yuki spoke of ended up like that.

It's not so much that I forgot everything.

So this girl called Yuki, who should have existed, vanished from the past word, and the new world buried the emptiness caused by her disappearance. As for me, I just took this sculpted, seemingly flawless world as it was. Thus, I never suspected a thing. Or rather, maybe the world Yuki spoke of was wrong, or so the common sense within me pleaded. However--

"So, are you going to believe my words, Yoshi-kun?"

"I believe you. No, I want to believe you."

I said. Without any hesitation.

"Because I like you."

I really liked her little face, her slightly curly hair, her wearing the slightly oversized coat, and the silky fingertips poking out from the sleeves...her chest's big too, and her clear voice's fine too. I like everything about Yuki, even the air surrounding her.

She's giving off the sakura fragrance I like.

That's what I thought the moment I met her.

It's like Yuki's the ideal girl God created for me.

But that's not it.

Yuki wasn't like this in the first place. She spent a lot of time trying to become my ideal girl.

Thus, the answer's simple.

I wanted to believe the four years she told me about. I couldn't deny Yuki's words and feelings with just common sense. For me, what she told me with a smile was the truth.

I suppose that's good enough.

"You're the same as always, Yoshi-kun. A weirdo after all."

"You hate weird people?"

"Nope, I like them."

"Then I guess it's fine to be weird. If you like me because of this...no, if you're willing to smile at me because of this, then I'm fine with it."

And this is how we started our limited period of love.

❀

We left school, and for the entire time, Yuki was feeling pleased. She hummed away. It was a love song commonly aired on the radio during winter. She was humming a love song that was trendy several years before I was born, with that wonderful voice and somewhat offkey rhythm.

We passed the arcade before the station, and then passed the rotary intersection. We glanced back at the old pachinko shop that had closed just last month, arrived at the post office, and made a turn at the third corner.

My left hand was still holding Yuki's hand, and her right hand kept holding mine.

In our free hands, we were holding taiyakis. A moment ago, Yuki spotted a shop on the shopping street in operation.

She was watching that little shop with a watering mouth, so I asked, want me to treat you to one? She gave a delighted look, really? And so she beamed like an innocent kid.

Over the next five minutes, Yuki was wondering if she wanted the red bean or the custard cream.

I was intending to buy the taiyaki Yuki didn't buy, so to be honest, the 5 minutes were meaningless. It's simple. There's two of us here, each one of us buys one flavor, and we'll just swap. I didn't say it though, because seeing Yuki troubled like this is pretty cute too.

So Yuki chose the red bean, and I bought the custard cream.

We both had cat tongues, so we waited for the taiyaki to cool before we dared to eat. The crispy skin and the custard cream meshed together, and the inside felt soft. Yep, delicious. I nibbled and enjoyed it slowly, but Yuki finished hers in a matter of seconds.

"Erm, you're pretty fast."

Yuki chewed a few mouthfuls, and heartily swallowed the taiyaki. She then smiled to me, ahhh, opening her mouth. It basically means, give me yours.

"Erm, that."

"..."

"This is mine."

Yeah, I know that. So what? Yuki made such a look as she tilted her head.

"..."

"...Erm…"

"..."

"...Here."

I completely lost.

Hearing what I said, Yuki finished the remaining 80% taiyaki into her mouth. She puffed her little cheeks, chewing away heartily.

"You're unexpectedly a glutton."

I said what I was thinking, and Yuki seemed to be panicking a little. She chewed quicker than before, and quickly finished the taiyaki.

"It's sweet. I can't help myself."

She said that a little faster than usual.

"You say that, but you're actually worried about what I think, right?"

"Not at all!"

"Really?"

"Really!"

I enjoyed Yuki's panicked look as I kept walking. Suddenly, something red appeared in my sights. Once I saw the words, I stopped in my tracks.

I see. Next Wednesday's--

❄

Yoshi-kun, who teased me with a really, really mean joke, suddenly stopped in his tracks. What's the matter? So I thought, and looked towards where he was looking. I saw a red flag fluttering in the wind, the flag of a little cake shop.

The one to speak up first was me,

"Speaking of which, it's a week, huh?"

"Yeah."

Next Wednesday's February 14. It's said that's the day boys really want to eat sweet stuff. Once our date ends, it'll be Valentine's.

"If possible, can you gift me chocolate?"

"You want some?"

"Of course. Well, because it'll be from my girlfriend."

Yoshi-kun was bashful whenever he mentioned the word girlfriend, and it's pretty cute.

"Sure."

Now that he mentioned it, I never gave him chocolate before.

Also, I owed him a huge favor. It's better to repay what I can.

"I received chocolate from you before, Yoshi-kun."

"Did that happen?"

"Yep. Once."

You might not know, but that's the start between us. The chocolate I received from you was really sweet. It's so sweet that I'm happy. That's why I continue to exist."

"I see. Then, please do so."

"Yes yes. Look forward to it. Then, take back what you said."

"What I said?"

"That I'm a glutton?"

"What? You're worried about that?"

Of course. I'm a girl after all.

❀

That morning, I woke up from my dreams, and saw a world of silver outside the window.

It seemed the snow that fell since yesterday had piled up. The sunlight shining through the clouds were refracted by the white snow, and my just opened eyes were aching. I rubbed my sleepy eyes, left the room, and the cold air that came caused me to shiver and sober up. The wooden floor was really cold. My soles were aching.

Like usual, I descended the stairs with much hesitation, and saw mom sweeping the room without much fuss.

"Morning Haru. Breakfast's ready."

"Eh? It's too early today, right? You normally do that after cleaning up."

"All because of this snow. Natsuna's excited so early in the morning. She said she wanted to go out to play, so she made it earlier."

"Oh, guess I'm lucky then."

Saying that, I opened the corridor door, and went to the postbox to retrieve today's newspapers.

Dad's more terrified of the cold than I am, so in winter, I'm the one collecting the newspapers. Natsuna doesn't fear the cold, but she's disobedient.

The little courtyard was covered in white, with a set of footsteps leading outside. Surely that kid ran out while yelling yahoo or something. I could vividly imagine my little sister having fun. Given how deep the footsteps were, it's obvious she ran out with much vigor.

Uuu, so I groaned, and the white breath I huffed out was blown away by the frigid winds. I pulled the sleeves of my jumper to my fingers, and opened the postbox, reaching for the morning newspaper stored in the clear bag like usual.

Suddenly, there was a voice.

"So you read the newspapers, Yoshi-kun."

"No, I'll just check the TV channel column. It's dad who gets me to take it. Hm? Eh?"

I lifted my head from the postbox, and there was Yuki. There's a floral fragrance, a little too early for this icy weather, coming from the courtyard covered in white snow. Why's she here so early in the morning?

"The snow's piled up, so I came here happily. Yoshi-kun, do you have some time now? Spend time with me."

"...Have you been waiting for a long time?"

"Nope. I really just showed up. I was ready to wait for two hours or so, but thank goodness you came out so early."

I thought she could have just called me, but Yuki had no cellphone.

"Might waiting for a moment? I'll get ready immediately."

"You don't have to rush."

"But it's cold outside. Ah, why don't you wait inside?"

"No, it's fine. I'll wait here."

"Got it. I'll get ready quickly then."

As I said, I hurried back into the house, and got ready to leave. I left the newspapers before my dad, who's huddled completely in the kotatsu, devoured the breakfast Natsuna prepared, changed clothes, brushed teeth, combed my hair, and told my dad, who had no intention of leaving the kotatsu, I'm going out. Ohh, he weakly replied, and I wasn't sure if he understood me or not.

I shoved the door aside, and Yuki said happily,

"That's pretty fast. Shall we go?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

The brand new snow surface was left with our footprints alone.

My house's in a suburb a little away from the town center, and the endless fields there were covered completely white. There were many little light particles glittering upon the pure white snow.

"It's pretty, isn't it?"

"Yep. It's really pretty."

So after walking a while, someone could be heard screaming.

"Hey, Haru-nii."

I looked over at the voice, and saw a little silhouette. It's Shouta, the elementary school kid living nearby, and his blue sweater was covered with snow.

His face was really red, his forehead covered with lots of sweat.

He ran to us, thank goodness, and finally heaved a sigh of relief.

"Haa...haa...it's you, Haru-nii. I saw you, haa, from far, so I ran. Haa."

"...What?"

"Help me."

"Huh?"

I didn't get what he was saying, and wondered if he was being pursued, so I looked behind him, only to see a few silhouettes running around on the fields. It seemed they were having a snowball fight. Back when I was in elementary school, I remembered playing around with some friends. I really enjoyed myself back then."

Once I remembered this, I stopped thinking. I should have, but just as I can't stop immediately after sprinting, I couldn't stop thinking that quickly. Yeah, I just so happened to notice it.

Wasn't there someone who went out to play early in the morning?

"Yuki, let's go."

"Don't run away. You know what I want you to help with?"

"I don't know. I haven't seen it."

"Then have a look."

"Don't' wanna."

I firmly refused.

I don't want to be her nanny on such a precious day.

But my determination was immediately changed. Without looking, I could hear a familiar, distinct girl's laugh. Very clearly.

"Nhahahaha."

See, you can't run now, Shouta seemed to be scolding me as he called my name.

"Haru-nii!"

"Stop. Don't say anything."

But Shouta ignored my pleas as he mentioned the cause of that laugh.

"That's the monster (bakemono) from your house, Haru-nii. Do something!"

Ahh, he said it.

Damn it. Alright, I get it. Yes. I really do. So I sighed, and gave on up resisting as I looked over at the source of the voice. There's no doubt.

"Yep. That's our big idiot (bakamono)."

That's the voice of our super duper cute little sister highness.

Well, my little sister, Natsuna Segawa, she's like a typhoon.

She's cute, and pretty popular, but she always gets all kinds of people along to expend energy, which she had lots of. The elementary school kids nearby notably were often her sacrifices, and they're all terrified of her.

This time, it seemed to be a case.

According to Shouta, it was just a snowball fight between the kids, but Natsuna saw them. She, who had the heart of a schoolboy to begin with, couldn't possibly hold in her desire. I vividly imagined her joining in with a bright smile, without a care in the world.

Shouta and the others might have thought it'll be fun to have more people, so they just let her join in…

Problem is, once Natsuna joined, she added a rule that the losing side has to obey what the winning side says. A group of elementary school kids versus someone whose athletic ability is top notch amongst middle schoolers. Now what will happen? It's easy to imagine.

The boys had to fight to the death to avoid the future of becoming Natsuna's lackeys.

Ahh, that's why I didn't want to hear them. I feel really embarrassed as the brother, and depressed…

"I get the situation. I'll think of something. But I'll just beat Natsuna to even things up. I don't care about everything else. Is that okay?"

"Yep. It's okay."

"Then, sorry Yuki. Please wait for a moment."

"Heh? Why?"

I looked over, and saw Yuki stretching and warming up for some reason.

"Are you going to join this snowball fight?"

"Yes. It looks fun. I never did it before."

Shouta, watching her grin like an angel, asked,

"Hey, Haru-nii. I wanted to ask. Who's this big sister? An actress?"

Faced with Shouta's innocent question, Yuki knelt down to his eye level, and smiled at him. He immediately blushed.

"Sorry, this big sister here isn't an actress. Haru-nii's girlfriend, actually."

In response, Shouta's eyes were glittering more than I ever saw of him.

"You're amazing Haru-nii. You got such a pretty girlfriend."

"Well, I guess. Anyway, Shouta. You mind letting this big sister join a team?"

"Of course."

"Thanks. Please take care of her."

"Yes. Nice to meet you."

Yuki said that, and Shouta, who was shaking hands with her, suddenly frowned. He looked down, giving off an apologetic look.

"Ah, sorry. Onee-chan. Looks like you have to join Natsu-nee's team."

"Why?"

"Well, you have the smell of the enemy."

"The enemy's smell?"

Yuki and I exchanged looks.

What's going on?

After Yuki joined in, Natsuna's team had ten players.

After I joined, there's five in the team.

They outnumber us two to one, but in this snowball fight, anyone's tagged out whether they fall knee first, fall over, or give up. If they don't panic too much, they probably won't lose. That was what I thought. As a guy, if I'm to lose in a battle of strength to a girl, to my girlfriend and little sister for that matter, it'll be really embarrassing.

Both teams had gathered piles of snow in their camps, and while it's not tall, it's possible to curl up and use that snow as a wall. I hid beneath the snow closest to the enemy, quietly waiting for the moment.

Suddenly, my team stopped attacking.

Natsuna loves to make noise, so once things calms down, she'll definitely charge out alone. My aim's to go for the unexpected and counter with a sucker punch.

So I waited for a while. As I planned, there's a madlad charging madly into the enemy camp.

It's a showy girl with a red muffler, red coat, and red muffler. This energetic girl really loves red.

"Nhahahaha. Charge after me!"

So she yelled as she charged in with tremendous speed. Well, there's a nice target. I aimed at her wide open mouth, and threw a snowball in with all I got.

"Hbuch!"

A clean hit.

Natsuna made a weird sound, and stopped running. She wiped at the snow sticking to her face, and kept spitting it all out.

"What charge after me? What are you going, Natsuna?"

"Gek. Haru-kun. Wh-why are you here?"

"Now's not the time for that."

Natsuna's taken aback by my sudden entrance, and as expected, she lost her balance. She often acted on instinct, and was bad at dealing with the unexpected. Nevertheless, her natural athletic ability prevented her from falling over immediately. I knew that very well, so naturally,

I created a strategy for this purpose.

I threw a snowball at Natsuna's face while she was still wobbly. Every shot was aimed high enough for her to evade if she ducked. Natsuna's able to dodge one by jumping back, but her center of gravity went back as a result. I threw the next one a little lower, and she dodged that too. Her center of gravity was shifting back.

Basically, it's a limbo dance.

I repeated the same three throws, and Natsuna finally lost her balance as she landed back with a thud.

"Victory!"

I raised a hand, informing my teammates that I beat Natsuna. She, having collapsed, kept complaining.

"Cheater! You cheater! You're a guy, Haru-kun. In high school! How can I beat you!"

Seemed like she's not reflecting on her actions, so I fired another shot at the loser.

"Puk! Uuu. Ahh, snow got into my mouth again!"

"You're calling me a cheater? You're in middle school, and you joined an elementary school kid snowball fight?"

Everything's as planned till this point. But I forgot something. I forgot that among the enemy team, there was a very forthright elderly.

It's her first time playing a snowball fight.

Thus, she didn't know of any tactics or counters.

And without thinking of anything, she just did what my sister told her to do.

Yep, she knew nothing.

She didn't know this was the best way for them to beat us.

"Come on! Everyone. Follow Natsuna-chan and attack!"

"Ngh!"

With a clear shout, all nine remaining members of the enemy team came attacking with snowballs.

If there were similar numbers, our side would be advantaged. We could counter with sucker punches just as I did against Natsuna. However, they have almost twice our numbers. If they just attacked with numbers, there's no way we could handle them.

"Hbuch!"

Many snowballs flew by, and one of them landed right on my face, causing me to make a similar sound.

Hm? What's going on? This snow has a sweet smell. This smell is--

"Hey Natsuna. Doesn't this snow have a sakura smell to it?"

Natsuna, playing dead on the snow, opened her eyes slightly, and glanced towards me, saying,

"I sprayed some sakura perfume on to identify our team's snowballs."

That explains things.

That's why Yuki, who has the sakura smell on her, was assigned to the opposing team.

"Why spray perfume? No, wait, where did that come from? There's no why those kids will have them. Was it you?"

Ah, damn it. Natsuna gave such a look, and quickly looked aside. She couldn't whistle, but she was still pouting, blowing as she pretended to whistle and bluff her way out. My little sister's really hopeless after all.

Speaking of which, mom wanted Natsuna, a middle schooler, to act more like a girl, and pushed many things on her, but it seemed she wasn't really accepting.

"Don't waste them just because you aren't using them."

"No, I'm not wasting it at all. I said it's to identify."

"There's no need to identify snowballs at all."

"Feels like it'll be delicious if there's a sweet smell."

"Please, I beg of you. Don't eat it. You'll hurt your stomach. Anyway, why spray sakura perfume on snow? These two aren't of the same season."

While we're arguing, the enemy team came attacking, and I was bombarded in concentrated fire. I intended to recover, but they didn't give me the time.

"Wait...stop! Time, time! Ow ow!"

"Watch this! Everyone, beat that big brother."

Leading the charge and pelting snowballs at me was a girl who minutes ago said the unbelievable adorable words, this big sister is Haru-nii's girlfriend. Yuki's words kept echoing in my mind. This big sister is Haru-nii's girlfriend, girlfriend, girlfriend. It's just my imagination. My delusion.

Finally, i fell. My face lost all senses for a moment after being heavily bombarded. I didn't know if I was aching or cold, and I couldn't smell.

"Target killed."

Yuki looked down on this fallen me, and gave me a guts pose.

"No, I'm not dead."

"Mfufufu. Yoshi-kun, since you lost, you'll have to obey what I say."

"That rule applies for me too?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

Right, so the loser has to obey the winner. I weakly waved my hand to admit defeat, and Yuki nodded heavily.

"Then everyone. Time to defeat the rest. Let's charge!"

So I watched Yuki continue to attack with vigor. Next to me, Natsuna said,

"Hey, Haru-kun. Who's that pretty one? Your acquaintance?"

"...A snow pixie, no? With a sakura smell, right?"

I just muttered, as I was too lazy to explain. That's weird, snow and sakura are of different seasons, so she muttered, just as a certain person just said.

February 13, Tuesday.

It's the seventh day Yuki and I became lovers. On this workday, we went to the theme park at the rooftop of the department store.

The mini ferris wheel there was rusted all over due to the wind and the rain, and of the five cars designed with anime characters, three of them were labelled with 'malfunctioned'. The only ones that could work were a blue cat robot and an electric mouse with red cheeks. There's a boy seated in the electric mouse, and after moving for about 3 minutes or so, it stopped right in the middle of the theme park.

The thick pile of snow yesterday had basically melted completely, with a few in the shade. The snowmen faces were half melted.

We sat on a plastic bench missing a corner. This was the only place for us to sit and rest. I looked up at the grey sky, muttering.

"So, why are we here?"

"You lost to me in the snowball fight, so you're going to listen to me for the whole day."

She answered, as though it was a matter of fact.

I lost in the snowball fight yesterday, so I had to obey Yuki's wishes. Initially, the rule was that the loser had to obey one thing the winner wanted, but now for some reason, it ended up as me having to obey her for the entire day. Seriously, girls are amazing at getting others to accept their demands. Well, I don't really hate it.

Yuki said, so my first wish is, a date. There are two places I want to go with you, Yoshi-kun.

This is one of the places.

"No, I get what you're saying, but that's not it. Why this rooftop theme park?"

"Because I like them. So I want you to come here, Yoshi-kun."

"In that case, this is the wrong place. We should be going to a more decent place."

"No. This is decent enough for a theme park."

"Are you happy just to be here, Yuki?"

"Yes."

"You enjoy it?"

"Yes."

"I guess it's fine then."

Yes. Anything's fine as long as Yuki's happy.

I patted my knees, stood up, and reached my hand out to Yuki.

"Since we're here, we might as well ride on the ferris wheel."

"Ehh, that'll be embarrassing."

"It's fine. There's nobody else here other than us anyway. Think about it. We made it all the here here, and we're not riding anything. That's unbelievable, isn't it?"

Yuki tried various excuses to get out of this, before she finally held my hand. It's my victory for ignoring all her excuses. I asked her which one she wanted to ride on, and since she liked cats, we took the cat robot.

"100 yen going in."

"You're not riding, Yoshi-kun?"

"It's for one. I'll go in later."

"Later?"

While Yuki tilted her head cutely, I inserted a coin, excusing myself.

"I'm already 18. It's really embarrassing to ride on this."

"Ah, is that so?"

After hearing my excuse, Yuki scowled in anger, but I managed to escape the cat robot before her fist reached my face. It began to move slowly, along with the strange music.

The kid riding on the electric mouse pointed at Yuki,

"Mama. Can I ride on that now?"

"Wait for the big sister to be done."

Ahh. It's really embarrassing. I looked towards Yuki, and found her face reddened to the bottom of her neck, her hands covering her face. She's really cute when she acts like this. I quietly decided that I would let her beat me once or twice.

Finally, Yuki had me treat her to juice from the vending machine, instead of hitting me.

I slipped the coins in, and green lights appeared on the buttons.

"Choose one you like."

She gave a grim look, wondering, before choosing the cocoa drink, and I too bought the same. Both of us couldn't drink black coffee. While we're not kids, we're not old enough to be called adults. At this point, we're on the boundary between these two age groups.

We leaned our backs on the parapet, drinking the cocoa in unison.

Both of us were close to each other, and I just needed to move a little to touch Yuki. I could truly feel her presence, her warmth, and her smell. Her hands were on the can, trying to warm them, as she drank slowly.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. Thanks."

Suddenly, Yuki said that.

"Why thank me? I didn't do anything."

"That's not true. You bought cocoa, brought me here, and the other yous created many, many memories with me. Hey, I guess these should be enough reason to thank you, right?"

Yuki closed her eyes, as though recalling something.

"I really like seeing you smile, seeing your angry face, your crying face, your bashful face, your troubled face, and your anxious face. I guess, before I die, I'll definitely remember every day since the moment I met you. One day, it'll be as you say, Yoshi-kun. Even if I keep struggling, and even if I reach the place, only to not find what I wanted, there should be something more valuable there…"

Saying that, Yuki paused. She probably wanted me to ask what she wanted to say, since she waited for me to ask. So I did.

"What did you find there?"

"I found you there. You're there, Yoshi-kun, in the heart I thought was empty."

Nn, so she muttered, and opened her eyes slowly with satisfaction.

"Every day I lived, there's you around, Yoshi-kun."

Why's that?

It's not some tear inducing words, yet I felt my nose a little itchy. I looked up at the sky to hide this sight, staring at the reddened clouds there. The bright, stinging red shone deep into my eyes.

Suddenly, Yuki reached her hand out, patting my head. She's not as tall as me, so she tiptoed. The place she touched was very warm, very comfortable.

"...What are you doing?"

"Hm? I'm comforting you, Yoshi-kun. You look like you're going to cry."

"I'm not a kid."

"It's not a bad thing. I think just now was pretty embarrassing, so you should experience that, Yoshi-kun."

Now we're even, so she said as she stroked her fingers on my hair.

Ahh, it's itchy. What's going on? Why do I feel this happy just because of this little thing? I could feel the soft touch of her hand, and ended up smiling.

Very good, so Yuki said after seeing me smile.

"You're finally smiling."

The sun set, and the place we were headed after the theme park was my high school.

It's the other place Yuki wanted to visit.

It's past 7pm, and in the darkness, the school lights were already off. The only places with orange lights on were the office, self study rooms, two second year classrooms and a first year classroom. Those taking the entrance exams were probably in the self study rooms. The third year classrooms were completely dark, just nice for us.

I held Yuki's hand as I snuck into the darkness of the night, slipping into school.

Our footsteps echoed in the dark stairs. On the way, we spotted a teacher, so I hid Yuki behind me, telling the teacher that I forgot something. Oh, so the response as the teacher let us off. I guess the teacher couldn't see Yuki's face clearly due to the darkness.

Once the teacher disappeared, we heaved a sigh of relief, before we went over to my classroom.

Luckily, the classroom isn't locked. I slid the door aside, and with a familiar creak, the classroom and the corridor were linked.

The sacred moonlight shining through the window dyed half the classroom silver.

It was a very familiar classroom to me, but for Yuki, it was a new sight as she looked around with excitement. Wow. She squealed with excitement, touching the desks as though they were gemstones. Ahh, there's graffiti, so she said as she wandered around the classroom, before she suddenly looked towards me.

"Hey, which is your table, Yoshi-kun?"

"Eh? Ahh, third column from the right, fourth seat."

I was mesmerized as I watched her, and was a little slow to react. However, I somehow answered her. 1, 2, 3, 4, Yuki counted as she went over to my seat.

"This one?"

"Yes."

I thought she would sit on the chair next to mine, but for some reason, she took the one next to it, and then,

"Alright, Yoshi-kun, this is the second wish. You're going to sit here."

She patted my chair. What else was I supposed to do? Of course, I was to sit on where she indicated.

I should be familiar with the sight of this classroom from my own seat, but with Yuki sitting next to me, everything seemed brand new. The old desks, the chalk marked blackboard, the papers with the boring class targets were all filled with light.

"It feels like it'll be great to have you as a classmate around, Yuki."

"You get that?"

I blurted out my thoughts, and for some reason, Yuki said, looking really gleeful.

"I wonder who was the one three years ago who said he didn't know what's good about this place?"

"There's such an idiot?"

"Yep. There was. Ah, even if we're in the same school, we might not be in the same class. After all, I'm older by a year. Yes, yes. Call me Shiina-senpai."

Yuki's voice was very close. For every move she made, the desk shook. Something within me kept shaking away.

"...Shiina-senpai."

Once I said that, Yuki grinned.

Hey, repeat that again. Don't wanna. Please. Really got no choice here, huh, Shiina-senpai? Good, now one more time. Shiina-senpai. Once more, a little more intimate. Call me Yuki-senpai? Not bad, not bad. One more time. Seriously, don't Yuki. You're like a pervert here. Your eyes are glowing. You're calling me a pervert? How rude.

Whatever I said, Yuki would laugh, get angry, look disappointed, or pout.

Within this classroom, Yuki and my voices were the only things echoing.

While we chatted, so why? I asked. I really wanted to ask this right from the beginning.

"Why did you want to come to my classroom."

"...Well, I told Akane-chan."

Once that name was suddenly mentioned, I was taken aback.

"You're just ordinary classmates, right?. Then it doesn't matter what my relationship with Yoshi-kun is now. After that, I was unhappy about it. Even though she's just a classmate, I was envious of her. I don't know how you're like at school, Yoshi-kun. This is the last time."

She stood up from the chair, and pulled her distance from me. The breeze lifted her long skirt slightly.

She was in the darkness, standing there like a divide between the light and the darkness.

"Last time."

I repeated this words, and immediately felt the pain all over my body.

"You're going to graduate, Yoshi-kun. I wanted to come to your classroom before then. This is the perfect chance."

"Ahh, I see."

Guess she wasn't planning anything else.

Yuki said that we met hundreds of times. Surely in the future, we'll meet countless times again. Hey, isn't that right?

"Hey, Yuki-senpai."

I called her out to appeal to her, and she narrowed her eyes, scratched her cheeks, and finally shook her head.

"That sounds good, but I prefer the usual. Call me Yuki."

"Yuki."

Her name's like a preset as it came naturally from my mouth.

"I like you. I really, really do."

"I know. You told me that many times already. I like you too, Yoshi-kun."

Suddenly, a sudden impulse struck me. I couldn't resist it. I hurried towards Yuki, and embraced her petite body slightly. The sweet sakura scent came. No, that's not it.

For me, this is already Yuki's smell.

"Wawa, why out of a sudden?"

"It's your fault, Yuki."

"My fault?"

"Yeah, your fault, Yuki. Everything's all your fault."

"I see. Then there's no choice there. It's my fault you like to fawn around with me."

It's all Yuki's fault for making me like this.

I brought my face to Yuki's chuckling face.

It seemed Yuki knew what I wanted to do as she closed her eyes tight, Her cheeks turned red as she finally got ready to accept me. She's really cute; I really didn't know how many times I thought that.

In this corner of the world even the moonlight couldn't reach, we made a kiss nobody else knew of.

As we touched, her lips were really cold, trembling. It's clumsy, just a tender kiss between lips, but we were so much sure of each other's feelings, each other's warmth, compared to the countless confessions and hand holdings.

Humanity as a species had used this act to clearly identify each other's existence.

After what seemed like an eternal five seconds, Yuki buried her face into my chest, seemingly to cover her own face as she sulked away. But I knew she was just hiding her embarrassment.

"This is my first kiss."

She was really cute in that state, so I smiled. See, it's all Yuki's fault, right? No boy can resist it when there's such a cute girl before him.

"No doubt that's my first kiss too."

"Hey."

Yuki lifted her head. Her face, and even till her ears, were completely red.

"My third request. One more time?"

So our lips kept touching over and over again.

Yuki and I split up at the front gates, and while I was walking home, the smartphone in my pocket rang.

'Public number' were the words written there. Normally, I would never pick up this call, but I did. For a reason.

I had a feeling I knew who called.

"Hey Yuki?"

Before she said her name, I called her. You're right, so she answered.

The voice from the phone was very soft, yet it seemed closer than usual, and I could even hear her breathing. It was something just right beside me, within my hand.

I went to the street light, which was still buzzing away, and leaned my back on the pillar, looking up at the sky. Where is she right now? So I thought as I pricked my ears to listen.

"I want to talk a little more, so I called. Mind chatting for a little longer?"

"Of course. But, what's the matter? Something happened?"

"...Why you ask?"

Well, the reason's simple, but I couldn't say it out. I gulped, and sorted myself out. Because. This time, I managed to say it. So I had to continue,

"Your voice is shaking."

Even this dull witted me knew that her voice was because she was feeling cold.

"My voice is shaking?"

"Yeah."

"I see. So it's shaking. I guess so. Hey, Yoshi-kun, I'll ask something. You don't want to forget about me, right? You want to keep remembering me, right?"

"Of course."

"No matter the price?"

"Yes."

I answered without giving much thought.

I didn't realize that this was the last fork in the road.

"Yes, you're right. I knew you'll say that, Yoshi-kun. In that case, I have one request. A final one. Are you willing to hear?"

"Of course. I spent an entire day fulfilling your wishes after all."

"Thank you. Then…"

Please bring me to the theme park. Please bring me to school. With the same warmth as when she said these wishes, Yuki said,

"Please be hurt for my sake."

"Eh?"

"Please like me, love me, hate me. Please regret over me, suffer for me. Please use all your emotions to bind our hearts together. Please don't forget about me."

This was Yuki's last wish.

I immediately looked at the watch. There's still an hour until 10.54pm. Sweat was slowly seeping from my back. The weather's cold, but for some reason, I was feeling hot, unbearable. I didn't want to hear anything. I wanted to cover my ears, to grab the happiness that was in my hand moments ago, go back home, and sleep.

Ahh, what if it's as I wish? But Yuki immediately turned that into an illusion.

She gently muttered those words.

--I'm going to die now.

Her voice seemed to be filled with joy, and tears.

"Why?"

"I took lots and lots of time from you, Yoshi-kun. I did take away the time that should be in your heart, your memories, and everything. Till this point, I did lots of cruel things."

"That's not true."

"No. That's true, but you told me that you like this me. I'm happy. Really happy. Because of that, I really pray that I'll be able to remain in your heart. Even if it hurts you, Yoshi-kun, even if I'm hated by you, I'll stick to my wish. If there's one resting place on this world for me, that'll be your heart."

It's not the answer to my question. Yuki herself probably understood this, and deliberately said these words.

But even so, I had to realize there was no pretense in her words.

Again I ran towards the road I took.

I passed the bridge, and dashed into the park. The toilet lights dimly lit the road. I retracted my steps at the fork, hesitating on where I should go. Ahh, damn it. I'm wasting precious time just being frustrated. In the end, I went to the station.

"Hey, Yuki, wait a moment. I'm on my way to you, right now. We'll talk then, alright."

"Didn't you say that you'll listen to my wishes no matter what? Are you going to break this promise again?"

"Again?"

"Yes, again. You're always like this, Yoshi-kun, always making promises you couldn't fulfill."

"What promises did I break?"

"You said you'll remember."

"Eh?"

"You said that you'll remember me when you smell the sakura."

"..."

"You said you'll never forgot."

"..."

"You said you'll invite me out to the movies."

"..."

So Yuki kept listing the promises made nowhere on this world, but in her heart. I couldn't even apologize to her. No, I had no right to apologize.

"Isn't it all a lie!?"

So, Yuki's voice was feeble, at least fulfill this promise!

"It has to be you. I can no longer say that anyone can do. I don't want to do this if it's not you. I don't care what form it is, I want to remain in your heart all the time. I don't want to be forgotten by you. I don't want to take anything away from you. Little is fine, anything is fine, I want to remain in your heart. This is the only way to do those…"

I arrived at the station.

I saw no signs of Yuki.

I looked around, nearby crashing into an uncle riding on a bicycle, stumbling around. Watch where you're going! Don't call and run! The uncle glared and yelled at me angrily. I lowered my head slightly in apology, and ran to the town hall. I could hear what the uncle was saying, but I didn't look back.

I kept running, all to keep looking for Yuki.

❄

Ever since the day I lost everything, I walked on alone till this point.

The directionless emptiness, rage and hatred unwittingly became the reason I lived. Without any of these things, I probably wouldn't be able to stand up again.

Until the day he called out to me.

It's not a metaphor, and it's not a joke. The world changed ever since that day.

He helped change me.

I got a dream.

That became my reason to live.

He fulfilled the many things the younger me wanted to do.

Before I knew it, the emptiness, rage, and even hatred vanished, and something warmer filled me instead. I can no longer look away from these feelings.

Ah, that's right.

I've fallen in love for the first time.

What shall I call these cute, wonderful days? I wondered, and shook my head. This isn't something worth being named.

We wanted to be together, forever.

To head to the ends of the world together.

But it's impossible, it can't be fulfilled.

The end of these days, our ending will be filled with overbearing sadness.

We kept encountering each other, for the sake of this one farewell.

❀

The road before the town hall was pretty empty, nobody on the road, and it's quiet everywhere. The round street light was making a round prism. Looking down, I saw three shadows at my feet, one facing right, one facing left, and one facing forward. There's probably light sources from each direction; right, left and straight.

Which side should I take to get to Yuki?

I didn't know.

And without knowing, I went forward. I didn't know why exactly, but I was quietly confident of something.

Yuki's only in front of me.

So, yes, I ran forward.

The shortest distance, the fastest speed possible, towards Yuki.

❄

The orange light shone upon me, hiding with the clear glass. The wind's howling outside, and a poster was fluttering with the wind, probably because a nail holding it down on the old billboard had fallen off.

I tried reaching my fingers forward, but I was blocked by the glass, unable to touch it.

I moved my fingers away, and there were marks of my touch on it.

Right now, I still exist on this world. Yes, I still exist in his heart.

Surely, to Yoshi-kun, I'm a very cute girl.

If he finds me cute, that's fine. Ahh, but he did say I'm very stubborn, that I'm a meanie to him, that I fawned around with him, so it might not be cute. I showed him my dirty side. He said I was really a glutton.

And in the very end, everything will be erased away. Sadness, agony and despair will definitely take my form, replacing my place in Yoshi-kun's heart.

If I can do this much, I'm finally in his heart.

This is the only way to remain in his heart.

Originally, the reason why all traces of me vanished was because I wanted to go to the future. The world had to keep erasing my existence because I lived. In that case, if I die, there's no reason for me to be erased. Of course, the past that was erased won't return, but the present that's not taken away will remain.

I've been waiting for this moment.

Being lovers for just one week.

Our thoughts truly intertwined.

During that golden period of time, I probably had engraved myself firmly, strongly within him.

More importantly, Yoshi-kun yearned for me. He reached his arms out, crawling out to me. He kept struggling for me.

But even after all that, to not obtain what one wants will surely became a large wound that can never disappear. He'll cry, endure pain, and remember me. Thus, I can continue to remain in his heart.

I could hear Yoshi-kun's tired panting from the other end of the phone.

I could hear him sprinting.

Everything's going according to plan.

Sorry. I wanted to say this selfish word, but I swallowed it back.

Those words were too sharp, such that I, who forced myself to swallow, nearby burst into tears.

❀

My arms hurt.

My feet hurt.

My heart hurt.

Beads of sweat slid towards my cheeks. My body's feeling hot, and heavy.

But I couldn't stop. I had to keep running.

I turned right down the long highway, down the slope. It's a really deep slope. I quietly warned myself to be careful, but my anxious feelings wouldn't allow myself to slow down. After taking the first step, the second step strode forth without control. Uh oh. My heart's pounding wildly. Even so, I couldn't stop. I was like a fly in the sky, moving forward. Whenever my feet landed, there would be a shock dozens of time greater.

I kept running, and naturally, I reached my limit. The right leg gave up on supporting the body weight as it bent over. I could clearly hear that stupid sound.

"Ahh."

Then, I tumbled over.

❄

Fuu. I let out a long sigh.

Time was the only thing that passed.

Several times already, I wanted to hang up, but I couldn't. What's wrong with me? The time limit's ticking closer. Come on, hang up. There's no way he'll make it here. It's a waste of time to keep hesitating. If I don't die now, I won't remain in his heart.

But my body couldn't move.

Yuki.

My name he called countless times surrounded my arm.

Yuki.

I closed my eyes, saw his gentle smile, and my legs felt heavier.

I kept thinking and thinking.

I kept brooding and brooding.

And after that, I should have chosen my wish. Even though I knew it'll hurt him. Even though I knew it'll make him sad.

But even so--

Suddenly, I heard something.

It was from the other end of the phone, from him.

It was the sound of someone crashing, someone groaning. No, I couldn't even hear that sound.

For me, the one memory I didn't want to remember awoke in me.

Forgetting everything, I called out his name.

"Yoshi-kun, are you alright? What happened? Hey! Yoshi-kun. Answer me!"

❀

At that moment, I grabbed the smartphone in my hand with all my might, curled up, and brought the cellphone to the my core.

Because of that, I just fell onto the ground without using any ukemi technique. There was a sharp pain striking my left shoulder, causing me to groan. After rolling for a while, I stopped.

I had difficulty breathing, and did my best to speak up, inhaling the cold winter air into my lungs with all my might. No matter how much oxygen I took in, I was having difficulty breathing.

I had difficulty running, and my body's in pain all over. This is terrible. I can't even stand up. Physically, and mentally.

I had a strange doubt remaining in my me.

Why am I doing this?

Someone within me said.

Isn't this enough?

Yuki's definitely suffering. She's always been alone, working hard till this point. At the very least, let her be selfish to the very end.

I kept thinking of words telling me to give up.

And even if I did find her, what did I intend to do? Was I prepared to change Yuki's determination?

I had all sorts of excuses coming up in my mind.

I'm already working hard. I had lots of unbearable experiences, and got myself dirty all over. This should be enough, right?

Once this ends, nobody will grumble. But--

There's one thing. Yuki's voice was coming from the smartphone in my hands. Yoshi-kun, are you alright? What happened? Hey! Yoshi-kun. Answer me!

I barely managed to move my body, and ended up lying on the ground, slowly opening my eyes. The dazzling light shone into my vision. The moon was shining upon me.

Sirius was shining.

I could see Aldebaran.

My mind's completely awake. The voice in my mind faded, and I could only hear a girl's voice.

Ahh, what? You don't have to be so worried about me. But I'm really happy about this.

I called out the name.

Just as she called out my name, so I called hers.

"Yuki."

"What?"

"You're cruel."

With the same trembling voice, Yuki snorted. She didn't seem to be enjoying this.

"I said this before, you know? It happened a long time ago, and though it disappeared, I did say that I'm doing something cruel to you. I did say that you can't not believe what I say."

"So what did the me back then answer?"

"...Can we meet tomorrow. You said to me."

"I'm an idiot."

"Yes. An idiot. That's why you're targeted by this bad girl."

"Yep. I'm really an idiot."

There should be more things I wanted to say.

There should be more things I had to say.

"I should have said I like you."

"...How weird are you?"

That should be fine.

You like weirdos, don't you?

Then I'll be a weirdo.

"Yes, I'm a weirdo who likes you. I might have lied a lot, broken a lot of promises, but this is the one thing that's true."

After some silence, yes, Yuki muttered. She knew.

"So I'm going over to you now. I don't know what you're thinking, what you thought, what you're frustrated about, what you're worried about, what made you decide that. In the future, I want to meet you many times, to love, to live together."

The past would refer to four years ago. Back then, there was a boy who couldn't honestly say what he wanted. For most of the things, he chose to endure, to give up. That boy no longer exists anywhere in this world.

Because I can't stand for this. I can't accept that Yuki's crying.

If I can ensure that the girl dearest to me won't cry, I'll do everything, even if I'll have to give my all.

I finally got it.

Something I really wanted from the bottom of my heart.

Something I was afraid of losing.

Something I was willing to give my all for.

Because I met Yuki.

Because, I met Yuki?

Suddenly, various things linked in my mind. Lines were formed, like the constellations appearing in my eyes. I caught sight of Orion's light.

Some time back, I mapped the stars with the picture books, connecting the stars into constellations. Was I really alone back then? Definitely not.

Found it!

I exclaimed. Yes. I finally found the link.

"Yuk. You said everything doesn't exist, but that's not true. You said you took everything from me, but that's not it."

Finally, I can confidently say that I believe you.

"You see, I'm here."

"What are you trying to say?"

Yuki's voice on the phone was filled with doubt, but I ignored her, and continued.

"A week ago, we met at that empty land. It's not a coincidence. Shiro's sleeping there. I stopped because Shiro was buried there. If you didn't ask me four years ago, there's no way we would have met there."

On the other end of the phone, Yuki gasped.

"Because of your existence, Shiro didn't live her last moments alone. Because of your determination, she's sleeping in the place filled with warmth. And because you kept mustering your courage to talk to me, I'm here. It's all connected. All this time, you've been in my heart."

I went to various places alone, and did lots of things. I enjoyed these things in my memories, all because Yuki was next to me. It's fine, Yuki. It's fine. You didn't take anything away from me. Not only that, you gave me lots of things.

A girl did her best to change me to my current self.

Yuki muttered.

"I'm already in your heart, Yoshi-kun?"

"Yeah, that's right. You're right here, within me."

"...I see. I guess that's enough. Then my life has already--"

"No, it's nothing. More importantly, hey, Yoshi-kun. Can I change the last wish a little? If I'm really in your heart, prove it to me. Get to me. Please. Call my name."

I closed my eyes tightly. I opened them. The vision's shockingly brighter.

"I'll go over right now. Immediately."

"...I'll be waiting."

I exerted strength into my right hand. I felt heat. It might be because I was using the phone for a long time that the phone was a little hot. However, it's not burning. It's as warm as Yuki's palm.

I grasped it.

I had to keep grabbing it, so that I wouldn't lose it, that I wouldn't let it slip.

Because--

We call that heat 'love'.

I put my hands on the floor, and stood up.

Tsuu, haa. I was aching inside. I nearly cried. But I took the first step. I took the second step. I gritted my teeth, and sped up.

I ran by my middle school. How many times did I chase after a certain person's shadow here? --she's not here.

I ran by the convenience store, which I passed on my way home after club activities ended. How many times did I eat ice cream alone here? --she's not here.

I passed the bookshop I often visited. How many times did I purchase the new novel publications? --she's not here.

Before I knew it, the library's right behind me. How many times did I struggle with the maths homework alone? --she's not here.

I passed the game center, the karaoke, the bowling alley, the batting center, the cinema. She's not in any of them.

This town's filled with my lonely memories.

None of them had Yuki's presence.

I was alone.

But at this point, I can see a certain person over there. After she was erased, something was always used to cover up a person's existence, yet I did hear laughter. It sounded really happy, belonging to the girl I like.

I turned right at the T junction, and ran straight ahead. How many times did I run down this road alone? But back then, surely there was Yuki before me. Haa, haa. I kept driving my legs. I looked forward. It's the path towards Yuki, from the vanished time.

So I believe.

I looked towards the public hall far away.

I saw the little billboard.

I saw someone inside a public phone booth that was glowing dimly in the darkness. Even though I could only see a silhouette, that person's making a call. I found her. I heaved a sigh of relief.

I reached my hand out.

Just a little. Just a little more.

But even so, why--

The clock hands wouldn't stop.

There was still some distance between us. I couldn't see Yuki's face clearly. I couldn't hear Yuki's voice. My voice couldn't reach her. I was here, but Yuki never noticed me.

Emotions immediately exploded.

Anxiety, sadness, rage. And most of all, fear.

I was gasping, short of breath. I couldn't make a sound. The word end appeared in my mind. No, no, no. I don't want this end, no!

Yuki, who's been quiet the entire time, suddenly said.

The voice came from the phone.

"Thank you very much for everything. I'm really happy. I really enjoyed myself. Actually, ever since I met you, I had been really happy. It's great to live till now."

Why are you saying it like it's the end? This isn't the end! It's not over. You're still here, Yuki. You're still here.

"Actually, no matter what happens, I probably won't be able to get what I want. I used to be a hollow shell, yet right now, my heart's filled with so many memories. We went to the seaside that winter, but it wasn't cold because both of us were together. We went to the cinema together, but I enjoyed myself, because we watched the movie together. When we had my first snowball fight together, I was really pumped up. I tried lots of delicious things, no doubt about that. I'm not defending myself here, but I'm not really a glutton, you know? It's too delicious when you're with me, Yoshi-kun, so I overate. Eating's living after all."

That's not enough, right? Let's create lots of memories together. Let's go to various places. Let's go eat lots and lots of delicious things. So,

"We held hands many times. Your hand has always been warm, and I like it. My heart was pounding so wildly, I thought it'll explode, but it felt nice."

Yuki's hand was really cold. But soon it got warm. Because of that, I was happy.

"Actually, this is the first time in my life that I like someone. I told him that I like him, and he told me that he likes me. I said lots of stubborn things to him, and fooled around with me. Wooing a boy feels pretty good. Hm. Yeah, it really feels good."

If I could have said, it was my first love, that would be great, but it's probably not. I guess I fell in love with the same certain person 214 times. The same person. You.

"The first kiss was actually after school, in the classroom. It's really dramatic. Speaking of which, in the manga, they say a first kiss tastes like lemon, but I think that's not true. It's embarrassing, a happy thing to kiss, there's no way to taste anything. Or do you know what it is, Yoshi-kun? How does the first kiss taste like?"

There's no way I could tell.

Hey, Yoshi-kun.

Yuki called out to me.

"...Looking at this, our romance's pretty normal. It's like an ordinary boy going out with an ordinary girl, just an ordinary story. But. No. Actually, it's because of this that I feel something worth giving my all for. Because of you, I'm able to say these words now. Eheheh. It feels a little embarrassing. But I'll say it now. Listen. This is my life. The dazzling days I spent with you, Yoshi-kun."

Surely, Yuki kept living for the sake of these words.

--This is the Happiest Love Story on this World.

Her voice was no longer shaking.

Finally, my dearest Yuki said the words of farewell, as proudly as she normally was.

And at the same time, the chest ripping pain became heat as it slid down my cheeks.

"Why are you saying this? I still want to be with you. So, I beg of you. Live on! Keep living!"

Did my words reach her?

Did she hear me?

Are we still connected?

Just a little longer. Yuki can change her mind again if there's some opportunity, some time. But that some wasn't enough.

"I'll wait for you. I'll always be waiting for you. For you to call my name!"

My knees ached. I endured, making sure that I didn't let out a groan. My knees were shaking, and I couldn't exert strength. It's like my strength was flowing out from a wound, along with blood. I was losing balance. I expended everything just gritting my teeth, forcing myself not to fall.

Why!? Why now!? Get moving! I don't care that I won't move ever again! Get me over to Yuki! Please! The girl I like is over there!

"...I like you. I really do! I like you more than anyone, anything!"

I yelled.

I called out the name dearest to me in this world, towards that little light.

I prayed that my voice could reach her.

"Yu,--"

This was all I could do.

And at that moment, the world silently changed.

In that moment, when eternity seemed compressed, I dreamt that I saw a girl.

The Yuki who said she likes me.

The Yuki who sought a reason to hold hands.

Who fought in a snowball fight.

Who went to the theme park.

Who kissed in the classroom no one else was in.

Who said that she'll be waiting. But I--

Our memories together, past events, Yuki's voice, actions, expressions, each of them fell one by one, and upon contact, didn't pile up. Instead, they slipped from my hands. Ahh, wait. Wait a second.

Soon, the final words melted, and fell.

"Bye bye, Yoshi-kun. You're always the only one on my mind. Yuki Shiina is the one who loves Haruyoshi Segawa most on this world."

Yuki's smile appeared in my mind. This was the last fragment belonging to Yuki within me.

My foot speed slowed. Not long after, I stopped in my tracks.

There was just one syllable left in my sentence.

But I no longer knew what it was.

I never knew what the world took from me.

❀

I took a deep breath to recover.

Where was I going?

Suddenly, I felt a sudden pain in my knees. It was the grazed wound after I fell. I took a hard tumble, and ended up injured all over. I was scared of pain, and shed tears, but I kept running to a certain place. Even so, I ended up stopping.

Seriously, what was I doing?

"Ahh damn it! It hurts! It really does! I want to cry!"

I was crying, but I ended up acting tough, and the voice ultimately never reached anyone as it slowly disappeared.

A half moon was high up in the sky, and the moonlight shone into these eyes of mine, while I knew nothing.

❄

The phone line was quietly cut off.

Like the two hundred and so times before, the world cruelly cut off my contact with him.

I couldn't stand up at all, and remained knelt in the phone booth. There's no need to endure anymore. I shriveled, hugging myself. My breathing alone sounded really noisy. Once this too faded away, I started noticing the echo deep within my ears. It's a hallucination. I knew. But…

The voice was teeny weeny, yet it was like the stars dazzling in the night sky, sparkling in the middle of my heart.

Wait for me. Keep living.

These words were still calling for me.

They should have vanished.

They shouldn't have existed at all.

So why were they still shaking my heart?

He's a meanie. He's an annoying one. Ah, but even so,

He's the weirdest person on this world.

Before I knew it, I was smiling. I was able to smile.

For my hands were full with what I could hold.

The place I finally reached, the place Yoshi-kun led me to, the ending that was more wonderful than I expected. In the future, he'll surely be smiling. He'll be smiling along with the long time he spent with me. That's why I'm happy enough.

I wiped my tears hard, and stood up.

I put my hands in my pocket, and my fingers touched something hard. What is it? I took it out, and found chocolate. It's a really common type sold everywhere. It doesn't cost 100 yen, and it was given by the boy whose name I knew not of back then. That was our beginning.

"If possible, can you gift me chocolate?"

His voice sounded hopeful.

"Of course. Well, because it'll be from my girlfriend."

His expression was bashful.

Well, at the very least, I should give this to him. We promised. Didn't the lying boy finally fulfill this promise for me?

He called out my name. Half of it.

It's just one syllable, but I did hear it. It's not a voice through the phone line, but his honest voice. Let's go fulfill that promise. Dad, mom, Umi. Mind waiting a little longer...just a little?

I left the phone booth, and in a corner of my eyes, I caught sight of a silhouette whose name I knew not of, but I didn't check, and left in the opposite direction of that person.

In the distant horizon, the light of the half moon shone into my eyes.

It's a pretty moon.

So I earnestly thought.

It's been a long while since I was so madly in love with this world.

Back when I loved this world, so much that I wished to live on.

### 010. Epilogue: Yuki's Smell

## Epilogue - Yuki's Smell

It's morning, I woke up as usual, had breakfast, and washed my face, only to realize something. No, I already knew about it, just that my heart just caught up to reality.

The sleeves of the school uniform I wore for three years no longer fit me.

At the end of February, I took the second exam. Not even a week passed, and it was the graduation ceremony. Yesterday's the results announcements.

For the past few days, I was scrambling around.

I intended to check my number on the computer, to see if I made it, but dad had a peek at it earlier. Congratulations, so he said over the phone, his voice shaking. Thank you. That was the brief conversation we had. Once I hung up, elation rose up my heart.

I immediately collapsed onto the bed, my hand reaching for the orange light. My palm felt some warmth, so I clenched it. I felt I was grabbing something. Then, I opened the hand. There's nothing on it, but…

I did grab something.

I changed into shirt and jeans, and put on a cardigan, before heading down the road to school I walked for three years. During mid-February, there's lots of snow piled up, but at this point, it's already Spring.

With the warm sun shining down, the snow vanished without a trace.

I looked at the sky blue like water as I kept walking, and spotted a familiar face.

It's been a week since we met, right? Before then, we would meet every single day. It's weird. This human relationship thing can easily break like this if neither of us maintain it. Those things I don't ever want to give up on, I'll have to keep reaching my hands out for them.

"Yaa, morning Akane."

I lifted my hand to greet her, and she waved back,

"Morning. What are you doing early in the morning."

"Go report to school that I passed. The results were out yesterday."

"You're too serious. I settled it with a call."

"Well, a lot of teachers helped me out, so I want to tell them the good news directly. If you got time, do you want to come along with me, Akane?"

"Sure. This Akane-san's kind enough to come along with you."

"Thanks."

There were few pedestrians on this working day, and there was a little silhouette before us, nobody else to be seen. As we approached it, it seemed the silhouette was approaching us, being a little bigger. Despite that, we're so far away that we can't determine each other's gender. Will that silhouette approach us, pass us by, or turn away on the way?

Without thinking too much, I started wondering about these useless things, and that's why I ended up saying the rest,

"Akane. I want to ask you something, so promise me, don't get angry, okay?"

"Nope. Even if I say no, you're going to ask. Nice personality you have there, Haru."

"Thanks for that."

"No, I'm not praising you. I'm being sarcastic."

"Of course I know that."

I said with a proud look, and Akane sighed, seemingly having given up on something.

"So, what's it that you want to ask?"

"That day, February 14th. Did you give me chocolate or something…?"

For every word I said, Akane's words clearly looked increasing annoyed. Just looking at her mood, I knew the answer. Ahh, she's really angry. No, she's just sulking.

"That never happened, right?"

Once I said that, Akane pinched my face. Anyway, it hurts.

"You're asking the girl you dumped?"

"That's why I asked you not to get angry."

"In your dreams."

Akane pinched my other cheek with her other hand. Yay, yay, she fooled around as she tugged on my cheeks to both sides. Seriously, what's this? It really hurts.

Puhahaha, she couldn't help but laugh. You're really ugly, she said.

"Haa, such a good laugh here. Since I'm feeling merciful, I'll get this clear. So, what did you say? Ah, I remember. You received chocolate from someone on the 14th, didn't you, Haru?"

"Yesu."

My cheeks are pulled so much, I couldn't open my mouth, so I couldn't answer properly. It seemed Akane too knew as she finally let go. Once I had such a thought of relief, I got slapped by her with both hands. This hurts five times more than before.

"You don't know where you got it from, so that means, you didn't receive it from that person's hands, right?"

I rubbed my cheeks, nodding.

"It was in my house mailbox. I found it while picking up the morning newspapers. There's no sender name on it, but I guess it's probably from someone who knows that I collect the newspapers every morning."

It's a common chocolate. Yes, it's sold at the nearby convenience store, and doesn't have packaging. I often ate such chocolate in middle school, but the taste seemed different from what I ate back then. It feels really sweet.

"I didn't know you have the habit of picking up the newspapers, Haru."

"Fumu. If it's not you, Akane, then who?"

"You ask who, but it doesn't matter now, right? That person probably mustered all her courage to deliver that chocolate to you. Right now, the chocolate's in your hands. Yep, that's right. Her love might have been repaid. Such love does exist anyway. Look, personally, I don't think unrequited love is necessarily meaningly.

Once I was told of that, I didn't pursue the matter further.

I couldn't respond to Akane's courage and adoration. But it's to be expected. Besides,

"While you're still angry, I want to ask something, alright?"

"...Sure."

"How does it feel to like something?"

Akane stared at me.

"I haven't fallen in love anyway."

Over the past 18 years, I never had a romance with anyone.

For all my life, I never knew of the fearless passion to think of the world as the enemy, and neight did I know of any scorching pain in my heart.

Relax, you know love very well. So Akane denied what I said.

"Back then, Haru, when you rejected my confession, you had fallen for someone. No. Maybe that's not love, but back then, your heart's definitely feeling something as blazing as love. Back then, your heart surely contained an existence more important than me. That's why you rejected my confession, Haru."

Akane, walking backwards the whole time, turned around, and continued with her back facing me.

"Girls are pretty strong, and yet weak, stupid creatures, I guess. Men probably won't understand this, I guess. It's like putting a gem in a drawer, and taking it out to look and satisfy her feelings. If there's a gem or something similar in the heart, then no matter the despair, a girl's able to keep on living. I think that passion of yours became that certain person's gem, Haru."

"You're exaggerating it. There's no proof to what you said."

"Yep. But I got something more convincing."

"What's that?"

"A girl's instinct."

After saying that, Akane stopped talking. Her back clearly had the words 'don't ask' inscribed on it.

That moment, I finally noticed something. The silhouette that should be far from us passed us by. We chatted for a long time, huh? Seemed like it's a female. The long hairlocks entered a corner of my eyes for a moment, before leaving. I didn't get to see her. The sweet fragrance of spring however was proof that she once existed, lingering in the air.

Suddenly, a gust blew by, pushing my back.

A voice came along with it.

Just one sentence.

Yoshi-kun.

I felt that I was called by the latter bit of my name.

Hearing this for the first time, I hurriedly turned back, but there was nobody behind. Akane noticed me stopping, and turned to look towards me.

The next moment, we were both shocked, at a loss for words.

Before us, there was a breathtakingly beautiful scenery.

In the spring breeze, something akin to white light particles glittered, as though blessing the world.

It scattered.

LIke snowflakes.

--The sakura petals are dancing.

I opened my palm, gently grasped it, and opened it to see a white petal lying on it. The petal didn't melt because of my palm, and it got taken by the breeze again, flying to a distant unknown.

To a place I couldn't reach.

I was feeling a little forlorn. Why's that?

I sighed, and inhaled hard at this fresh air of spring.

"Tastes like snow."

"Eh, no way. There's no snow. It's the sakura smell."

I recalled myself playing a snowball fight against the elementary school kids this Winter.

To split teams, we used the sakura perfume. The snow with that fragrance hit my face, bringing much pain and cold. That, along with the sakura fragrance that followed, was ingrained deeply in my mind.

Snow giving off sakura fragrance. Two things that definitely couldn't coexist definitely meshed together. Isn't that interesting? There's nothing weird about that.

It's like the world's trying to hide a secret--

Most likely, it's called a miracle.

So I thought as I smiled, denying Akane's words,

"No, it's Yuki's smell."

I believe that in the future, every spring, I'll remember the melted snow.

For some reason, that alone is enough for me to happy about.

### 011. Afterword

It's nice to meet you.

In a sentence, I'll say this work is the first 'Hello' from me to you. I'm really happy to use encounter you using this heavy hearted story. This is Aya Hazuki.

Henceforth, please take care of me.

Now then, before I started writing, I was wondering what I should write for my afterword. There aren't many pages, so I'll write a little episode involving me and this work.

It was the end of March, 2017, while it was still cold. On that day, I sent my manuscript through the internet, and dreamed of myself debuting as an author, editing this work. That day, I intended to change the heroine's name to kanji, and my hands were tapping quicking, changing them.

Finally, the screen showed a kanji I studied in elementary school. It's not Yuki (由希), nor was it snow (雪). When I saw that, ahh, so I thought, and just smiled to myself.

It's embarrassing, I finally realized the nature of the story I wrote. Right now, I realized that the final words Yuki left behind were truly heartfelt. We never met, but I really believe she existed.

That's why she said with the brightest smile possible.

This is a happy (幸, Yuki) love story.

Now then, for the thanksgivings.

Starting off, the judges who appraised this work with the rare 'gold award', and lavished lots of passion into it. Buuta-san, who provided the amazing illustrations of Yuki and Haruyoshi. The designer Kamabe-san who's legendary to me. Everyone who helped me out, it's all thanks to your assistance that this book's the most special in the world. For someone who loves books, this is something I'm most delighted by.

Thank you very much.

Of course, my sincerest thanks to you, reading this work, with book in hand.

If, in the hottest midsummer, a certain autumn culture festival, or a snowy night, you're able to smell the morning fragrance of spring, and remember her story a little.

This will be of utmost joy to this work, and to me.

“It’s sudden, but can I request something from you?”

If one day, if you're able to hear this voice in the middle of the sakura fragrance.

Please think of the girl pretty as snow, smiling happily--

December 2017. The day he and her met. Aya Hazuki.

### 012. Hello, Hello and Hello ~Piece of Mind~

## Prologue: The Flower Colors Drawn Out

This is the story I (watashi) created, of that 'wish' (till now) he knew not of.

And also--

This is the story of 'hope' (henceforth) she knew not of that was given to me (boku), reaching out to a certain Spring.

I (watashi) was returning from school.

My destination was a certain little park, a shortcut leading home, but I was stopped in my tracks just outside of it.

Yes, I reached the little park, wanting to take the shortcut, only to stop there.

There was a really pretty person there sitting on a really dirty bench. I had never seen such a pretty person. She had a closed book on her knees, with a pink bookmark placed on the cover, instead of between the pages.

I guess the world, or God Himself even, might have been really familiar with her beauty.

The sunlight was so gentle, that it was hard to imagine there being a snowstorm mere days ago. It filled the world with its blessings, and the scenery was picturesque.

If possible, I want to keep looking, so I thought.

Driven by that impulse, I tugged hard at the straps of the large red backpack, and took a deep breath. Giving myself silent encouragement, I changed directions and cautiously approached the sitting beauty, like I was approaching a newly-discovered kitten. Finally, I sat next to her.

She glanced at me, but quickly looked into the distance again, scratching her head as she lifted it up towards the sky, bluer than yesterday.

Despite that, it'll be a while until Spring arrives, and the sakura trees by the side were still naked.

So what is with this sweet sakura fragrance floating around? I wondered.

I kept looking at her.

The outline of her straightened throat.

The silhouette of her slightly raised chin.

And the eyes reflecting the blue sky.

Now that I could admire her from up close, there was another level of sparkle to her beauty.

Her long hair was really fluffy, her eyebrows a little raised. Her face looked happy, satisfied, delighted, but...

She seemed a little sad.

I approached her probably because of that imperceptible sadness. Even though the scene appeared so perfect... No, it because of that apparent perfection that I noticed the flaw.

“Hey, hey, big sister."

I called out to her, and it startled her enough to jolt her shoulders. She turned her head towards me, pointed her finger at her pretty face, and widened her eyes. She looked really cute. Well, it was probably rude to think of someone older than me as cute. Couldn’t help it when this was my first thought, though.

“'Big sister', as in me?"

“Uhm."

“Okay... What's the matter?"

Our chat started with the most unnecessary topic.

“Your long hair is really pretty."

She beamed gently.

“Is that so?"

“Isn't it troublesome to leave it that long?"

“Very. But I never thought of cutting it."

“Hmm... Why?"

“Because this is something I'm proud of. The passing of time, the thoughts I had, it was the best proof of me falling in love."

I think mama once said that before, that every year, the hair grows by 15cm.

Time couldn’t be seen, but here it was moving gently next to her in a tangible way. How long was her hair right now?

“Have you fallen in love before, sis?"

“Yep. The happiest love in this whole world."

I looked up at her, trying to digest the meaning of the words 'happiest love in this whole world'. What was that? Something really sweet?

It brought up a thought.

I fumbled around my pocket until my fingertips touched something hard. Great. I still had two left.

“Want some chocolate, sis?"

I took out a bite-sized chocolate from my pocket and handed it to her. I wanted to have it as a snack later but it wasn’t like I couldn’t give it to her. Because today...

“Eh?"

“You don't like chocolates?"

“I do. Really. But why give it to me?"

“I feel energized when I get sweets. Don’t you, big sister?"

“No. I do too."

“Then, please have some."

I ate one of the two chocolates and left the other next to her. Though a little hesitant, she finally took it.

“Thank you."

I saw her put the little chocolate between her red lips, and told her, “I heard that it's Valentine's Day today, a day for friends. It's a day to give chocolate to important people."

Saying that made me feel a bit embarrassed, and I hurriedly looked away.

My eyes ended up looking at the park’s playground. There was a swing and a slide. Nobody was around, and it felt lonely, like the whole world had forgotten about this place. I figured that being able to see the big sister in a corner of my vision was a comfort of sorts.

But she rolled the chocolate in her mouth, and wasn't able to speak.

I was the only one talking.

“I wanted to give chocolate to Tai-chan and Kai-kun. Have you given any to anyone, big sister?"

She nodded gently.

“Well, everyone's happy. I'll be really happy if you cheer up too, big sister."

“…But I am?"

“Actually, it looks like you're crying."

Hearing those words, she touched her cheeks with her hand as if checking something.

Her fingertips found no dampness.

“Fufu. Sounds like something someone once said to me. What a bother. What a bother."

Her feet rocked back and forth, like a swing.

There seemed to be more sadness in her expression now. However, her face looked much happier than before. I wondered why that was?

“The promise reached him, and his echoing voice is still catching me in turn, not letting go."

――Those words sounded like a curse (blessing).

Once she said that, a light gust of wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches. It was a little cold still as it was barely past Winter time. The golden light of Spring glittered in the corner of my eyes.

In that moment, the pink bookmark escaped her hands and flew into the sky.

It disappeared in the light, looking like a sakura petal.

““Ah.""

We exclaimed in unison, standing up, reaching with our hands after it. However, it ended up just evading her palm, and gently landing in mine. It was an ordinary piece of paper, blank on both sides. However, I could tell that she really treasured it and had held onto it for a really long time. Her characteristic sakura fragrance had completely soaked into the surface.

“Here, big sister."

She stared at it, and shook her head.

“Keep it. As thanks for the chocolate."

“But without this, you won't know where you stopped reading at."

“Ah... See, it's not really a bookmark..." her words trailed off, and she started muttering to herself.

“I guess... That moment really happened. It's not a lie, is it?" I think I heard her say.

Soon after, she told me what it really was. She kept it with the book, so I thought it was a bookmark, but now that she explained, it really was more like 'that'. Even though there was nothing woven through it leaving just a hole at the top.

It was something used to make wishes to the stars.

“Can I?"

“Yep. My wish has been fulfilled."

“What did you wish for, big sister?"

“I, no, the two of us... We shouted the same wish at the last moment, towards each other. Like Vega and Altair in the sea of dazzling stars. 'Come see me', 'call my name', things like that. That is, —"

She paused, took a deep breath, and lifted her head.

Then, she smiled very happily.

“The proof of great love."

Somehow, the sadness disappeared from her face. Did the sweetness of the chocolate melt away her sadness? Did she recall something happy, so happy that it surpasses the sadness and despair? I would never know.

There's one thing I do know, though.

I have never met a person with such a pretty smile again in my entire life.

I nearly burst into tears, starting to panic. My nose felt itchy, the world's starting to twist around. I wasn't sad, nor in despair. It's not painful.

It was like... like she just brought all the happiness in the world into her hands when she smiled, filling my heart, causing it to be oh so warm.

“So if you make a wish in the future, and find something you really want, you can try writing on it. It'll definitely reach the sparkling stars, just like mine did."

If that was the case, could I smile as happily as she just had?

I was in the midst of doing my own homework, and opened the drawer, wanting to get my eraser. There's a photo of me together with my friends, the test script when I got my first full marks, the great luck charm I drew at the shrine, the glass ball in the ramune, and various other memories inside the desk.

However, what attracted my attention was a faint sakura fragrance coming from a pink slip of paper.

It resembled a bookmark, but actually, it was used to write wishes.

It was something I picked up at a nearby park a long time ago. Right now, I was completely different from that girl back then, I did have a wish I wanted to fulfill no matter what. I thought about it now. I was lost. In the end, I never got down to chasing after that wish.

So this pink fragment of spring, which had been delivered to me by the cold breeze of dying winter, had remained completely blank inside my drawer.

And so it would remain, until the time I would encounter the day when I would be able to write that wish down.

## Contact 130 - The Stars Clutter, The Wishes Weaved

“Eh, it’s Yoshi-kun. Hello~”

It happened 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet.

I stopped at the Southern exit of the shopping arcade. There was a small antiquarian bookshop opened to the public, and Yoshi-kun was beyond it.

It seemed he never noticed my voice and my highly raised hand.

After some thought, I went a different way. To him, of course.

He could not hear my footsteps, and I crept up to him.

Dust refracted the light shining through the door and windows of the dim shop, glittering as they danced in the air. He, focused on the book in such an environment, was mesmerizing.

A day’s worth of lessons was over, but the white shirt on him remained. His back was so straight, one might wonder if there was a stick in his back. The long bangs might be causing him difficulty in reading, so he did move them aside from time to time. His eyebrows are pretty long for a boy, the gentle eyes beneath them were following the words.

I went to the entrance, and pulled a book from a cart full of them.

The cover was completely tattered, and there was a long crack down the spine. I could see a faint ‘¥100’ on the back, in pencil. It was cheaper than a drink can.

This book was written by a certain famous author—so famous that those who hardly read would know of his name, and the textbooks had records of him. This might be his most renowned work.

The pages were parched by the sun, and I enjoyed the distinct crispness they had, but I never paid attention to the words and the story. The entire time, I was staring at the boy bigger than me, and a year younger.

Did he sense my stare? Or was it just coincidence?

Yoshi-kun lifted his eyes from the book, as though he had thought of something, only to finally see me. He was surprised, and beamed.

I too beamed.

“Is this book interesting?”

“Sorta.”

“But you seem rather engrossed there?”

We never talked, and merely twitched our eyebrows, mouth and eyes to express our emotions and thoughts.

“You figured me out. Ehh, mind waiting a bit? I’m almost done here.”

“Ehh~shall I wait~?”

“Please do.”

“Just joking. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks. What are you reading?”

Yoshi-kun nodded towards me, and tilted his head sceptically. I raised the book to his height, showing him the cover, and saw his look of understanding in while his vision was halved.

“I see. That famous one. Give me five minutes.”

“Yes.”

Yoshi-kun immersed himself into the sea of the story, beginning to navigate once again.

This time, I quietly pursued the impatient words eager to convey their story, so as not to disturb him.

❆

I first met Haruyoshi Segawa-kun two days ago.

I approached him while he was heading home, asking him how to head to the station.

I already knew however, and he would unsuspectingly accept this flimsy approach.

“Thanks for helping me out. I’m staying at the hotel near there. Didn’t know how to go back after going out on a stroll.”

The gloomy skies were on the verge of crying, the tips of the two umbrellas scraped the asphalt, creaking away.

“A hotel? So you’re on a trip or something?”

“Hm, something like that.”

“There are places more appropriate for sightseeing though. Ah, not there. This side’s a little closer. Oh yes, erm…”

“I’m Yuki Shiina.”

“Segawa Haruyoshi.”

We introduced ourselves as we went down the paths, which I had walked countless times with. We talked our our names, ages, and even the blood types, which was unnecessary to begin with. One again, I heard for the first time, the things I had heard so many times.

“Now that you mention it, it is a pity. Guess a town with nothing much around is pretty boring, eh?”

“Hmm, you can’t be saying that about the town you live in though. I prefer to just walk around and see the plain, ordinary sights than the famous tourist attractions. Also, I like this town..”

This is true.

I really do like this town.

“Well, I can’t say that I don’t understand how you feel. Every time I find an unfamiliar alley, I end up walking in.”

“You really do, huh?”

“Yeah, even though I don’t know where I’ll be going.”

“It’s fun when you don’t know where you’ll end up at.”

“I do get what you mean. It’s not a feeling I want to know, not something I should, but I always end up lost, as you say.”

While we were chatting away, we found an alley. I tapped the entrance with my umbrella, and as I knew Yoshi-kun had stopped behind me, I turned around to smile.

His face was clearly going ‘whelps, here we go’. It was really funny.

That face of his definitely was not of disgust. I, and only I, knew that.

“Okie, let’s go.”

“Ohh~!”

We raised our fists enthusiastically, and entered the alley.

Day by day, we were moving to summer, and the temperature continued to rise with the number of days. There were uncommon flowers growing on the walls, and the leaves looked exceptionally green next to them.

“Shiina-san, if I may ask, where are you from?”

He asked as he pried aside the leaves reaching his eyes.

“Call me Yuki. No honorifics, of course.”

I was unable to answer this question, so I replied so to throw him off.

“Eh, but you’re older.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

“Not Haru?”

“Is that what others always call you?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I guess I should call you Yoshi-kun. It’s boring to be the same as everyone. Guess we decided?”

I smiled, and Yoshi-kun’s face was a little red, maybe because of the simmering heat. He spaced out silently.

“Yoshi-kun?”

I tilted my head to look up at his face, and he reeled flusteredly. For ome reason, he looked away again. Eh, what was with that response? I never saw that before.

“Eh? Ah, yeah. Got it. Please take care of me, Yuki.”

“Hm? Okay, please take care of me, Yoshi-kun.”

It happened on June 29th, Wednesday.

We began the 130th meeting on the day, the day where the plum rain was about to arrive.

❆

Once I was done reading a short story within that old book, Yoshi-kun left the shop. The bag slinging from his shoulder was swaying by his waist. He was holding a brown bag as big as a book.

“Kept you waiting.”

“Can’t resist after all, huh?”

“Sorta. But I don’t like it when I can’t finish the exciting parts.”

He raised the paper bag as he said so, and I noticed something else in his hand. It was a rectangular pale blue paper. A bookmark? It would be boring if it was.

“Say, Yoshi-kun. What is that?”

“Which one?”

“The pale blue.”

“Huh, this? A gift I guess. Well…it’s July soon, right?”

“Yes?”

“And on July 7th…”

“Tanabata.”

It was the day where two lovers, separated by the Milky Way, could finally meet.

In other words, that paper is—

“Yeah, I guess the committee came up with this to liven up the shopping street this year. All the shops give this strip to the shoppers. There’s an open space down this road, and the bamboos will be there. The lights will be lit on Tanabata.”

That imagery was conjured in my mind. The bamboo leaves swaying with the leaves, the dazzling lights shining upon countless wishes.

Being a little agitated, I said,

“That’s great.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. It really is. Can I join in too?”

“I guess so? As I said, you get one strip if you shop here.”

“I see. Wait a sec please. I’ll buy a book too.”

This time, Yoshi-kun’s waiting outside, and I entered the antiquarian bookshop.

The shop’s darker and smaller than I imagined.

There was a cashier deep inside the shop, and an uncle was seated on a bench, reading intently. He was wearing a loose shirt and pants, and clearly did not look like anyone belonging to the service sector. Was he the boss? He merely glanced aside at me, and returned to the world of the book in his hands. I merely nodded to him, and trotted to the aisles between the bookshelves

Renown and obscure works were lined together. The book spines were door handles leading to another world.

Which, one, shall, I choose, then.

Seeking out stories is an interesting experience. To be honest, I really wanted to spend lots of time choosing one, but Yoshi-kun’s waiting for me, so I have to choose quickly. Dazai? Akutagawa? Or maybe I should try out Yukio Mishima since I never read his works. There’s his Temple of the Golden Pavilion and so on.

Erm…Mishima, Mishima and …

I slid my finger by the names of the author on the spines, according to Gojuon, only to find a completely unrelated book between them.

The title was written in white, with a deep blue base.

Someone probably stuffed it here without returning it to the proper place.

I touched the hard spine of the book with my fingertip, and slowly pried it from the pile. Its cover, adorned with light blobs of various sizes, slowly showed itself from the spine. It was a graphic book depicting the constellation.

I knew nothing of the stars’ names, nor their shapes. Such knowledge’s commonly used as novel themes, and I wanted to learn about them one day, but I never got the chance. This might be it.

I pulled the book out from the row of them, and took it off the shelf. “Huu”, so I blew at the dust gathered on the cover, and gently dusted it. The smooth surface was nice to touch.

It’s a well made book. A little dirty, but pretty clean for a second-hand book.

I nonchalantly flipped through the pages, and found lots of colorful illustrations used in this book. It explained each and every seasonal constellation. I then checked for the page number indicating Tanabata, closed the book, and took it in my hands. I then said to the uncle.

“I’m buying this book.”

It was priced exactly at 500 yen.

I didn’t know if it was expensive or not.

I was given a pink slip.

Pata pata.

I sensed the pattering on the windows, and then lifted my head from the book I was reading.

I pried the curtain aside, and found that it was raining outside. The rain got heavier, the lights of the town dimmer in the rain, the familiar night scene gentler than before.

The moist street reflected blue and red lights, and depicted on the puddles were the sights of pedestrians moving on and the rain pelting from the sky. Replacing them were ripples expanding one after another. Such a sight left be bemused.

I closed the constellation book I bought the same day, and opened the window a little. Once I did, the moist cold air immediately swept into the humid room.

There’s a fragrance spreading gently in the room. Do I call it the smell of rain? Or perhaps it was the smell of the sky.

The countless transparent rain droplets fell from the sky, and to me, they were the threads linking heaven and earth.

I gently reached my hand out of the window, and a raindrop landed on my fingertip, before splashing away. It never rested on my finger, and quickly slid further down..

I looked towards its source.

The sky typically wouldn’t lose to the lights of the town, but on this day, the skies were grey.

I could not see beyond the grey clouds, but I was imagining the imagery beyond the dark clouds.The constellations that were depicted in the book.

On the topic of the summer night sky, the most famous of the constellations are α Cygni, α Aquilae and α Lyrae, the vertices of the Summer Triangle. The bluish-white star of α Lyrae is Vega, and α Aquilae is Altair. The Milky Way flows right between them, and they can only meet once a year.

With my other hand, I patted the pink paper that was next to the book.

It was an ordinary piece of paper.

It was a little thin, regular, a uniformly colored bookmark. On the yearly Tanabata however, it seems wishes can be granted if one is to write a wish and hang it on the bamboo.

Such trivial things won’t cause miracles however.

The world’s occasionally kind, but it’s typically cruel.

I knew that, very well indeed. But…

I had countless urges to write my wish, but I could never express them clearly. Right now, the paper’s still blank.

Will it be all different if I can see the stars? If I can imagine them passing the Milky Way, will I gain some courage.

The rain continued to pour.

The clouds remained so thick.

And my eyes did not reflect the glow of the stars.

It’s hot. So I thought as I couldn’t help but close my eyes. Nowhere in particular, I was hot all over. I was burning from head to toe. When did such heat reside in my body to begin with?

I woke up due to the energy oozing from my body. I really didn’t know what happened.

My back was all sweaty, the shirt clinging to the skin. It was uncomfortable, my nose was stuffed, and I had difficulty breathing. What’s going on?

My joints were searing uncomfortably, and I grimaced. My eyelids were heavy, my body moreso. I couldn’t get up like usual, and while I tried, I quickly fell back . The neat bedsheet was crumpled, and the bed let out a little creak.

“Haa…haa…” I wheezed heavily, thinking hard as I looked to the digital watch by the bedside. The green light informed me it was less than an hour till my meeting with Yoshi-kun.

It seemed I slept for at least 12 hours. If possible however, I wanted to continue sleeping. I really had no urge to move at all.

Despite that, I unwittingly reached my hand out.

Just as how I sought the light when I was young.

I had to go.

Yoshi-kun’s waiting for me.

He probably would be waiting for me in the rain if I did not go. I felt heartache just imagining that scene.

And more importantly, I wanted to see his smile while calling my name.

“Nn, nnnn…nn!”

This time, I propped my body up with my hands.

I slowly wiped my sweat off with a cloth, and put on a winter jacket.

I looked in the mirror, and found a completely flushed me. The face was redder than apples and strawberries. The eyelids were heavy, and my eyes were half opened. That face did not look cute at all. I really didn’t want to show Yoshi-kun that.

I withheld the urge to cry, combed my hair, put on my makeup, and of course, never forgot to apply the sakura perfume.

I was exceedingly late by the time I left the hotel, but I hurried over to Yoshi-kun. I passed the station, and entered the arcade of the shopping street opposite the hotel.

I kept moving with my legs and the umbrella. My legs felt light, and I felt I was about to fall. If there was a strong gust and I did not stand upright, I would have fallen over. How long left? How long more until I could meet Yoshi-kun?

Right at this moment.

"Yuki." I heard a voice. My name was called.

However, that voice did not seem as warm as before. It sounded more worried instead.

Ah, but it is still very warm.

"What are you doing!?"

He yelled as he hurried to me. I lost all strength at that moment, probably because I was relieved. I nearly fell over, and Yoshi-kun hugged me. It's hard. It hurts.

They were the hands of a boy.

It was the body of a boy.

"Well, we promised."

"Promised?"

For what? Yoshi-kun was definitely not suffering, but he looked like he’s about to cry.

“Yes. We promised. Just yesterday, didn’t we? We said we’ll meet the next day.”

“We did, but you can’t be showing up like this.”

“You’ll be worried if I don’t show up, no? You’ll just wait for me stupidly, right?”

“That’s…”

Not the case—but to stop him from saying these words, I placed my index finger on his lips.

“You lie. I knew that.”

Because you’re here now, right?

You came looking for me because you’re worried about me, right?

I knew that. I already knew how kind a person you were.

But at this point, I was suffering, unable to say anything. I could not voice out.

And my consciousness started fading away.

“Yuki? Yuki?”

The voice calling for me became distant.

Ahh, it’s fine. I’ll just have a nap. I’ll recover after some rest. But it’s because of a person like you that I—

And my consciousness snapped. At the last moment, nobody, not even I, knew what I was thinking, what I wanted to say

❆

A long time ago, I went to see the stars.

Where did I see them? When was it?

“Hey, Yuki. Can you see it?”

Papa said to me after he got out of the car.

Just dozens of minutes ago, he suddenly yelled for me to get into the car, and I was brought to this place without knowing my destination. I was probably feeling uneasy back then.

And a little pouty.

“Mhm～Can’t see anything.”

“You got to switch off the car lights, hubby.”

“Ah, right. Wait a sec. Righto, done. How about now?”

Papa switched off the lights, and the world immediately turned dark.

We were at a corner of the world, devoid of light and noise.

At that moment, my eyes could not capture that miniscule speckle of light.

“I still can’t see.”

“Seems like your eyes have to get used to it. Okay, how about this?”

“Kya!!”

Papa covered my eyes with his hands. They were large and powerful, reliable and warmer than anything in this world. Before I knew it, I had calmed down. I heard the wind blowing, the green grass swaying away. It was extremely relieving, and I really had the urge to take a deep breath.

“Ne, nee, Sis, Papa, what are you doing? Hide and seek?”

“Yeah. You want to play too, Umi?”

“Yes!”

“Play with Mama, Umi. Come here.”

“Oh.”

I heard my sister’s innocent voice, along with Mama’s kind words. Those voices were neither too overbearing nor too soft to be heard, and they blended perfectly with the breeze.

“Hey Papa. Are you done yet?”

“What do you mean, done? I just covered your eyes, Yuki. You’re impatient. Who do you take after?”

“Well, it’s definitely not me.”

“So that makes it, me?”

“Finally have some self-awareness?”

Mama’s giggle was as carefree as my friends—

“Are we done~?”

Papa and Mama burst out laughing at Umi, who never understood what was going on. They answered in unison.

““Not yet~”“

“Oh.”

“Looks like Umi is as impatient as I am.”

“Great. Everything I love is linked to the future.”

“What about the things I love?”

“Well, you have passed them down to these two, no?”

“For example?”

“Beauty.”

“Fhm. This is true.”

“Say, hubby.”

Mama pretended to sigh,

“What is it?”

“You should be a little embarrassed when saying that.”

“Even though it's a fact?”

“That’s all the more reason.”

And the two girls who had been silent all this while let out a unified sigh, breaking the mood.

““Are we done??”“

I didn’t know what Umi was thinking, but I cried out as I really had enough of their conversation.

All this while, I felt itchy on the side of my head, along with my throat.

So the two adults replied to our immature voices with definite answers.

““It’s done~”“

Papa suddenly removed his hands, and my eyes regained light. The next moment, I saw a sea of light in my eyes. Why? Why? That space was complete darkness just now.

I looked to my side, and found Umi seated on mama’s lap, grinning away. “Umi? Have you found them?”

“Un~”

“Tell me what you found then.”

“I found the stars!”

As Umi had said, right before our eyes were tens of thousands of glittered.

Shown in our eyes were thousands of stars glittering away. I felt that I could touch the stars as long as I reached my hand out. I tried tiptoeing, reaching my hand out, but of course, I could not touch it. For some reason however, I sensed the light of the stars gathered upon my fingertips.

Papa stood next to me, pointing at the sky.

“It’s not often we get to see a starry night in spring. Let’s look for the Big Dipper. Do you know what that is, Yuki?”

“Just the name.”

That name did appear in a book I read.

“Hm, I see.”

Papa knelt down, bringing his eyes to my level.

“Think of the stars in the north as a scoop. That’s the Big Dipper.”

“Where?”

“There are four brighter stars there, right? Start linking from the one at the bottom right.”

I did as he said, and began to connect the lights.

And on the pure black canvas in my eyes, the yellow lines of lines slowly formed the shape of the constellation.

“Link that, and that, and that, right?”

I drew the lines with my finger.

“Yes. Now, draw a bigger arch with a scoop. There’s an orange light on the line, right? That’s Arcturus, Guardian of the Bears. It’s the alpha star of Boötes. Next is the white Spica, in a corner of Virgo. Link them all, and you get the Spring Triangle.”

After that, papa told me the names of many stars, like Spica and Arcturus and Denebola forming the Spring Triangle, and a larger spring Great Diamond with the Cor Caroli.

Actually, I was beginning to lose track of which star was which, but Papa was explaining so enthusiastically, and I decided to listen quietly. Even without knowing about them, I liked looking at these sparkling things. I’m a girl after all.

“Which star do you like, Yuki?”

Papa asked, and I had a little thought. The little stars were cute, and the large ones were pretty. They were all of various colors, some white, some yellow. I lifted my head towards the sky, and said the name of the first star I found.

The orange light was dazzling there.

“Arcturus. I like it..”

The moment I said this name, I felt the nameless cavity being filled up completely. I see, moments of liking something can happen at such ordinary moments too.

“I see.”

Papa patted my head. That careless way he does it always messes my hair, so I didn’t really like him touching my head. It didn’t feel so bad this time however.

“Then let’s learn a little more about Arcturus before we go home. It means Guardian of the Bears, and in Hawaii, they call it Hōkūle’a.”

“Hōkūle‘a.”

I repeated papa’s words, wanting to engrave it in my memories.

“Yes. It means ‘the Star of Gladness’. If there’s anything to be happy about, look up at the sky and find this star. Your joy will definitely reach it.”

❆

I opened my eyes, and the orange light I had seen in the sky a long time ago entered my eyes.

I unwittingly muttered the name of that star, and the boy seated by the bedside tilted his head. It’s Yoshi-kun. Looking at it carefully, I found that it was not the starry sky, but the familiar ceiling of the hotel. That light’s a lot darker than a real star, bigger, and closer.

“Eh? Why are you here, Yoshi-kun?”

Papa was not here; neither was Mama, nor Umi.

Such was the reality I was in.

“You don’t remember? You had a fever, and you forced yourself to go. You collapsed there.”

Speaking of which, that seemed to be the case.

I had some memories, but my mind was preoccupied with something else entirely. Those things were still by my side just moments ago, like my family’s laughter, the glitter of the stars, Papa’s reliable arms, and Mama’s flowing long hair. These memories continued to grip my heart, never fading away.

“Looks like you forgot.”

“You brought me here, Yoshi-kun?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah. I kinda explained to the hotel staff. Really took a lot of effort. And well, just to add, it’s the hotel staff who changed you, not me.”

I didn’t know when I had changed into a different set of clothes. My undergarments were different, and I felt a lot more refreshed.

“Hm hm, I see, I see. You’re embarrassed.”

I wanted to get up, but Yoshi-kun stopped me. I felt his hand on my hand being colder than usual, probably because of my fever.

I turned to the side, and found there was the constellation book I had bought days ago

I guess I had this dream because of the book. Its cover’s smooth and cold, comfy to touch.

I pulled the blanket to my mouth, and whispered with a hot breath.

“Erm, I had a dream. When I was young, I saw the stars with my family.”

“Stars?”

“Yes. It’s probably…back in spring. Papa taught me many things, but yes, I was young, I didn’t know them very well. He taught me so much, but I never got to memorize them.”

If only I had paid more attention to what he said, only at this point did I think so.

I heard Papa and Mama say many things, and talked about lots of things with them. Their cheesy conversations were a little embarrassing, but I wouldn’t say I disliked them

“Are you done～?”

“Why say this now?”

“That’s what my little sister and I said back then. We were looking for the stars, and we were saying things like ‘Are we done yet’, ‘Not yet’, ‘Are we done yet’, ‘Not yet’. And after that, we saw the stars cluttering the skies. They’re pretty, they really were…”

For some reason, a tear fell. My voice was shaking. My chest was in pain.

It was really, really painful.

I recovered to find myself reaching towards the ceiling. It was an orange light, not that of the stars, but artificial. Arcturus, Hōkūleʻa, the star of gladness. No, that’s not it, I had nothing in my hands. Everything was long gone from me, those days, the past, my family’s voices, the warmth.

But—

My empty hands were filled by something else.

It was soft, a little crude, wide, and warm.

It’s Yoshi-kun’s hand.

I sniveled.

Yoshi-kun wiped away my tears with his other hand. He’s unexpectedly clumsy at doing such things, a little like Papa in this sense. With a hoarse voice, I told him.

“I really want to see the stars.”

“Eh?”

“Take me there.”

“…Sure, I got a good hiding place. Few of the locals know that place. I’ll take you there once you’re feeling better..”

“Hey, Yoshi-kun..”

I wonder if he realized that my voice had contained thousands of words worth of gratitude.

—Thank you, for being by my side.

And once again, I closed my eyes.

The boy’s smile was ingrained deep within my eyes.

I felt the sadness and loneliness in my heart become a little milder, and before I knew it, my erratic breathing had become calm.

I spent the rainy day in my sleep, and when the sun set down from the sky, my fever had subsided completely, as though everything before never happened.

There was still some time for us. I heaved a sigh of relief.

If it had been a day later, I would be unable to see the stars with Yoshi-kun.

Once the sun had completely set, we gathered at the station near Yoshi-kun’s house. It seemed the ‘good place’ was on a hilltop.

He emphasized that I should be careful of bugs, so I covered my skin almost completely, not exposing anything. But he said I should wear something comfortable to move it. Well, I guess he’ll be flustered seeing some of my flesh. He’s unexpectedly a silent pervert.

I took a rental bicycle from the station, and from the corner of my eye, I glanced at the farms while riding down the alleys.

The breeze blew into my face, and the scenery clattered back. I pedaled on, moving faster than usual.

There were street lights at intervals of 10 meters or so, forming little yellow blobs in the space called night. My eyes slowly got used to the night, recapturing the various silhouettes dyed black by the darkness.

The vegetable leaves on the green farms were swaying leisurely in the wind, it seemed. Some noisy frogs were croaking together, their cries echoing from various distances.

The bicycle continued to clatter, and there was a little round beam of white light shining before me, along with the silhouette of a tall boy.

“Yoshi-kun—”

I called his name.

I felt a tingling in my heart. I was happy, probably due to the sweet mood during this night.

“What is it—?”

“How much longer—?”

“About 10 minutes on bike—”

“I see—”

We yelled at a volume no softer than the frogs’ croaking. Farms were the only things down the sides of this road, and there was no obstacle blocking our voices. They spread across this open space, mixing and merging into the darkness of the night.

“Feels good—”

“Eh? What? Can’t hear you clearly—.”

“I say the wind at night feels good!!.”

I yelled with a louder voice than before.

We parked the bicycle by the foot of the hill, and scaled the linear slope for about 5 minutes or so. There appeared a space large enough for an adult male to duck through, and Yoshi-kun went through it without hesitation. He sprayed some insect repellent on me, and I kept coughing. I didn’t like this smell.

The further we went in, the darker it got. We ended up holding hands, though I didn’t know who started it. Whose hand was the moist one?

I should know about myself very well, but at this point, my mind was a complete blank, and I couldn’t tell at all.

We pried aside the shrubs, walking on for another ten minutes or so. We arrived at a wide and empty space, and I knew without being told, this was the destination.

The wind blew, and my hair fluttered in a mess. Despite that, we never let go of our hands.

“Yuki. Close your eyes.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just do it.”

“But..,”

“It’s fine. I’ll bring you over.”

So I obeyed his gentle little request, and closed my eyes. He held my hand with some strength, and I was led to take a single step. At this point, I was really in the midst of darkness, devoid of light.

“You done?” It was a trembling voice.

Yoshi-kun giggled, and answered me a pre-planned reply..

“Not yet~”

“Are we done?”

“Not yet～”

This happened over and over again, many, many times. I took his voice as a marker while moving forward. We stepped upon the green grass, the rustling sound and the sensation of the grassy ground clearly reaching my ears and feet.

I had a feeling we walked for a very long time, but we probably walked for a dozen meters or so.

Soon,Yoshi-kun said,.

“We’re ready. Princess, please open your eyes.”

“What’s with that out of a sudden? Why Princess?”

I unwittingly imagined Yoshi-kun’s face being all red.

“Please don’t retort me here.”

Dammit Takuma, this isn’t what you said would happen. I could hear Yoshi-kun muttering. Seemed like his friend suggested.

“Anyway, I can open my eyes now, right?”

“Ah, yeah. Please do.”

So I slowly opened my eyes.

“Eh?” I sensed the murmurs getting swallowed up.

It was a place the sun could not reach. It was dark everywhere; up, down, left, right. In this darkness, there were yellow, white, orange, red and green lights sparkling brilliantly. There were clusters of stars seemingly filling the sky, and clusters of ground stars formed by many things.

Yoshi-kun and I were floating in space.

“There are stars blinking in the sky and all the ground.”

“Pretty, isn’t it? This is a treasured place of mine.”

“Yes, it really is pretty. Really pretty.”

I repeated the words over and over again, and began to run, causing Yoshi-kun, who was holding my hand, to nearly lose his balance, making a flustered sound.

“Ah, sorry. You alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m happy seeing you happy. Let’s go.”

This time, I walked alongside him towards the light.

The weather was perfect, and it was a cloudless, clear day. The bright moon shone in the night sky, so brilliant it swallowed the light of many stars. It was no match for the sun, but the queen of the night showed its sharp golden light, proudly dyeing the sky cyan. Yes, it wasn’t black. The brightness of the moon turned the black night a deep cyan.

Before we realized, the moon had shone a shadow at our feet, one combining the two of us into one.

“This is the second time in my life seeing such a pretty night sky.”

“Does it suit what you desire?”

“Of course.”

“Great.”

“It’s really, really pretty. Oh yeah. Let’s spot some constellation, Yoshi-kun.”

“You know about them, Yuki?”

“Not at all. What about you, Yoshi-kun?”

“Same here.”

“We’re the same then. I bought a constellation book some days ago. Let’s use that to look for them, shall we?”

“Sure. Let’s try.”

Yoshi-kun was sufficiently prepared for this, for he had red film stuck on the flashlight. It seemed this was to prevent excessive brightness. We stared at the compass and the picture book, and we were so close, our foreheads nearly touched. We weren’t embarrassed however, maybe because of the night atmosphere.

“Let’s look for the Summer Triangle First. We’ll connect the constellation from there.”

We looked at the sky in unison. My long hair grazed my cheeks, and it’s itchy.

The bluish-white light right in the middle of my eyes was the α star of Lyra, Vega. Like the Queen of the summer skies, it was the star of Orihime. Next to it was white smoky trail, probably the Milky Way. In that case, beyond it should be Altair of Aquila, Hikoboshi.

“Ah, is that it?”

“Eh, which one?”

“See, that really bright one.”

Yoshi-kun beamed as he pointed at the sky. I had a rough idea of which one it was, but I wasn’t sure if I was correct. There were tens of thousands of dazzling stars after all.

“Erm, well, I guess so. Deneb’s left, so let’s look for anything that might form a triangle. Ah, Yoshi-kun. That probably fits. I guess that’s Deneb. See, the Summer Triangle.”

After that, we began connecting the stars like kids who had just bought new toys, having much fun in the process. There’s Cancer with the red heart, Libra, Ophiuchus. Of course, there’s also Aquila and Lyra. We might have connected them, or might have connected different stars altogether.

Despite this, we’re happy.

Yes. I’m happy.

We flipped the pictures, looking at their stories, debating one after another about some unimportant stuff, not giving way, and nearly breaking into an argument. But the mood never got tense. Someone burst into a giggle, and the other got affected. The whole world was filled with two people’s laughter.

“Right, now then, the next page.”

Then, something fell out of the opened page.

It was something I had tucked at the page introducing Tanabata.

I lifted that up, and found a pink paper. There was nothing written on it. No, I had not written my wish on this Tanzaku

“They say it’s 15 lightyears.”

“Eh?”

“The distance between Orihime and Hikoboshi. It’s written here.”

Yoshi-kun pointed at the words ’15 lightyears’.

The two stars didn’t look very far when viewed from here. It seemed I could bring them into my clutches just by opening my arms wide. Despite that, it’ll take these two stars 15 years of lightspeed to meet. Was it not the same for Yoshi-kun and I?

He’s right within reach, and I was holding his hand, but our feelings, our hearts, were tens of thousands of miles away.

“They’re so far. But this is why they made wishes.”

“What do you mean?”

“They made wishes because they’re so far from each other, praying that they’ll be reunited with their beloved once ago.”

Yoshi-kun then told him of the two wishes they made. He said some really embarrassing stuff as he looked at the starry sky, but I didn’t dislike it.

“I guess. They really are full-fledged lovers. Anyone will be happy if the partner is to keep praying for their beloved to say such things.”

“Will you, erm, be happy about that, Yuki?”

“What?”

“No, erm. It’s more like, what will a girl typically think. Not that if I’m to say that.”

Yoshi-kun’s still looking up at the sky.

“…I might be happy.”

I imagined that scene, and my lips curled into a smile. Luckily, Yoshi-kun wasn’t looking at me.

I couldn’t let him know who I was thinking of. To cover my embarrassment, I looked up at the Milky Way, like Yoshi-kun did.

I imagined the magpie bridge upon the Milky Way. Surely its true identity was the wishes of those two Yoshi-kun spoke of. But if they had made their seemingly trivial wishes with similarly intense emotions, these wishes will become the hope for the reunion no matter how far they were.

And then, I overlapped the wish I should write along with theirs.

“Yoshi-kun, do you have a pen?”

“Yeah. Here.”

He pulled an oil-based pen from his pocket, and I used it to write my wish. He tried to peek a few times, but I shielded away from his sight with my back.

“No looking.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what.”

“Got it.”

Yoshi-kun turned to look at his watch, and stretched his back fully.

“Now that you’re done, let’s go back. It’s kinda late.”

“Yeah.”

Once he saw that I put the Tanzaku into my pocket, Yoshi-kun turned to leave. I gave chase, only to stop and look up at the sky one last time. Then, I found that star.

It was an exceptionally bright orange glow amongst the cluster of stars. It’s said that a long time ago, the Polynesians had this star leading them to Hawaii. If I look up at it and follow it like a compass, will I too arrive somewhere? Is that delight? Or happiness?

The name of the star filled with wishes was—

“Hōkūle‘a.”

I said inaudibly enough for Yoshi-kun not to hear.

My gladness was still dazzling in the night sky far, far away.

July 7th.

After spending that day and week seeing the Tanabata Tanzaku, I visited the shopping street alone before returning to the hotel

There were many colorful wishes hanging on the green bamboo.

The orange lights shone upon them, and the light shining through caused them to dazzle. There were innocent wishes, matured wishes, prayers of self-encouragement, and they were all equally pretty. They were similar to the lights of the stars

I tugged gently at a yellow Tanzaku tied at the bottom. Written on it was:

“I want a girlfriend.”

It’d be great if this was what Yoshi-kun wrote. I didn’t know if he was a late bloomer, or that he had no such interest. And just to note, Yoshi-kun probably wished for something boring, like ‘improve my grades’. Well, it’s pointless, so I’ll teach him how to study next time. Let’s do it.

Of course, my promise’s still a secret to Yoshi-kun. I made sure nobody’s looking as I tied it at a place closest to the sky.

Even if he did see it, the him at this point might not be able to understand at all.

The fact that he went to see the stars with me days ago no longer existed anywhere. The conversations, the answer Yoshi-kun told me, none of them existed

I let go of the yellow Tanzaku, and took one, two steps away from the overflowing, noisy lights.

At this moment, the bamboo leaves rustled.

A gust blew.

“Woah, quite a strong wind here.”

Someone said this, and then there was a mini ruckus.

I looked towards where the gust came, and lifted my head towards the sky, finding a wish fluttering in the sky. It’s a pink wish, like sakura. I unwittingly reached out to grab it. I looked around, front, back, front, but I didn’t know which side was it. For there was nothing written on it. Nobody knew if there was anything written on it to begin with.

Or that everything that was written vanished two days ago, at a certain time—

I didn’t know. I couldn’t be sure.

Despite that, I gently caressed that pink Tanzaku. Again, I entrusted my wish to that blank piece of paper.

I wrote down the two wishes Yoshi-kun told me of.

I managed to bluff my way through, but my consciousness was hazy due to the fever. I did somewhat remember Yoshi-kun bringing me to the hotel. I was relieved to see his face, and at peace when he called my name.

So, on that night. I connected the many stars together, and made a wish in my heart.

“Come look for me. Call my name."

This would be the thought needed for us to meet countless times.

Just as Vega made a wish to Altair

Just as Altair had prayed to Vega.

It would be great if Yoshi-kun would do so for me one day in the future, so I earnestly hoped.

And I placed that empty, sakura-like Tanzaku into my pocket.

## Contact 193 - Where The Vote Goes

“Haru～help me out here.”

There’s a little more noise than usual on this day, after school.

Everyone on the corridor looked busy, hurrying around, getting caught in the hectic vibe around the campus. I too was about to be swallowed by this mood, and I was about to do something when someone called for me.

I stopped, turned to the voice, and saw the grinning face of my friend not too far away.

“Ah, good work, Takuma.”

“Same.”

The autumn wind seemed more winter-like compared to yesterday, swaying a little of Takuma’s bangs as it came through the window, which made him look cool for some reason. A few girls walking by had some burning looks towards him, and I wondered, did he notice them?

But Takuma went towards me, not glancing at them.

“What do you mean, help? Just move the materials somewhere?”

His hands were filled with some kind of material, so I asked.

“Well, sorta?”

“Why are you asking a question?”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“No, I got a bad feeling about this.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Guess I should flat out refuse.”

"You say that, but you'll always help out in the end, Haru, so enough with the pointless questions, okay? Look, it's a waste of time to argue. Just give up."

This guy understood my personality so well, his voice was strangely brimming with confidence.

Takuma volunteered as a committee member for the success of our last culture festival in high school, so while he's a prep student, he's been busy running around all week. I saw his hard work, dedication and desire to make it a success up close.

I noticed the balance scales in my heart shaking, and I didn't need to be sure of the final answer, for the friend before me had made the decision. As a little resistance, I sighed, and reached my hand forward.

"Nn."

"I guessed so. Thanks man."

I received half of the materials from Takuma. I nearly let it drop as it's heavier than I imagined, and panicked a little.

"Be careful. That's not something we should be showing others."

"Really? Where are we moving these anyway? The staff room?"

"No, the news club."

"Wait, is this actually,"

Takuma's clearly leering away. The ominous feeling became conviction.

And at the same time, this selfish me was beginning to speculate, mostly about school grades. If I did anything to affect my grades in the second trimester of my third year, there's no turning back. The scales tilted greatly.

Of course, I was headed in the opposite direction.

"I'm going back."

"Wait. To where?"

"To my own class. Ahh, got to help out with the exhibit."

"Don't worry. You're excused from helping out with that. I told everyone in class."

"Nn? What do you mean?"

"Basically, you don't have to help out. You got something else to do."

"Huh?"

"You get it now, Haru? There's nowhere for you to return."

Seemed like Takuma had done some deal behind my back. I could only lament my own misfortune at this point.

"Damn it. Those traitors."

Takuma gleefully slipped towards the clubroom building, and I could only glare at his back, tailing obediently and meekly. We went to the second level. The dark stairs were as serene as a water surface, and our footsteps were like ripples of the droplets landing upon the surface., ringing and dispersing.

Takuma reached the fourth level, narrowed his eyes at the commotion outside the window, and declared,

"Starting today, you're going to be part of the committee running the news club's pageant contest."

I knew it.

Our third year, our last culture festival.

And the start of my suffering.

"Heh, a pageant? Sounds interesting."

Yuki, walking next to me, muttered while drinking the iced tea from the PET bottle. It's winter, and she's called Yuki, which sounded like snow, but I could smell the sakura just by walking next to her.

The air's very fresh on this day, and the autumn sky above us was orange, a little forlorn. Nights were longer, so the time I could spend walking with her was about to end.

The familiar journey of heading home from school had been the part of the day I was most looking forward to recently.

We spent so little time together, but her existence was starting to become so big within my heart.

"I want to say this isn't fun at all, but I had fun during the first and second year, so I can't say anything about it. It's just that it's troublesome to be the guy don=ing it."

"Oh, I see, so you're the type to rank girls happily, Yoshi-kun."

"What's with that out of a sudden? But well, anyone can refuse to be invited or recommended for this pageant contest. Those that really don't want to do this can drop out beforehand."

"Uhuhu. You don't have to be hasty for excuses."

"I'm not hasty. I'm not looking for excuses."

"You are."

Upon seeing Yuki's grin, I realized I was had. Yuki had been saying it was interesting the entire time.

"You're really mean, Yuki."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You're not much different there, Yoshi-kun."

She giggled. For some reason, she's the one teasing me, saying I'm mean, but I didn't feel bad about it. I guess it must be because her voice was as delightful as a bell.

She stretched her leg out in a childish manner, walking on. Her body was cutting apart the light, and there was a dark little feminine silhouette formed at her feet. The shadow's face was pitch black as it imitated her, and its expression could not be seen, yet it looked so happy.

"Anyway, it's rare to see a pageant in high school. Don't they normally host it in college?"

"Ah, there's a reason."

"Reason?"

Yuki bent over, looking up at me. My heart fluttered as her hair did. Goodness, my face's hot, even though summer's long over.

Yoshi-kun? She called my name. So I panicked and explained.

Why's there a pageant contest in my high school? There's a backstory to it. I wasn't even born when it happened. Everything started 30 years ago.

As Yuki had said, a pageant's typically organized in college, and our high school has it because of the passion of our seniors. As for why I knew about this, my dad's one of the earliest involved, and he always mentioned this whenever he got drunk.

For hygiene reasons, they couldn't organize anything related to food. And they couldn't organize mazes or haunted houses as they did not fulfill the requirements of being a school activity. Exhibits had to be related to the town's history or Greats. No jokes were allowed in their skits.

It seemed this was the kind of culture festival dad's era had.

There were thirteen seniors (warriors), whose names would never be recorded in the history books, worried about leaving behind grey memories of their cultural festival, so they gathered in the now extremely old gym warehouse, yelling with their fists clenched.

"So you guys, are you going to let your last memories of high school be so mundane?"

One of them started off, and the others let loose their frustrations.

"...No."

"Noooo! Th-this is just oppression!!!"

"I don't care what we do. I just want to end things off with a bang."

"Right, we can't accept this. But what do we do? The teachers have an ace."

"School grades?"

"If we play our cards too obviously, we'll get killed. There's no way back if we make a mistake here."

"Damn it. We're completely powerless here."

They might not have thought of doing something for real, probably just playing along. They were fine with venting their daily frustrations, or enjoying a little of the non-routine stuff. After some commotion, they would have returned to their daily routine.

But only one man amongst them was different. He was, simply put, really harboring ambitions,

"I have an idea."

The chairperson of the news club raised his hand. He was a straightforward fellow with a strong sense of responsibility, but nobody knew why such a person was present. The other twelve exchanged looks, but they shook their heads. Did you call him here? No, I don't know? Not you? No. Eh, then who?

Nobody actually voiced out, but the worries persisted. One person finally had enough of the tension, and asked,

"Ohh~ tell us then."

The other eleven never voiced out, despite having the same thoughts themselves.

"So, everyone knows that our news club publishes a special edition during the culture festival."

"Ahh, that boring thing?"

"You've seen it? That's amazing. It's all words and I fell asleep just looking at it."

That man was nearly devastated by his comrades' cruel words, but he stood firm. This was not the time for emotions.

"Ahem. So what I want to say is, why don't we use that special edition for a pageant contest?"

"Pageant contest?"

"Simply put, a beauty contest of the elite girls in our high school. We just need to gather the contestants, whether they're recommended, or volunteered. We'll finish gathering the numbers three days before the culture festival, assign special codes for the students, and publish the results, but everything has to be done secretly. How about it? Are you willing to help me out?"

One had to wonder if it was a stroke of luck or misfortune, or that history was meant to be made. The thirteen gathered were all talents that could make this possible. There was the former student council president, along with the former presidents of the soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis clubs, the president of the literature club, a frivolous student who had vast connections, the genius who was ranked first in school, a person who somehow was highly adored by his juniors, a harem prince, a smart guy capable of such pranks, along with a genius capable of doing the boring stuff.

All they needed was motivation. Once that motivation was lit,

"Let's do it."

Nobody knew who said that, for the twelve present had the same thoughts.

Oh, let's do this. Isn't this fun? Such words and passion echoed, but nobody voiced out the most important reason.

Even if this was exposed, they could pin the blame on the news club president.

And at that moment, none of them thought they would have taken the first step of continuing this pageant contest that lasted so many years.

I told Yuki of the vague story I heard from dad, along with some exaggerated gestures, which cheered her up greatly. She seemed really curious about this story.

"Sounds nice. I guess this feels like youth after all."

"I don't think it's something that amazing, but it might be to dad and everyone. He's always delighted to mention this."

"But I don't think that's something you're good at, Yoshi-kun. Why are you helping out with this?"

"Look, I was betrayed. I got a friend called Akane, and I think she just wants to cause me trouble."

I said with a tragic tone, and unexpectedly, Yuki blinked hard a few times, so I continued on, never noticing that I misunderstood the reason why she was so troubled.

"She's Akane Rindou, probably the most famous person in our school. She's from the swimming team, a hard worker. She participated in the nationals.

"A girl?"

"Well, yeah."

"Heh. I see."

While we're talking, Yuki's eyes narrowed.

"And then?"

Eh, for some reason the mood changed completely. Yuki's clearly smiling, but she didn't seem like she was, since her eyes clearly weren't.

For some reason, I felt fear. I didn't know if it was just me, but there seemed to be an Asura behind Yuki's back when she asked.

"Uh, huh. And then there's another one called Mizuki Takehara-san."

"Another girl?"

"Y-yeah."

"I understand. I have some things to say, but do continue."

I rubbed my eyes hard, but the Asura never vanished. Seemed like it got bigger. So I gulped, making a weird sound.

"Eh, erm, I'll continue. That Takehara-san's somewhat an idol of our school. Ever since we entered this school, she won the pageant contest twice. Akane's the only one capable of being her rival, but she always refused to participate. Seemed like this year, she's willing to participate as long as everyone can agree to a certain condition."

Takuma and I paid a visit to the news clubroom.

Everything started without me knowing anything. It's the first time I went to the clubroom, but my seat's already there, and the juniors gave me kind looks as though they're inviting freshmen. Some even gave me thumbs up, some winked at me. My peers who had yet to retire from the club were leering heinously.

I questioned Takuma with a stare, and Takuma finally blurted that as long as everyone could fulfill a condition, she's willing to participate in the contest.

"The condition is that Haru (me), is to help out in the contest."

It seemed that was the situation, so Takuma, as a committee member of the culture festival, was working his hardest to fulfill her request, and my classmates betrayed. After all, this would mean everyone could get to see the showdown between Akane and Takehara-san.

This pageant contest would be the liviest in recent years.

Soon after, Yuki, who had been listening quietly the entire time, finally spoke up,

"So, why did Akane-chan say such a thing?"

"I'm not too sure either. Takuma said it's some kind of revenge."

"How do you treat other girls anyway, Yoshi-kun?"

Yuki’s voice remained spiteful, and I ended up raising my pitch.

“Ah, no...that’s, well, Akane invited me out a few times, but I rejected them all. It’s not like I did anything special, just that I went alone. She probably hates this fact.”

Yuki tilted her head in confusion.

“…Rejected? Even though she’s a cute girl who could have won the pageant?”

“Yeah.”

I answered, and for some reason, “Really? I see. So you rejected her…”Yuki muttered happily.

“Goodness me, Yoshi-kun. You’re a hopeless me.”

And then she patted me on the shoulder.

“Erm, Yuki? You’re not angry?”

“Well, yeah. You just mentioned another girl to a girl here. You don’t understand a girl’s heart at all. But I forgive you since I’m hearing something that makes me happy.”

Eh? Did I say anything?

“So now I’ll show mercy and spare you this time. I too have some responsibility in this matter, so do your best and make this pageant contest a success. But there’s still something I can’t accept. What do I do now?”

“What is it?”

“Hmm~ Let’s leave it as a secret for now.”

Yuki grinned, baring her teeth as she placed her long index finger on her lips, making a hush.

Girls really are inscrutable.

“Ahh, thank you so much for helping us out, Haru-senpai. We’re really short of hands here.”

The second year Ookubo-kun was seated before the only computer in the news club. He mentioned ‘lack of hands’, but he certainly has two. Anyway, all I see were those two hands being idle, and the word document being completely blank. The cursor was blinking away, as though anxiously awaiting the input of words.

“Enough with the courtesy. We don’t have enough people, so do two people’s work.”

“Right. Ah!”

“What?”

“Computer’s dead. It’s an old one. Looks like we’ll be waiting for another three minutes.”

“Wait for another three minutes? My foot. If you’re bored, do something else. Ah, hey, Minegishi-san, you dropped something.”

I called for my junior who had been scurrying around the club room, and picked up a very old photo book she dropped. Its cover was tanned beige, the title worn out, and It’s difficult to make out what the words were. It’s probably the name of this high school though.

“Ah, sorry. Thank you for picking this up. It’s careless of me to drop the secret recipe.”

“What secret recipe? Can I unleash a killer technique with that?”

“Not impossible, I might say.”

Not impossible? Now I’m a little curious. And once I looked towards the old notebook in my hand, she said, “A killer technique might be hyperbole, but you can have a look if you’re interested.”

“Can I?”

“It’s fine since you’re a member of the news club now,Segawa-senpai.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

I flipped the first page, and saw a photo that was heavily faded. On the photo was a really pretty girl, a feisty one it seemed. The shapes of the eyes and ears reminded me of someone, but it’s probably just me.

After all, I had no impression of the name ‘Asuka Mizumori’ under the first pageant contest winner. I flipped to the next page, and as expected, there’s another photo of a pretty girl.

“This is…well.”

“Yes, this is the photo album of the past pageant contests. It’s passed down the news club for generations. Duplicating or taking it out is forbidden, and non-members need permission to look at it. This book is really valuable, and there was once a riot because of this. Takehara-san’s phot is on the last page. It’s amazing that she managed to win twice. If she repeats, that’s unprecedented..”

I closed the book firmly, and returned it to Minegishi-san, who seemed proud of it for some reason.

“Better keep this dangerous item properly. Anyway, have you obtained the class lists?”

“Yes. They filled in their names and votes.”

“There’ll be trouble if there’s a mistake, so check through and make sure each class’ vote is easy to classify. Ookubo-kun, help me out here.”

“Alright.”

“It’ll be great if we can finish by today. I’ll deliver the rest to the class reps tomorrow.”

“Eh? We can’t have you work so hard for us.”

“Right, we decided. If the teachers spot us, it’ll be easier to pass it off as me delivering to the various classes. I’m on good terms with the committee after all, so I can say I’m doing errands for them. Please continue to take care of me.”

I gave brief instructions to the junior who was brazenly attempting to slack, and the junior who was trying to finish something beyond her capabilities, before returning to my assigned seat. The current president of the news club Tanabe barged into the clubroom. There were thick black rings beneath his eyes, and his face seemed skinner, or was it just me?

Once he say me, he made a zombie-like sound.

“Haru, how’s the preparations for the ‘special column’ to be given to the teachers?”

“We got the third year committee members to help out. Guess we’ll reuse the theme from four years ago? Hmmm…exhibit highlights, the classes to look out for. Deadline’s today, so we should b be able to collect it today.”

“Ah, Segawa-senpai, classes C and E have replied. They’re on my table.”

Minegishi-san notified me without looking up from the name list.

“Guess that’s that, Tanabe. Sorry, you mind checking through the drafts?”

“Can you please stop pushing work onto me?”

“I can’t be reading that draft though. I’m just here to help.”

I looked towards the materials in my hand. If these weren’t handled immediately, the table would be chock full of paper. I’m in charge of checking the typos, while Tanabe’s in charge of designing the cover. So I shoved everything beyond my job scope to Tanabe, who looked really annoyed by this, but he pretended not to notice. He let my behavior slide, since he knew it was pointless to yap away. He wasn't going to kick up a fuss as long as I didn’t greet him.

The documents on the table were finally whittling down in numbers, and I could finally see the cream color of the table. I heaved a sigh of relief, and stared at the whiteboard with the schedule written on it. There’s an ‘interview with Akane Rindou at 1730’ under my name. Basically, the pamphlets promoting the upcoming interviews would be the voting paper..

I saw the schedule dozens of times on this day, but obviously, no matter how many times I looked at it, the plans on it would never disappear.

“Hey, Tanabe.”

“Hm? You better do it. Someone nominated you.”

The friend frowning away was marking the document with a red pen, and blocked my retreat completely before I could discuss whatever was on my mind.

“But seriously…it’s a little embarrassing to be interviewing a friend.”

“Stop being picky. If Princess Akane’s fans are to hear those words, they’ll slaughter you. You’re here because this is the condition for her participating in this pageant contest.”

“I guess.”

“So do your job.” Tanabe glared at the pile of neverending documents. “This is my responsibility, and that’s yours. Get it?”

He’s about ten times busier than me, and I couldn’t say anything to that. It’s time I will myself into doing this. I took a large sigh, but the voice never reached anyone, for everyone else was bsy dealing with their duties and responsibilities..

I couldn’t be the only one shirking my responsibility.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

I took the voice recorder and foolscap, and with my friend’s words nudging me on, I left the clubroom. This room’s still noisy after school despite the doors being closed, and it’s a lot more comfortable than I initially thought.

The interview place was an empty classroom in the clubroom building.

With a creak, I opened the door, and found two tables facing each other in the classroom. Akane was seated on a chair. She was scowling, looking really unhappy.

“Sorry to make you wait.”

“Nn.”

She tersely responded, her hand on her sidelong face. She wasn’t looking at me. I was concerned, thinking this really wasn’t like her, so I sat at the empty seat, and called for her again,

“Akane?”

“Nn?”

Her response remained aloof.

But I couldn’t just waste my time here, so I just slapped the papers on the table to get her attention. Akane didn’t look at me though, and then I noticed that her face was red. Was she—

“Akane, are you nervous?”

“What, can’t I?”

“Ah, not that you can’t, just that…”

“Just what?”

Akane finally turned towards me, her eyes filled with some murderous intent.

“You’re already used to giving interviews, aren’t you?”

Akane Rindou was the hero of this high school; actually, the town. She had a very attractive face, was cheery as a sun, and had the talent to enter the Nationals swimming competition, along with the hard work allowing her to reach that level. She had many such student interviews, and even appeared in the town promotional posters. Why’s she feeling nervous though?

“Grrr…I’m kinda used to it, but I’m not used to being interviewed by you though.”

Akane tapped her fingers on the table,

“You’re saying something ridiculous. Anyway, you’re the one who wanted me to interview you.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true. Haru, has anyone said you don’t understand a girl’s heart?”

Just days ago, Yuki said the same thing to me. I had some self-awareness, but it’s pretty boring to be told the same things over and over again.

“Y-you’re annoying. Anyway, that has nothing to do with this now.”

“It matters a whole lot, you idiot, big idiot. Whatever, let’s start.”

“Agreed.”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. With this going on, I pressed the switch of the recorder, and there was some static.

The orange sunset shone through the window, dyeing our flanks red.

“So, ahem, Akane Rindou-san, please state your reason for participating in the pageant contest, and also some words to promote yourself.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah. Everyone gets about ten lines, so please summarize as much as you can.”

“Just to ask, Haru, why do you think I’m participating in this contest?”

“Seriously, how would I know? I won’t have to interview you if I do.”

“There’s something I want.”

“Want what?”

“Hmmm, that’s a secret for now.”

“I can’t interview you like this, you know?”

“Let’s end it then.”

Akane stood up from the table, leaned forth, and reached for the recorder, stopping it. There was silence, and it was only at this point that I realized I was alone with a girl, and starting to feel a little tense. I gulped, the sound emphasizing how nervous I was.

"You...you haven't said anything to everyone though."

Akane, whose face I was already used to seeing, looked a little different from usual. It's definitely due to the nice sunset shining on her.

"Well, you can write whatever's appropriate. I'll do my best, or please support me. Hey, more importantly, there's something I want to ask. Who did you vote for last year, Haru? I guess it's Mizuki?"

"Y-yeah. I voted for Takehara-san. Eh, it doesn't matter who I vote for. I guess the safest choice is to vote for the most popular, right?"

I was ashamed of the last words I spoke of. To whom was I trying to give excuses to?

"Oh, I see. What about this year?"

"Eh?"

"Who are you voting for this year?"

Akane took a step closer. Whose loud heartbeat was that? Mine or hers? I scanned the room, and then met Akane in the eyes. It felt like it's been a long time since this happened. Her eyes, nose and lips were within reach. At the same time, we realized that we were too close to each other.

We were so close that if one side had wanted to, we could have touched.

"A-Akane?"

And Akane made a hasty retreat.

"Woah. S-sorry for saying something weird. Please forget about it."

"Y-yeah."

She hurried turned away, shriveling and groaning as she covered her face. She's acting a little weird today, and so was I. Why was my heart beating so fast? The minute hand of the round clock hanging on the wall continued to tick. 1 minute, 2, 3. Time wouldn't stop; it would only continue on. Surely the two of us were the only ones remaining still in this world.

The silence caused our hearts to race.

The first to lose the contest of patience was Akane.

"An-an-an-anyway, Haru, you know the real reason why this pageant contest started?"

"Re-re-re-real reason? Sorta. M-my dad was part of it."

Our conversation was extremely awkward, clumsy actors reading from a fixed script, it felt like. Ah, but even so, whatever we said, the rusted gears began to click together, running as normal. It seemed this conversation was a nice lubricant.

“Heh~I see. My dad was the same. But the reason you know of might be a little different from the truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“The one who proposed the pageant contest was the president of the news club. Do you know? My mom told me that my dad’s that president, so I as the daughter know that a stupid, gaudy boy came up with an unsurprising mischief, along with all his courage, to get a certain thing. I want that thing too..”

“What’s going on? Mind explaining in simpler terms?”

“You curious?”

“You said so much already. Of course I’m curious.”

Akane got up from the chair, and reached her hand out towards the sky turning dark. The sunset shone through the gap, raining upon her face, dampening it. She narrowed her eyes, as though pondering.

“Well, I guess. I’ll tell you the rest later, once I win.”

She muttered, still looking away from me.

I walked down the corridor once the interview ended. No, actually, I didn’t get to interview her. My mind was relieved from the tension, and I continued to think about Akane’s demeanor, words, and the true backstory of the pageant contest, but I never got the answer. At this point, I didn’t know how to deal with these feelings.

Before I knew it, I had returned to the clubroom. Like usual, I opened the door, and greeted everyone.

“I’m back.”

“Oh.”

But for some reason, it was Takuma, not the news club members, who welcomed me. He was lying on the red sofa, reading the manga that was left years ago in the clubroom.

“What are you doing here?”

“Delivering the drafts. Isn’t the deadline today?”

In response to Takuma’s words, Tanabe waved a piece of paper.

“And your reason for reading manga?”

“I’m resting, resting. Anyway, Haru, sorry about this, but mind keeping quiet for a while?”

“Why.”

“I’m getting to the exciting part. Will be done in 5 minutes..”

“Get out there and work.”

“Don’t say that man, this Takuma-senpai’s overworked..”

For some reason, the one coaxing me was Ookubo-kun. Argh, my head heads.

“Why is Takuma the more esteemed?”

“The difference in verbal etiquette?”

Only then did I realize it was pointless to talk to Takuma, who was humming away, so I ignored him, left the recorder and the blank new foolscap on the table. “Haru-senpai, the photos are done.” I praised the two juniors who were clearly clamoring for my approval, and finally wiped off my name’s name off the whiteboard.

Takuma spent exactly 5 minutes reading the manga, and got up, looking a little satisfied.

“I’m glad.”

“About what? A happy end in that manga?”

“That’s one. Another is that you’re finally getting to work. I was actually worried, since I dragged you into this. Ah, sorry.”

While talking, Takuma’s pocket shook. He took out a smartphone from it.

“You can’t bring that to school.”

“Don’t be so rigid, man. It’s just for the culture festival. I can’t give other people instructions without this. Eh, what?”

At that moment, his face froze, and the mood got tense. Everyone sensed this with their skins, their attention gathered upon him.

“Uh oh.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like news reached that Kozato. She’s heading here.”

I didn’t know how it was like back then, but most of the teachers were quietly okay with this. Some of the teachers were already alumni to begin with, and the special cover was well disguised. If any problem occurs, the contest’s over, but we’re working hard to ensure this wouldn’t happen.

It’s just that some of the teachers wouldn’t allow for this to happen.

Kozato-sensei was one of those teachers. She had just joined our high school, was a serious one, and her lessons were easy to understand, but she’s a little too inflexible, so most students couldn’t handle her.

“But how?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that Kozato’s in the south block. She’ll be here in 5 minutes.”

I looked over at the votes on the table in a panic. Those were the results of Minegishi-san’s hard work. There’s also 80% of the voting collated in the hard disk of the computer.

Takuma acted decisively.

“Stuff the votes into the cardboard boxes, and drop them down the balcony to the photography club. As for the computer…”

Ookubo-kun raised a hand apologetically.

“Sorry, it’s lagging.”

“Now of all times? You got to be kidding. Whatever, pull the plug.”

“B-but, we may lose data here.”

“Did you save a backup?”

“Nope.”

“Don’t say that so proudly man. Ahh whatever.”

Takuma cussed, and grabbed me somewhat anxiously.

“Haru, go stop Kozato.”

“Why me?”

“She got a good impression of you, right? Just buy us 5 minutes. We’ll figure out something.”

They were beginning to move before they stopped talking. Takuma was calling someone on the phone, but he was still staring at me.

I tried to formulate a plan in my mind.

First, I would bump into Kozato-sensei, and then I would talk to her. We’ll talk about my future prospects, or lessons. Ah, no good. I couldn’t imagine myself delaying her for a minute. Time continued to pass, but everyone else was trying their best to fulfill their objective.

Takuma was looking really anxious, but he was giving me a look I had never seen before. That expression was clearly saying—

You'll always help out in the end, Haru, so enough with the pointless questions, okay? Look, it's a waste of time to argue. Just give up.

This was the ridiculous amount of trust from the friend who understood my personality really well.

So I ran. All I could do was run.

To fulfill the mission given by my friend.

I ran down the corridor, and down the stairs. Since she’s coming from the south block, she would be passing through the link bridge on the second floor. I ran from the 4th floor to the 3rd, jumping seven steps down. BAM, it sounded like an explosion, and I continued to the 2nd floor while riding on this momentum.

As expected, my target was there. She’s an outstanding beauty, but the eyes behind the glasses were sharp, harsh looking even. She noticed me, and chided me with that authoritative voices.

“Hey Segawa, stop running on the corridor.”

“Sorry.”

I managed to get her attention, as I had wished for, but the most important part was after. I had a plan to misdirect her, but I didn’t think I would succeed. Without a backup plan, I could only charge on.

So I slowed down before Kozato-sensei, tilting forward a little unnaturally, putting my hand on my tummy as though there was something hidden within my school uniform.

“W-wait, where are you rushing to?”

“To-toilet.”

“Your tummy hurts?”

“Y-yes.”

I deliberately raised my voice. Come on, doubt me already. Just doubt that I’m running from the news clubroom and hiding something. Once she doubted me, I could have naturally answered, and then I could buy some time.

But,

“Really? Sorry about that. Hurry on..”

Kozato-sensei replied.

“Eh…”

“But do not run down the corridor.”

“Al-alright.”

The completely flawed strategy naturally failed.

And worse, I was rebuked nicely because of her kindness.

“What? Hurry on.”

“Eh…erm. Well…”

Argh, my mind’s completely blank. I couldn’t think of anything. At this moment.

Someone else was running down the same corridor as I did. It’s Ookubo-kun, slouching with his arms covering his stomach.

And once he saw us, or Kozato-sensei, he stopped and tried to run away. That simple move was the difference between him (success) and me (failure).

“Ookubo, hold still. Where are you going?”

“Toilet.”

“…What are you hiding?”

“Nothing at all.”

Unfolding before my eyes was a scene I had imagined.

“Besides, isn’t Haru-senpai running on the corridor? I saw that.”

“Segawa’s having a tummyache.”

“I’m running to the toilet too.”

“Stop lying.”

“I’m not. I’m really going to the toilet. You trust Haru-senpai, and not me?”

“That’s because you skipped 5 classes with this trick!!”

Kozato-sensei’s bellow echoed through the corridor, which nearly shook the clubroom block entirely. However, Ookubo-kun wasn’t rattled. What he did next was really impressive. He looked dumb, and anxious, and finally said deflatedly, having bought the five minutes I needed.

“Actually, I heard there’s an actress at the front gates.”

“Actress?”

“Well, I’m not sure if that’s real. They say she’s a real beauty, and like, there’s a crowd at the school gates. I need to get the scoop as a news club member, right?”

And then, he pulled out a mini digital camera from his uniform, which basically hinted at it being his last move.

“Haa…I’ll go over then. Can’t let the commotion slide. Go back to the clubroom now, Ookubo. I’ll head over soon. Don’t try to run away.”

Kozato-sensei left us behind and went off. It seemed she had forgotten all about me. Once that authoritative silhouette vanished, I lowered my head to Ookubo-kun as thanks.

“Thank for the great help.”

I alone wasn’t able to slow her down for 30 seconds.

“Good work.”

“What about the computer?”

“It recovered soon, and we got a backup. I think we’re about done transferring the boxes, so I’m here to help.”

“Really? Great.”

“We’re really lucky. At first, we’re trying to figure out how to create some big news to lure Kozato-sensei over, then we got intel of a super cute girl standing at the front gates. So we wanted to make use of that. There should be at least 30 people there now, since Takuma-senpai’s stoking the flames. Argh, it drives me mad. I want to look to. Heard that she’s super duper cute, even Rindou-senpai and Takehara-senpai are inferior to her.”

Front gate?

Pretty girl?

It was then that I noticed something.

“Haru-senpai?”

I had a bad feeling.

I had a really bad feeling. There’s still a long time until our next meeting, but ever since I met her, she has always been waiting for me at the school gates. Most importantly, there’s one person I knew who’s prettier than Akane.

“Where are you going? Eh? To the toilet? For real?”

My junior loudly asked a completely off base question, and I ignored it.

I ran downstairs several times faster than I did, darted by the shoe cabinet, and arrived at the main gate.

Just as I heard, Takuma was riling the students in a circle. Kozato-sensei had not arrived. She must have been walking.

“Please excuse me. Sorry, excuse me.”

I forced my way through the crowd, and bumped into a few shoulders and elbows, even getting scolded. It hurts, but that’s nothing. There’s something else more hurting.

That’s my chest. The pain’s driving me forward.

Over there was,

“Ah, Yoshi-kun, say, what’s going on? Did I do anything wrong?”

Yuki was looking flustered to the point of tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Before Kozato-sensei could arrive, I led Yuki out from the school, and stopped at a nearby family restaurant. She was seated on the chair, the book in her hands as she covered her face with it the entire time.

“This is unforgivable.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I said I won’t forgive you. That shocked me. I was suddenly surrounded, and everyone was looking so scary. Never thought it’s your fault. This is unbelievable.”

Her voice was shaking, but I couldn’t sense any anger. It was all fear, shame, and helplessness. It would be a lot better for me if she was outraged instead.

“Well Yuki, I just apologized.”

She might not have seen it, but I had my head lowered, my forehead on the table.

The surrounding adults might have thought we’re having an argument. The restaurant’s really rowdy, but my ears distinctively picked up on the voices nitpicking us. 99% of them…eh, let’s face the facts. All of them were talking about me.

“That bastard made such a cute girl cry. If it had been me—”

What could you have done if it was you? Would you not have hurt Yuki if it was you instead?

I could have ignored everything else, but this line was the one that really hurt my heart. Time was the only thing moving on

My head was lowered the entire time.

“————fait.”

“Eh?”

“…I want parfait.”

I frantically lifted my head. I was not mistaken. It was Yuki’s voice.

I didn’t know of the expression she made, but I was glad that she at least made a compromise, so I grabbed onto the chance she gave me. I immediately called for the waiter, and ordered parfait and self-service drinks.

After 5 minutes or so, the waiter served us strawberry parfait. Finally, she put down the book. Her pretty little face was red all over, nose, cheeks, eyes.

“I was really scared.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

Yuki scowled again, and while being so emotional, she attempted to swallow the parfait whole or so while bringing it to her mouth. She eked a voice from her throat, saying it’s delicious, and then…

“I want some red tea.”

“Got it. Hot? Or iced?”

“Hot.”

“Got it.”

As she wished, I ordered some tea for her, along with cake, and coaxed her for another 20 minutes.

“I’m really sorry, Yuki.”

Again, I lowered my head in apology to calm her down. She sniveled softly, and finally nodded.

“Alright, I forgive you.”

I heaved a sigh of relief after hearing these words, but just for a moment. “But” as Yuki moved her red lips again,

“You have to make me a promise.”

“I’m all ears.”

“For sure?”

“Yeah.”

She stared at me right in the eyes, nodded, and stated her wish,

“Write my name in that vote for the pageant contest.”

“What do you mean?”

“What else? Exactly that.”

“No, Yuki, you aren’t a student of our school. It’s pointless for me to do that. That vote will be invalid.”

“No, it really be.”

Yuki whispered, as though she was mentioning something important.

“I hope that for your vote, you won’t write Akane-chan’s name, or Mizuki-chan’s name, but my name. That’s enough. This will be a vote more valuable than hundreds and thousands of them.”

“Ehh, I don’t get what’s the point of that, but since you say so, I promise you.”

Yeah. If it’s what Yuki wish for, I’m going to fulfill it no matter what it is.

“I’ll write your name on. It’s nothing big anyway.”

“It’s a deal then. I’m going to ignore you if you lie to me..”

Yuki’s eyes were still a little damp as she glared at me.

I didn’t know how to respond to this, so I finally said something really unimportant.

“Ah, speaking of which, that bookmark’s pretty cute.”

There’s a bookmark clasped between the pages we were looking at.

“Cute? This paper is plain though.”

“No, eh…yeah, the pink’s nice. You see, it’s pretty, looks like sakura.”

Ah, why am I saying this? See, isn’t Yuki all startled now, At this moment, my thoughts stopped, for Yuki was beaming really happily.

It’s the first time she showed me a smile on this day.

“Thanks. Yeah, this is really pretty, but this isn’t actually a bookmark—”

And then, she said,

“This is actually my ‘wish’.”

Results wise, the culture festival was really successful, the pageant contest far beyond expectations. Akane alone had 40% of the votes, and won overwhelmingly.

Right now,

Under the distant autumn skies, I aimed the digital single-lens reflex camera hidden by the photography club at Akane. I had to take her photo, for as the winner of the pageant contest, her photo was to be recorded in the annals. Beyond the lens, Akane reached her hand for the reddened leaves, took one of them, and brought it to her mouth, covering it.

"I think this happened before."

She grinned, and I couldn't resist the urge to click the shutter. The sound echoed, and an instance in this world only I know of was taken.

“Did you take a photo of that?”

“I can’t?”

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t made a pose.”

For some reason, she didn't sound as energetic as usual.

"You don't have to make one."

The photography club acquaintance I knew of looked as though I had just murdered his father. When he lent me this digital SLR camera, he taught me a trick, to keep clicking on the shutter. Listen Haru, I'm not going to teach you any shutter, focus or lighting techniques. This camera will automatically deal with those troublesome bits. Your job is to talk to Rindou-san, get her to relax, and keep shooting. I don't care if you take hundreds or thousands of them. Even as an amateur, you might get a miraculous shot.

Now this wasn't difficult.

Snap.

Another instance was recorded.

"Ah, you took another one."

"This is my last job after all."

Beyond the lens, I saw Akane's anxious, perturbed, angry and pouting faces, turning each and every one of them into data (memories).

"I told you not to take anymore. Make sure I'm cuter if you want to."

"Don't worry, you're always cute."

Snap.

I nonchalantly answered as I kept taking photos.

"Eh?"

Snap.

The entire world of photos taken─

"Wh-whawhawhawhawhat are you saying?"

"Well, if you aren't, you wouldn't have won the pageant contest."

Snap.

She was redder than the leaf in her hand.

"Ah, I see. I guess so. Otherwise you would have…"

"Don't worry, I feel the same."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!!??"

Snap.

The face was filled with shock and unbridled joy.

"R-really?"

"Of course."

And for every snap on the shutter, Akane got increasingly charming. And thus I knew that at this moment, my index finger on the shutter would capture the prettiest photo I could get of Akane."

"I see. Fufu. I'm glad."

Snap.

As expected, the girl before me showed a smile I never saw before. The warm smile was filled with such bliss.

After the shooting ended, Akane snatche the camera, wanting to check the photos. After ten minutes or so, she returned the camera to me, and the many photos from before had been reduced to two.

One of those was the red leaf covering her mouth. And the other was her smile (best shot).

"Why?"

"You don't need the others now, right? Use the photo with the red leaf for the photo album. Take print two shots of this smile and delete it. Don't show it to anyone else."

"Why two?"

"...A reward for this hardworking Haru. Akane-chan's very kind, so one for her, and one for you. Rejoice. This is the photo of the most popular girl in school."

Once she quickly said these words, she skipped forward, as though hiding her expression from me. She spun on the spot, letting her skirt dance with the leaves. Her hair was a little longer than it was in the summer, and it swayed along too. The eyes staring intently at me were the only unfaltering ones. Soon after, Akane said,

"Ah, yeah. Got to fulfill that promise."

She, buried in the sea of red, restarted the topic we discussed about,

"A long time ago, about 30 years back, there was a timid boy. He had a one-sided crush on the prettiest, most famous girl in the year, but he dared not talk to her, let alone confess."

She continued to walk backwards while facing me. In this quiet place, her voice remained undisturbed, clearly reaching me.

"Before they knew it, they entered the third year. The only events left for autumn were the culture festival and the exams. Back then, he had a thought, that he wanted to leave a memory of this crush. He came up with a loose plan, but finally got it to work, and got the outcome he wanted. He asked that girl to leave him a memory of the champion. You know the rest, don't you?"

I looked at the camera in my hands.

There was the photo of the prettiest girl of our year, no, the whole school. The face was reminiscent of the prettiest girl on the first page in the secret book. The shape of the ears were the same.

"So, Akane, your mom's Mizumori?"

Akane nodded.

"This contest started because my dad wanted my mom's photo. They treasure the photo very much even at this age. Leaving dad aside, this photo is the most important thing to mom,"

Was that the desired thing Akane spoke of?

"You realized it? Yeah, I wanted this photo. Mom looks happy whenever she speaks of this, and even I start to feel embarrassed."

"You should be looking for someone with better skills, right? I'm an amateur."

"Nope. Nobody else with better skills can take it any better. It's a photo only one person in this world can take, and that's you, Haru."

"Seriously, I'll be embarrassed to be praised like that. So I have some talent in photography."

"You idiot, this isn't what I mean. But I really got to thank you. Now for my last activity in high school, I have a memory on par with mom and dad. I want to share a memory with you. It's great for you to have my photo."

Saying that, Akane turned her back on me again, not hearing my response.

And then, as though she had thought of something, she asked with her back still turned on me.

“Say, Haru. Did you vote for Mizuki again this time?”

“Eh? No, I didn’t vote for her.”

“Really. That’s fine then.”

She proceeded to skip forth. She looked a lot happier, even swaying side to side as she walked.

I had a feeling she seemed to be mistaken about something. And because of that, I did not try to explain further—

My vote went neither to Takehara-san, nor to Akane,

Why did I cast a blank vote? Where did that vote go?

After school, in late autumn, I met the girl whose name I wrote on that white paper.

And so, that peerless beauty came to us, bringing us to our last winter together.

## Contact 212 - Side.A Her Love

“Morning Akane.”

My friends began to greet me.

It’s a morning greeting that had never changed for a long while, but the impression I had of others would change just because of the way people would speak. It’s interesting.

Some were vigorous, some were lifeless; some were sleepy, and some were energetic.

If the colorless, transparent voices were dyed with color, they would make the world a lot more vibrant.

“Morning everyone~!”

I raised my chest proudly, shouting with a booming voice from deep within my lungs. This voice wasn’t dyed any other color, but with my own distinct color to the ‘morning’. It blended into the refreshing air of the morning, gradually vanishing afar.

I felt exceptionally happy, as though I was accepted by the world. Most importantly, being able to yell out loud had me feeling really relieved.

Huu. I exhaled some white air, folded my arms, and looked towards the familiar road before me.

The light shone from the sun, turning from orange to yellow, and then to white, before blending into a faint blue. It reached into the surrounding air, the divide between light and darkness dispersed by it, finally becoming one with the horizon. The unknown grass growing by the roadside was swaying with the wind, the night dew glittering under the sunlight.

This scene could only be seen for another month or so. Next Spring, the sakura would flutter, and I, no, we would graduate from this school.

And while I was feeling just a little sad, huuuuaaaahhh, I heard a yawn from somewhere.

“Akane. You’re too loud man.”

I stopped to turn towards the voice. My classmate Takuma Mikado was walking towards me.

I wasn’t exactly angry at him for deliberately covering his ears, but it did seem he wanted me to be angry, so I glared back intently, pouting and intending to say a few words.

Well, this is the ‘usual custom’ for us.

“It’s 10 people’s worth of greetings. Not my fault that I’m a little louder.”

“No, you don’t have to yell 10 times louder just because…”

“It’s not ten times louder. What are you talking about?”

“No no no, it’s about that loud. Look, the first years are scared of you.”

“Huh? Not at all.”

I looked in the direction Takuma spoke of, and looked into the eyes of a boy wearing a uniform with an ‘I’ on the collar. He’s almost done with his first year of high school, but his uniform was still brand new, his face stilled filled with some youthfulness.

Appearing on that youthful face was some skepticism. It was a pity, but it was as Takuma said.

I tried passing it off with a dumb smile, but the boy’s face turned red, and he scampered off towards the school. It’s adorable how he bowed politely and ran off, but I was increasingly guilty for scaring off such a good kid.

“Heh heh, someone’s avoiding you.”

And in contrast, this Takuma was really, really annoying.

“Shut up.”

It would hurt to punch him from the front and hit the button, so I punched at his flank.

Of course, I didn’t do it for real. I merely tapped him softly. Any ordinary boy tanking this punch would groan and cup his stomach. My fist felt a similar touch, “Ow.” but Takuma merely responded. It seemed the abs he got from basketball training remained there even after he had left the club for a long time.

Back when he was in the basketball team, he would bring along a shoe bag and a large lunch box. Not so much nowadays. Like most of the going-home club, he was holding a large sling bag with some stationery and notebooks.

The palms that were born to grab basketballs were used to carrying school bags. It might seem like overkill.

“That looks rather light on you..”

He grinned as he brought the sling bag dangling on his fingers to me.

“You get it, don’t you? It’s like half a year has passed, I’m still not used to it.”

“Of course. I’m the same too.”

My bag no longer contained the swimsuit, goggles and towel, and no snacks which I would secretly eat whenever I was hungry.

Once I retired from the swimming club, I became an ordinary student preparing for her finals, and those things were unnecessary to me.

“Yeah. We finally don’t have to wake up early anymore.”

“We can rest during the holidays too.”

We started to talk about the stuff that got easier after retiring from our clubs as we continued on to school. This road to school was actually very short, even though it seemed very long, and before we knew it, we arrived.

“We’re no longer hungry all the time.”

“We don’t have to keep running on cold days like this.”

“Our bags are lighter.”

“We aren’t getting scolded by our captains. Not so sleepy in class, not called up so often.”

“Not at all. We don’t have to stay back and clean the clubrooms too, don’t need to buy snacks, don’t have to spend much on food. We aren’t getting injured because of club activities, which is all good, but…”

“But…yeah.”

“Yep.”

“Ah.”

Having said this much, we stopped. We continued walking forward, not consoling each other. The difference in height between Takuma and me was at least 10cm, but we saw the same thing.

We weren’t sad, but our nostrils were stinging, and we almost shed tears. Why’s that?

—And right at this moment, I found a familiar figure amongst the students dressed in the same uniform. My chest started to ring. This simple I immediately cast aside all the loneliness and sadness, along with the cold air of winter.

“Morning Haru.”

I was the first to spot him, but Takuma was the first to speak.

“Ah, morning, Takuma.”

"Hey Haru, listen man. Some first year just ran from her."

I had a feeling Takuma was about to say something unnecessary, so I kicked him in the calf for real. He yapped in pain, jumping around like a frog. He glared at me, wanting to say something, but he's the one at fault. There's no need for him to report this to Haru.

Naturally, I ignored Takuma's glare and smiled at Haru.

Haru. Haruyoshi Segawa. He's a friend of Takuma and me. And also, my—

"Morning Haru."

"Morning Akane. What's up with Takuma?"

"Who knows? Probably crazy now that he's studying too much."

"But he's glaring at you."

"He's always like this. More importantly, let's go to school."

I showed a little more enthusiasm in grabbing the hem of Haru's shirt. Actually, I wanted to grab his hand, but I couldn't muster my courage. However—

"Hey, Akane, what happened?"

Haru looked confused as he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know what's going on. That's why I'm asking."

"Nothing happened."

"Really? Guess it's just me. Looks like you aren't really energetic."

Haru gently placed his hand on my head, as a repeat of a certain moment in the past.

Ahh ohh. Whenever I spoke to Haru, there would be a response moving away, something I wouldn't get from talking with Takuma.

I burst out laughing. Why did he say such things out of a sudden.

That Haru's too sleazy.

I like him.

I really, really do.

I mustered my courage to reach my hand to him, but I ended up looking at a leering Takuma. Uh oh, I forgot about his existence completely.

My face turned red immediately, probably to my ears.

I knew it was unreasonable, but I kicked the leering Takuma in the calf. A little softer this time, since I was doing so to hide my embarrassment.

"Ow."

But as expected, he was jumping around like a frog.

"What are you two doing?"

Haru chuckled dumbfoundedly.

"Eh, the entire time, Akane's been,"

"What about me?"

I shook my right foot, glaring at Takuma.

"Nothing."

"Really? Then good."

I grinned back too.

Takuma was scowling away, but he seemed to be enjoying this. After all, he was smirking.

Well, it didn't matter that Haru never noticed it at this point. This relationship was unexpectedly enjoyable.

It was the last month of our third year in high school.

I fell for my friend, Haruyoshi Segawa.

☀

I joined the swimming club back in middle school.

There wasn't any special reason why I chose swimming, of all the many sports clubs. Or rather, it's for the simple, most important reason, that I liked swimming.

The swimming club basically trained in school and the pool starting from the end of spring to the start of autumn, but our training for the next half year was the same as the track team. Swimming's really draining, so we had to train our stamina and muscles.

The second and third years would share the field with the track team, and as a first year, I had to run outside the school, along with the first year of the track team.

After the hot summer days were over, the skies of autumn were clear and vast, even though my hands could not reach there.

It was back then that Haru spoke to me. To be honest, I had a bad first impression of him.

Haru's been running with an unhappy look, and he's from the track team, but he was slower than me. No, it's definitely because he wasn't focused on running, but thinking of something else.

I was running the fifth round when I passed by the slowpokes of the pool team, including Haru.

"You're slow, Sone-san."

"You're too fast, Akane. You might be faster than the track team."

"Heh heh. I haven't gone all out yet."

I gave a V pose to my swimming teammates, and picked up the pace.

"I'm going off then."

I immediately left them far behind, and had a sense of superiority. In my glee, I got cocky in thinking I had the talent for long distance running.

My right knee ached immediately. At first, I felt something was amiss, that I could keep running as long as I slowed a little.

But the pain worsened, so I had to walk instead. I hated losing, and I hated stopping. I would push myself to the limit until I could no longer move.

I would continue to stand up, unless my body fell forward like this. I knew it's stupid, but this was my personality.

"Eh, Akane, what now? You're tired?"

And soon after, the group I had passed overtook me instead.

"You guys are so slow, Sone-san, so I just waited around. I'll catch up anyway."

"Damn it. I'll show you."

"Ohh, I'll be waiting."

Sone-san's voice and silhouette became distant, and vanished around the corner of the roasted meat shop. Nobody noticed my leg was hurting. RIght when I heaved a sigh of relief, someone spoke to me, which shocked me, and caused my heart to race.

"H-hyaiii!?"

"You alright? Is your knee hurting now?"

The one who spoke to me was the boy running last with an unhappy look. I coughed hard to hide the awkwardness of the strange sound I made."

"...That's not it. Erm."

"Haruyoshi Segawa of Class 4. Everyone calls me Haru."

"Haru, is it? I get it. I'm."

"I knew you. Rindou-san of Class 1, right?"

"Akane is fine. Guess I'll just call you Haru then."

"Got it. Say, Akane, your knee is hurting, right?"

"Not at all."

"Really?"

"Really."

"...You're really stubborn."

I didn't mishear what he just muttered.

"Hm? You said anything."

"No, it's nothing. It's troublesome now. Such people won't listen to reason. Ow, what are you doing?"

"You're making it loud for me to hear now, aren't you?"

In response to that grumble, I merely hit him on the shoulder. Even I wasn't brazen enough to hit a guy I met for the first time with all my might.

"Huh, I don't get what you're talking about."

Haru played dumb as he knelt down, picking up a red leag, saying,

"Looks pretty, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

I nodded unwittingly, because it was. He smiled, and pointed above my head. Naturally, my eyes followed the red leaf in his hand, looking up at the sky.

I had lowered my head while running due to the pain, without realizing it. He showed me why it was a pity I did so, for,

If I had lifted my head, I would have seen such a pretty world.

The leaves were dancing in the sky, every single one of them red, as though they were cutting through the sunset, and I marveled at how they contrasted the faint blue sky.

I had stopped before I realized it, and I ended up talking with that boy called Haruyoshi Segawa, until the club activities ended for the day. We didn't talk about anything big, just about how pretty the red leaves were, our complaints about the club, or rumors about the teachers, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Just as I had chatted with Sone-san. No, I might be happier. I forgot about my knee pain without realizing it.

"Make sure you run at your pace tomorrow."

I noticed his clumsy kindness as he said these words and vanished into the sunset.

The seasons changed, and time passed.

Before I knew it, I started looking around for Haru.

He's kind of a weird guy.

Not that his actions, speech or appearance were weird. It's just that even with everyone around, he would keep his distance from others. He would look happy, make a fake smile nobody would care about. He thought nobody noticed it, so he never noticed that I did.

Haru changed though.

The fake smile appeared less often, and he was willing to say what he thought.

He started showing the kindness and honesty he already had.

It was at this moment that I found myself hopeless. I would admit that I had fallen for Haru.

Well, there's only one thing I didn't like though. It was harder for me to contact him during vacation, or after school.

What's he doing alone?

☀

As a student preparing for the finals, most of my day was spent studying.

I wanted to ask Haru if he would like to walk home with me, but he was staring at the textbook with a serious look even though the school bell rang, so I said goodbye to him before leaving.

The school building itself was quiet, but one could hear the juniors yelling from the grounds. They sounded a little lazy, though still passionate, and stung at my heart for some strange reason.

The twigs growing on the bare trees were swaying in fear of the cold. They would have to wait a little longer until the leaves and flowers would grow and bloom. Surely, I had to do the same.

I tightened the muffler acting as my safeguard against the cold, and went to the front gates. There were a few students stopped there, discussing something, it seemed. What's going on? They're all talking, but their voices were jumbled up, and I couldn't hear clearly.

"What's going on?"

I had to ask one of the junior boys closest to me. "Rin-Rindou-senpai!?" He exclaimed in shock. It seemed he recognized me.

"Yeah I'm RIndou-senpai. Good afternoon. What happened, an accident?"

"No, erm, it's because of that."

He probably determined it was faster to point with his eyes, so he look over to that 'person'. I too followed his eyes to look over. Well, one could tell what was going on just by looking over.

There was a girl standing a little farther away from the main gate. She was holding a pink bookmark and a hardcover book, the slender fingers hidden slightly within the sleeves flipping the pages.

The girl had fluffy long hair, and a perfect looking face, irregardless of size and position. The slightly large coat made her smaller than she really was.

The face, earlobes and nose were reddened by the chilly winds, indicating she had been around for quite some time. She might have been alone the entire time.

The proof's that everyone, including me, dared only to watch her from afar. It's the first time I learned that exceeding beauty could intimidate people from approaching. A lot of courage would be needed to talk to her, or, a reason to inspire oneself.

So as I continued to stare at that girl.

"Ahh, isn't this Akane-senpai? Hello there."

Someone called my name. The voice came from behind the gates, the direction I came from, so I turned my face over. It's the current captain of the swimming club, Miya. I showed a friendly smile, waving at her.

"Oh, Miya? It's been a while."

"Why's everyone gathered here?"

"Well, I just asked the same question."

"Eh?"

Miya opened her mouth in shock, tilting her head in confusion.

Standing next to her was a weak looking girl. I had some impression of the hair with inner curls and droopy eyes. She's probably in her first year. As for her name, erm, yeah, Matsumae-chan.

"Good work."

I smiled as I talked to Matsumae-chan.

"Ah, yes. Good work, Rindou-senpai."

"Akane-senpai, are you going home now?"

"Yep."

"Let's go together then. We're going to Aria next. That place should be on the way, right?

Aria Sports Club was a multi-purpose sports facility with a gym, a sauna, and even an onsen. During winter, our swimming club members would use the warm water pool.

It seemed these two would be using the pool.

"I guess that's fine. Matsumae-chan, you don't mind coming along, right?"

Matsumae-chan nodded with her face still blushing. She really resembled a cute little animal.

"Okay, let's go."

FInally, I glanced aside at that beauty.

She was beaming away, probably because the person she was waiting for had arrived. I was thinking that if I, a fellow female, was mesmerized by her beauty, the boy would be overwhelmed immediately.

And I never noticed who she was looking at.

I followed the girls to Aria, wanting to change my mood for a bit.

It's been a while since I showed up, so that uncle called Watarai was happily welcoming me.

I came here often ever since I joined the swimming club, so I had known him for six years, and we didn't have to be courteous to each other, for good or for bad.

"Ahh, it's been a while, isn't it. Come by often. This uncle isn't motivated without seeing you in swimsuit, Aka-chan."

"That's sexual harassment, uncle!"

My response had the uncle guffawing.

"That cold look on your face is really something. Every time I say this to Matsu-chan, she would just blush and lower her head. Now that's really sexual harassment?"

"Matsu-chan, as in Matsumae-chan? She comes here often?"

"Yep, every day recently. If it's not her turn in the club, she would show up a little later. Just like a certain person back then."

"Heh. Is she fast?"

"Very. No, faster. I guess this is the period when she enjoys it most though. Even Miya-chan isn't a match for her in the butterfly and freestyle."

"I see."

"Do you want to race her?"

"Eh?"

"That's the look you're giving."

"Hm, yeah."

I decided to answer honestly.

"Go swim then."

"I'm preparing for my finals though. And I quit the club."

I took the ball point pen placed next to the sign-in book, twirling it in my hand. It was a reflection of my heart, just swaying by the side of my hand.

"You're not the kind to be satisfied with just that. And it's important to relax a little right? If you want to do it, go all the way."

Gahahaha, the uncle guffawed away, and I sighed hard.

"Seriously, uncle, that might be miscontrued as sexual harassment."

But I really did relax my shoulders. I stopped twirling the pen, and gripped it hard.

There was a unique atmosphere to the pool.

First of all, it just felt like there's a lot of moisture in the air. The moisture sticking on the skin might make it sticky. Also, there's a heavy chlorine smell. It's said some people couldn't take the smell, but at least for me, I didn't hate it.

I changed into the rented swimsuit, and was feeling excited. All, this was it, this was the feeling. I really loved swimming. After that, I spent time warming up for real, stretching, checking on my condition. Right, I was fine.

Once I was done warming up, Miya-chan poked her head out from the pool. The ripples she caused hit my toes.

"Huh, Akane-senpai, you're swimming?"

"Yep. I heard Matsumae-chan's really fast. You lost to her, didn't you, Miya?"

I asked, and Miya simply nodded, as though she had accepted it as fast, neither denying it hastily, nor ashamed.

It's because of her personality that I nominated her as the next captain.

"Yes, I lost. Matsuu's really fast."

"Faster than me?"

"I don't think she's faster than you at your best. But over the past few months, It's Matsuu who's worked harder and showed more progress."

"Yes."

"You haven't entered the pool for months, have you, Akane-senpai?"

"Yes."

"And you said that we can't tell who'll win until the contest is over, Akane-senpai?"

"Yes."

"So I can't answer this question."

"I see."

That's enough.

The junior who had followed me for two years said so, so at the very least, I could be sure that Matsumae-chan's the real deal.

Miya and I looked towards Matsumae-chan, who was swimming alone. The beautiful, textbook-like swimming pose showcased her serious personality.

Soon after, her hand touched the edge of the pool. She shook away the water on her body, removed her goggles, and noticed our stares, looking very confused.

"S-senpais, what is it?"

"Hey, Matsumae-chan, race against me."

"Eh?"

"Don't eh me now. Race me now. Race."

I pointed a raised fist at Matsumae-chan, who shook her head in an increasingly exaggerated manner. She looked like a puppy who had finished showering.

"No I can't. No no no no no no no."

Matsumae-chan probably said no about a hundred times at least as I dragged her out from the pool and forced her onto the starting block. It was a little cruel, especially when she looked like she's about to cry, but she couldn't run as Miya had played her power card, 'captain orders'.

But speaking of which. Even when I stood next to her, she was just a weak-willed junior.

Those amazing ones would give off a unique presence. Reality's not a battle manga, so there's no aura or power levels to be seen. If the opponent had self-confidence based on ability however, that could be sensed through the skin.

Matsumae-chan did not have any of that.

"Sorry to force you into this."

"Eh, erm."

"But I'm going all out."

"Erm, Rindou-senpai?"

"What?"

It seemed Matsumae-chan had made up her mind, her expression more determined than before.

"No, errm, I'll do my best too."

Ready, Miya shouted.

Matsumae-chan and I arched down in unison.

It was at this moment that I realized the nature of my upcoming opponent. She's still lacking in self-confidence, but was earnest about swimming, and very focused. Her eyes probably ignored my presence completely. I thought of the opponents in the past I wasn't able to beat, remembering that some of them had similar eyes to her.

Uh oh, I was about to be swallowed up.

Right when I had this thought, Miya shouted,

"Start!"

The long years of experience got my body moving, but I wasn't focused, and lost the best moment. My angle entering the water was poor. The air bubbles formed as I jumped in, clinging onto my body, but immediately left and floated atop.

200m freestyle.

It's two times, back and forth, down the 50 meters pool. I hurriedly gave chase after Matsumae-chan. The gap between us never increased, but it wasn't shrinking. I twirled my body around at the first turn, kicking off the wall. There was a stinging pain beneath my feet.

It seemed she wasn't used to turning around, so the gap had shortened a little.

100m. 150m.

I stroked through the water, moving my feet.

Once the last turn ended, I was shoulder to shoulder with her.

It hurt. My body was yearning for oxygen. I was not giving way in the slightest.

I said I was going all out, but I never expected myself to be this serious. It's because I was serious that I wanted to win.

I could see the end. Another 15, no, 10 meters.

We're neck and neck. The result wasn't obvious.

I took a larger gasp of air, and began to sprint, reaching my hand out with utmost effort. At that moment, I met Matsumate-chan in the eyes while we were both in the water. No, we were looking at each other. She had noticed that there were others swimming in the pool.

That alone called Matsumae-chan to become that old weak-willed girl.

"Goal!"

Miya called out.

I lifted my head from the water, removed the cap and goggles. The yellow light of the ceiling was swirling in my eyes.

I was the one who won, but I didn't feel like I won.

She definitely let up at that last moment.

I climbed out of the pool, and before I could catch my breath, I lowered my head to Matsumae-chan in apology.

"Sorry."

As I had just apologized to my junior, Miya panicked, not knowing what to do. It seemed my intent had reached Matsumae-chan however, who too apologized to me.

"Don't say that. I should be the one apologizing."

Large water droplets fell from our hair, forming black spots on the poolside. We maintained the same position the entire time, and the water dropped at the same places. The black spots were expanding, just like my feelings.

I was ashamed, and furious. Of course, I was furious at Matsumae-chan for giving leeway at the end, but I was more furious at myself for forcing my junior to do such a thing. It was horrible of me.

So after a while, I lifted my head, saying,

"Give me a week. We'll race again."

"Eh? Eh? But senpai, you're preparing for the exams, right? It's less than a month until the second phase…"

Miya was the only one panicking away.

"Please."

"I could only lower my head again."

This time however, I could not order her, since I was the one asking.

I didn't know how long it took.

Probably not more than a minute.

"Please lift your head."

I did as Matsumae-chan said, lifted my head, and looked up at her.

"I should be the one asking of you."

Matsumae-chan looked a little sad as she lowered her head, and this rekindled my passion.

In any case, I reworked on my muscle training.

It's the time when students were free to report to school as and when they wanted to, so on that morning, I went to the pool.

It seemed uncle was worried this would affect my exams.

"Didn't you say you're going to go all out? There's no way you can focus in this situation."

He grimaced as he handed over the locker key. Of course, even without his reminder, I would prioritize my studies, and never forgot to take care of my long hair ever since I left the club.

Takuma once said Haru liked girls with long hair.

I didn't want to lose in any way, whether it's sports, exams, or love.

And just like that, a week passed.

I had a proper nap that morning, just as I had planned, and slept for almost 12 hours.

I had mom make fried pork cutlet for lunch, had two additional servings of rice, and went to school.

During this period, the third year classrooms were only about a third filled. The third floor was unlike the noisy first and second floors, and one could sense the tense atmosphere in the room.

On this day, I saw that the person usually sitting before Haru hadn't arrived, and took that seat.

"Morning Haru."

"It's not morning anymore. It's afternoon, Akane."

"Hey, you're being too nitpicky, Haru."

"I think you're just too lax about it."

Haru answered without looking away from the book of English words. Hmm, he's a boy, but why did he have longer eyelashes than me? I stared at the face of the one I liked. Ahh, he yawned. It's a little ugly, but my feelings didn't falter.

"Are you sleepy?"

"A little. What about you, Akane? You look a little busy recently."

"I'm fine today. Had a nice sleep."

Haru finally lifted his head. He stared right at me.

It was too sudden, and I was shocked.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Do your best."

"...You know what I'm doing?"

"Nope. But you haven't said anything, Akane, so that means I don't have to you."

"Why say that?'

"Well, we have known each other for so long, I just got a feeling that you intend to do something on this day. You said that you're a simple person, just a single line can get you to work hard. That's why I say this. This is all I can do after all."

Haru smiled at me gently.

My chest was burning.

He saw all of my hard work, and was willing to cheer me on.

Most importantly, I was glad he remembered the summer day I fell for Haru.

This made me a little greedy, so I pestered him to say the same words again.

"...One more time."

"Do your best."

"One~ more time." "Do your best. Do your best, Akane."

"Yep, leave it to me."

I slammed my chest.

Yep.

With Haru cheering me on, I won't lose. Wasn't that always the case?

A girl in love is always invincible.

There were few people at the pool on this day, either because it's evening, or it's winter. There's only two grannies I knew of wading through the pool, chatting away. I watched them as I did my usual warm up, starting from my arms, shoulders, neck and waist, to my thighs and ankles. I twisted and bent various parts of my body. This caused my blood to boil in anticipation.

It's still not enough. Just wait a little more. So I suppressed my feelings.

"Good work."

Miya noticed me, and went to the poolside. The water droplets fell down her bodyline to the floor, the black footprints far away starting to dry and disappear.

"Sorry to make you drop me."

"Don't worry. I'm a fan of yours, senpai. Just tell me what you need."

This junior of mine's terrifyingly cute, and I patted her on the shoulder. Seriously, these words were embarrassing even for me.

"How's the situation?"

"Think I'm back to form. Guess I can move well."

I poked the water surface with my toe. A ripple spread from where I touched.

The ripple spread at regular intervals, forming a ring, and vanishing. Once it vanished, I turned to the girl standing behind Miya, greeting her.

"Yo, Matsumae-chan."

Like usual, she was giving a stiff look. And she did not seem to be any more confident than usual.

The only thing different was that she never averted my eyes, and looked right back at me.

"Well, I joined the swimming club because I admire you, Rindou-senpai."

"Yep. I know."

I nodded unabashedly. There's always a few of these people who joined the club, and I had always answered their wishes. This had been the case all the time, so this time, I intended to do the same.

"Sorry to disappoint you the last time."

I deliberately spoke in a definite tone,

"But today's different. Relax. I'm amazing today. You don't have to worry. I'm going to show you that you admired the right person."

Smile.

Smile confidently.

Be filled with confidence, just as you faced the opponents at the Nationals/

I stood on the slightly wet starting block.

My blood was still cold.

Not yet.

Not yet, just a little more.

"Ready!"

Miya's voice rang, and it echoed just like that day, dispersing away.

Not yet.

"Start!"

At that moment, Miya's voice rang along with Haru's voice in my mind. "Do your best, Akane."

Now!

The circuits in my mind were opened at once.

My blood boiled immediately.

I started off at the perfect moment.

After that─

We gathered at an okonomiyaki store near Aria, and ordered the 'traditional club set'. It was a customary moment for us. Sauce and mayonnaise added onto the batter with lots of pork, beef and seafood, and a fragrance came along with the sizzling sound Ahh, it's great.

I munched down the okonomiyaki in large mouthfuls, while Matsumae-chan, who actually ordered an extra large portion, ate more than me. Miya's the only one who trained normally, and ordered pork.

"Got to hand it to you there, senpai."

I won, overwhelmingly. There was about a 10 meters gap.

"It's okay, I guess."

Matsumae-chan kept moving her chopsticks. She continued to eat and chew, and began to chomp on the next mouthful before she was done swallowing. She chewed, chewed, chewed, drinking water from time to time, and chewed. It felt as though she refused to talk to us.

Surely she could not accept this outcome.

She couldn't accept the fact that she lost despite going all out, and the first time she felt regret.

So I felt this was fine. Ah, I finally got some reward for my hard work this week.

I could accept it, but Miya probably couldn't. She sighed, grabbed the back of Matsumae-chan's head, which startled her. Then─

Both of them lowered their heads in unison.

Matsumae-chan's mouth was still stuffed with okonomiyaki, a spatula in one hand and chopsticks in the other as she blinked in shock, looking a little stunned.

"Thank you for the lesson."

Miya said, and lifted her head. Having known me for so long, it seemed she understood my intent.

I guess it's not easy trying to act cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

But I played dumb, like a certain person in the past, stuffing the cut okonomiyaki into my mouth.

Miya didn't say anything more.

I went to swim on this day, partially for Matsumae-chan's sake. But I had to really emphasize that part of it was for my own sake, to swim for myself...it's true.

If Matsumae-chan just loved swimming and never intended to compete, I wouldn't have needed to do this. But I knew this wasn't the case.

When I first stood next to her, I mistook her purpose. She joined because she admired me however, and was the tolerant type who would compete just to gauge herself against others.

She's lonely, but not remotely arrogant to begin with.

In that case, it's only a matter of time until she joined the competitive side (ours). If I let her be, she would quit the club activities and swimming in a short time.

This contest might have hardened her resolve.

People are content as long as they have approached their goals to a certain extent. Matsumae-chan was content with nearly beating me a week ago, on that day, at that moment, but she didn't want that to happen, so she subconsciously slowed down, resulting in that outcome.

I could understand how she felt.

Training's difficult.

If she wanted to work hard, she needed something to support herself.

Like, to approach someone she admired, or to win a competition.

Or to have a crush cheer for oneself.

People can continue to progress just like this. I had personally experienced this.

All I did on this day was to create an opportunity for her.

The goal she admired was still far away, and she had to work hard to catch up.

She had to go further and beyond.

It was the goal a middle school boy once had for a girl.

And as a senior, I too entrusted the same wishes to my junior.

I bade farewell to the other two in front of the okonomiyaki shop.

The sun had set, but I didn't want to go home right away, so I went in the direction of the train station.

To be honest, I had been lost the entire time.

I wanted to tell Haru what happened.

But was it fine telling Haru when he didn't know what's going on? But but, it should be fine if I just told him, I did my best, right? But but but, if he's still studying, it's not good to distract him.

My mind was in a mess.

My heart was filled with much conflict as I continued walking. There were the yellow lights of the beef bowl restaurant chain, the high school students gathered at the parking lots of the convenience stores while on the way home, the crowds packed outside the windows of the burger shop.

I grabbed the lime green phone in my hand firmly, and walked for another 30 minutes or so.

I'm an indecisive maiden hopelessly in love─that's how it is, y-you got a problem─so after much frustration, I made up my mind.

Argh, I really wasn't being myself. Over the entire time, I had been opening and closing the contact list, finding the name I was thinking of.

"Haruyoshi Segawa."

It was the name of the only special person to me on this world. Whenever I touched his name, my heart would race. I switched the switch, and called out an eleven digit number. One click, Haru and I would be connected.

Well, here I go.

My heart was racing as I made the call, but nobody picked up, and all I could hear was the droning tone ringing away. It felt like a pity, but I was seemingly relieved.

What was the conflict in my heart about? Eh, but I couldn't do anything when he didn't pick up.

The feelings I could not vent were resolved, and I felt a lot better. Hm, better report to mom.

I would have her cook my favorite curry. There was a curry smell from somewhere, and though I had just eaten okonomiyaki, my mouth was filled with curry flavor. Curry~curry~if there's still some of that pork cutlet, let's have pork curry, so I hummed to myself for some reason.

I was feeling really good.

But the cruel world showed me reality.

I stopped once I saw a silhouette.

Even amongst dozens of people, I could spot him immediately. Yes, this too was the case.

Haru was there, but he wasn't alone.

He was together with the prettiest girl I saw.

That girl had the flowing long hair Haru liked.

She pretended to be pouty as she spoke to Haru, who might have been pretending before her as he clapped his hands together in apology. The girl continued to frown, but her pouting lips broke into a smile. They were smiling. Yep, they looked really happy.

It's like they were in a miracle. There was something I hoped for.

I didn't know at all; that Haru had this side to him.

I felt tragic, like someone dosed me with cold water from above. My heart was sad and angry.

Lots of complex emotions were mixed together, and I couldn't eke out a voice. Ah, but despite that, I should be able to make it in time. As long as I did something, my hands and my voice should be able to reach Haru.

I placed my hands on my chest pocket.

It contained the 'special photo' (my smile) Haru took this autumn, and that photo was throbbed violently. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.

I made up my mind, and changed directions.

They arrived at the station, said a few words, and went their separate ways.

Haru and the girl.

Who should I follow?

My body instinctively told me the answer. I hastened my steps, reached my hand out, and spoke to that person.

"Who are you?"

She was shocked, and glared back, just as I did.

And then, that girl and I had our only conversation.

But that was enough.

We fell for the same boy, neither of us would give way.

It was a competition beyond the scale I had against Matsumae-chan.

Yeah, that's right.

We couldn't understand each other, and couldn't get along with each other. There's one thing that we both understood, that we were sworn enemies.

My love rival had a name as pretty as her appearance─

It sounded like the white sparkles descending from the sky.

## Contact 162 - The Encounter a Year Ago

“Hey, you there—”

Two days ago I heard a cold voice, and looked over, seeing a girl with a touching smile.

This might be the most ordinary of all encounters. She’s not a girl who fell from the sky, and it’s not a body swap. She merely talked to me. I stopped.

Ah, yes. It’s the start of an ordinary encounter between the girl (her), and the ordinary boy (me).

“I really want him to bring me to the seaside.”

I heard her mutter with the same warmth as she did that day, and turned to look at her. She was enthusiastically picking away at the pebbles by the riverbank. “This shape is a little…” “this one’s a little too big.” So she picked the pebbles and tossed them out. Her posture the entire time encapsulated the term serious.

As she continued to remain crouched, I looked towards her, and called out the name I knew days ago.

“Yuki.”

“Hm~? What is it?”

“Did I mishear that just now?”

“Just now?”

"I heard you say you want to go to the seaside."

"I think you definitely heard that wrong."

Let's use this, so Yuki nodded as she slowly got to her feet.

She was holding a small round pebble in her little hand.

With a really pretty form, she threw the pebble along the surface. It formed ripples on the water surface, once, twice, thrice, as it spun away.

Ta ta tatatatatatatata.

It bounced eight times in total, and finally sank slowly to the bottom.

Yuki said she never played stone skipping, and I was teaching her. It was a little vexing how she broke my best record on her first try.

“I said I want you to bring me to the seaside.”

Yuki finally turned towards me. The gleeful grin of succeeding at stone skipping diluted the mature vibe she had.

“Can I ask something?”

I raised my hand, and Yuki leisurely turned her palm towards me,

“Sure.”

“What month is it now?”

“February.”

In other words, it’s Winter.

We were shivering away in the frigid, blade-like winds.

The river was flowing before our eyes, dyed in the grey color of the sky, looking a little forlorn. The leisurely breezes blew by, causing ripples, headed towards us, pressing our uniforms down onto our chests.

It seemed Yuki wanted to go to a colder place in such weather.

“It’s Winter. Cold.”

Left with no choice, I could only say this.

“It’s fine, let’s go.”

“How about Summer? We think of the sea when it comes to Summer.”

“No, now is fine.”

“You’re really stubborn. We can’t go into the water when it’s winter, you know?”

“The feet alone should be fine.”

"Seriously, I think the cold's unbearable. Besides, you're scared of the cold anyway, Yuki."

"Eh, how did you know?"

At that moment, there was a glint in Yuki's large eyes, the glint small yet dazzling, ostensibly about to vanish on a single puff.

"Anyone can tell when you're dressed in such thick clothing."

Yuki's dressed in a turtleneck coat, and the scarf was wrapped around her neck a few times. Beneath the coat wasn't a sailor uniform, but a sweater. Also, she had her hands hidden inside the sleeves for protection against the cold. Whenever I saw the cute fingertips appear, I had to suppress my excitement with all I had. I actually like overly long sleeves, but there's no way I can say that.

"Yoshi-kun, you're giving a scary look."

"You're lying."

I patted my face.

“You’re thinking of something pervy, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. No, I’m saying that I’m not thinking, of anything, at all.”

“Really~?”

Yuki narrowed her eyes, which were devoid of that glint from before. She called my name, her eyes giving a different look.

Argh. I had what could only be described as a bad feeling.

“Hey, Ha, ru, yo, shi, Se ga, wa, kun.”

“Wh-what?”

Yuki took a step that was two steps long.

The gentle fragrance entered my nose, and the first thing I saw was her reddened nose, followed by her blushing face, red as an apple, a stark contrast to her white skin. Then, I saw her somewhat dry lips, on the verge of bleeding anytime soon.

My head went white, and I reached my fingers towards her lips, only to stop. That’s not a place I could casually touch.

But, why?

Why did I reach my hand out?

The hand was dangling in the air, having lost its aim, wrapped up by something soft. It’s something as cold as my hand, a certain person’s hand. Yet there was warmth from where I touched, and some pain.

She grinned away, repeating,

“Bring me to the seaside.”

Shall we get back to that topic? Her wordless smile was conveying this intent.

Now what do you expect me to do?

Well, the answer’s obvious.

“As you wish.”

Was there any other option to begin with?

This happened in winter, during my second year of high school.

And just like that, Yuki Shiina and I decided to go to the seaside.

The town I lived in was completely landlocked amongst the mountains, and a trip to the seaside would require a train ride, or a bus. I checked the place Yuki wanted to visit, and discovered it would take almost four hours to reach there. One could say it’s a little trip by itself.

“I still can’t see the sea.”

We were shaking in the train for at least three hours. Yuki duly commented as she sat by the window, but the impression she gave was different from what she said. She seemed really happy.

“Sea, sea, see the sea~” She hummed a tune I had never heard, probably something she made up, “Sea, sea, see the sea~” Seemed like she’s in a good mood.

There’s a hard cover book on her knees, and a pink bookmark stuck in the middle of that book. It’s completely pink, and while it’s commonplace, she seemed to have really treasured it. For some reason, I was very curious about this.

“What is it?”

Yuki noticed my stare, and tilted her head in confusion. But naturally, I didn’t have the courage to ask her about that—

“It’s nothing. Is that book interesting?”

And I could only pass it off with an unrelated topic.

“Sort of, but I think I got some motion sickness, so I’m not reading it. Let’s have some snacks.”

And as she said, she put the book into the bag, taking out an ordinary bento box commonly found in a convenience store, taking out some roasted snacks. She popped them into her mouth with a blissful look, and enjoyed it well.

The train soon fell into darkness, the scenery outside swallowed in darkness—not that the sky turned dark, but that the train entered the tunnel. It continued to push forward, seeking the light.

Suddenly, Yuki pointed the skewer tip of the snacks at me, asking,

“Beyond the tunnel is—”

The answer appeared in my mind even though I wasn’t thinking of it. It happened as naturally as ‘1+1=2’. After all, it’s the slogan of the most famous anime movie in Japan.

“A mysterious town beyond the tunnel, is it?”

“Yes. Now that, what might await us there?”

The moment we finished saying so, the light filled our eyes.

The light shone through the glass, turning rectangular, adding charm to Yuki’s white skin. She narrowed her eyes because it was too bright, and smiled.

Our destination, the place Yuki was looking forward to, was beyond the window. Wahh, wahh, she squealed like a kid. I took the opportunity to take a munch off the snack pointed at my nose. Hm, enough saltiness.

“Wahh～Eh? Ah, ahhhh…”

Yuki realized I was eating her snack because of my chewing, looked at the snack in her hand, and exclaimed,

“Yoshi-kun, what did you just do!!”

She’s not expressing her emotions correctly, and it’s obvious how agitated she was.

She nimbly switched between two different emotions. Delight because she saw the vast scenery outside the window; sadness because her snack got eaten.

“Waaahhhhh!!!”

This is joy.

“Ah, ahhhh…”

This is sadness.

Yuki’s reaction could muster the guilt within anyone’s heart, so I couldn’t help but divert my attention out of the window..

I could see the thick clouds in the distant skies. A beam of light shone through the clouds. I remembered it was called ‘Angel’s Ladder’ or something. The light caused the water surface beneath it to whiten and dazzle.

Speaking of which, it’s the first time I saw the sea during winter. After all, I never went out of my way to do so. I realized I was acting a little emotional, and covered my smiling lips with my hand. Goodness me, I said I didn’t want to go, but my body was being so honest.

“Waahh, the sea’s so pretty. Ah, ahh, this snack’s limited for the period. I can’t buy it anymore.”

But as Yuki next to me let out an unexpectedly dejected sigh, I could only apologize to her.

We alighted at an empty station, and boarded a bus that so happened to arrive.

After another half an hour on the bus, an empty beach appeared before our eyes. Before we walked to the sea, I had a look at the bus schedule. It seemed the last bus would arrive at 7pm.

“Hm~feels like the sea. There’s the smell of the tide～”

A few months ago, or rather, a few months later, it would be a completely different season, and this place would be full of people. Right now, it’s a place belonging only to Yuki and me.

“I guess.”

Yuki stretched as she strolled down the beach, while I remained still, watching her back.

She made it halfway between me and the sea, and removed her boots and socks, walking barefooted on the beach. The porcelain-like white feet caused my heart to jolt.

She moved her hand away from her waist, and the boots fell into the sand with a thud. Like a bird, she stretched her empty hands, but she did not fly away. She walked to the sea.

The surging waves splashed at her feet, and her footprints were swallowed, as though her stroll had never happened. I had a feeling the white waves wanted to take Yuki away. Her feet was completely buried in the water. Run! The wind prompted me from behind. Once I took the first step, the second step was easier. Three steps, four, I accelerated, and ran towards where she was.

I got to Yuki, and she turned towards me.

“Eh,Yoshi-kun, what is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

“I don’t know why I suddenly thought of running.”

“What was that?” Yuki seemed bemused by that “That’s weird of you.”

The cold wind blew between us.

“It is.”

The words I said was lofted by the wind to a faraway place. We looked towards the direction of the voice, and a second or two passed, before the distant grey clouds were the only things left behind.

“…Hm, let’s get moving.”

Yuki suddenly declared as she rolled up her sleeves vigorously, scooping the seawater with her palms, and grinned away. I didn’t bother asking her what she was planning to do, and I all could do was to coax her,

“Yuki, don’t be crazy now.”

“I’m not, watch this!”

Yuki wouldn’t liste, and splashed water at me.

The water danced in the air, dazzling as it reflected the light. I scooted away in a panic, evading the frontal assault.

“Woah, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean? This is something we should do at the seaside.”

“It’s cold.”

“I know. Say, it really is. It’s freezing me to death.”

“You didn’t have to do tha.t”

“But we finally made it all the way here.”

“But you didn’t have to drag me into this—ahh!！”

Yuki splashed water at me again while I was talking, and I couldn’t dodge in time as I was ambushed. The water splashed onto my face, and it hurt a little. Felt like something melted too. I abandoned all caution thereafter, and removed my shoes and socks as Yuki did, stepped into the water. My knees were soaked, along with part of my shorts, but I guessed I didn’t care at that point

The chill rising from beneath my feet caused me to shiver, my teeth clattering away. I wasn’t just cold, I was in pain. Even so—

I scooped the seawater with my palm, and splashed it at Yuki.

“Kyaa, what are you doing!?.” The water hit her skirt, turning it a little black. The droplets were also black.

I burst out laughing, “Don’t splash on others if you’re not ready to get splashed.”

“Oh? So that means you’re ready to throw it down with me, Yoshi-kun?”

“Eh? Erm, Yuki, san? Isn’t that, too much water?”

“Of course not.”

“It’s freezing. My clothes are soaked.”

“Ahahahaha.”

“Hey, this isn’t a laughing matter. It’s freezing man.”

“What? It’s supposed to be cold in the winter, right?”

“No, I should be blaming you more than the winter.”

“Your fault for having poor aim.”

“So it’s all my fault?”

“Yes, it’s all your fault, Yoshi-kun.”

We yapped away happily, having fun as though we’re abandoning everything, running away from reality.

We’re the only two people at the seaside this winter. Yes, two of us. Not one.

That was why I could endure this freezing cold.

“What did we just do?”

“Who knows?”

“It’s stupid.”

“It really is.”

We calmed down after having much fun, and regretted our actions. Our feet were soaked, and we couldn’t move. We were soaked to our thighs, our clothes heavy like lead.

“Hm.”

I held Yuki’s outstretched hand, and we walked down the coast. Sand was stuck on my soles, and it hurt.. We left footprints on the beach, in the opposite direction from where we came from.

“We’ll use the sand to build a castle later.”

“Sure, a castle for Yoshi-kun and me.”

“Feels a bit weird.”

“Why? I’m the princess and you’re the chancellor.”

Yuki held my hand with hers, the other holding her boots.

“What, I’m the chancellor?”

“Yep. The chancellor who listens to all the selfish whims of the stubborn princess.”

“Sounds troublesome.”

“You don’t want to?”

“Not exactly.”

Right. It’s not something really annoying.

I was happy to go along with Yuki’s wishes. It’s not like I had some weird characteristic. In fact, I didn’t…probably.

It’s just that, whatever I did, Yuki’s happy. Whenever I called for her, she would give a happy look. Even when I was summoned by her, I didn’t feel annoyed. I just felt happy to be thanked by her.

I guess it’s something like instinct.

The creatures called men have no resistance to the smiles of women, moreso if it’s a cute girl.

“That’s fine. Are you really okay with being the chancellor?”

“Didn’t you say so?”

“Well, I said it, but you can say that you don’t want to do it. Just say if there’s any other role you want to play as.”

“Other, as in?”

“Never mind. You don’t have to understand. What I said isn’t important. It’s something you have to notice and work hard to achieve.”

Yuki said as she let go of the hand. She then pointed at the stone steps with the bags placed there.

“I think we should rest. Brought some hot tea and snacks.”

“Can I eat those?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, I just got the feeling that you’ll react like you did on the train. Sounds troublesome.”

The moment I said so, Yuki puffed her cheeks.

“I didn’t pout. It was a limited edition, that’s why. You just ate a bit without saying anything. I prepared some snacks and drinks for now, so it’s fine. Or are you saying that you can’t eat what I bought?”

“Well, it feels like you’re drunk, Yuki, like you can’t drink my wine.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Hahaha. That’s something a drunk will say.”

“Hmph. I’m ignoring you.”

Yuki pouted again, but as she returned to the stairs, she took out all the snacks, and felt a lot better. It seemed she’s not the type to be angry for long.

I felt the warmth and sweetness flow into my body. After I finished it all at once, Yuki asked if I wanted another cup, so I graciously requested for another.

I sniveled a little, sensing the warmth from my hands.

“Seems like this tea’s good for the body too.”

“I see. Oh yeah, Yuki.”

“Hm?”

“It’s warm. Very very warm.”

I put my warmed hands onto Yuki’s. She had been shivering the entire time, probably because she’s cold.

“My hands are still so cold.”

“Shall we keep it like this for now?”

Until you’re no longer cold. Until we share this warmth equally.

Yuki’s palms turned up, and this was her answer. But why was it that I was the one who suggested this, yet I couldn’t hold her hands? It’s embarrassing of me.

Yuki might have had enough, for she sternly pulled my hands and brought our palms together. The fingers were exerting lots of strength, and they were intertwined with mine. I gripped them back tentatively. After a long time, my fingers finally touched the back of her hands, and as I was embarrassed, I had my head lowered the entire time, never looking at Yuki’s pretty face.

The winter wind was really comfortable.

If only some of this suddenly rising body warmth could be shared with Yuki.

Once again, I looked towards the winter sea, thinking about such things.

The sun had set at the time we left the seaside. The thick clouds had parted slightly, and the stars could be seen as scattered lights in the sky.

We were the only two at the seaside for the entire day. Everything left there was proof that we were the only ones there, from the sandcastles to the hundreds of footprints to the words written with drifted branches. We hurried to the bus stop five minutes before it was time. All we had to do was to head back, take another 30 minutes to the train station, and another 3 hours ride back.

We sat at the faded, if not ugly looking seats of the bus stop. We were worn out, and were unable to say anything.

Five minutes later, the bus did not appear. "It's a little late." "Yeah", so we muttered, and waited for another ten. The bus did not appear.

Yuki got up reluctantly, checked the schedule, Yoshi-kun, and called my name in shock.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Did you check the schedule properly?"

"Of course."

...Yoshi-kun, may I know what is the date today?"

"Why the sudden keigo?"

"Just answer."

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Eh? Erm, 11th February."

"Can I ask another question?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the day today?"

Yuki's question had me confused? Was it a special day? It seemed Yuki sensed my lack of awareness, and she pointed at the schedule like a school teacher.

"Look here."

I did as told, and took a closer look. It was Saturday, and the last bus was noted to be at 7pm, as I remembered. Yuki then slid her fingers to the column regarding Sunday and public holidays. The last bus was 4pm.

She saw that I still did not get her, and revealed the correct answer,

"February 11th is the National Foundation Day, so it's a holiday."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Yuki nodded.

I messed up. I never expected myself to make this mistake.

Was it because I was too excited? Well I was. It's a big deal for me to go out with a cute girl.

Yuki, walking next to me, didn't say a word. It was terrifying.

So we walked for another ten minutes or so, and returned to the convenience store we were at half an hour ago. Yuki then turned towards me, reaching her hand out,

"Yoshi-kun. The phone."

...Right! The phone!

There's that too. It's too simple, I didn't think about it. And in response to these revelation-like words, I hastily pulled the smartphone out from my pocket.

"Lend me."

"Eh? Why?"

"Just do it. You don't have the right to refuse me now."

Yuki's right. I didn't have that right. So I handed the phone over obediently, and she nodded, looking pleased. She then switched it off.

"...Why?"

"Why you ask? You would have gone back if you had this, Yoshi-kun. Like, call your dad, or a taxi."

That's what I intended. Yuki however gave a troubled look, as though I was the one asking a weird question. Was I the weird one? No no no, that's impossible. So she ignored this stunned me, and smiled,

"More importantly, let's buy dinner."

"Huh?"

"It's cold out here, so I want something hot. Like Oden."

"Huh?"

The automatic doors opened, and the warm air warmed many things. Yuki prompted me forward, pulling my hand into the shop.

The orange light looked comfortable, and like an insect attracted to the light, I wasn't able to resist as I stumbled into the shop.

After that.

Yuki left the convenience store, holding the plastic bag leisurely, and we returned to the seaside leisurely.

Nothing happened aside from a few vehicles passing through. The headlights turned Yuki yellow, her shadow swaying aside at a right angle.

Yuki never got to buy Oden. The uncle, probably the shopkeeper, told her to return the next day as they probably were sold out. She had an increased urge to eat once she knew she couldn't, and pestered the uncle about the next time the food would be available. It seemed the shop would close at 10, and there's no point demanding for unavailable things. We bought meat buns and fried chicken and the like, and left the store.

We walked down the stone steps of the dike, and descended to the coast. The sea at night was a lot quieter than the day. It's like the sounds of the waves were the only voices left in the world.

"Sorry for acting selfishly. I just wanted to stay outside with you a little longer."

"No it's fine. It's my fault to begin with. I should be the one apologizing."

"You don't have to. Leave that until we return home. Your family should be angry now, right?"

"Who knows? My family don't really care about that. They just close an eye if I stay out for too long."

"You'll get scolded."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"That'll definitely happen."

Yuki handed over the phone she confiscated.

"They're definitely worried about you, so I allow you to send a message. Say that you're with friends. Well, that makes you a liar, but you're good at that, aren't you?"

"I don't usually lie. How am I good at that?"

Of course, I couldn't say that I never lied before. This wasn't really a lie to begin with. Yuki and I were friends, and we were together.

"Really?"

"Really."

So she responded, looking completely skeptical. For some reason, I couldn't put a finger to it, but I took the phone, and found that my mom sent me a message.

"Are you coming back for dinner?"

I pondered a little, and lied as Yuki told me to. I'll be staying at a friend's place, I don't need dinner; so I responded. This kind of lie probably wouldn't amount to much. I pressed the send button, and my lie became a message sent hundreds of kilometers away. Got it, so mom replied.

"You don't have to contact anyone, Yuki?"

"Who?"

"Like, your parents?"

"...It's fine."

Yuki's voice was soft, and I couldn't determine the emotion she had. For some reason, I felt the girl next to me was as lonely as a lost kid, and the words she said just disappeared into the night air.

I saw the street light behind her slender shoulders. It's probably 5km from here, or 10; might be longer, but still walkable.

Once we walked there, there would be a hotel, and probably an internet cafe and karaoke. Despite that, Yuki was holding the hand warmer from the convenience store as she walked down the coast, and seemed to have no intention of going to a place with light. So, we continued walking in the darkness.

"Ah, look. It's pretty nice."

Yuki finally stopped before an empty looking beach lounge. There's no human presence to be sensed there. People probably only show up there in the summer.

The blue paint on the walls had been weathered away, but it appeared they could withstand the wind. There's no door, but there's a rest area at the back. If we cleared up the rubbish of empty cans and snacks here, we probably could spend the night here.

I found myself a little excited, just a little. It's a scenario every man had hoped for at least once. It's like we discovered a secret base.

While my emotions were running wild, Yuki turned the faucet at the back door, checking for water.

Girls really were lacking in the concept of romance, but if I said so, she would have refuted, saying that our definitions were different.

"The seawater's making my face and hands sticky. Won't feel good if I don't wash it off."

So Yuki said as she washed her face in the freezing weather, and I was impressed by that. I too washed my limbs and face, but not exactly thorough.

We finally entered the rest area, and ate the meat bun that was a little colder, fried chicken, and croquettes. We had the warmed corn tea, rested a little, and that thing showed up. The sleep demon opened its mouth wide, intending to swallow my consciousness. It's no doubt a demon, as powerful as a demon lord in video games.

My eyelids got heavy, and the world began to turn hazy.

No matter how I tried to endure, I couldn't stop yawning.

Despite that, I barely forced my way to a corner of the room, keeping my distance from Yuki. I was indicating that I wasn't planning to do anything to her in my own way, but─

Yuki's HP gauge was in the red, and she came to my side, bringing the thick blanket she had and draping it all over me. The world was swallowed in utter darkness, just like when evening turned to night.

My eyes immediately saw the crescent-like lips of Yuki, resembling the moon.

"Eh."

She snuck under the blanket with a squeal. The distance between us was not even a millimeter. Typically, I wouldn't notice my own breathing and heartbeat, but those sounds were ridiculously loud.

Also, I felt other things.

Yuki's warmth.

Yuki's softness.

Yuki's breathing.

She was giving off the usual smell of spring, and the senses shooed away my sleep demons, just a little.

"E-er-erm, Yuki-san?"

"...Is something the matter?"

For some reason, both of us were speaking in keigo.

"What's going on?"

"I-it's cold."

Yuki said as she buried her face into her thighs. Her usually white neck was obviously a little red, and her awkwardness too reached me.

I tried joking, or rather, if I didn't do so, I wouldn't last.

"Don't do this if you're going to be embarrassed."

"I-I-I'm not embarrassed. You are, Yoshi-kun."

"I can't help it. It's because you're a beauty, Yuki. No, erm."

Huh? What did I just blurt out? It was too late for me to retract my words though.

I didn't know if my eyes got used to the darkness, or other reasons, but I found Yuki's neck and years a lot redder than they were before. My mind emptied itself further as a result.

"Eh, erm, I didn't mean that. No, you're cute, Yuki, but what I want to say is, eh, how should I put it?"

"Uh huh?"

"So, yeah, I guess it's no wonder I'm like this. Yeah, not that I want to do something guilty."

Yuki lifted her head, still looking red as she stared at this anxious me.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun."

Yes!"

"Thanks. Because of you, I know all the efforts I put in have not gone to waste."

I thought she would be teasing me, but she thanked me for some reason.

"Efforts?"

"It's fine that you don't know about this. Hm, well. A swan can flap at the water all it wants, but it'll still look like it's just floating around. Boys just need to see girls doing that."

I didn't really get what she meant, but she probably meant that I shouldn't look deeper into this.

"Anyway, back on topic. Seriously, Yuki, I may look like this, but I'm a guy."

"I know."

"Don't you think this situation's a little bad?"

"Not exactly. Not at all."

"Why?"

"You're a good boy, Yoshi-kun. You say you'll be fine being a chancellor."

I recalled building sandcastles with Yuki during the day. She's a stubborn princess, and I was the chancellor fulfilling her wishes.

"But you know, if you keep being one, you won't be able to fulfill a princess' biggest wish. A princess is always waiting for a prince."

So she said, and closed her eyes, leaning her head on her shoulder. A few seconds after I froze, she made a cute snoring sound. Typically, I wouldn't be able to sleep in such circumstances, but because of the body warmth and the snoring, the distant sleep demons approached once again. My eyelids were twice as heavy as before, and my consciousness was quickly fading.

Everything was becoming empty, the rational mind and self-awareness to control myself weakened, and my desire couldn't have missed out on this chance.

Sheepishly, I held Yuki's hand firmly as she slept. And then, I fell asleep, satiated.

❀

I had a dream.

In that dream, I was four, or five, in kindergarten.

I experienced this dream many times, and even in the dream, I knew it was one.

However, the dream world could only repeat the past over and over again, and the same ending happened every time, so it probably was the same this time. I was only able to observe the developments as a bystander and a first person.

Two friends were talking to me. I couldn't remember their names and appearances. However, I could remember their voices. One of them often hung out with me, and the other was one I was on better terms with recently. They had high pitches, their voices prepubescent.

One of them said that we should go play soccer. Another said we should go catch some rhino beetles.

I actually preferred the latter, but if I did, the friend I was closer to would be angry. If I played soccer, I would have made the newer friend sad. This current me would probably have dealt with it better, but I couldn't do so back then.

So I chose to remain silent.

Right. I chose neither.

And the dream ended. I chose neither, and didn't grab anything before it ended.

But this dream was different.

There was a pretty girl I had never met. She reached her hand towards me.

For some reason, the moment I saw that new girl, I felt nothing else mattered. Not the soccer, not the rhino beetle, not the friends whose names I forgot.

The only important thing was the girl before me.

In this dream, I reached my hand out, and called the name I couldn't have known of.

"Yu─"

I didn't know if my voice reached her.

❀

I woke up in the morning, and felt my body ache.

I moved my shoulders, which creaked away. I had been sleeping on the hard floor, my buttocks and neck aching away. My fatigue never faded away, and I couldn't see very well.

After rubbing my eyes a few times, the world finally got clearer.

Only then did I realize Yuki was not around.

There was a void next to me, some warmth, and Yuki's presence had vanished like snowflakes.

Some fear struck me, griping at my heart.

Suddenly, I recalled her silhouette as she stood at the seaside. The waves continued to reach its white, thin arms reaching for her feet. The unspeakable unease drove me out of the rest room.

A gust of cold wind suddenly struck my skin, bringing the cold into my body.

It was a winter morning.

Actually, was it morning? The world's still dark, some white by the hill. It's a divide between night and day. Morning was about to start.

The sun was slowly appearing in the sky, spreading its wings like a swan. Everything was engulfed in light, including her who had vanished next to me.

As expected, she was kneeling by the sea. For some reason, she had the pink bookmark she treasured in her hand, holding down the bottom with her fingers as she stared at the ending night. She was dazzling in the glimmer of the dawn.

That sight had me thoroughly mesmerized, captivated like a fool.

She then noticed me, lifted her head to say something, but because of the distance between us, I couldn't hear too well. All I could make out was a grunt from her as she got up, and her calling my name.

It was the most beautiful scene I had ever seen. This time, I called her name in reality. She ran over to me.

"Good morning, Yuki."

Just calling out this name had my heart in pain.

I was wondering what this first experience of an emotion was, one so painful and yet unable to let go of, so terrifying yet so warm. I couldn't help but conclude that, yes─

It might be the first time I had fallen in love.

On our trip back, we bought lots of Oden at the convenience store, as revenge for missing out the previous day.

Large carrots, eggs, beef tendon skewers, and most importantly, the cabbage roll, thick fried tofu, and kinchaku mochi. There were only two cabbage rolls, and Yuki squealed in exaggeration.

Since we got the chance, we went to the seaside for the third time.

We sat on the dike, took out the Oden, and the moment we opened the lid, the hot air and smell inside caused our stomachs to rumble.

"Let's eat."

"Yep, let's."

Itadakimasu, we said, and enjoyed the boiling food and broth. The pepper was overwhelming, causing our eyes to water, but despite that─

"It's really nice."

"Yeah, it really is."

"I told you we should have bought the cabbage roll."

"This might be the best cabbage roll I've ever eaten."

"That might be an exaggeration."

"It's not. It's really great."

I took the slightly large cabbage roll, and popped it into my mouth. The meat taste spread in my mouth, and the broth sipping out was really delicious, causing me to chew away.

"I'm so happy."

Yuki put down her chopsticks, muttering. I was not done swallowing the cabbage roll in my mouth.

"I feel a little lonely. The sandcastles, the words we wrote with sticks, everything today and yesterday will vanish."

"...They won't."

"Eh?"

I swallowed the cabbage roll, and said again,

"Even if we do vanish now, something definitely will remain behind."

"Like?"

"Eh, I don't know."

I didn't know what would be left behind─

"You aren't serious about this."

"Ugh, sorry."

But I really was thinking that.

"Whatever." Yuki nodded, "This is fine. If only something is left behind, but such a miracle can't possibly happen."

"What do you mean?"

Yuki merely gave a dumbfounded smile. For some reason, she seemed to be holding back her tears, and once I pointed that out,

"The mustard's too strong."

She lied, shaking her slender legs like a kid.

Once the Oden cup in my hands was empty, Yuki said,

"Actually, I,"

I had a feeling she wanted this opportunity to talk. Her hair was ruffled by the wind, and she pulled it behind her ears,

"Wanted to meet again."

"With who?"

"Umi?"

"I don't think people actually 'meet' the sea?"

Yuki didn't look at me, Ah yes, people usually don't understand, and muttered,

"Actually, this Umi I'm talking about refers to my little sister."

"Your little sister? Is she born in the summer?"

"Why you ask?"

"No, well, if you say sea, like Umi, it gives the impression of summer."

Yuki shook her head.

"She's born in the winter. I think it's because I said I wanted to see the sea soon before Umi was born."

"Just because of that?"

"Haha. Yes. So later, papa brought me along with mama who was pregnant to the sea. To be honest, I didn't really remember what happened that day, but even today, I can remember it was snowing on the sea. We saw the winter sea on a snowy day colder than it is today. It's so dark, so lonely, but so pretty and captivating. It's like my heart was captured."

Yuki's sidelong face looked so sad and grim, her eyes seemingly looking into the distance. Not at the vast seas, not at the islands afar, not the tetrapods, or the beach lounge we stayed at last night.

Yuki might have been looking at something more distant, something beautiful the naked eye couldn't see.

"The snow and sea appearing together becomes a magical sight. Papa probably named her Umi hoping that we would be such sisters. Umi's innocent and honest, a very cute girl. Back then, I had fun being together with Umi."

This tone had me a little curious,

"Back then?"

"It's been a while since I saw her. She went somewhere far. It's been a while since we met."

"Feeling lonely?"

"Very. But it's fine. I believe it's only a matter of time until we meet. I just need to do what I have to, and once it all ends, I'll be able to meet her again. Right now, I'm just waiting."

Yuki looked painful when she said these words, and didn't look like she was enduring.

But I couldn't tell her to just meet her that easily. Such was the grimness in her expression.

"The sea's really pretty."

That was the only thing I could say."

"For sure. It really is."

"Yep, very pretty."

The winter sea was so dark, so lonely, so scary. Yet I was mesmerized by the light shining through the gaps of the clouds, the waves of the seas, and the vastness of the horizon stretching into the distance. I really found the sea to be pretty.

It didn't matter whether it's the sea before me, or the girl whose name sounded the same. I never saw her, but I could be sure, for I felt that the girl sitting next to me was an existence prettier than anything else.

"Let's see the sea in winter again. A snowy day."

My words finally had Yuki looking at me. She first gave a look of shock, and then a teary look. Finally, she showed a smile,

"You're a liar after all, Yoshi-kun."

Despite that, her expression was full of sadness.

I didn't know if the future me could wipe away all her sadness.

❄

A crisp sound echoed on the night streets.

It was the alarm signalling the end of the dream, and also, what sounded like applause to conclude the end of a fairy tale.

The clapping girl looked at her aching palms, seemingly lamenting the thing that were once upon them, yet no longer existing.

The past the girl recalled was that particular thing. It was ethereal like a dream, fleeting like a fairy tale, a thing that would melt and vanish, just as her name would imply.

Ahh, but despite that─

The fragment of that dazzling world remained in the girl's heart. Something did remain, just as the boy had said that day.

The girl blushed when she was told that she was cute.

She pretended to be nonchalant, and shared the same blanket with the boy, even though she was so nervous, her heart was about to pop.

Thanks to that, she woke up earlier than the boy, and got to see his sleeping face. His eyebrows were long, his sleeping face somewhat resembling a kid's.

And most importantly, the boy was holding the girl's hand while sleeping.

Was there anything more blissful?

At this point, she could admit the feelings she had for the boy after 4 years, and the things she didn't want to admit.

About him, I─

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. Thank you for finding me."

The girl's mutter vanished like the snow, never reaching his ears. She hurried towards his house.

The right hand was holding the very sweet 'promise' between the duo, though a little bitter.

The left hand was holding the girl's pink 'wish' they had both looked up at.

She held these two things firmly, not allowing them to fall.

The night of February 14th ended.

The story no one knew of ended, and a new story began.

But despite that, so the boy (said) spoke up, and the girl (watashi) said.

It was the happiest love story in the world that belonged nowhere, but truly existed.

## Contact 214 + 1 - The Place We Arrived At

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I called out to a boy I knew not of.

I was strolling around to a nearby park, and saw a little silhouette running there for who knew how long.

It's probably an elementary school kid. A small body, slender limbs, pretty face, grim looking the entire time.

The sweat on the kid fell like tears, and the kid wiped it off with the jumper sleeves. The sweat danced in the air, giving an orange glow, becoming increasingly dazzling. What hurt me most however was the sidelong face of a person working really hard, unhappy and unwilling to compromise.

That reminded me of a certain person.

That person was more mature than the boy before him, but was still a child. That person kept wouldn't give up, and kept running─

Struggling towards a place that existed nowhere.

The sweat stung the kid’s eyes, but as the blue skies of summer were too vibrant, even the tears were dried away. I could vividly remember that scene just by closing my eyes . I recalled what transpired on that hottest day of summer, when I quietly swore that I would never forget what happened on that day.

The sun that day was vicious.

The scent of the dirt was overwhelming.

The sweat continued to fall. It was really salty..

For a while now, the kid had been repeating the actions of a certain person. His fingers were on the ground, and he was looking forward, adjusting his breathing, and sprinted off. Right when he was about to accelerate, he slowed down, and returned to his old posture. This happened over and over again.

It seemed he was focused on practicing his starts, and my voice never reached him. I got up from the bench, and took a large breath of the spring evening air. The sakuras had yet to bloom, but I could have sworn I smelled that.

“Hey, what are you doing?

I then called out with a voice much louder than before.

The kid was startled, tumbled over, and looked up at me.

“Eh?”

The sweat fell down his forehead. The wind blew. And the long hair covering his large eyes fluttered along.

My silhouette got bigger in the black eyes resembling a starless night, and was obviously distinct with the ambiguous world, a proof that I, a part of the background just a moment ago, had entered his world. Just like that, an encounter was made, and a relationship was formed.

“Hi there. I’m Segawa Haruyoshi.”

I greeted the kid.

“Huh? E-erm, are you as-asking…er, me?”

The kid tilted his kid in confusion, and I nodded in confirmation. He then answered me.

“He-hello there, I’m Haruto.”

It happened during the spring near the end of my university life.

And just like that, I made an elementary school acquaintance.

“Well, that happened yesterday.”

“Can I open the window?”

“Sure.”

Takuma, seated in the co-driver seat, then pulled down the car window. The spring air was still a little cold, purging away the warm air inside, even blowing back Takuma’s bangs.

“This breeze sure feels good.”

This buddy of mine said with his face by the window, humming the tune of an idol song. It’s a love song signaling the start of spring.

“It’s spring now.”

“I know your name man. How long have we been friends to begin with?”

“Enough with that dumb act man. Were you listening to me anyway?”

“I am, I am. So you spoke to that pretty kid, and got a tea session with the police, right?”

“Who said that?”

It seemed he had no interest in my encounter with the kid.

I borrowed my dad’s car half an hour ago, and went to fetch my high school friend from the train station.

The local station was already empty, and that tall friend of mine walked out. It’s been a while since we met, but I recognized him immediately. He had grown from a kid to a teenager, but his laughter was exactly the same as it was before.

“Yo!”

He waved a hand, casually greeting me, so I responded in kind..

This reunion was the same as before, but time distanced us. In a second, our relationship was good as new, and of course, it’s something for us to be happy about.

I put Takuma’s luggage into the boot, and drove the car out of the parking lots. We went down the same county road we always took at a speed of 54km/h. If this was the speed we spent our three years of high school, the same could be said of our three years of university.

And surely, the remaining year would pass at the same speed.

Takuma might have sensed something while looking at the usual scenery outside the window, for he reeled his face back in, asking,

“Say Haru, how long will you stay here?”

“About another week or so. I came back once spring break started, so I’ve been here for a while. I’m going to start looking for a job soon. What about you?”

“I can’t say. I do have time, so I might stay around for a while. I got an offer.”

“Huh?”

He said those words with such ease, and I frowned. I was so rattled, my hands shook the steering wheel, and of course, the car reacted, nearly veering off the middle line.

“Woah, that was close.”

Takuma’s voice was filled with shock and reproach.

“You don’t have to be shocked about that. The fast ones already have the best jobs, and now they’re slaves to society.”

“I haven’t filled any application forms.”

“You’re more serious when it comes to weird stuff after all. Probably having the same thoughts as a middle school kid there, wondering what you want to do in life, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Bullseye. You know, I always thought you’re pretty stupid about this. Why can’t you just go first? Go and you’ll reach somewhere. There might be a place more interesting than what you imagine. The thing about roads is that they lead somewhere, but I don’t think you get that.”

I do man, so I quietly refuted without saying, and swallowed my words. I knew very well that we could keep going and meet something, but a lot of strength would be needed , or courage.

The big talk from my friend was a little too much, so I argued back.

“You returned because you argued with Hotta-san, right?”

Once I said this, Takuma was left speechless. Simply put, Makoto Hotta-san was Takuma’s girlfriend. Takuma was at a Tokyo university, and was already dating Hotta-san in Golden Year. She’s three years older than us, and studying for her Masters. I met her a few times. She’s pretty and intelligent, and was very reliable, an ideal adult.

After all, there were few on this world who could actually treat Takuma as a kid.

“How did you know? Did Mako tell you anything?”

Takuma’s glare was piercing through my face.

“No, that’s not it. I just got the feeling that what you said wasn’t just directed at me.”

“Ugh”

“Bullseye. I think you’re pretty clumsy at that too. Did she disagree with you?”

Takuma exhaled, and leaned into the seat. Well, it’s a big company we’re talking about, so he said in a rare, feeble voice.

“The pay’s good, and so are the benefits. It’s just that the vocation’s different from my major. She said it’s a waste of my talent to go there, but I find it pretty interesting.”

“Just to ask, was that your first option?”

“Unya, the third.”

“So that’s why she’s objecting, isn’t it?”

“You think so too?”

“She doesn’t want you to regret it, Takuma.”

“But this is the answer I got after thinking through it. I hoped she would give me a nudge in the back.”

“What?”

I made a right turn at the cross junction, into an alley, and stepped on the brakes to slow down a little. The car’s shaking as the road wasn’t really paved well, and so did Takuma and I. We were shaking at the same place.

“What?”

“Time for a breather.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“You’re lost too, just like me.”

“Shut up.”

Soon after, we saw a sign board indicating expansion roadworks leading to the city. Oh. I was delighted. We wouldn’t have to wait for the opposite vehicle to pass, and there would be fewer traffic accidents.

But we would have to destroy some nearby things to build this road extension. It’s impossible not to lose anything. The expansion area was not barricaded, and not leveled, but it was an empty ground. I could no longer remember what was at this place.

“Haru, was there something over here?”

It seemed Takuma had the same thought.

“I don’t remember anything, even though we often passed by here.”

“It feels empty. I can’t think of anything.”

“Anyway, you noticed? The convenience store outside the station has closed.”

“No it’s not.”

“It's closed alright. Just that there’s a new shop there. The town’s slowly changing without us knowing. Nothing Is eternal, and change is the only thing that’s most likely to continue.”

There’s something flowing between us. It’s a common feeling, and easy to express as an idiom.

But if I expressed it as words at this point, that thing would have gnawed through our hearts, and it’ll be really, really painful. That’s why we didn’t choose to do so.

After a while, Takuma muttered in the same manner he did before.

“Yep, I see it. Still the same old place.”

Before us was the unchanging silhouette of our high school, which we spent three years at. We knew that would happen, but Takuma and I let out little sighs..

It’s been a while since I came to high school. There’s no reason for me to return, if not for Takuma saying he had something for Watanabe-sensei, advisor for the basketball club, and asked me to come along.

We greeted the uncle at the guard house, and went to the staff room. It’s Saturday, but there’s Watanabe-sensei and a few others waiting for us.

The office tables were not exactly rearranged, but there were a few teachers who were reassigned. For example, there was a table, once decorated with children photos, now replaced by gunpla figures or something.

Looking into the office through the open windows were the sakura buds that were within reach. There were a few days until they bloomed.

It would be days after when the white flowers would begin to turn pink, fluttering in the air.

“Anyway Midou, you’ve grown again. Are you going to be above 2m anytime soon?”

“Impossible. I’ve stopped growing already. It’s just my manliness that has increased.”

“Wahaha. This kid’s quite the talker now.”

Watanabe-sensei slapped Takuma on the shoulder.

“Ow.”

Takuma said as he slapped sensei back on the shoulder. It’s a sight we never saw while we were in high school.

Takuma was often lectured during club activities, and always grumbled. But the time they spent together truly existed, and that’s why they’re able to talk just like old times. Since the efforts of the past had led them to such a future, I guess Takuma’s hard work in high school must have been really valuable.

So both of them started chatting about the juniors I didn’t know, and I kept my distance so as not to disturb them. There’s no need for bystanders when talking about the past.

At this moment, I met a teacher in the eyes.

She was smiling, somewhat bemusedly. The harsh eyes behind the glasses remained, but the vibe around her was much kinder than before.

It’s Kozato-sensei.

She's been a teacher for almost four years, so she's a lot more experienced at her job. Looking back, that stifling presence of hers must have been a defense mechanism for her serious personality.

All to prevent being underestimated by her students. All to be an independent contributor to society.

We were too distant from her when we were in high school, and that's why we never noticed, but three years since, I had a feeling I could understand her.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, it's been a while since I last saw you, Segawa."

"Me?"

"Midou does come back to play whenever he has time."

"Ah, I see, but there aren't many like Takuma out there."

"Yes."

Kozato-sensei smiled as kindly as she did before, pulling the lengthened hair behind her ears.

"Truly there aren't. Your daily life doesn't revolve around here. You graduated, grew up, and found your place elsewhere. I too was the same, but it's fine to come back once in a while, isn't it?"

"I'll think back to the past. Lots of it."

So I said, but I hardly had any memories of going out with my friends back in high school.

No, I didn't lose my memories, and wasn't bullied by my classmates.

I remembered that I would go to school as usual, attended the summer festivals with my friends, prepared for the exams seriously, went to pray at the shrine before the big exam.

It's just that, whenever I stepped out of school, I often acted independently. I went alone to many places, did various things, and smiled alone.

It's been a long while, but these memories continued to flow within me like warm blood, never fading away.

I narrowed my eyes at the blue skies beyond the window, immersed in my memories.

I harbored many emotions during those days. There was elation, rage, anxiety, sadness, but added together, these were part of my youth. It's this adorable time that formed this present me.

"Yes, I was careless there. I thought you were an honest student to begin with, Segawa, but I never expected you to participate in the news club conspiracy."

"I think conspiracy is just stretching it. Anyway, you know about 'that', Kozato-sensei?"

Even as a graduate, I couldn't just openly mention about the 'pageant contest' in the staff room of all places. The teachers just appeared not to know, and didn't press on regarding the matter.

Kozato-sensei chuckled, probably understanding what was going on as she brought her face close to me, intending to whisper something, it seemed. My ear gets a little tingling.

"I'm the advisor to the news club now."

She sounded really happy, and even I grinned without thinking.

Kozato-sensei's definitely more popular than when she was teaching us.

Watanabe-sensei and Takuma had much fun talking, so I left them behind and wandered around the school.

There were a few people in the teaching block even on this rest day, and nobody in particular minded about me in plain clothes. There was a boy dressed in that nostalgic school uniform passing me by, and he ran down the corridor with his head lowered.

In this place called the school, whether it’s the past or present, there’s no one who would actually abide by the ‘no running down the hallway’ rule.

I suddenly recalled the face of that female teacher who was of similar age to the present me. That face was replaced with an effervescent smile.

Ah, better correct myself here. There’s no such person around. I guess Kozato-sensei’s skipping down the hallway without anyone noticing.

I ascended the stairs, and went to the classroom we were once at. This classroom was completely empty because of the graduation ceremony, but there were traces of our juniors, whose names I knew not of. There were traces of congratulatory words on the blackboard, and the class goals different from our time.

Suddenly, I bumped into a table with some scars on its surface. I guess someone used a penknife to cut the surface while bored or something.

It so happened to be the position of the seat I sat at.

Since it’s a rare opportunity, I sat down. The desk and chair weren’t the ones I used though, so I guess that’s why the scenery before me was different. No, perhaps it’s because there’s nobody sitting around me?

Everything I should have been familiar with looked a little faded. In any case, it’s after the seasons passed that we knew the value of such importance.

The wind blew in through the open windows, causing the curtains to flutter, and the blue of the sky to seep into the deem classroom.

My world had returned to the time I was still a high school student. The teacher reciting the words on the textbook, the ruckus occurring during the breaks, Takuma making fun of me, Akane calling me.

But when the curtains covered the windows again, the dim classroom returned to the future three years later. The illusion vanished, never to be reached.

Time certainly had passed. This was no longer my seat.

I feel so lonely. So I thought. There truly was a memory that I was prone to recalling.

But I no longer am sad about this.

At 21 years old, I knew very well it was the right thing to do.

I laid down on the table, having a nap, but the cellphone in my pocket shook and woke me up. I didn’t check who was the one calling as I moved in the usual manner, receiving the call.

“Pwoahhh～”

“Where are you now? What are you doing?”

Naturally, it’s Takuma.

“Just napping in the classroom.”

“Nice going man.”

“Sorta. You done?”

“Oh, I guess I want to go to the gym before we go back. You coming over?”

“Got it. Let’s meet there.”

“Ui～”

I got up from the chair, and left the classroom. I took one last look at the classroom, ingraining the sight into my mind, and closed the door.

I then arrived at the stairs, descending it one step at a time.

I arrived at the first level, scanned the judo room with the corner of my eye, proceeded ahead and arrived at the gym.

As promised, Takuma was waiting.

“Kept you waiting.”

Takuma opened the door with the key he borrowed from Watanabe-sensei, and a court too big for the two of us appeared.

I was a little emotional thinking how I once stepped onto the court for the graduation ceremony, singing the school anthem and thinking I wouldn’t return to this place. Takuma quickly hurried to the equipment room as though it was his house, and took out two pair of somewhat old sneakers and a basketball. He tossed a pair that was not firmly tied high towards the tall ceiling of the gym, and I caught it, asking him what was going on. The voice quickly echoed in the room.

“Seriously, what now.”

“There are guys who forget to bring their shoes sometimes, so we hid the spares there. Lucky for us, our juniors did the same. Is that size big enough?”

I checked the number on the sole as he told me to, and it so happened to fit my feet.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Really? Good good, let’s play ball.”

“No I’m not playing.”

“Why?”

It felt like he really didn’t understand, but those were the words I wanted to say.

There’s not much of a contest between a guy who only played basketball during gym class, and a guy competing as a club member in high school and university.

“I’ll definitely lose.”

“How about one on one, you attack, Haru. Offense ends when the ball gets stolen. I give you ten chances. For me well…just once is good. The one with most points win.”

“How did you link what I said to this anyway?”

“Loser has to pay for today’s drinks.”

“Pay for today’s drinks? Stop ignoring what I have to say.”

Takuma then seemingly took what he said as final and put on his shoes. Feeling peeved, I did the same. I thought the spare shoes would have been worn out and tattered, but this one was well taken care of. It felt good wearing this pair.

We tied our shoelaces, stood up, and our tiptoed on the floor. The somewhat rigid sound quickly vanished

Takuma began to stretch towards his toes, checking on how his condition was. I too began to stretch, which I hadn’t done in a long while. Soon after, my body began to heat up.

After our warm ups, Takuma threw the orange ball at me. I threw it back, and Takuma threw it back. This check ball signaled the start of our match.

Takuma pulled some distance from me, and waved to taunt me.

I batted the ball onto the court, and it quickly rebounded. The light shone through the ceiling window of the gym. I looked up and saw the sky outside. It’s the spring blue I felt before, our youth. Some might call us immature, but unexpectedly, I didn’t dislike this.

Ah, yeah, I didn’t dislike this.

I took a deep breath, and exhaled hard. Then, in one motion, I charged to the hoop.

Of course, Takuma slid to block my frontal offense. There’s a body length between us, and I kept dribbling while ensuring his hands could not touch.

“You talked so much, but you ended up playing anyway.”

“If I don’t play along, this friend of mine will cry.”

“Ah really? Thanks then. Hah!”

Takuma brushed by my left hand, and reached his long arm towards the ball, so I spun around to break through.

“Ohhh!”

I could hear Takuma’s shocked voice from behind, and I too was shocked. It felt good dribbling past someone. Well done.

Before my eyes was an empty, brand new world. I guess anyone who played basketball had such a feeling, and endured much training to repeat that experience again.

My mind suddenly recalled the falling face of that kid I met the previous day.

But the kid didn’t seem to have such a feeling. More like an earnest wish.

I charged into that empty paradise, slowed down, and with the shoes rubbing friction against the floor, I stopped, jumped, and threw the ball at the hoop.

The ball spun nicely as it gravitated towards the hoop. I clenched my fist in excitement. Good, there’s no way I lose then. Since Takuma had only one chance to attack, he could block the ball another nine times, and the worst case scenario would be a draw.

But that naïve thinking was swatted away by an outstretched arm from behind, along with the basketball. As for whose hand that was, it’s obvious; unless there’s a ghost roaming around, the only other guy on this court was Takuma.

That friend ran after the swatted ball, caught it, and grinned away.

“9 times.”

Before I realized it, I was being all serious.

I was at my best condition during the first round.

Following that was the second, third, fourth…and the longer it kept up, even I knew that my offense was not as sharp. My legs were aching, and my arms were heavy. During my university lessons, I participated in the sports elective, and never actually had other opportunities to exercise. That elective ended in the first half of my first year, so playing basketball this time was a proper exercise after two and a half years.

And most importantly, Takuma had set his distance well after the first round, maintaining an impenetrable defense. I didn’t have much room to shoot.

“You, physical freak.”

I was panting hard, glaring at the nonchalant looking friend.

“Hu hu, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The eighth offense ended, and the result was still zero. In the blink of an eye, I had two chances left. I really had the urge to punch the me who thought ‘I just need to score once’.

Takuma threw the ball at me. I caught it, and retreated to the three point line. If I didn’t regain a little of my stamina, even the winnable rounds would be unwinnable. So I wanted to buy some time as I spoke to Takuma. I didn’t know if it was useless, but I was shaking. Mental strength has a big impact in sports.

If there’s someone cheering me on, I could have performed better than my usual usuals. If there’s someone I love waiting for me at the finish line, I definitely could finish a 100m sprint in five seconds…wait, that’s impossible.

At the very least, such things could have nudged me forward.. There’s definitely a moment when I could use that.

“Say,Takuma.”

“What? You giving up now?”

“No way man. I just thought of something.”

I thought of the sidelong face of the kid I met the previous day. Takuma raised an eyebrow.

“About why Hotta-san wouldn’t let you work at that company…”

“Don’t talk about that now.”

While Takuma said that and let down his guard, I threw the ball at him. Due to his many years of experience, he instinctively received the ball. I charged forward.

"Ah, hey, that's despicable."

"Don't call it despicable. I'll prefer it if you call it tactics."

I charged towards Takuma in two steps, saw that he reacted instinctively, and shifted my center of gravity elsewhere as planned, breaking through his defenses. Even with his overwhelming physical capabilities, there's no way he's not tired in the slightest. His knees buckled, and he lost balance. Seizing this opportunity, I approached the basket.

A little later, I sensed Takuma giving chase. If I were to shoot at this point, it would be a repeat of my first attempt.

I waited for him to catch up, and held the ball with two hands. Takuma assumed I was about to shoot, and could only jump. I straightened my legs, my soles still stuck to the floor.

"Ah."

Takuma cried. I delayed my movements, and jumped behind Takuma. Everything appeared to be in slo-mo, whether it's the slightly loose laces, Takuma's peeved look, the gym ceiling, the blue skies, and a step further back, the basket I was aiming at. I shot the ball.

"Go!"

My shirt was soaked in sweat before I knew it. My throat was parched. Yet this was the best moment for me.

The orange ball touched the rim, bounced, and tried its best to maintain balance as it swirled a few rounds before landing through the hoop.

"Ah damn it. Got bluffed by such a simple pump fake."

I ignored my groaning friend and started my final offense, but that too got blocked. There's nothing more meaningless than a second miracle. Most importantly, I was out of stamina.

"Now I got two points. You want to continue, Takuma?"

"Of course. Why are you making it sound like you've won?"

We slapped each other on the palm, and switched over. Fuuu, Takuma caught his breath, and threw the ball over. I threw the ball back as Takuma did, but he was so fast, the moment he caught the ball, he shot it as naturally as he breathed.

"Huh?"

I couldn't do anything as I watched the ball fly in an arc, and gravitated through the hoop. It didn't hit the rim, silent and pretty. Once the net shook, time finally returned and began to move.

“Hm, I win.”

Takuma clenched his fist, declaring his win.

“How? Isn’t it a tie?”

“Are you stupid? I shot a three pointer. That’s three points. You got two. The rules say that more points win. So I win.”

“Feels like I saw this scene in a manga or something. Man, that’s low of you. You’ve been aiming for this right all the way, haven’t you?”

“Uhahaha, sorta. Ahhh, good game.”

It seemed his grumbles from before was an act. I didn’t like it, but it’s my loss. Takuma grabbed the bouncing ball beneath the hoop, and slammed it down. That technique was completely different from mine as an amateur.

The ball seemingly came alive in his hands, was sucked back in, and left.

“Oh yeah, Haru. About the penalty for drinks later,”

“Got it. I lost, I lost. I’ll treat today.”

“Ah, not that. You don’t have to pay for drinks. Let’s continue with what we talked about.”

“What we talked about?”

“Ah, you forgot about it completely? Was that just a bluff?”

“So what was that all about?”

“About the reason why Mako wouldn’t let me work there.”

“Ah that.”

I completely forgot.

“Rather than a bluff, I’ll say that I have a thought. Hasn’t Hotta-san been nudging you from behind?”

“Which part did you hear that makes you think so?”

“Hmm, well, I don’t think she’s the type to stop you from moving on just because it’s a waste of talent or something.”

I said as I wondered if he had noticed this. He didn’t know why she did so, sensed that she was acting differently from usual, and escaped back here.

Takuma stopped dribbling, and started spinning it on his fingertip.

“I see. And then?”

“So I was wondering, why would she be opposed? I’m not Hotta-san, so this might not be the correct answer, but I get the feeling she’s nudging you over the last hurdle.”

If Takuma’s thoughts were to be shaken because of Hotta-san’s opposition, he’s going to regret his decision down the road, surely. If he ignores her opposition and insists on going down this road, he might encounter some hardships, but he should be able to keep moving on. If he keeps reaching out to the future as earnestly as the kid’s wishes, then surely—

“Haru, you’ve changed.”

“Have I?”

“You do. But thanks. I feel a lot better.”

“That’s good.”

Our voices echoed clearly in the gym with only us inside, and then vanishing completely.

I drove to Takuma’s house, and dropped him and his bags there. We’re supposed to split and attend a drinking party later that night, but we were earlier than expected. The reason was that Takuma was physically present in the car, but he was spacing out completely. He probably had things to think of, and had someone he wanted to talk to. For that reason, it seemed he wanted to be alone for a while.

“See you tonight.”

“Oh, thanks. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a small thing.”

I started the car, and in a blink, the guy much taller than me shrank. I could see him waving in the rearview mirror the entire time.

I returned home to find Natsuna glaring back at the oven.

The long black hair tied in a ponytail was swaying left and right, conveying its emotions like a dog’s tail. She hummed away, her voice crisp like a rising oriole. The room was filled with a delightful humming and the sweet scent of sugar.

Until middle middle, my little sister had the personality of a boy. Ever since she joined club activities in high school, she changed completely. It seemed like the excessive energy that had nowhere to go was depleted thanks to her club activities.

So Natsuna became an ordinary high school student, the change in demeanour so sudden it was depressing.

She had more female friends, knew what shame was, and worked hard on cooking and cosmetics. I never exactly talked to her, but she might have a crush.

“Ah, Haru-kun, welcome back～”

And despite that, she showed an innocent smile once she noticed me, one I was most familiar with.

“I’m back. What are you baking?”

“Apple pie. I just saw it on the TV. It looks interesting, so I tried baking one of my own.”

“Heh~sounds good. I want to try it out.”

“Eh? You’re not eating dinner at home tonight, Haru-kun?”

“Yeah. Got a beer party for uni students tonight.”

I took out a milk carton from the fridge, and poured its contents out. The white liquid splashed away, and its level rose in the glass cup. The carton in my right hand was lighter, and the last drop fell onto the surface, causing a ripple.

“Is beer nice to drink?”

Natsuna reached her hand out to me, so I tossed the empty carton over, and she soaked it in water, washed it, and dried it.

“Can’t say. I guess if it’s you, the apple pie might taste a lot better.”

“I think I'll skip that. Do you really want the apple pie?”

"Of course. There's still some time until the beer party. I just exercised, so I'm a little hungry."

I nodded as I gulped down the milk. Once I finished the entire glass, I found myself thirstier than expected.

"Alright. It should be done in another five minutes. I'll get it ready, so go get changed. It's going to be good fresh out of the oven."

"Sounds good."

I placed the glass back at the kitchen, and Natsuna naturally washed the glass. I thanked her, and she waved her hand, staring at the oven as excitedly as she did before.

I heard her continue to hum as I left the living room, and returned to my room.

I had a nice hot shower, returned to the living room, and found Natsuna seated on the sofa, puffing her cheeks, looking furious. I apologized, and sat down next to her.

There’s an apple pie cut in a triangular slice and placed on the glass dining table. Next to it was a serving of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce on it. Due to the heat from the apple pie next to it, the ice cream melted a little, and it’s probably the reason why Natsuna was fuming.

“I bought the ice cream.”

Natsuna might have misunderstood the intent behind my expression as she said sheepishly.

“No no no, I’m just thinking that it looks good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So I’m thinking, let’s tuck in.”

“Yep, itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu.”

So we said, and used our forks to stab at the pie, causing a crisp sound. The sweet scent of the pie got richer, and the apple was so soft, glowing golden.

I cut a slice of the pie, and brought it to my mouth. First I tasted the butter, and after chewing twice, thrice, I tasted the sourness of the apple. I might be biased towards family, but I thought it’s tastier than the one sold in the shops.

“Hm, it tastes really good.”

“Great.”

Natsuna saw me eat a mouthful of pie, and took a mouthful too. She chewed it carefully, swallowed, and boasted her own pastry skill.

We sat together, sharing the apple pie as we switched the TV on. It’s a Saturday evening, so there wasn’t any show that really drew our attention. We swapped channels, and finally ended up at the local news section. The reports I saw a few times were visiting unfamiliar towns.

“They look happy.”

“Really? Reporting is a job. It’s tough, isn’t it?”

“No, I’m talking about you. Did something good happen?”

“Eh, I think I can call it a good thing. It’s because you said the pie’s nice, Haru-kun.”

“Just because of this small thing?”

“It’s a small thing, but I’m glad to be praised for putting my effort into something, moreso if it's something I like.”

I took another bite of the apple pie, chewed and swallowed, and called my sister’s name,

“Natsuna.”

“What?”

“It’s really good.”

“Oh.”

“You happy?”

“Very.”

“Then thank me.”

“Thank you for saying my apple pie’s good.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Eh? I’m the one treatin you. Why do I have to thank you?”

“Finally realized it?”

I giggled. Natsuna had the fork in her mouth as she pouted unhappily. At this moment, something happened, like instant karma for me teasing Natsuna.

There was a familiar face on the TV appearing in my eyes, and I was so shocked, I nearly choked on the apple pie. I started coughing, my chest in much pain, and I only manawas thanks to Natsuna frantically patting me on the back, giving me some iced red tea. Even on the brink of death, I stared intently at the TV.

That guy’s hair was short, his beard trimmed, but there remained the hulking body, deep voice, and childish eyes that were sparkling like stars. I could still remember them vividly.

It’s the director.

“Wooooo! I finally did it!”

He’s on the TV, shouting loudly.

“Yo-you alright, Haru-kun?”

Natsuna’s worried voice sounded so vague.

“Director.”

“Eh?”

Natsuna stared at the TV along with me. The words appearing on the screen were :Amateur Movie Producer, recipient of XXXX prize, movie title XXXX, genre XXXX.

Entering my mind were some fragmented messages, and I couldn’t sort them out completely.

The only thing I was certain about was how he was a youth who had immature dreams like a kid, kept pursuing it, and was about to fulfill it.

“Ahahaha!”

I burst out laughing. I was really moved, shivering, and though my little sister was looking at me worriedly like I was a madman, I couldn’t help it. I just burst out laughing; that’s all I could do in this situation, no?

He might have placed his fingers on the starting line, but I was moved to see the director after so many years.

Those that put in hard work reaped their rewards. I really loved such obvious stories.

“Haru-kun, you know him?”

Once I stopped laughing, Natsuna, who knew nothing, asked me while looking terrified. Her expression was really bemusing, so I pinched her little nose. She didn’t seem comfortable with that, since she was struggling, lashing out,

“What are you doing!?”

The news then proceeded to the next section.

It was a brief reunion after many years. The next time I see the director, he will surely be on another stage.

I really wanted to meet the director who stood on that vast stage, not noticing me. I hoped to see his name while strolling around town, seeing the movie posters, or in other media. If it was possible, to whom would I speak of this pride nobody else knew of?

—I have a temporary actor in this film.

So I quietly prayed for that little miracle in my heart.

I left home a little earlier than the agreed time, and went to the park.

Present was a little silhouette sprinting furiously towards the sun. It seemed he didn’t notice me, so I went to a vending machine to purchase a sports drink and a hot cocoa, the latter for myself. I held the cold PET bottle in my right hand, the hot can in my left, and went to the boy, calling his name.

“Oi, Haruto.”

“Eh, ah, woah!!”

Haruto was startled by this, tumbling over. He flailed his arms about to stop himself from falling over, maintaining his balance. His face was a little red, neither because of the sunset, nor that he was holding his breath, and naturally, not that he was bashful. It was the best proof of him working hard alone.

Soon, he heaved a sigh, barely managing to hang on, and smiled, calling my name in a prepubescent voice,

“Segawa Haruyoshi-san.”

“Why the full name?”

“Why, you ask? Hmmm…because you’re older than me?”

This reason was a little ridiculous.

“Well, you can call me Segawa, or Haruyoshi, or if that’s still no good, you can call me Haru. The full name is very long to read, right?”

“Hm…I’ll call you Segawa-san.”

“Why?”

“Well, because my name sounds similar.”

“Hm, I’ll call you by your name then. Your name is?”

“Eh?”

“Hm?”

Haruto stared at me, looking a little stunned, and then,

“Guess I’ll keep it a secret for now. Please call me Haruto for now, Segawa-san.”

He said, looking a little happy.

“Is that good enough?”

“Yep, that’s good enough.”

“I’ll call you that then.”

I said, putting the PET bottle on his red cheek. Startled, he made a girlish shriek,

“Wh-wha-wha-what are you doing!?”

“Encouraging for you from this big brother here, Haruto. Drink up.”

“Really? Thank you.”

It seemed he had forgotten he was teased, as he took the PET bottle quickly, and began drinking.

“Huu…so good.”

“That’s good.”

Haruto drank it down in several gulps, and meekly dropped the bottle into the trash bin. I finished the cocoa, and sat on the bench. Haruto appeared to be at a loss of what to do, but once I patted the seat next to him, he sat down, leaving a human-sized gap between us.

“It hurts seeing you so far from me.”

“I’m covered in sweat after all.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do. Very.”

I cautiously focused on my nose, making sure Haruto wouldn’t notice that I was being sensitive. There’s a scent of ‘spring’ becoming richer on this spring day that was becoming warmer. Of course, I didn’t smell any sweat.

“St-stop smelling!”

“You found.”

“Are you a weirdo, Segawa-san?”

“What are you saying? It’s the first time anyone has said this about me.”

“I told you not to smell, and you’re smelling my sweat.”

Haruto gave an utterly disgusted look.

“Sorry. Didn’t think you’ll hate it. I won’t do that again.”

“You swear?”

“I swear.”

“I forgive you.”

“I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but you should learn to doubt others a little.”

“Well, you’re a weirdo, Segawa-san, but you aren’t a bad person. I’m a kid, but I can still tell.”

He grinned.

“I see. You’re an honest kid, Haruto. I’m an adult, I can tell.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“If that’s true, that’s great.”

“Say, Haruto?”

“What?”

The swing continued to swing, the see-saw heaving up and down, the anonymous butterflies flying over the flowers. I watched these silently, and after some time, I voiced out the doubt I had,

“Why are you running so hard?”

“Eh?”

“Is there a reason?”

“You can tell?”

“Well, sorta. I experienced such things before.”

Haruto looked hesitant to talk, wondering if he should. I silently waited. The minute hand of the park just passed 5pm. My meetup with Takuma was at 7pm, so there’s still some time.

Soon after, Haruto hopped off the bench. His toes touched the ground, and he stood firmly, but his legs were wobbly. He turned towards me, looking troubled, teary, yet putting on a forced smile. It was a strange sight.

“Segawa-san, have you experienced being alone?”

There was a little shadow formed behind Haruto, by the sun shining upon him. His shadow remained lonely over there, not tied to anyone. I had a thought, and answered honestly,

“…Nope.”

“Really, that’s good. I experienced that. About a year ago, the friends I got along well with suddenly stopped playing with me. I know the reason, but I can’t solve it. I still want to be with them though, so I imitated everyone, but I couldn’t get along with them. So I end up all alone.”

What Haruto spoke of was a common situation of people becoming alone. To him, this might be more unbearable than the apocalypse. I casually gauged Haruto’s mood, and because of this, I couldn’t just console him.

I was thinking, it would be great if the world was simpler.

If only reality was a video game, where a kind spell could heal all wounds.

“But I got a chance. They say if I want to join them, I’ll have to run a 100m race against him. If I win, I get to join them. This is the reason why I’m running.”

Ah, but I guess this is the reason. There’s no such spell on this world, and that’s why the boy kept running, baring his fangs to the world, resisting, working hard with his trembling legs, slender, fragile limbs.

“That’s cool, Haruto. Real cool.”

I stood up, messily ruffling Haruto’s head.

“Woah. What are you doing!?”

Haruto grumbled, but looked a little happy, frowning a lot less before. Nevertheless, it didn’t mean something was settled.

It’s one thing if he won, but if he lost—

A confused Haruto looked at my hand that stopped, and grabbed my hand with his little hand. Our shadows overlapped.

“I hate being alone. I’m scared about that. I’ll feel a lot better if I die.”

Then, Haruto lifted his head.

I was the one who started this conversation, but I couldn’t find anything to say to him. I guess my expression was weird. I should be the one encouraging him, but it’s him, the suffering one, who was worried about me.

“I was joking.”

So he said in a tone that implied otherwise.

Haruto and I went our separate ways, and I walked alone.

The day was long, yet to be dark. The world remained engulfed in light.

I arrived near the station, and even though it’s not time yet, I took a long route to the bar we’re supposed to meet at.

“I hate being alone.” The boy’s voice continued to echo in my ears, never fading. I felt conflicted, sickened. My emotions were out of control, fluctuating irrational, not caring that I might be hurting myself.

“Hate being alone…”

I muttered to myself, and suddenly thought of something.

Why did I answer so? No, what prompted me to answer?

“Segawa-san, have you experienced being alone?”

“…Nope.”

Isn’t it weird? I’m alone, always alone, but never lonely. I was never truly lonely. There’s no way I couldn’t have anyone accompany me all the time.

Before I knew it, I walked too far past the bar.

“Let’s go back.”

I called out, lifted my head, and found a white cat before me. It's a kitten, small in size, and had blue eyes. I looked into those blue eyes, and soon after, it turned away, not even purring. For some reason however, I got a feeling it was calling me along. The white cat never looked back, as though knowing I would follow along.

Cats aren't really anything special to me. I don't really like cats. White cats in particular however left a little scar in my heart, one I can't say could be called a memory.

The white cat sauntered into the shopping arcade, so I hurriedly gave chase. The uncle at the fish shop called for it, and it splendidly ignored him. That uncle however wasn't angry, and instead was impressed, as though thinking that stray cats should behave this way.

"If ya hungry, come look for me."

I couldn't understand cat language, but the cat finally purred.

It's been a while since I came to the shopping arcade. It felt so distant from me ever since I started driving.

I saw the bookstore I shopped at a few times. It's a small one, didn't have much stocks, but had books other bookstores wouldn't have, so I would occasionally visit.

And then there's the Antiquarian bookstore I read books at for free. The uncle's still reading a book, as usual.

There was the taiyaki-selling granny I occasionally visited after school, chatting with a customer. I remembered buying one back then, custard cream flavor. The sweetness of that taiyaki remained memorable.

Then, I followed the white cat to a building I never saw before. It purred, as though saying this was the end.

I stopped in my tracks.

This used to be an empty space.

I once buried a white cat here.

At 14 years old, I faced death for the first time, and this was the only thing I could do.

If only,

I didn't know if this assumption had meaning, but if that cat didn't die, what could I have done for it. Could I have saved that white cat from its loneliness?

The boy's voice continued to ring in my ears.

“I hate being alone. I’m scared about that. I’ll feel a lot better if I die.”

Ah, yes.

It's frustrating to be alone.

I didn't know when exactly did I become such a person. But starting from a certain moment, my heart would ache whenever I saw a lonely one. I spoke to Haruto because I could sense the loneliness from his sidelong face.

It's completely unrelated, but my mind suddenly recalled Takuma's voice,

"Probably having the same thoughts as a middle school kid there, wondering what you want to do in life, right?"

What I want to do.

What I could do.

What would that be?

There's an unspeakable feeling giving me the urge to yell. Once I relax, it would tear through my body from within, gnawing through my organs, bones and skin, breaking into the outside world.

But as an adult, I knew it was pointless to do that. Thus, I looked up at the sky.

The night stars started to poke out. At this point, I couldn't see all the spring stars. I sought out the α Boötis, Arcturus. The Polynesians once used that start as their guiding beacon, leading them to Hawaii, and it was called the Hōkūleʻa, Star of Gladness.

Could Haruto and I arrive at a certain place? Would the Star of Gladness shine upon us? My eyes had yet to capture that orange light.

Before I knew it, the white cat had vanished.

I arrived at the bar about 30 minutes late, and found 2 empty bear mugs on the table. I lowered my friend, whose face remained unchanged, in apology.

"Sorry for being late."

"It's fine. These two are on you."

Saying that, Takuma waved a hand, ordering another glass. I too ordered the same.

A minute later, the cold beer was served to us, so we brought our glasses together, giving the usual cheers,

""Cheers!""

I gulped down half the beer, giving a hearty voice before slamming the glass back onto the table. The beer shook, and so did the bubbles. I could sense the alcohol moving all over my body.

"What dishes did you order?"

"Hm? Edamame and broth broiled eggs, stir fried beansprouts, takowasa, and then six different kinds of sashimi. I wanted to order meat once you showed up. Anything you don't eat?"

"Anything except for konjac."

"That's weird. Konjac's nice."

"I just hate the feeling."

We started chatting away like it was during the day, talking about things that we would forget once we woke up. Once we leave the shop, we might forget what we talk about, and the next time we show up, we'll talk about the same things.

After drinking for an hour or so, Takuma, who could hold his liquor, switched from beer to Japanese wine. I just took a cup with him, and the rich aroma of the wine stung at my nose.

I had a gulp, and the liquid slipped past my tongue, entering my throat, causing my body to heat up. Hey, can you take another? Takuma chirped, so I played along and brought my empty cup. He tried to get me drunk as he poured another cup of clear liquid.

Right when I was about to drink the second cup, I heard a voice from the neighboring table.

There were partitions between the seats, but I could hear the neighboring conversation as it was too thin. We shouldn't be eavesdropping. It's basic etiquette, but I heard of a familiar name, so naturally, I responded. So I quietly made up such an excuse for myself.

Takuma didn't speak up, instead checking with me using his eyes. I grinned back, and finished my half glass as response. We quiet down, eavesdropping on the neighboring conversation.

"Ahh, never thought this onee-san has the chance to come to a bar with you, Matsuu. I'm moved."

"Eh, erm, actually, I still can't drink beer."

"Eh, really?"

"Yes, I'm only 20 in June. Sorry, Miya-senpai."

"Ah, don't worry. It's stupid making a fuss out of it. But you're right, I'm 20 now. Hmm, we should have gone to a trendy restaurant."

"No, it's fine. I do like such a place. And…"

And the girl called Matsuu, maybe the junior, exhaled, making it feel like she's going to confess or something.

"Rindou-senpai and Miya-senpai are my benefactors. I'm happy to be with you."

"Well, I can understand if it's Akane-senpai, but why me?"

"It's thanks to you two. Three years ago, you lowered your head to Rindou-senpai with me, and I was able to keep swimming back then. I intend to continue swimming."

Speaking of Akane Rindou, her fame in the swimming world was no longer limited to our town, but the entire country. She became an Olympic candidate, and coupled with her cheery disposition and appearance, her popularity had increased. She's appearing in news, and sometimes, even on variety TV. Her light was no inferior to the models, idols or actresses, but it didn't mean that she changed.

Ever since she was in high school, I found her dazzling. It's just that her dazzling light was discovered by many. That's all.

However, that alone made me really happy.

"Ehehe. Well, let's take it as that. It's awkward hearing this from a junior who made it to the Nationals. Ahh, but I feel redeemed hearing these words. Our batch didn't have a talent like Akane-senpai or Matsuu. That's why we're called the 'failed generation'."

"But those are the words of those who don't understand anything. You don't have to care about that. Rindou-senpai and I are really grateful for you, Miya-senpai. Really. Ah, why are you giving me such a doubting look? We started chatting lots about you recently during our mealtimes after training. Eh, why are you starting to cry? The beer? Maybe you should stop drinking? Ah, I see. Drink a little more. I'll have some orange juice. Eh, understood. If you say so, I'll drink some ginger ale. It's a little spicy for me, but I'll do my best for you, Miya-senpai. Ah, sorry. Please give us one more beer and ginger ale. Yes, thank you."

Soon after, we heard snivelling and giggles from the table next to us. It sounded like they were our high school juniors. We would cheer on Akane during her races, so maybe I had seen them before. Of course, we're not going to check on their appearances.

Before I knew it, Takuma was already pouring one out for myself, so I snatched some for myself.

Finally, Takuma's face turned as red as me. His slightly empty eyes were showing my face, and I got a feeling he's drunk. Takuma and I were both drunk.

And it might for this reason, Takuma said such things,

"Hey, you didn't go dating with Akane during high school?"

How did it go anyway, so he continued, but his voice couldn't overcome the noise in the the shop. He suppressed his volume to a level only I could hear.

"Why ask this out of a sudden?"

"It's not really sudden. I already asked you that. You know this very well."

"Eh, well, it's too sudden to ask this."

I chuckled back, and Takuma exhaled a hot breath full of alcohol."

"To be honest, it's because of the conversation next to me. I thought I should just ask, while we're drunk."

"While we're drunk, huh?"

"You get it, don't you. It's meaningless when it's just guys gathered together, but we're all curious. You guys are important friends to me, you know?"

"I know. I feel the same about you. What we feel about Akane's definitely the same, same goes for the juniors next table. How about we just go 1, 2, 3 and say it out loud?"

Eh, seemed like we're more drunk than we thought, since we're able to say something so embarrassing like 'important friends'.

It's another matter if I were to say this to a girl at a special place, but we're good friends who knew each other since middle school, and we're in an ordinary bar.

The noise in the shop suddenly felt like it had weight, surrounding us. The voices of all genders and ages mixed around, but it didn't feel dirty. It's like there's a marble floor separating us.

"Eh, but, Akane only acts like a brother around us, and a girl before you. You couldn't not have noticed that, right?"

He struck me where it hurt. To be honest, I didn't notice her feelings at all, I didn't have the delicacy. It was only when she brought me to the empty classroom after school that I realized. I was immature and ull, and until the very end of the end, I could only hurt Akane.

I recalled in my mind, the classroom scene, Akane's expression. Our conversation and the feelings I had remained unchanged. It's just admiration, not love, that's all.

"Hm, but Takuma. I think I fell for someone else back then."

“That’s the first time I heard of this. You got someone else you like?”

“I guess so.”

“It’s like…you said it as though it has nothing to do with you.”

“That was Akane’s instinct though.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Who knows?”

Takuma frowned upon hearing that. He seemed a little angry. Eh, no? Befuddled? He emptied the glass, ordered another glass, drank up and ate the sashimi. Over this entire time, he was scowling.

“I don’t understand what are you talking about.”

Takuma downed a piece of sashimi and slammed the table. The shock caused the wine in the glass to shake. Then, he suddenly frisked out his phone, and made a call. It connected after a few tones, and in a drunken tone, he said,

"Yo, it's been a while. You alright there? Eh? It's only been two weeks? That's long for me. Hm, right. Guhahaha, I'm drunk. Don't be so merciless. Aren't we good friends? Ah, yeah. Mako wants to go out drinking with you again. Yeah. Call her next time. I'll handle the rest."

Takuma then looked over towards me. I silently ate the fatty tuna he left until the very end, and he looked utterly devastated, but I ignored him. Once I heard the voice coming from his phone, I knew what he was planning. It's just me making a compromise.

"I'm out drinking with that guy. Will have him say a few words with you."

Once the phone left Takuma's ear, Eh, who's that guy? I could hear that voice. It's a voice I'm very familiar with.

Takuma handed over the red phone to me, his eyes were clearly saying, don't you dare run away now. You just ate my fatty tuna.

The last time we met was probably during our class reunion half a year ago, last year. I would see her on TV from time to time, so I didn't feel really nostalgic. I swallowed the fatty tuna meat.

"Hello?"

I grabbed the phone, and greeted. Huh, Haru? And there was a very familiar girl's voice, my good friend Akane Rindou. Her voice was filled with shock and delight.

"Yo, it's been a while."

"Eh, how? You're in Tokyo now, Haru?"

"No way. I just came back home with Takuma. It's spring break now."

"Ahh, I see. Too bad, I want to see you too."

Akane sounded like she really wanted to see me, and I was really happy, but I did my best to swallow back the 'I want to see you too' words, since it's too sickeningly sweet.

Instead, I changed the topic with the words, speaking of which.

"I see you often on TV. That's amazing."

"I'm not. I'm just working hard."

"No. I'm saying you're amazing at this."

"...A long time ago, probably in middle school, the guy I liked once said that he hoped for me to charge forward with all my might. That's why I'm working hard."

"Ugh, about that."

"Sorry sorry. Just want to tease you."

"I'm serious. Apologize now."

"That's why I'm saying I'm sorry."

Akane laughed, and so did I.

Takuma happily stared at us. What? So I gave him that look, nah, it's nothing, and he shook his head.

After that, we chatted about some other topics, about our common friends, when we are returning to our hometown, and the next time we're going drinking together.

After that, I tried talking about the elementary school kid I met days ago, the sidelong face working hard, the loneliness he had, and what I wanted to do for him.

But could I really help him? What could I have done for him? I was really troubled, but I just couldn't take the next step. Ehh, I just felt that I was grumbling, embarrassingly enough for me. It's no wonder Akane replied such.

Once she heard my words, "Are you an idiot?" she chuckled,

"I can't deny that."

"Yeah. Why are you the one hesitating? The one troubled is the kid, right? Buck up. It's your responsibility."

"That's an exaggeration."

"It really isn't. Since you took the first step, it's your responsibility. Relax, I know that you're someone who'll help others really well. I was once helped by you, and I got the strength to move forward. The vocal support you gave me has been, and is still my motivation."

"Akane."

"What?"

"Are you drunk?"

I was embarrassed, and tried to pass it off as a joke. My face was so hot. Thankfully, Takuma said that he was going to the toilet, so I was grateful for some alone time. It's not because of the alcohol. I was drunk on something more important. It's because of this that I didn't want others to see how useless I looked.

"I'm, not, drinking. Seriously. It's rare to hear you actually discuss something with me for real, and that's why I'm being serious here. How rude."

Akane didn't really sound angry when she said this. It seemed she knew I was trying to hide my own embarrassment, but despite that, she's not going to respond jokingly like this. Yeah, Akane Rindou's such an outstanding person.

That's why I respected her. It's nothing to do with like or dislike.

It might not be what Akane had hoped for, but I preferred to watch her from far behind, than to walk alongside her.

"Thank you."

"Huhu. Don't be so courteous now."

"I'll try that."

"Yep, just do that, Haru. If you want to support him, do it. Cheer him on, give him a nudge in the back. People can move forward easily, just like this. Ah yes, I'll try cheering up the timid Haru then."

So Akane said,

"I'll do my best. No, I'm doing my best now."

I recalled the old Akane, back when she was in middle school, wearing the school swimsuit, looking a lot smaller than before, dazzling in the light. Each droplet falling from her was a blob of light.

She raised her fist, looking a little bashful, but smiling brightly like the sun.

--Do your best too, Haru.

So I responded.

"Ah, I see."

Akane said that my voice gives her strength, but this shouldn't be the case. At this point, I realized that I too received strength.

"What?'

"Well, I just feel that I'm able to work hard now."

"Right?"

The Akane Rindou I could think of was giving a red, but gleeful face. Even though the silhouette was younger than she presently was, they were giving the same light.

It’s really great that I got to meet Akane and become friends.

But despite being drunk, I couldn’t spit it out.

The next day, Haruto was at the park, as expected, sprinting as usual.

Unlike the usual, he noticed me before I spoke to him. He kept moving his little body towards me, not hiding his delight in the slightest.

“Morning, Segawa-san. You’re early today.”

“Morning, Haruto. You knew I would be coming?”

“Actually, I was thinking that it’s great if you’re here..”

His expression softened, his nimble eyes curling into crescents as he showed a smile befitting his age. I guess it’s because of his honesty. Once he ran to me, he tilted his head, looking confused.

“Why are you wearing a sweatshirt?”

“Hm? Just want to train with you today. Ah, actually, to work hard with you. I was on the track team in middle school. I think I can teach you a few tricks.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Let’s work hard and win together.”

“…Can I?”

This time, I nodded firmly, answering,

“Of course.”

“Please guide me well.”

We made fistbumps, and despite the differences in size and shape, it’s as we promised. Nevertheless, reality’s not manga, and there’s no way to level up in mere days. It seemed Haruto understood very well, and kept practicing the starts.

“Well, Taiki…eh…Taiki’s the friend who want to race me. My 100m time’s about the same as him, but when we start, he always pulls away from me, and I just couldn’t beat him. If possible, please teach me how to perfect my starts…”

It seemed there was a reason why he was practicing his starts.

I demonstrated to Haruto, teaching him things like: not to raise the upper body immediately after starting, but to lower oneself, and stare at the ground, to wave the arms fully when running, and take large strides. He’s not used to starting from low positions, and stumbled over a few times running out. His exposed cheeks were cut a few times, bleeding. He frowned, looking in pain. But whenever I panicked and went forward, he stood on his own strength, and smiled saying he was fine. He would then put his hands on the ground, lifting his head towards the front. I would stop to watch.

“Ready!”

I clapped hard. Haruto was startled for a moment before running. The start was decent, but the response was slow.

“Still too slow.”

“Hm, it feels like I’m thinking of so many things. What do you think of when you run, Segawa-san?”

“Me? Well…”

I recalled the day that was so distant in the past, and put my fingers on the ground, something I had not done in a long while.

The older I was, the taller I got, and my distance to the ground instance. I was no longer like the current Haruto, not running without restraint, not falling over. It’s been a while since I touched the ground like this. The moment I exerted strength into my fingers, my fingertips were as red as that day.

I suddenly looked to the front, and the vision I had changed from the park to the track of my middle school. The season changed from spring to summer, the hot air, the smell of dirt, the strikingly blue sky, the clouds piled together. What was I thinking of back then? What did I see?

The silhouette of the one I called friend? Or something else?

All I could remember was the emptiness in the future (front) I could see. But…

“————wa-san,Segawa-san. What’s wrong? You alright? Did I say anything weird?”

“Eh? Ah, I’m fine. Sorry to make you worry.”

I apologized, stood up, waving my hand to dust off the dirt on my fingers. The season’s back to spring.

“What was I thinking? I guess I wasn’t.”

“it’s better not to think?”

“Ye…”

I wanted to say, yeah, but I shook my head, because I didn’t think that was the case. I didn’t do that, that there was a goal at the very end, a target there, for me to be motivated. A person can only improve when the heart yearns to be faster. I slapped my cheeks hard to pull myself together, and felt completely awake immediately. Haruto looked up at me in shock, and I smiled, “Right, I’ll take back what I just said. What do you like to eat? What are you craving for now?”

“Why ask this now? I do like lots of food, but I really want to eat ice cream now.”

“Once you nail that perfect start, I’ll buy some ice cream for you.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie.”

“Great, we got a deal. Let’s start. Hurry.”

It’s opportunistic of Haruto, who was finally motivated. He looked forward with the most serious eyes till now, and from his sidelong face, I could tell his focus was completely different from before. Ah, it’s fine now. He’ll be able to start running.

“Ready!”

Haruto tensed his body, getting ready to start.

“Run!”

On my mark, he shot out like a bullet. His diminutive body gently sprinted into the embrace of spring.

Finally, I brought Haruto out for ice cream. We went to the convenience store I would visit countless times on the way home after my middle school club activities. Some things have changed, but some haven’t. The mood here was like before, and I felt relieved as I went to the ice cream stand.

“Just choose whatever you like.”

“Hmm…”

Haruto brooded, folding his arms and groaning for five minutes or so.

It’s obvious however that he was looking at the cup ice cream that’s about 100 yen more expensive than the others. He’s probably trying to be kind, even though he didn’t have to worry about how much it is. So I asked,

“Strawberry, match, vanilla, rum and raisin, which one you’ll like?”

“Hmm…strawberry.”

“Got it.”

I spent 300 yen for two cups of ice cream, one strawberry, and one rum and raisin for myself.

“I said to choose whatever you want, but you mind sharing this with today?”

“Eh? But isn’t that expensive?”

“Well, I’m asking you because I want to share. Can I?”

“Of course.”

We paid, and sat at the parking lots, opening the lids. Haruto scooped a small spoonful, and brought it to his mouth, happily calling it delicious. I watched on as I too began to eat.

Haruto then continued to enjoy the ice cream, but at the last two mouthfuls, he stopped. I in turn had a completely empty cup.

“Segawa-san, hear me out. Actually, I’m fine with whatever ice cream, but I’m just happy to be able to eat with someone. My dad left, so my mom’s always busy, often not at home, and I often ate alone. I could take this because I still had friends at school, and we ate together. We could play together until night after school. I just have fun, and I didn’t feel sad. That’s why I’m sad and lonely now, but I feel happy these days with you around, Segawa-san. I even get to have some ice cream. So, thanks."

Haruto said, and slowly brought the last two mouthfuls to his mouth, hiding his embarrassment. He took it to his mouth, cherishing this sweet time, but time would ultimately pass.

“I’m done.”

Haruto said, still looking a little lonely. I wanted to talk to him, ease some of his loneliness. There was a silhouette overlooking us, blocking the sun. I lifted my head to see three boys of similar age to Haruto, who called out a boy’s name,

“Ah,Taiki.”

The tall boy standing in the middle of the trio was Taiki. He’s probably 5cm taller than Haruto, and as the cap on his head was worn really low, it’s hard to tell what expression he was giving, but he looked a little gaudy. The other two behind him were looking the same. Those three looked like they were deliberating over whether they should hide the facts.

“What are you doing here?”

“Practicing. I’ll definitely beat you.”

“That’s impossible now, alright? Just give up.”

“I’m not giving up. I still want to hang out with you guys.”

For some reason, Taiki looked hurt hearing these words. According to what I heard from Haruto, I had assumed if he was being bullied, but it seemed there was some internal issue going on.

So, on whose side shall I stand by? I tried to stand up, but Haruto grabbed my hem, so I sat back next to him. I felt a shiver from the shirt being tugged at.

It seemed this was the moment Taiki noticed me. And he glared at me.

“Who are you?”

“Haruto’s coach, sorta? Say, can’t you guys just hang out together like before?”

“Like hell that’s happening. This one’s different from us.”

“You all don’t look so different.”

“Shut up, you outsider. You don’t know anything.”

Taiki’s attitude towards his classmate Haruto was completely different; he was defiant towards me. It was Haruto who was coaxing him.

“Taiki.”

“Wh-what!?”

“Apologize to Segawa-san. You’re too rude.”

With Haruto glaring at him, Taiki went silent. Something’s not right here, but I didn’t know what it was.

“Damn it!”

Taiki, who was being glared at the entire time, cussed away, and brought his two lackeys away from the convenience store. He didn’t apologize to me; instead, he glared furiously.

The trio then vanished among the crowd. Once they were completely gone, Haruto lowered his cute head, and apologized to me.

"Sorry Segawa-san."

"Why are you apologizing, Haruto? You didn't do anything bad."

I patted him on the head as encouragement, since he was so dejected. It seemed to cause a tickle.

"Anyway, that kid called Taiki isn't very popular with the girls, right? Unlike our Haruto here."

"What do you mean, our Haruto? The girls hate me too, since I'm like this, and only play with Taiki and the others."

"I don't find anything weird about this. You enjoy being with them, right? Isn't that good enough?"

"Well, I think so, but the girls and the teachers say it's weird. Ahh, you don't have to show such a face. I just need to win, and then I can play with them. Don't worry. More importantly, you're popular with the girls, aren't you, Segawa-san?"

"Well, not exactly."

To be honest, up till this point, there's only one girl who liked me. No, probably two.

There's the classmate who confessed to me, and another who didn't say anything, didn't identify herself, and just delivered chocolates into my postbox. These two memories were full of the presence of spring, and all that I had.

"Oh, I see."

"Hey, why are you so happy?"

"I'm not."

Haruto grinned, and stood up with much vigor again, stretching again. The sunset shone upon his little body, causing him to dazzle.

"Hey, Segawa-san. If I win, please give me a reward. I'll be able to have a perfect start, just like today."

"Okay. As long as it's within my capability."

"Really? It's a promise then. You break it, and you're a liar."

"Don't worry. Didn't I say I won't break a promise?"

So we promised using our pinkies. As we did so, we shouted like little kids.

Twisty twist, if we break it,

It seemed the pinky touching mine was a little hot.

The day of the showdown was pretty warm.

Right when I could see the elementary school I graduated from, my smartphone vibrated. I frisked my phone out, and it showed my good friend's name. I looked up at the sakura that had already bloomed before I knew it, and stopped in my tracks.

"Yo, you free now?"

"For a moment, yeah. I got a contest coming up."

Ahhh, it seemed Takuma understood immediately as he muttered, it's about the kid you talked about.

"I don't think I can disturb you for long then. I'll keep it brief. I'm returning to Tojyo, and I'm going to talk it out with Mako."

"So you made up your mind?"

A bunch of elementary school kids came running, brushing me by. They sounded really happy, and it would be great if Haruto could join them.

"Not exactly. Yep, I decided where I'm going, just lacking the determination. I'll just sit down and talk it out with her; hope that she'll understand."

"Understand what? That you won't regret it?"

"No, I can't guarantee that I won't regret it. Either way, I can't be certain of the future no matter what my choice is."

"Say, are you really listening to me? Hotta-san didn't want you to regret…"

"That's why I want her to understand. I may regret it, but I hope for her to be with me. I just feel that as long as I'm with her, I'll be able to keep working hard."

"...Why does it sound like you're proposing to her?"

"Too early?"

"What, you intend too?"

"I think it's more like a practice before I propose."

"That sounds better."

Ahh, I guess it's fine to bless him a little on this comfy spring day.

It's the perfect day to move forward.

"Ah but if you fail, we're going drinking. I asked Akane out."

"Of course. You guys will treat me, right?"

"That's a different matter altogether."

"Tch, that's petty."

We laughed. Takuma might have been feeling uneasy, since he notified me that he was returning to Tokyo, and I took the opportunity to nudge him on.

After this brief conversation, he hung up, and the black screen was his answer. I gripped the phone hard, and walked on. Like Takuma, I didn't know where exactly I was going, but I decided to move on.

In any case, to the elementary school grounds. I took a firm step forward, all to encourage the kid who had been training hard on sprinting.

I slipped into the elementary school through the back door. The gym and the playground had changed in appearance, but what was left remained nostalgic. The bar that seemed so tall in the past could be reached without stretching. The black bar was a little hot, and I reeled my fingers back in.

Haruto saw me, and heaved a sigh of relief. Instead, it was Taiki and the others glaring at me.

"Why are you here?"

"I asked him to."

"But he's an outsider."

Haruto approached me, and tugged at the hem of my shirt like usual. Taiki's glare intensified once he saw that.

"I hate you."

So I grinned back, responding,

"Now that's a coincidence, I don't like you at all but it seems Haruto wants to play with you lot. So then, please keep to the promise."

I lowered my head at them as I said so. It seemed I was an adult to Taiki and the others, so my action was a little surprising. "We-well, unless I win." It seemed I got him to honor the promise. My presence at this place finally had meaning.

I nudged Haruto in the back while the latter was looking up at me worriedly. Haruto's really light, and stumbled a few steps forward, and that silhouette, having received some encouragement, stood at the starting line without looking back.

I stood at the finishing line along with Taiki's two lackeys. They're short, and looked even smaller from here. Do your best, Haruto, so I muttered in my heart.

The two got to the starting line, and positioned themselves to run.

"Ready~"

The boy next to me shouted. Despite the distance from them, I could sense their tension reaching me.

"Start!"

Both of them sprinted in unison. Haruto's start was perfect; as practised, Haruto didn't lift the upper body immediately, only lifting it once he sped up. But his expression showed him crumbling. He saw Taiki before him, and though they ran at the same time, Taiki's acceleration was faster.

The minor difference was about 50cm wide, the distance Haruto had to reach out and cover.

But Haruto didn't give up. He's about to cry, and was suffering, but he gritted his teeth and continued running. He waved his arms, stretching his leg forward, trying his best to catch up to Taiki. Despite that, the gap didn't shrink, and it caused despair to appear on Haruto's face.

Despair truly has its own weight.

It causes people to feel heavy and unbearable, an increased urge to lower the head further.

Haruto's eyes were looking further down.

Ahh, no.

He couldn't do this.

The only way he's going to run was by looking forward.

The only way he's going to reach was by looking forward.

I knew that very well.

Was there no other way?

What could I, who had experienced that summer, do for Haruto?

At this moment, there was a chilly gust of winter air.

That breeze had me taking a step forward, nudging me forward.

Akane said that I just needed to voice out, to cheer him on.

I took a step forward.

Before I knew it, I was standing behind the finishing line.

I took a deep breath, and inhaled hard, causing my expanded lungs to hurt. I poured all my emotions in, and yelled towards the boy who was working hard alone.

For I wanted to tell him that he was not alone,

"HARUTOOOO!! LIFT UP YOUR HEAD!!!!!"

Haruto noticed me shouting, and lifted his head as told. The bangs pressed down by the wind fluttered up, and once he did, there was nothing blocking his sight, the spring skies and my silhouette appearing in his large eyes.

Haruto then showed a stunned look,

"LOOK FORWARD!!!"

He smiled.

Ah yes.

His smile had me realizing something,

"I'M HERE!!"

That summer, I definitely…

Did show such a face, smiling as I ran towards the future. Even though it felt hollow, I never regretted that moment. I might have grabbed something with that hand of mine.

The hard work I put in might have paid off.

My throat hurt.

I didn't know how long it was since I shouted like this.

My voice would crack, and it was embarrassing.

But I kept yelling.

I opened my arms wide.

"CHARGE AT ME!!"

Haruto sped up. Taiki panicked and tried to speed up, but Haruto was faster, for Haruto was no longer looking at Taiki.

He was looking further beyond.

He took a first step forward, and a faster second step.

And finally, he gathered strength in his feet, leaping forward as I told him to.

"Oof."

I fell backwards due to the massive impact, but I caught Haruto in my clutches, making sure he didn't get hurt. At that moment, I scented upon a weak but distinct scent of spring.

I fell to the ground, and saw a spring day brighter than that summer day.

"Ow."

My back hit the ground, and was aching away. Haruto was sprawled on my stomach, leaning on my chest, cupping my neck with his hands. He widened his eyes, and found us so close, our noses were about to touch.

“Woahhh, sorry!”

Haruto was flushed red, and hastily moved away from me.

“You don’t have to worry about that. More importantly…”

“Eh?”

“Congrats.”

“Eh? Eh?”

Haruto continued to blush, looking left and right, the thoughts unable to catch up to reality, so I kindly informed him,

“You win.”

This is the place we worked hard to arrive at.

Where no person would remain alone.

## Epilogue: Life Goes On

Encounters and farewells happen over and over again, yet we continue to head towards tomorrow.

And at the same time, we pray that someday, somewhere, we will meet that unfamiliar yet nostalgic smile again.

❀︎

We met at the same old park.

After the race ended yesterday, Haruto told me to meet at a certain time, but I arrived a little earlier.

It is a clear spring, white clouds floating in the blue skies.

The spring sun engulfs the world gently.

The white flowers were beaming on the branches, their iris redder than before. I read in a few books that the sakura flowers turning pink signified that is was wilting. I was ashamed to say that the moment I reached out to touch it with my fingers, a petal fluttered away.

“Ah, Segawa-san, you’re early. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Ah, it’s fine. Eh?”

I heard the voice I was completely familiar with, and looked over to find a girl I had never met before.

She was not wearing a shirt, the long bangs were tied up by a clip. Most surprisingly was the fact that she was wearing a dress. I remembered her voice, and her face seemed familiar on a closer look. Typically, I would have asked for her name. But what I said was,

“You tied your bangs.”

“Nn. I think I can lift my head and walk without covering the front. That’s why I came to see you like this, Segawa-san, this is the real me (boku), no, me (watashi).”

Haruto was a little tentative, giving a bashful smile.

At that moment, many things clicked within me.

Haruto once said, “I guess it started a year ago. My good friends just stopped playing with me out of a sudden. I know why, but I can’t solve this. I really want to play with them, so I tried imitating them, but it didn’t work.”

Whenever Haruto and I were together, Taiki would scowl.

“This one’s different from us.”

“Shut up, you outsider. You don’t know anything.”

I chuckled. Seriously? That’s how it is?

“Ehhh, what? A-am I weird?”

“Ah, sorry, that’s not it. You aren’t weird at all.”

Haruto and I did not know, and now, Haruto’s the only one who did not know Yeah. I was an outsider, and I knew nothing. It’s cruel, but it’s reasonable why Taiki would be glaring at me. He must have liked the girl Haruto, and that’s why they couldn’t remain as friends.

“Right, mind apologizing to Taiki for me? Just say sorry.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“He’ll understand once you tell him.”

“Really?”

Haruto tilted her head in confusion.

The fluffy hair gently grazed her white cheek.

“Nn. Let’s finish what we set out to do quickly. What do you want me to do, Haruto?”

Haruto won her contest.

So now I have to fulfill my side of the bargain.

“Ah, that? Actually, erm,”

“Hm?”

“Hm…this is for you. I’ve written my wish.”

Haruto fidgeted, handing over a pink paper. I received it, and had a look. It looked like a bookmark, but there was a line of words on the back,

“Come look for me. Call my name."

There were cute, round, girlish words.

Just as its color would imply, the pink ‘wish’ gave a faint sakura smell. I guess it’s no bookmark, but a magpie bridge for Vega and Altair to meet and cross the heavenly river together.

“Please be my friend, Segawa-san. I guess you’ll be returning to college soon, so just visit from time to time. I want you to meet me, to call my name, to play with me.”

She was giving the yearning look of an abandoned pup, so naturally, my response is,

“Oww…my heart hurts.”

“Eh-ehhh!!?”

“I thought we’re already friends. I must be thinking too much.”

“Eh, no-not at all…”

Saying that, Haruto looked at my face , and realized she was being teased when she saw me grinning.

“Nn…Segawa-san, you meanie.”

So I apologized to the fuming Haruto.

“Sorry. Right, what are we doing today? Anywhere you want to go to?”

“Yes yes. I want to see some flowers. Can they come along too? Taiki, no, Tai-chan?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Haruto’s feet quickly ran off, and the scattered sakura petals on the floor danced as she ran along, giving a layer of pink. I was about to call for her, but I noticed something on the pink ‘wish’ of hers. There was a name written at a corner, not Ha-Ru-To that would be expected, but two words. Speaking of which…

“Haruto, your name is—”

Haruto turned around, spreading her arms wide and outstretched as she tried to embrace everything on this world into her little clutches. Yes, if she did try to run forth and arrive somewhere, we would have met certain things, which were being collected by us at this point.

“Nn. Haruto’s actually my family name. My actual name is—”

The word that came out were the katakana written on the wish.

What she wrote next in the air was a kanji any elementary kid could recognize.

“Yuki (Fate/Happy).”

It was so simple that one would have difficulty realizing, yet it was within grasp.

And we reached our hand out, finally grasping the thing at the place we finally arrived at.

“…Nice name.”

“Really?”

“So that’s why you have the sakura perfume on.”

Just yesterday, I scented upon a sweet sakura presence when I embraced her. It’s the same on this day; there’s a faint floral fragrance from her body.

“That’s because you’ve been smelling me.”

“I’m not doing that again.”

I’m not going to do that, especially after knowing that Haruto’s a girl. It doesn’t seem like she believes me though.

“Not exactly.. And it’s weird for you to say ‘that’s why’. The smell has nothing to do with my name.”

“No, it matters. Because…”

—For me, this floral fragrance is…

I clammed up. Whatever, I should just keep mum about this. This is a secret only I know, one the world once kept. Haruto gave me a confused look, wondering why I was suddenly silent.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I see.”

The sakura petals fluttered in the sky.

And fell like rain.

“Hey, Segawa-san, thanks for looking out for me.”

The words went along with the breeze carrying the dancing petals, landing by my side. It fell deep into the human abyss called ‘me’, faintly melting away, becoming part of me.

I realized this was the line I was seeking since years ago.

So I began to think about these things. I guess being a teacher’s fine too, since it’ll be great to spend time with lonely kids like Haruto. I don’t want lonely people to remain alone.

My mind's starting to grasp what the necessity to that objective was.

“Hey~ Segawa-san, hurry~”

Haruto bashfully called my name, prompting me forth, so I began to move forth.

“I’m going over now.”

And then, I yelled her name.

After so long, the two wishes on the pink slip were in my right hand.

I recalled a certain event in the long past spring. There was a sakura petal that fluttered from my palm, flying to a place I could not reach.

But this is different. I grabbed it firmly in my hand, so that I would not lose it, so that it would not be taken by the wind.

And thus, this will never vanish.

It will remain forever in my heart (here).

A certain person is harboring ‘wishes’, and now, I have conveyed the ‘hope’ that will last until a certain day, along with a reading of the word ‘happiness’. So, so then…

“Come meet me.”

Someone is praying.

Yes, I will meet you. Definitely.

“Call my name.”

Someone is yelling.

And then, I will call your name.

Spring. It is a season of farewells and encounters.

Henceforth we shall experience many encounters, and ultimately reach a certain person.

At that moment, I will surely smile to that person I am unacquainted with—

—Hello(Nice to meet you).

No. I will be saying this countless times, so this is what I shall say—

“Hello, Hello and Hello(I like you).”

I firmly believe that for every first encounter that is filled with lots and lots of emotions—

The smell of ‘Yuki’ will slowly fill my world once again.

And I firmly believed I had taken a firm step towards that future.

Fin.

❀❆

“Hey—”

## Afterword

That night, February 13th, the two of them harbored the same wish. However, it fell from Haruyoshi’s hand. He wanted to meet her again, he wanted to call for her name again—and so I brought this fragment of the heart to him.

Hello, or to some, nice to meet you.

This volume is a side volume meant to complement Hazuki’s debut work, the main story of ‘Hello, Hello and Hello’. I guess the readers might have been surprised, and actually, I never expected this work to have a second volume. When I first met the editor-in-charge, he asked if a continuation can be written. So I answered him, this story ends in the first volume. Well, the first volume ended, but I had a lot of elements I never got to write in the main story, so he suggested, why not write a few short stories on the Dengeki Bunko magazine…

So this naïve me really enjoyed the new encounter with them after a year’s absence. Before I realized it, I had penned three chapters onto the Dengeki Bunko magazine, and with the additional two chapters, this current volume is formed.

This volume narrates Yuki’s memories with her family, Haruyoshi’s school life, the constellation that was mentioned in the main story, their trip to the ocean in winter, the star of gladness, Hokulea , and the love story of the other heroine—Akane.

And also, there’s the part of what happened to everyone ‘till this point’, and ‘thereafter’.

To be honest, I was worried if I was overdoing it, but now I can proudly say this,

This is an important volume, for him and for her.

The main story is one of ‘encounter’ and farewell’.

The side stories are those of ‘wishes’ and ‘hope’.

It will be my honor if you, the reader can enjoy this volume.

Also, there is going to be a manga serialization of ‘Hello, Hello and Hello’! As a reader, I’m really looking forward to seeing their story penned by Teruya-san.

It is time for the thanksgivings.

First, for Boota-san, who livened this story with outstanding illustrations once again. The desire to see more of these illustrations of those two by Boota-san was the reason why I wrote this volume. Another to thank is the editor-in-charge Funatsu-san, who is willing to listen to my selfish pleas. Next, the designer Kamabe-san, along with the individuals who contributed to this volume as well.

Of course, my utmost thanks is to be given to you, the reader, for picking up this volume. Thank you for reading this volume. I look forward to meeting you again in the next story. Right now, I am working hard on the next work.

Now that we are at the last moment, I shall discuss about some inside matters, or rather, my personal explanation.

Or perhaps I might say this is about the ‘wishes’ and ‘hopes’ I have added in the story, to be narrated to you.

‘Hello, Hello and Hello’ is a story about an ordinary, commonplace boy, saving the heart of a girl. It is also the story of a girl noticing the beauty of the world once again.

So he could not do anything about her predicament. She accepted her predicament reluctantly. Despite that, I firmly believe that another form of redemption to her does exist, born by a certain person (you) reading this story of an encounter.

For example, she was nowhere to be seen in Contact 214+1.

This is a story of spring. Winter leaves, spring arrives, the snow melts away, nary to be seen. The characters in this story do not know that the snow had piled up there.

But the readers who have read the story can see it. Have they not seen a smiling girl crying out loud into the wide open arms of a boy?

If this truly is the case—

This love may not exist anywhere in this world, and the girl may continue to be alone,

But at another side of the story he created, surely she met that person, who like her had broken free from the rules of the world, and yet is interrelated to the world. 'An inexplicable person (you) who for some reason knew about her'. I feel I can say that she is no longer alone.

That person had completely recorded all of her hard work, anguish, despair, joy, and the wish she clenched so firmly in her fist, all within the heart.

So when you look up at the summer starry night, prepare for the culture festivals in autumn, look towards the winter oceans, and sprint towards the spring sun.

Please yell out the name only you know of. When she smiles so happily, do embrace her demure shoulders firmly within your clutches, and praise her for working hard.

And also, please say, nice to meet you. Ahhh, but this duty belongs to the boy who did not know her, but had truly spent time with her.

When did that happen? How did it happen? To be honest, we do not know if it truly existed.

Next to be described is something in the further future.

So, after the 'end' of this story, a certain person (you) will continue with his life, only to observe someone in the miracle happening within both spring and snow, calling for a certain person (important person).

Surely that will be proof of the two of them walking down the road to 'the world's happiest love story'. Also, there is something else to prove that this miracle exists. If Haruyoshi's (Yu) hand has hope (ki), then 'Yuki' will always be in his heart. All that is left is to pray—for Haru, Yuki, me and you, that we will be able to reach the bright tomorrow.

In this prayer, I shall follow up with the words in his heart at the very end of the story.

This is the place we worked hard to arrive at.

At nowhere will any of us be alone.

June 2018, tadily thinking about the clear stars beyond the thick clouds, Aya Hazuki

### 013. Prologue: The Flower Colors Drawn Out

This is the story I (watashi) created, of that 'wish' (till now) he knew not of.

And also--

This is the story of 'hope' (henceforth) she knew not of that was given to me (boku), reaching out to a certain Spring.

I (watashi) was returning from school.

My destination was a certain little park, a shortcut leading home, but I was stopped in my tracks just outside of it.

Yes, I reached the little park, wanting to take the shortcut, only to stop there.

There was a really pretty person there sitting on a really dirty bench. I had never seen such a pretty person. She had a closed book on her knees, with a pink bookmark placed on the cover, instead of between the pages.

I guess the world, or God Himself even, might have been really familiar with her beauty.

The sunlight was so gentle, that it was hard to imagine there being a snowstorm mere days ago. It filled the world with its blessings, and the scenery was picturesque.

If possible, I want to keep looking, so I thought.

Driven by that impulse, I tugged hard at the straps of the large red backpack, and took a deep breath. Giving myself silent encouragement, I changed directions and cautiously approached the sitting beauty, like I was approaching a newly-discovered kitten. Finally, I sat next to her.

She glanced at me, but quickly looked into the distance again, scratching her head as she lifted it up towards the sky, bluer than yesterday.

Despite that, it'll be a while until Spring arrives, and the sakura trees by the side were still naked.

So what is with this sweet sakura fragrance floating around? I wondered.

I kept looking at her.

The outline of her straightened throat.

The silhouette of her slightly raised chin.

And the eyes reflecting the blue sky.

Now that I could admire her from up close, there was another level of sparkle to her beauty.

Her long hair was really fluffy, her eyebrows a little raised. Her face looked happy, satisfied, delighted, but...

She seemed a little sad.

I approached her probably because of that imperceptible sadness. Even though the scene appeared so perfect... No, it because of that apparent perfection that I noticed the flaw.

“Hey, hey, big sister."

I called out to her, and it startled her enough to jolt her shoulders. She turned her head towards me, pointed her finger at her pretty face, and widened her eyes. She looked really cute. Well, it was probably rude to think of someone older than me as cute. Couldn’t help it when this was my first thought, though.

“'Big sister', as in me?"

“Uhm."

“Okay... What's the matter?"

Our chat started with the most unnecessary topic.

“Your long hair is really pretty."

She beamed gently.

“Is that so?"

“Isn't it troublesome to leave it that long?"

“Very. But I never thought of cutting it."

“Hmm... Why?"

“Because this is something I'm proud of. The passing of time, the thoughts I had, it was the best proof of me falling in love."

I think mama once said that before, that every year, the hair grows by 15cm.

Time couldn’t be seen, but here it was moving gently next to her in a tangible way. How long was her hair right now?

“Have you fallen in love before, sis?"

“Yep. The happiest love in this whole world."

I looked up at her, trying to digest the meaning of the words 'happiest love in this whole world'. What was that? Something really sweet?

It brought up a thought.

I fumbled around my pocket until my fingertips touched something hard. Great. I still had two left.

“Want some chocolate, sis?"

I took out a bite-sized chocolate from my pocket and handed it to her. I wanted to have it as a snack later but it wasn’t like I couldn’t give it to her. Because today...

“Eh?"

“You don't like chocolates?"

“I do. Really. But why give it to me?"

“I feel energized when I get sweets. Don’t you, big sister?"

“No. I do too."

“Then, please have some."

I ate one of the two chocolates and left the other next to her. Though a little hesitant, she finally took it.

“Thank you."

I saw her put the little chocolate between her red lips, and told her, “I heard that it's Valentine's Day today, a day for friends. It's a day to give chocolate to important people."

Saying that made me feel a bit embarrassed, and I hurriedly looked away.

My eyes ended up looking at the park’s playground. There was a swing and a slide. Nobody was around, and it felt lonely, like the whole world had forgotten about this place. I figured that being able to see the big sister in a corner of my vision was a comfort of sorts.

But she rolled the chocolate in her mouth, and wasn't able to speak.

I was the only one talking.

“I wanted to give chocolate to Tai-chan and Kai-kun. Have you given any to anyone, big sister?"

She nodded gently.

“Well, everyone's happy. I'll be really happy if you cheer up too, big sister."

“…But I am?"

“Actually, it looks like you're crying."

Hearing those words, she touched her cheeks with her hand as if checking something.

Her fingertips found no dampness.

“Fufu. Sounds like something someone once said to me. What a bother. What a bother."

Her feet rocked back and forth, like a swing.

There seemed to be more sadness in her expression now. However, her face looked much happier than before. I wondered why that was?

“The promise reached him, and his echoing voice is still catching me in turn, not letting go."

――Those words sounded like a curse (blessing).

Once she said that, a light gust of wind blew through the trees, shaking the branches. It was a little cold still as it was barely past Winter time. The golden light of Spring glittered in the corner of my eyes.

In that moment, the pink bookmark escaped her hands and flew into the sky.

It disappeared in the light, looking like a sakura petal.

““Ah.""

We exclaimed in unison, standing up, reaching with our hands after it. However, it ended up just evading her palm, and gently landing in mine. It was an ordinary piece of paper, blank on both sides. However, I could tell that she really treasured it and had held onto it for a really long time. Her characteristic sakura fragrance had completely soaked into the surface.

“Here, big sister."

She stared at it, and shook her head.

“Keep it. As thanks for the chocolate."

“But without this, you won't know where you stopped reading at."

“Ah... See, it's not really a bookmark..." her words trailed off, and she started muttering to herself.

“I guess... That moment really happened. It's not a lie, is it?" I think I heard her say.

Soon after, she told me what it really was. She kept it with the book, so I thought it was a bookmark, but now that she explained, it really was more like 'that'. Even though there was nothing woven through it leaving just a hole at the top.

It was something used to make wishes to the stars.

“Can I?"

“Yep. My wish has been fulfilled."

“What did you wish for, big sister?"

“I, no, the two of us... We shouted the same wish at the last moment, towards each other. Like Vega and Altair in the sea of dazzling stars. 'Come see me', 'call my name', things like that. That is, —"

She paused, took a deep breath, and lifted her head.

Then, she smiled very happily.

“The proof of great love."

Somehow, the sadness disappeared from her face. Did the sweetness of the chocolate melt away her sadness? Did she recall something happy, so happy that it surpasses the sadness and despair? I would never know.

There's one thing I do know, though.

I have never met a person with such a pretty smile again in my entire life.

I nearly burst into tears, starting to panic. My nose felt itchy, the world's starting to twist around. I wasn't sad, nor in despair. It's not painful.

It was like... like she just brought all the happiness in the world into her hands when she smiled, filling my heart, causing it to be oh so warm.

“So if you make a wish in the future, and find something you really want, you can try writing on it. It'll definitely reach the sparkling stars, just like mine did."

If that was the case, could I smile as happily as she just had?

I was in the midst of doing my own homework, and opened the drawer, wanting to get my eraser. There's a photo of me together with my friends, the test script when I got my first full marks, the great luck charm I drew at the shrine, the glass ball in the ramune, and various other memories inside the desk.

However, what attracted my attention was a faint sakura fragrance coming from a pink slip of paper.

It resembled a bookmark, but actually, it was used to write wishes.

It was something I picked up at a nearby park a long time ago. Right now, I was completely different from that girl back then, I did have a wish I wanted to fulfill no matter what. I thought about it now. I was lost. In the end, I never got down to chasing after that wish.

So this pink fragment of spring, which had been delivered to me by the cold breeze of dying winter, had remained completely blank inside my drawer.

And so it would remain, until the time I would encounter the day when I would be able to write that wish down.

### 014. Contact 130 - The Stars Clutter, The Wishes Weaved

“Eh, it’s Yoshi-kun. Hello~”

It happened 30 minutes before we were supposed to meet.

I stopped at the Southern exit of the shopping arcade. There was a small antiquarian bookshop opened to the public, and Yoshi-kun was beyond it.

It seemed he never noticed my voice and my highly raised hand.

After some thought, I went a different way. To him, of course.

He could not hear my footsteps, and I crept up to him.

Dust refracted the light shining through the door and windows of the dim shop, glittering as they danced in the air. He, focused on the book in such an environment, was mesmerizing.

A day’s worth of lessons was over, but the white shirt on him remained. His back was so straight, one might wonder if there was a stick in his back. The long bangs might be causing him difficulty in reading, so he did move them aside from time to time. His eyebrows are pretty long for a boy, the gentle eyes beneath them were following the words.

I went to the entrance, and pulled a book from a cart full of them.

The cover was completely tattered, and there was a long crack down the spine. I could see a faint ‘¥100’ on the back, in pencil. It was cheaper than a drink can.

This book was written by a certain famous author—so famous that those who hardly read would know of his name, and the textbooks had records of him. This might be his most renowned work.

The pages were parched by the sun, and I enjoyed the distinct crispness they had, but I never paid attention to the words and the story. The entire time, I was staring at the boy bigger than me, and a year younger.

Did he sense my stare? Or was it just coincidence?

Yoshi-kun lifted his eyes from the book, as though he had thought of something, only to finally see me. He was surprised, and beamed.

I too beamed.

“Is this book interesting?”

“Sorta.”

“But you seem rather engrossed there?”

We never talked, and merely twitched our eyebrows, mouth and eyes to express our emotions and thoughts.

“You figured me out. Ehh, mind waiting a bit? I’m almost done here.”

“Ehh~shall I wait~?”

“Please do.”

“Just joking. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks. What are you reading?”

Yoshi-kun nodded towards me, and tilted his head sceptically. I raised the book to his height, showing him the cover, and saw his look of understanding in while his vision was halved.

“I see. That famous one. Give me five minutes.”

“Yes.”

Yoshi-kun immersed himself into the sea of the story, beginning to navigate once again.

This time, I quietly pursued the impatient words eager to convey their story, so as not to disturb him.

❆

I first met Haruyoshi Segawa-kun two days ago.

I approached him while he was heading home, asking him how to head to the station.

I already knew however, and he would unsuspectingly accept this flimsy approach.

“Thanks for helping me out. I’m staying at the hotel near there. Didn’t know how to go back after going out on a stroll.”

The gloomy skies were on the verge of crying, the tips of the two umbrellas scraped the asphalt, creaking away.

“A hotel? So you’re on a trip or something?”

“Hm, something like that.”

“There are places more appropriate for sightseeing though. Ah, not there. This side’s a little closer. Oh yes, erm…”

“I’m Yuki Shiina.”

“Segawa Haruyoshi.”

We introduced ourselves as we went down the paths, which I had walked countless times with. We talked our our names, ages, and even the blood types, which was unnecessary to begin with. One again, I heard for the first time, the things I had heard so many times.

“Now that you mention it, it is a pity. Guess a town with nothing much around is pretty boring, eh?”

“Hmm, you can’t be saying that about the town you live in though. I prefer to just walk around and see the plain, ordinary sights than the famous tourist attractions. Also, I like this town..”

This is true.

I really do like this town.

“Well, I can’t say that I don’t understand how you feel. Every time I find an unfamiliar alley, I end up walking in.”

“You really do, huh?”

“Yeah, even though I don’t know where I’ll be going.”

“It’s fun when you don’t know where you’ll end up at.”

“I do get what you mean. It’s not a feeling I want to know, not something I should, but I always end up lost, as you say.”

While we were chatting away, we found an alley. I tapped the entrance with my umbrella, and as I knew Yoshi-kun had stopped behind me, I turned around to smile.

His face was clearly going ‘whelps, here we go’. It was really funny.

That face of his definitely was not of disgust. I, and only I, knew that.

“Okie, let’s go.”

“Ohh~!”

We raised our fists enthusiastically, and entered the alley.

Day by day, we were moving to summer, and the temperature continued to rise with the number of days. There were uncommon flowers growing on the walls, and the leaves looked exceptionally green next to them.

“Shiina-san, if I may ask, where are you from?”

He asked as he pried aside the leaves reaching his eyes.

“Call me Yuki. No honorifics, of course.”

I was unable to answer this question, so I replied so to throw him off.

“Eh, but you’re older.”

“It’s fine, don’t worry. I’ll call you Yoshi-kun.”

“Not Haru?”

“Is that what others always call you?”

“Yep.”

“Well, I guess I should call you Yoshi-kun. It’s boring to be the same as everyone. Guess we decided?”

I smiled, and Yoshi-kun’s face was a little red, maybe because of the simmering heat. He spaced out silently.

“Yoshi-kun?”

I tilted my head to look up at his face, and he reeled flusteredly. For ome reason, he looked away again. Eh, what was with that response? I never saw that before.

“Eh? Ah, yeah. Got it. Please take care of me, Yuki.”

“Hm? Okay, please take care of me, Yoshi-kun.”

It happened on June 29th, Wednesday.

We began the 130th meeting on the day, the day where the plum rain was about to arrive.

❆

Once I was done reading a short story within that old book, Yoshi-kun left the shop. The bag slinging from his shoulder was swaying by his waist. He was holding a brown bag as big as a book.

“Kept you waiting.”

“Can’t resist after all, huh?”

“Sorta. But I don’t like it when I can’t finish the exciting parts.”

He raised the paper bag as he said so, and I noticed something else in his hand. It was a rectangular pale blue paper. A bookmark? It would be boring if it was.

“Say, Yoshi-kun. What is that?”

“Which one?”

“The pale blue.”

“Huh, this? A gift I guess. Well…it’s July soon, right?”

“Yes?”

“And on July 7th…”

“Tanabata.”

It was the day where two lovers, separated by the Milky Way, could finally meet.

In other words, that paper is—

“Yeah, I guess the committee came up with this to liven up the shopping street this year. All the shops give this strip to the shoppers. There’s an open space down this road, and the bamboos will be there. The lights will be lit on Tanabata.”

That imagery was conjured in my mind. The bamboo leaves swaying with the leaves, the dazzling lights shining upon countless wishes.

Being a little agitated, I said,

“That’s great.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yeah. It really is. Can I join in too?”

“I guess so? As I said, you get one strip if you shop here.”

“I see. Wait a sec please. I’ll buy a book too.”

This time, Yoshi-kun’s waiting outside, and I entered the antiquarian bookshop.

The shop’s darker and smaller than I imagined.

There was a cashier deep inside the shop, and an uncle was seated on a bench, reading intently. He was wearing a loose shirt and pants, and clearly did not look like anyone belonging to the service sector. Was he the boss? He merely glanced aside at me, and returned to the world of the book in his hands. I merely nodded to him, and trotted to the aisles between the bookshelves

Renown and obscure works were lined together. The book spines were door handles leading to another world.

Which, one, shall, I choose, then.

Seeking out stories is an interesting experience. To be honest, I really wanted to spend lots of time choosing one, but Yoshi-kun’s waiting for me, so I have to choose quickly. Dazai? Akutagawa? Or maybe I should try out Yukio Mishima since I never read his works. There’s his Temple of the Golden Pavilion and so on.

Erm…Mishima, Mishima and …

I slid my finger by the names of the author on the spines, according to Gojuon, only to find a completely unrelated book between them.

The title was written in white, with a deep blue base.

Someone probably stuffed it here without returning it to the proper place.

I touched the hard spine of the book with my fingertip, and slowly pried it from the pile. Its cover, adorned with light blobs of various sizes, slowly showed itself from the spine. It was a graphic book depicting the constellation.

I knew nothing of the stars’ names, nor their shapes. Such knowledge’s commonly used as novel themes, and I wanted to learn about them one day, but I never got the chance. This might be it.

I pulled the book out from the row of them, and took it off the shelf. “Huu”, so I blew at the dust gathered on the cover, and gently dusted it. The smooth surface was nice to touch.

It’s a well made book. A little dirty, but pretty clean for a second-hand book.

I nonchalantly flipped through the pages, and found lots of colorful illustrations used in this book. It explained each and every seasonal constellation. I then checked for the page number indicating Tanabata, closed the book, and took it in my hands. I then said to the uncle.

“I’m buying this book.”

It was priced exactly at 500 yen.

I didn’t know if it was expensive or not.

I was given a pink slip.

Pata pata.

I sensed the pattering on the windows, and then lifted my head from the book I was reading.

I pried the curtain aside, and found that it was raining outside. The rain got heavier, the lights of the town dimmer in the rain, the familiar night scene gentler than before.

The moist street reflected blue and red lights, and depicted on the puddles were the sights of pedestrians moving on and the rain pelting from the sky. Replacing them were ripples expanding one after another. Such a sight left be bemused.

I closed the constellation book I bought the same day, and opened the window a little. Once I did, the moist cold air immediately swept into the humid room.

There’s a fragrance spreading gently in the room. Do I call it the smell of rain? Or perhaps it was the smell of the sky.

The countless transparent rain droplets fell from the sky, and to me, they were the threads linking heaven and earth.

I gently reached my hand out of the window, and a raindrop landed on my fingertip, before splashing away. It never rested on my finger, and quickly slid further down..

I looked towards its source.

The sky typically wouldn’t lose to the lights of the town, but on this day, the skies were grey.

I could not see beyond the grey clouds, but I was imagining the imagery beyond the dark clouds.The constellations that were depicted in the book.

On the topic of the summer night sky, the most famous of the constellations are α Cygni, α Aquilae and α Lyrae, the vertices of the Summer Triangle. The bluish-white star of α Lyrae is Vega, and α Aquilae is Altair. The Milky Way flows right between them, and they can only meet once a year.

With my other hand, I patted the pink paper that was next to the book.

It was an ordinary piece of paper.

It was a little thin, regular, a uniformly colored bookmark. On the yearly Tanabata however, it seems wishes can be granted if one is to write a wish and hang it on the bamboo.

Such trivial things won’t cause miracles however.

The world’s occasionally kind, but it’s typically cruel.

I knew that, very well indeed. But…

I had countless urges to write my wish, but I could never express them clearly. Right now, the paper’s still blank.

Will it be all different if I can see the stars? If I can imagine them passing the Milky Way, will I gain some courage.

The rain continued to pour.

The clouds remained so thick.

And my eyes did not reflect the glow of the stars.

It’s hot. So I thought as I couldn’t help but close my eyes. Nowhere in particular, I was hot all over. I was burning from head to toe. When did such heat reside in my body to begin with?

I woke up due to the energy oozing from my body. I really didn’t know what happened.

My back was all sweaty, the shirt clinging to the skin. It was uncomfortable, my nose was stuffed, and I had difficulty breathing. What’s going on?

My joints were searing uncomfortably, and I grimaced. My eyelids were heavy, my body moreso. I couldn’t get up like usual, and while I tried, I quickly fell back . The neat bedsheet was crumpled, and the bed let out a little creak.

“Haa…haa…” I wheezed heavily, thinking hard as I looked to the digital watch by the bedside. The green light informed me it was less than an hour till my meeting with Yoshi-kun.

It seemed I slept for at least 12 hours. If possible however, I wanted to continue sleeping. I really had no urge to move at all.

Despite that, I unwittingly reached my hand out.

Just as how I sought the light when I was young.

I had to go.

Yoshi-kun’s waiting for me.

He probably would be waiting for me in the rain if I did not go. I felt heartache just imagining that scene.

And more importantly, I wanted to see his smile while calling my name.

“Nn, nnnn…nn!”

This time, I propped my body up with my hands.

I slowly wiped my sweat off with a cloth, and put on a winter jacket.

I looked in the mirror, and found a completely flushed me. The face was redder than apples and strawberries. The eyelids were heavy, and my eyes were half opened. That face did not look cute at all. I really didn’t want to show Yoshi-kun that.

I withheld the urge to cry, combed my hair, put on my makeup, and of course, never forgot to apply the sakura perfume.

I was exceedingly late by the time I left the hotel, but I hurried over to Yoshi-kun. I passed the station, and entered the arcade of the shopping street opposite the hotel.

I kept moving with my legs and the umbrella. My legs felt light, and I felt I was about to fall. If there was a strong gust and I did not stand upright, I would have fallen over. How long left? How long more until I could meet Yoshi-kun?

Right at this moment.

"Yuki." I heard a voice. My name was called.

However, that voice did not seem as warm as before. It sounded more worried instead.

Ah, but it is still very warm.

"What are you doing!?"

He yelled as he hurried to me. I lost all strength at that moment, probably because I was relieved. I nearly fell over, and Yoshi-kun hugged me. It's hard. It hurts.

They were the hands of a boy.

It was the body of a boy.

"Well, we promised."

"Promised?"

For what? Yoshi-kun was definitely not suffering, but he looked like he’s about to cry.

“Yes. We promised. Just yesterday, didn’t we? We said we’ll meet the next day.”

“We did, but you can’t be showing up like this.”

“You’ll be worried if I don’t show up, no? You’ll just wait for me stupidly, right?”

“That’s…”

Not the case—but to stop him from saying these words, I placed my index finger on his lips.

“You lie. I knew that.”

Because you’re here now, right?

You came looking for me because you’re worried about me, right?

I knew that. I already knew how kind a person you were.

But at this point, I was suffering, unable to say anything. I could not voice out.

And my consciousness started fading away.

“Yuki? Yuki?”

The voice calling for me became distant.

Ahh, it’s fine. I’ll just have a nap. I’ll recover after some rest. But it’s because of a person like you that I—

And my consciousness snapped. At the last moment, nobody, not even I, knew what I was thinking, what I wanted to say

❆

A long time ago, I went to see the stars.

Where did I see them? When was it?

“Hey, Yuki. Can you see it?”

Papa said to me after he got out of the car.

Just dozens of minutes ago, he suddenly yelled for me to get into the car, and I was brought to this place without knowing my destination. I was probably feeling uneasy back then.

And a little pouty.

“Mhm～Can’t see anything.”

“You got to switch off the car lights, hubby.”

“Ah, right. Wait a sec. Righto, done. How about now?”

Papa switched off the lights, and the world immediately turned dark.

We were at a corner of the world, devoid of light and noise.

At that moment, my eyes could not capture that miniscule speckle of light.

“I still can’t see.”

“Seems like your eyes have to get used to it. Okay, how about this?”

“Kya!!”

Papa covered my eyes with his hands. They were large and powerful, reliable and warmer than anything in this world. Before I knew it, I had calmed down. I heard the wind blowing, the green grass swaying away. It was extremely relieving, and I really had the urge to take a deep breath.

“Ne, nee, Sis, Papa, what are you doing? Hide and seek?”

“Yeah. You want to play too, Umi?”

“Yes!”

“Play with Mama, Umi. Come here.”

“Oh.”

I heard my sister’s innocent voice, along with Mama’s kind words. Those voices were neither too overbearing nor too soft to be heard, and they blended perfectly with the breeze.

“Hey Papa. Are you done yet?”

“What do you mean, done? I just covered your eyes, Yuki. You’re impatient. Who do you take after?”

“Well, it’s definitely not me.”

“So that makes it, me?”

“Finally have some self-awareness?”

Mama’s giggle was as carefree as my friends—

“Are we done~?”

Papa and Mama burst out laughing at Umi, who never understood what was going on. They answered in unison.

““Not yet~”“

“Oh.”

“Looks like Umi is as impatient as I am.”

“Great. Everything I love is linked to the future.”

“What about the things I love?”

“Well, you have passed them down to these two, no?”

“For example?”

“Beauty.”

“Fhm. This is true.”

“Say, hubby.”

Mama pretended to sigh,

“What is it?”

“You should be a little embarrassed when saying that.”

“Even though it's a fact?”

“That’s all the more reason.”

And the two girls who had been silent all this while let out a unified sigh, breaking the mood.

““Are we done??”“

I didn’t know what Umi was thinking, but I cried out as I really had enough of their conversation.

All this while, I felt itchy on the side of my head, along with my throat.

So the two adults replied to our immature voices with definite answers.

““It’s done~”“

Papa suddenly removed his hands, and my eyes regained light. The next moment, I saw a sea of light in my eyes. Why? Why? That space was complete darkness just now.

I looked to my side, and found Umi seated on mama’s lap, grinning away. “Umi? Have you found them?”

“Un~”

“Tell me what you found then.”

“I found the stars!”

As Umi had said, right before our eyes were tens of thousands of glittered.

Shown in our eyes were thousands of stars glittering away. I felt that I could touch the stars as long as I reached my hand out. I tried tiptoeing, reaching my hand out, but of course, I could not touch it. For some reason however, I sensed the light of the stars gathered upon my fingertips.

Papa stood next to me, pointing at the sky.

“It’s not often we get to see a starry night in spring. Let’s look for the Big Dipper. Do you know what that is, Yuki?”

“Just the name.”

That name did appear in a book I read.

“Hm, I see.”

Papa knelt down, bringing his eyes to my level.

“Think of the stars in the north as a scoop. That’s the Big Dipper.”

“Where?”

“There are four brighter stars there, right? Start linking from the one at the bottom right.”

I did as he said, and began to connect the lights.

And on the pure black canvas in my eyes, the yellow lines of lines slowly formed the shape of the constellation.

“Link that, and that, and that, right?”

I drew the lines with my finger.

“Yes. Now, draw a bigger arch with a scoop. There’s an orange light on the line, right? That’s Arcturus, Guardian of the Bears. It’s the alpha star of Boötes. Next is the white Spica, in a corner of Virgo. Link them all, and you get the Spring Triangle.”

After that, papa told me the names of many stars, like Spica and Arcturus and Denebola forming the Spring Triangle, and a larger spring Great Diamond with the Cor Caroli.

Actually, I was beginning to lose track of which star was which, but Papa was explaining so enthusiastically, and I decided to listen quietly. Even without knowing about them, I liked looking at these sparkling things. I’m a girl after all.

“Which star do you like, Yuki?”

Papa asked, and I had a little thought. The little stars were cute, and the large ones were pretty. They were all of various colors, some white, some yellow. I lifted my head towards the sky, and said the name of the first star I found.

The orange light was dazzling there.

“Arcturus. I like it..”

The moment I said this name, I felt the nameless cavity being filled up completely. I see, moments of liking something can happen at such ordinary moments too.

“I see.”

Papa patted my head. That careless way he does it always messes my hair, so I didn’t really like him touching my head. It didn’t feel so bad this time however.

“Then let’s learn a little more about Arcturus before we go home. It means Guardian of the Bears, and in Hawaii, they call it Hōkūle’a.”

“Hōkūle‘a.”

I repeated papa’s words, wanting to engrave it in my memories.

“Yes. It means ‘the Star of Gladness’. If there’s anything to be happy about, look up at the sky and find this star. Your joy will definitely reach it.”

❆

I opened my eyes, and the orange light I had seen in the sky a long time ago entered my eyes.

I unwittingly muttered the name of that star, and the boy seated by the bedside tilted his head. It’s Yoshi-kun. Looking at it carefully, I found that it was not the starry sky, but the familiar ceiling of the hotel. That light’s a lot darker than a real star, bigger, and closer.

“Eh? Why are you here, Yoshi-kun?”

Papa was not here; neither was Mama, nor Umi.

Such was the reality I was in.

“You don’t remember? You had a fever, and you forced yourself to go. You collapsed there.”

Speaking of which, that seemed to be the case.

I had some memories, but my mind was preoccupied with something else entirely. Those things were still by my side just moments ago, like my family’s laughter, the glitter of the stars, Papa’s reliable arms, and Mama’s flowing long hair. These memories continued to grip my heart, never fading away.

“Looks like you forgot.”

“You brought me here, Yoshi-kun?”

“Eh? Ah, yeah. I kinda explained to the hotel staff. Really took a lot of effort. And well, just to add, it’s the hotel staff who changed you, not me.”

I didn’t know when I had changed into a different set of clothes. My undergarments were different, and I felt a lot more refreshed.

“Hm hm, I see, I see. You’re embarrassed.”

I wanted to get up, but Yoshi-kun stopped me. I felt his hand on my hand being colder than usual, probably because of my fever.

I turned to the side, and found there was the constellation book I had bought days ago

I guess I had this dream because of the book. Its cover’s smooth and cold, comfy to touch.

I pulled the blanket to my mouth, and whispered with a hot breath.

“Erm, I had a dream. When I was young, I saw the stars with my family.”

“Stars?”

“Yes. It’s probably…back in spring. Papa taught me many things, but yes, I was young, I didn’t know them very well. He taught me so much, but I never got to memorize them.”

If only I had paid more attention to what he said, only at this point did I think so.

I heard Papa and Mama say many things, and talked about lots of things with them. Their cheesy conversations were a little embarrassing, but I wouldn’t say I disliked them

“Are you done～?”

“Why say this now?”

“That’s what my little sister and I said back then. We were looking for the stars, and we were saying things like ‘Are we done yet’, ‘Not yet’, ‘Are we done yet’, ‘Not yet’. And after that, we saw the stars cluttering the skies. They’re pretty, they really were…”

For some reason, a tear fell. My voice was shaking. My chest was in pain.

It was really, really painful.

I recovered to find myself reaching towards the ceiling. It was an orange light, not that of the stars, but artificial. Arcturus, Hōkūleʻa, the star of gladness. No, that’s not it, I had nothing in my hands. Everything was long gone from me, those days, the past, my family’s voices, the warmth.

But—

My empty hands were filled by something else.

It was soft, a little crude, wide, and warm.

It’s Yoshi-kun’s hand.

I sniveled.

Yoshi-kun wiped away my tears with his other hand. He’s unexpectedly clumsy at doing such things, a little like Papa in this sense. With a hoarse voice, I told him.

“I really want to see the stars.”

“Eh?”

“Take me there.”

“…Sure, I got a good hiding place. Few of the locals know that place. I’ll take you there once you’re feeling better..”

“Hey, Yoshi-kun..”

I wonder if he realized that my voice had contained thousands of words worth of gratitude.

—Thank you, for being by my side.

And once again, I closed my eyes.

The boy’s smile was ingrained deep within my eyes.

I felt the sadness and loneliness in my heart become a little milder, and before I knew it, my erratic breathing had become calm.

I spent the rainy day in my sleep, and when the sun set down from the sky, my fever had subsided completely, as though everything before never happened.

There was still some time for us. I heaved a sigh of relief.

If it had been a day later, I would be unable to see the stars with Yoshi-kun.

Once the sun had completely set, we gathered at the station near Yoshi-kun’s house. It seemed the ‘good place’ was on a hilltop.

He emphasized that I should be careful of bugs, so I covered my skin almost completely, not exposing anything. But he said I should wear something comfortable to move it. Well, I guess he’ll be flustered seeing some of my flesh. He’s unexpectedly a silent pervert.

I took a rental bicycle from the station, and from the corner of my eye, I glanced at the farms while riding down the alleys.

The breeze blew into my face, and the scenery clattered back. I pedaled on, moving faster than usual.

There were street lights at intervals of 10 meters or so, forming little yellow blobs in the space called night. My eyes slowly got used to the night, recapturing the various silhouettes dyed black by the darkness.

The vegetable leaves on the green farms were swaying leisurely in the wind, it seemed. Some noisy frogs were croaking together, their cries echoing from various distances.

The bicycle continued to clatter, and there was a little round beam of white light shining before me, along with the silhouette of a tall boy.

“Yoshi-kun—”

I called his name.

I felt a tingling in my heart. I was happy, probably due to the sweet mood during this night.

“What is it—?”

“How much longer—?”

“About 10 minutes on bike—”

“I see—”

We yelled at a volume no softer than the frogs’ croaking. Farms were the only things down the sides of this road, and there was no obstacle blocking our voices. They spread across this open space, mixing and merging into the darkness of the night.

“Feels good—”

“Eh? What? Can’t hear you clearly—.”

“I say the wind at night feels good!!.”

I yelled with a louder voice than before.

We parked the bicycle by the foot of the hill, and scaled the linear slope for about 5 minutes or so. There appeared a space large enough for an adult male to duck through, and Yoshi-kun went through it without hesitation. He sprayed some insect repellent on me, and I kept coughing. I didn’t like this smell.

The further we went in, the darker it got. We ended up holding hands, though I didn’t know who started it. Whose hand was the moist one?

I should know about myself very well, but at this point, my mind was a complete blank, and I couldn’t tell at all.

We pried aside the shrubs, walking on for another ten minutes or so. We arrived at a wide and empty space, and I knew without being told, this was the destination.

The wind blew, and my hair fluttered in a mess. Despite that, we never let go of our hands.

“Yuki. Close your eyes.”

“Eh? Why?”

“Just do it.”

“But..,”

“It’s fine. I’ll bring you over.”

So I obeyed his gentle little request, and closed my eyes. He held my hand with some strength, and I was led to take a single step. At this point, I was really in the midst of darkness, devoid of light.

“You done?” It was a trembling voice.

Yoshi-kun giggled, and answered me a pre-planned reply..

“Not yet~”

“Are we done?”

“Not yet～”

This happened over and over again, many, many times. I took his voice as a marker while moving forward. We stepped upon the green grass, the rustling sound and the sensation of the grassy ground clearly reaching my ears and feet.

I had a feeling we walked for a very long time, but we probably walked for a dozen meters or so.

Soon,Yoshi-kun said,.

“We’re ready. Princess, please open your eyes.”

“What’s with that out of a sudden? Why Princess?”

I unwittingly imagined Yoshi-kun’s face being all red.

“Please don’t retort me here.”

Dammit Takuma, this isn’t what you said would happen. I could hear Yoshi-kun muttering. Seemed like his friend suggested.

“Anyway, I can open my eyes now, right?”

“Ah, yeah. Please do.”

So I slowly opened my eyes.

“Eh?” I sensed the murmurs getting swallowed up.

It was a place the sun could not reach. It was dark everywhere; up, down, left, right. In this darkness, there were yellow, white, orange, red and green lights sparkling brilliantly. There were clusters of stars seemingly filling the sky, and clusters of ground stars formed by many things.

Yoshi-kun and I were floating in space.

“There are stars blinking in the sky and all the ground.”

“Pretty, isn’t it? This is a treasured place of mine.”

“Yes, it really is pretty. Really pretty.”

I repeated the words over and over again, and began to run, causing Yoshi-kun, who was holding my hand, to nearly lose his balance, making a flustered sound.

“Ah, sorry. You alright?”

“I’m fine. I’m happy seeing you happy. Let’s go.”

This time, I walked alongside him towards the light.

The weather was perfect, and it was a cloudless, clear day. The bright moon shone in the night sky, so brilliant it swallowed the light of many stars. It was no match for the sun, but the queen of the night showed its sharp golden light, proudly dyeing the sky cyan. Yes, it wasn’t black. The brightness of the moon turned the black night a deep cyan.

Before we realized, the moon had shone a shadow at our feet, one combining the two of us into one.

“This is the second time in my life seeing such a pretty night sky.”

“Does it suit what you desire?”

“Of course.”

“Great.”

“It’s really, really pretty. Oh yeah. Let’s spot some constellation, Yoshi-kun.”

“You know about them, Yuki?”

“Not at all. What about you, Yoshi-kun?”

“Same here.”

“We’re the same then. I bought a constellation book some days ago. Let’s use that to look for them, shall we?”

“Sure. Let’s try.”

Yoshi-kun was sufficiently prepared for this, for he had red film stuck on the flashlight. It seemed this was to prevent excessive brightness. We stared at the compass and the picture book, and we were so close, our foreheads nearly touched. We weren’t embarrassed however, maybe because of the night atmosphere.

“Let’s look for the Summer Triangle First. We’ll connect the constellation from there.”

We looked at the sky in unison. My long hair grazed my cheeks, and it’s itchy.

The bluish-white light right in the middle of my eyes was the α star of Lyra, Vega. Like the Queen of the summer skies, it was the star of Orihime. Next to it was white smoky trail, probably the Milky Way. In that case, beyond it should be Altair of Aquila, Hikoboshi.

“Ah, is that it?”

“Eh, which one?”

“See, that really bright one.”

Yoshi-kun beamed as he pointed at the sky. I had a rough idea of which one it was, but I wasn’t sure if I was correct. There were tens of thousands of dazzling stars after all.

“Erm, well, I guess so. Deneb’s left, so let’s look for anything that might form a triangle. Ah, Yoshi-kun. That probably fits. I guess that’s Deneb. See, the Summer Triangle.”

After that, we began connecting the stars like kids who had just bought new toys, having much fun in the process. There’s Cancer with the red heart, Libra, Ophiuchus. Of course, there’s also Aquila and Lyra. We might have connected them, or might have connected different stars altogether.

Despite this, we’re happy.

Yes. I’m happy.

We flipped the pictures, looking at their stories, debating one after another about some unimportant stuff, not giving way, and nearly breaking into an argument. But the mood never got tense. Someone burst into a giggle, and the other got affected. The whole world was filled with two people’s laughter.

“Right, now then, the next page.”

Then, something fell out of the opened page.

It was something I had tucked at the page introducing Tanabata.

I lifted that up, and found a pink paper. There was nothing written on it. No, I had not written my wish on this Tanzaku

“They say it’s 15 lightyears.”

“Eh?”

“The distance between Orihime and Hikoboshi. It’s written here.”

Yoshi-kun pointed at the words ’15 lightyears’.

The two stars didn’t look very far when viewed from here. It seemed I could bring them into my clutches just by opening my arms wide. Despite that, it’ll take these two stars 15 years of lightspeed to meet. Was it not the same for Yoshi-kun and I?

He’s right within reach, and I was holding his hand, but our feelings, our hearts, were tens of thousands of miles away.

“They’re so far. But this is why they made wishes.”

“What do you mean?”

“They made wishes because they’re so far from each other, praying that they’ll be reunited with their beloved once ago.”

Yoshi-kun then told him of the two wishes they made. He said some really embarrassing stuff as he looked at the starry sky, but I didn’t dislike it.

“I guess. They really are full-fledged lovers. Anyone will be happy if the partner is to keep praying for their beloved to say such things.”

“Will you, erm, be happy about that, Yuki?”

“What?”

“No, erm. It’s more like, what will a girl typically think. Not that if I’m to say that.”

Yoshi-kun’s still looking up at the sky.

“…I might be happy.”

I imagined that scene, and my lips curled into a smile. Luckily, Yoshi-kun wasn’t looking at me.

I couldn’t let him know who I was thinking of. To cover my embarrassment, I looked up at the Milky Way, like Yoshi-kun did.

I imagined the magpie bridge upon the Milky Way. Surely its true identity was the wishes of those two Yoshi-kun spoke of. But if they had made their seemingly trivial wishes with similarly intense emotions, these wishes will become the hope for the reunion no matter how far they were.

And then, I overlapped the wish I should write along with theirs.

“Yoshi-kun, do you have a pen?”

“Yeah. Here.”

He pulled an oil-based pen from his pocket, and I used it to write my wish. He tried to peek a few times, but I shielded away from his sight with my back.

“No looking.”

“No matter what?”

“No matter what.”

“Got it.”

Yoshi-kun turned to look at his watch, and stretched his back fully.

“Now that you’re done, let’s go back. It’s kinda late.”

“Yeah.”

Once he saw that I put the Tanzaku into my pocket, Yoshi-kun turned to leave. I gave chase, only to stop and look up at the sky one last time. Then, I found that star.

It was an exceptionally bright orange glow amongst the cluster of stars. It’s said that a long time ago, the Polynesians had this star leading them to Hawaii. If I look up at it and follow it like a compass, will I too arrive somewhere? Is that delight? Or happiness?

The name of the star filled with wishes was—

“Hōkūle‘a.”

I said inaudibly enough for Yoshi-kun not to hear.

My gladness was still dazzling in the night sky far, far away.

July 7th.

After spending that day and week seeing the Tanabata Tanzaku, I visited the shopping street alone before returning to the hotel

There were many colorful wishes hanging on the green bamboo.

The orange lights shone upon them, and the light shining through caused them to dazzle. There were innocent wishes, matured wishes, prayers of self-encouragement, and they were all equally pretty. They were similar to the lights of the stars

I tugged gently at a yellow Tanzaku tied at the bottom. Written on it was:

“I want a girlfriend.”

It’d be great if this was what Yoshi-kun wrote. I didn’t know if he was a late bloomer, or that he had no such interest. And just to note, Yoshi-kun probably wished for something boring, like ‘improve my grades’. Well, it’s pointless, so I’ll teach him how to study next time. Let’s do it.

Of course, my promise’s still a secret to Yoshi-kun. I made sure nobody’s looking as I tied it at a place closest to the sky.

Even if he did see it, the him at this point might not be able to understand at all.

The fact that he went to see the stars with me days ago no longer existed anywhere. The conversations, the answer Yoshi-kun told me, none of them existed

I let go of the yellow Tanzaku, and took one, two steps away from the overflowing, noisy lights.

At this moment, the bamboo leaves rustled.

A gust blew.

“Woah, quite a strong wind here.”

Someone said this, and then there was a mini ruckus.

I looked towards where the gust came, and lifted my head towards the sky, finding a wish fluttering in the sky. It’s a pink wish, like sakura. I unwittingly reached out to grab it. I looked around, front, back, front, but I didn’t know which side was it. For there was nothing written on it. Nobody knew if there was anything written on it to begin with.

Or that everything that was written vanished two days ago, at a certain time—

I didn’t know. I couldn’t be sure.

Despite that, I gently caressed that pink Tanzaku. Again, I entrusted my wish to that blank piece of paper.

I wrote down the two wishes Yoshi-kun told me of.

I managed to bluff my way through, but my consciousness was hazy due to the fever. I did somewhat remember Yoshi-kun bringing me to the hotel. I was relieved to see his face, and at peace when he called my name.

So, on that night. I connected the many stars together, and made a wish in my heart.

“Come look for me. Call my name."

This would be the thought needed for us to meet countless times.

Just as Vega made a wish to Altair

Just as Altair had prayed to Vega.

It would be great if Yoshi-kun would do so for me one day in the future, so I earnestly hoped.

And I placed that empty, sakura-like Tanzaku into my pocket.

### 015. Contact 193 - Where The Vote Goes

“Haru～help me out here.”

There’s a little more noise than usual on this day, after school.

Everyone on the corridor looked busy, hurrying around, getting caught in the hectic vibe around the campus. I too was about to be swallowed by this mood, and I was about to do something when someone called for me.

I stopped, turned to the voice, and saw the grinning face of my friend not too far away.

“Ah, good work, Takuma.”

“Same.”

The autumn wind seemed more winter-like compared to yesterday, swaying a little of Takuma’s bangs as it came through the window, which made him look cool for some reason. A few girls walking by had some burning looks towards him, and I wondered, did he notice them?

But Takuma went towards me, not glancing at them.

“What do you mean, help? Just move the materials somewhere?”

His hands were filled with some kind of material, so I asked.

“Well, sorta?”

“Why are you asking a question?”

“Don’t sweat the small stuff.”

“No, I got a bad feeling about this.”

“Alright, alright.”

“Guess I should flat out refuse.”

"You say that, but you'll always help out in the end, Haru, so enough with the pointless questions, okay? Look, it's a waste of time to argue. Just give up."

This guy understood my personality so well, his voice was strangely brimming with confidence.

Takuma volunteered as a committee member for the success of our last culture festival in high school, so while he's a prep student, he's been busy running around all week. I saw his hard work, dedication and desire to make it a success up close.

I noticed the balance scales in my heart shaking, and I didn't need to be sure of the final answer, for the friend before me had made the decision. As a little resistance, I sighed, and reached my hand forward.

"Nn."

"I guessed so. Thanks man."

I received half of the materials from Takuma. I nearly let it drop as it's heavier than I imagined, and panicked a little.

"Be careful. That's not something we should be showing others."

"Really? Where are we moving these anyway? The staff room?"

"No, the news club."

"Wait, is this actually,"

Takuma's clearly leering away. The ominous feeling became conviction.

And at the same time, this selfish me was beginning to speculate, mostly about school grades. If I did anything to affect my grades in the second trimester of my third year, there's no turning back. The scales tilted greatly.

Of course, I was headed in the opposite direction.

"I'm going back."

"Wait. To where?"

"To my own class. Ahh, got to help out with the exhibit."

"Don't worry. You're excused from helping out with that. I told everyone in class."

"Nn? What do you mean?"

"Basically, you don't have to help out. You got something else to do."

"Huh?"

"You get it now, Haru? There's nowhere for you to return."

Seemed like Takuma had done some deal behind my back. I could only lament my own misfortune at this point.

"Damn it. Those traitors."

Takuma gleefully slipped towards the clubroom building, and I could only glare at his back, tailing obediently and meekly. We went to the second level. The dark stairs were as serene as a water surface, and our footsteps were like ripples of the droplets landing upon the surface., ringing and dispersing.

Takuma reached the fourth level, narrowed his eyes at the commotion outside the window, and declared,

"Starting today, you're going to be part of the committee running the news club's pageant contest."

I knew it.

Our third year, our last culture festival.

And the start of my suffering.

"Heh, a pageant? Sounds interesting."

Yuki, walking next to me, muttered while drinking the iced tea from the PET bottle. It's winter, and she's called Yuki, which sounded like snow, but I could smell the sakura just by walking next to her.

The air's very fresh on this day, and the autumn sky above us was orange, a little forlorn. Nights were longer, so the time I could spend walking with her was about to end.

The familiar journey of heading home from school had been the part of the day I was most looking forward to recently.

We spent so little time together, but her existence was starting to become so big within my heart.

"I want to say this isn't fun at all, but I had fun during the first and second year, so I can't say anything about it. It's just that it's troublesome to be the guy don=ing it."

"Oh, I see, so you're the type to rank girls happily, Yoshi-kun."

"What's with that out of a sudden? But well, anyone can refuse to be invited or recommended for this pageant contest. Those that really don't want to do this can drop out beforehand."

"Uhuhu. You don't have to be hasty for excuses."

"I'm not hasty. I'm not looking for excuses."

"You are."

Upon seeing Yuki's grin, I realized I was had. Yuki had been saying it was interesting the entire time.

"You're really mean, Yuki."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"You're not much different there, Yoshi-kun."

She giggled. For some reason, she's the one teasing me, saying I'm mean, but I didn't feel bad about it. I guess it must be because her voice was as delightful as a bell.

She stretched her leg out in a childish manner, walking on. Her body was cutting apart the light, and there was a dark little feminine silhouette formed at her feet. The shadow's face was pitch black as it imitated her, and its expression could not be seen, yet it looked so happy.

"Anyway, it's rare to see a pageant in high school. Don't they normally host it in college?"

"Ah, there's a reason."

"Reason?"

Yuki bent over, looking up at me. My heart fluttered as her hair did. Goodness, my face's hot, even though summer's long over.

Yoshi-kun? She called my name. So I panicked and explained.

Why's there a pageant contest in my high school? There's a backstory to it. I wasn't even born when it happened. Everything started 30 years ago.

As Yuki had said, a pageant's typically organized in college, and our high school has it because of the passion of our seniors. As for why I knew about this, my dad's one of the earliest involved, and he always mentioned this whenever he got drunk.

For hygiene reasons, they couldn't organize anything related to food. And they couldn't organize mazes or haunted houses as they did not fulfill the requirements of being a school activity. Exhibits had to be related to the town's history or Greats. No jokes were allowed in their skits.

It seemed this was the kind of culture festival dad's era had.

There were thirteen seniors (warriors), whose names would never be recorded in the history books, worried about leaving behind grey memories of their cultural festival, so they gathered in the now extremely old gym warehouse, yelling with their fists clenched.

"So you guys, are you going to let your last memories of high school be so mundane?"

One of them started off, and the others let loose their frustrations.

"...No."

"Noooo! Th-this is just oppression!!!"

"I don't care what we do. I just want to end things off with a bang."

"Right, we can't accept this. But what do we do? The teachers have an ace."

"School grades?"

"If we play our cards too obviously, we'll get killed. There's no way back if we make a mistake here."

"Damn it. We're completely powerless here."

They might not have thought of doing something for real, probably just playing along. They were fine with venting their daily frustrations, or enjoying a little of the non-routine stuff. After some commotion, they would have returned to their daily routine.

But only one man amongst them was different. He was, simply put, really harboring ambitions,

"I have an idea."

The chairperson of the news club raised his hand. He was a straightforward fellow with a strong sense of responsibility, but nobody knew why such a person was present. The other twelve exchanged looks, but they shook their heads. Did you call him here? No, I don't know? Not you? No. Eh, then who?

Nobody actually voiced out, but the worries persisted. One person finally had enough of the tension, and asked,

"Ohh~ tell us then."

The other eleven never voiced out, despite having the same thoughts themselves.

"So, everyone knows that our news club publishes a special edition during the culture festival."

"Ahh, that boring thing?"

"You've seen it? That's amazing. It's all words and I fell asleep just looking at it."

That man was nearly devastated by his comrades' cruel words, but he stood firm. This was not the time for emotions.

"Ahem. So what I want to say is, why don't we use that special edition for a pageant contest?"

"Pageant contest?"

"Simply put, a beauty contest of the elite girls in our high school. We just need to gather the contestants, whether they're recommended, or volunteered. We'll finish gathering the numbers three days before the culture festival, assign special codes for the students, and publish the results, but everything has to be done secretly. How about it? Are you willing to help me out?"

One had to wonder if it was a stroke of luck or misfortune, or that history was meant to be made. The thirteen gathered were all talents that could make this possible. There was the former student council president, along with the former presidents of the soccer, baseball, basketball and tennis clubs, the president of the literature club, a frivolous student who had vast connections, the genius who was ranked first in school, a person who somehow was highly adored by his juniors, a harem prince, a smart guy capable of such pranks, along with a genius capable of doing the boring stuff.

All they needed was motivation. Once that motivation was lit,

"Let's do it."

Nobody knew who said that, for the twelve present had the same thoughts.

Oh, let's do this. Isn't this fun? Such words and passion echoed, but nobody voiced out the most important reason.

Even if this was exposed, they could pin the blame on the news club president.

And at that moment, none of them thought they would have taken the first step of continuing this pageant contest that lasted so many years.

I told Yuki of the vague story I heard from dad, along with some exaggerated gestures, which cheered her up greatly. She seemed really curious about this story.

"Sounds nice. I guess this feels like youth after all."

"I don't think it's something that amazing, but it might be to dad and everyone. He's always delighted to mention this."

"But I don't think that's something you're good at, Yoshi-kun. Why are you helping out with this?"

"Look, I was betrayed. I got a friend called Akane, and I think she just wants to cause me trouble."

I said with a tragic tone, and unexpectedly, Yuki blinked hard a few times, so I continued on, never noticing that I misunderstood the reason why she was so troubled.

"She's Akane Rindou, probably the most famous person in our school. She's from the swimming team, a hard worker. She participated in the nationals.

"A girl?"

"Well, yeah."

"Heh. I see."

While we're talking, Yuki's eyes narrowed.

"And then?"

Eh, for some reason the mood changed completely. Yuki's clearly smiling, but she didn't seem like she was, since her eyes clearly weren't.

For some reason, I felt fear. I didn't know if it was just me, but there seemed to be an Asura behind Yuki's back when she asked.

"Uh, huh. And then there's another one called Mizuki Takehara-san."

"Another girl?"

"Y-yeah."

"I understand. I have some things to say, but do continue."

I rubbed my eyes hard, but the Asura never vanished. Seemed like it got bigger. So I gulped, making a weird sound.

"Eh, erm, I'll continue. That Takehara-san's somewhat an idol of our school. Ever since we entered this school, she won the pageant contest twice. Akane's the only one capable of being her rival, but she always refused to participate. Seemed like this year, she's willing to participate as long as everyone can agree to a certain condition."

Takuma and I paid a visit to the news clubroom.

Everything started without me knowing anything. It's the first time I went to the clubroom, but my seat's already there, and the juniors gave me kind looks as though they're inviting freshmen. Some even gave me thumbs up, some winked at me. My peers who had yet to retire from the club were leering heinously.

I questioned Takuma with a stare, and Takuma finally blurted that as long as everyone could fulfill a condition, she's willing to participate in the contest.

"The condition is that Haru (me), is to help out in the contest."

It seemed that was the situation, so Takuma, as a committee member of the culture festival, was working his hardest to fulfill her request, and my classmates betrayed. After all, this would mean everyone could get to see the showdown between Akane and Takehara-san.

This pageant contest would be the liviest in recent years.

Soon after, Yuki, who had been listening quietly the entire time, finally spoke up,

"So, why did Akane-chan say such a thing?"

"I'm not too sure either. Takuma said it's some kind of revenge."

"How do you treat other girls anyway, Yoshi-kun?"

Yuki’s voice remained spiteful, and I ended up raising my pitch.

“Ah, no...that’s, well, Akane invited me out a few times, but I rejected them all. It’s not like I did anything special, just that I went alone. She probably hates this fact.”

Yuki tilted her head in confusion.

“…Rejected? Even though she’s a cute girl who could have won the pageant?”

“Yeah.”

I answered, and for some reason, “Really? I see. So you rejected her…”Yuki muttered happily.

“Goodness me, Yoshi-kun. You’re a hopeless me.”

And then she patted me on the shoulder.

“Erm, Yuki? You’re not angry?”

“Well, yeah. You just mentioned another girl to a girl here. You don’t understand a girl’s heart at all. But I forgive you since I’m hearing something that makes me happy.”

Eh? Did I say anything?

“So now I’ll show mercy and spare you this time. I too have some responsibility in this matter, so do your best and make this pageant contest a success. But there’s still something I can’t accept. What do I do now?”

“What is it?”

“Hmm~ Let’s leave it as a secret for now.”

Yuki grinned, baring her teeth as she placed her long index finger on her lips, making a hush.

Girls really are inscrutable.

“Ahh, thank you so much for helping us out, Haru-senpai. We’re really short of hands here.”

The second year Ookubo-kun was seated before the only computer in the news club. He mentioned ‘lack of hands’, but he certainly has two. Anyway, all I see were those two hands being idle, and the word document being completely blank. The cursor was blinking away, as though anxiously awaiting the input of words.

“Enough with the courtesy. We don’t have enough people, so do two people’s work.”

“Right. Ah!”

“What?”

“Computer’s dead. It’s an old one. Looks like we’ll be waiting for another three minutes.”

“Wait for another three minutes? My foot. If you’re bored, do something else. Ah, hey, Minegishi-san, you dropped something.”

I called for my junior who had been scurrying around the club room, and picked up a very old photo book she dropped. Its cover was tanned beige, the title worn out, and It’s difficult to make out what the words were. It’s probably the name of this high school though.

“Ah, sorry. Thank you for picking this up. It’s careless of me to drop the secret recipe.”

“What secret recipe? Can I unleash a killer technique with that?”

“Not impossible, I might say.”

Not impossible? Now I’m a little curious. And once I looked towards the old notebook in my hand, she said, “A killer technique might be hyperbole, but you can have a look if you’re interested.”

“Can I?”

“It’s fine since you’re a member of the news club now,Segawa-senpai.”

“Don’t mind if I do.”

I flipped the first page, and saw a photo that was heavily faded. On the photo was a really pretty girl, a feisty one it seemed. The shapes of the eyes and ears reminded me of someone, but it’s probably just me.

After all, I had no impression of the name ‘Asuka Mizumori’ under the first pageant contest winner. I flipped to the next page, and as expected, there’s another photo of a pretty girl.

“This is…well.”

“Yes, this is the photo album of the past pageant contests. It’s passed down the news club for generations. Duplicating or taking it out is forbidden, and non-members need permission to look at it. This book is really valuable, and there was once a riot because of this. Takehara-san’s phot is on the last page. It’s amazing that she managed to win twice. If she repeats, that’s unprecedented..”

I closed the book firmly, and returned it to Minegishi-san, who seemed proud of it for some reason.

“Better keep this dangerous item properly. Anyway, have you obtained the class lists?”

“Yes. They filled in their names and votes.”

“There’ll be trouble if there’s a mistake, so check through and make sure each class’ vote is easy to classify. Ookubo-kun, help me out here.”

“Alright.”

“It’ll be great if we can finish by today. I’ll deliver the rest to the class reps tomorrow.”

“Eh? We can’t have you work so hard for us.”

“Right, we decided. If the teachers spot us, it’ll be easier to pass it off as me delivering to the various classes. I’m on good terms with the committee after all, so I can say I’m doing errands for them. Please continue to take care of me.”

I gave brief instructions to the junior who was brazenly attempting to slack, and the junior who was trying to finish something beyond her capabilities, before returning to my assigned seat. The current president of the news club Tanabe barged into the clubroom. There were thick black rings beneath his eyes, and his face seemed skinner, or was it just me?

Once he say me, he made a zombie-like sound.

“Haru, how’s the preparations for the ‘special column’ to be given to the teachers?”

“We got the third year committee members to help out. Guess we’ll reuse the theme from four years ago? Hmmm…exhibit highlights, the classes to look out for. Deadline’s today, so we should b be able to collect it today.”

“Ah, Segawa-senpai, classes C and E have replied. They’re on my table.”

Minegishi-san notified me without looking up from the name list.

“Guess that’s that, Tanabe. Sorry, you mind checking through the drafts?”

“Can you please stop pushing work onto me?”

“I can’t be reading that draft though. I’m just here to help.”

I looked towards the materials in my hand. If these weren’t handled immediately, the table would be chock full of paper. I’m in charge of checking the typos, while Tanabe’s in charge of designing the cover. So I shoved everything beyond my job scope to Tanabe, who looked really annoyed by this, but he pretended not to notice. He let my behavior slide, since he knew it was pointless to yap away. He wasn't going to kick up a fuss as long as I didn’t greet him.

The documents on the table were finally whittling down in numbers, and I could finally see the cream color of the table. I heaved a sigh of relief, and stared at the whiteboard with the schedule written on it. There’s an ‘interview with Akane Rindou at 1730’ under my name. Basically, the pamphlets promoting the upcoming interviews would be the voting paper..

I saw the schedule dozens of times on this day, but obviously, no matter how many times I looked at it, the plans on it would never disappear.

“Hey, Tanabe.”

“Hm? You better do it. Someone nominated you.”

The friend frowning away was marking the document with a red pen, and blocked my retreat completely before I could discuss whatever was on my mind.

“But seriously…it’s a little embarrassing to be interviewing a friend.”

“Stop being picky. If Princess Akane’s fans are to hear those words, they’ll slaughter you. You’re here because this is the condition for her participating in this pageant contest.”

“I guess.”

“So do your job.” Tanabe glared at the pile of neverending documents. “This is my responsibility, and that’s yours. Get it?”

He’s about ten times busier than me, and I couldn’t say anything to that. It’s time I will myself into doing this. I took a large sigh, but the voice never reached anyone, for everyone else was bsy dealing with their duties and responsibilities..

I couldn’t be the only one shirking my responsibility.

“Alright, I’m heading out.”

“Yeah, see you later.”

I took the voice recorder and foolscap, and with my friend’s words nudging me on, I left the clubroom. This room’s still noisy after school despite the doors being closed, and it’s a lot more comfortable than I initially thought.

The interview place was an empty classroom in the clubroom building.

With a creak, I opened the door, and found two tables facing each other in the classroom. Akane was seated on a chair. She was scowling, looking really unhappy.

“Sorry to make you wait.”

“Nn.”

She tersely responded, her hand on her sidelong face. She wasn’t looking at me. I was concerned, thinking this really wasn’t like her, so I sat at the empty seat, and called for her again,

“Akane?”

“Nn?”

Her response remained aloof.

But I couldn’t just waste my time here, so I just slapped the papers on the table to get her attention. Akane didn’t look at me though, and then I noticed that her face was red. Was she—

“Akane, are you nervous?”

“What, can’t I?”

“Ah, not that you can’t, just that…”

“Just what?”

Akane finally turned towards me, her eyes filled with some murderous intent.

“You’re already used to giving interviews, aren’t you?”

Akane Rindou was the hero of this high school; actually, the town. She had a very attractive face, was cheery as a sun, and had the talent to enter the Nationals swimming competition, along with the hard work allowing her to reach that level. She had many such student interviews, and even appeared in the town promotional posters. Why’s she feeling nervous though?

“Grrr…I’m kinda used to it, but I’m not used to being interviewed by you though.”

Akane tapped her fingers on the table,

“You’re saying something ridiculous. Anyway, you’re the one who wanted me to interview you.”

“Well, yeah, that’s true. Haru, has anyone said you don’t understand a girl’s heart?”

Just days ago, Yuki said the same thing to me. I had some self-awareness, but it’s pretty boring to be told the same things over and over again.

“Y-you’re annoying. Anyway, that has nothing to do with this now.”

“It matters a whole lot, you idiot, big idiot. Whatever, let’s start.”

“Agreed.”

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. With this going on, I pressed the switch of the recorder, and there was some static.

The orange sunset shone through the window, dyeing our flanks red.

“So, ahem, Akane Rindou-san, please state your reason for participating in the pageant contest, and also some words to promote yourself.”

“That’s all?”

“Yeah. Everyone gets about ten lines, so please summarize as much as you can.”

“Just to ask, Haru, why do you think I’m participating in this contest?”

“Seriously, how would I know? I won’t have to interview you if I do.”

“There’s something I want.”

“Want what?”

“Hmmm, that’s a secret for now.”

“I can’t interview you like this, you know?”

“Let’s end it then.”

Akane stood up from the table, leaned forth, and reached for the recorder, stopping it. There was silence, and it was only at this point that I realized I was alone with a girl, and starting to feel a little tense. I gulped, the sound emphasizing how nervous I was.

"You...you haven't said anything to everyone though."

Akane, whose face I was already used to seeing, looked a little different from usual. It's definitely due to the nice sunset shining on her.

"Well, you can write whatever's appropriate. I'll do my best, or please support me. Hey, more importantly, there's something I want to ask. Who did you vote for last year, Haru? I guess it's Mizuki?"

"Y-yeah. I voted for Takehara-san. Eh, it doesn't matter who I vote for. I guess the safest choice is to vote for the most popular, right?"

I was ashamed of the last words I spoke of. To whom was I trying to give excuses to?

"Oh, I see. What about this year?"

"Eh?"

"Who are you voting for this year?"

Akane took a step closer. Whose loud heartbeat was that? Mine or hers? I scanned the room, and then met Akane in the eyes. It felt like it's been a long time since this happened. Her eyes, nose and lips were within reach. At the same time, we realized that we were too close to each other.

We were so close that if one side had wanted to, we could have touched.

"A-Akane?"

And Akane made a hasty retreat.

"Woah. S-sorry for saying something weird. Please forget about it."

"Y-yeah."

She hurried turned away, shriveling and groaning as she covered her face. She's acting a little weird today, and so was I. Why was my heart beating so fast? The minute hand of the round clock hanging on the wall continued to tick. 1 minute, 2, 3. Time wouldn't stop; it would only continue on. Surely the two of us were the only ones remaining still in this world.

The silence caused our hearts to race.

The first to lose the contest of patience was Akane.

"An-an-an-anyway, Haru, you know the real reason why this pageant contest started?"

"Re-re-re-real reason? Sorta. M-my dad was part of it."

Our conversation was extremely awkward, clumsy actors reading from a fixed script, it felt like. Ah, but even so, whatever we said, the rusted gears began to click together, running as normal. It seemed this conversation was a nice lubricant.

“Heh~I see. My dad was the same. But the reason you know of might be a little different from the truth.”

“What do you mean?”

“The one who proposed the pageant contest was the president of the news club. Do you know? My mom told me that my dad’s that president, so I as the daughter know that a stupid, gaudy boy came up with an unsurprising mischief, along with all his courage, to get a certain thing. I want that thing too..”

“What’s going on? Mind explaining in simpler terms?”

“You curious?”

“You said so much already. Of course I’m curious.”

Akane got up from the chair, and reached her hand out towards the sky turning dark. The sunset shone through the gap, raining upon her face, dampening it. She narrowed her eyes, as though pondering.

“Well, I guess. I’ll tell you the rest later, once I win.”

She muttered, still looking away from me.

I walked down the corridor once the interview ended. No, actually, I didn’t get to interview her. My mind was relieved from the tension, and I continued to think about Akane’s demeanor, words, and the true backstory of the pageant contest, but I never got the answer. At this point, I didn’t know how to deal with these feelings.

Before I knew it, I had returned to the clubroom. Like usual, I opened the door, and greeted everyone.

“I’m back.”

“Oh.”

But for some reason, it was Takuma, not the news club members, who welcomed me. He was lying on the red sofa, reading the manga that was left years ago in the clubroom.

“What are you doing here?”

“Delivering the drafts. Isn’t the deadline today?”

In response to Takuma’s words, Tanabe waved a piece of paper.

“And your reason for reading manga?”

“I’m resting, resting. Anyway, Haru, sorry about this, but mind keeping quiet for a while?”

“Why.”

“I’m getting to the exciting part. Will be done in 5 minutes..”

“Get out there and work.”

“Don’t say that man, this Takuma-senpai’s overworked..”

For some reason, the one coaxing me was Ookubo-kun. Argh, my head heads.

“Why is Takuma the more esteemed?”

“The difference in verbal etiquette?”

Only then did I realize it was pointless to talk to Takuma, who was humming away, so I ignored him, left the recorder and the blank new foolscap on the table. “Haru-senpai, the photos are done.” I praised the two juniors who were clearly clamoring for my approval, and finally wiped off my name’s name off the whiteboard.

Takuma spent exactly 5 minutes reading the manga, and got up, looking a little satisfied.

“I’m glad.”

“About what? A happy end in that manga?”

“That’s one. Another is that you’re finally getting to work. I was actually worried, since I dragged you into this. Ah, sorry.”

While talking, Takuma’s pocket shook. He took out a smartphone from it.

“You can’t bring that to school.”

“Don’t be so rigid, man. It’s just for the culture festival. I can’t give other people instructions without this. Eh, what?”

At that moment, his face froze, and the mood got tense. Everyone sensed this with their skins, their attention gathered upon him.

“Uh oh.”

“What is it?”

“Looks like news reached that Kozato. She’s heading here.”

I didn’t know how it was like back then, but most of the teachers were quietly okay with this. Some of the teachers were already alumni to begin with, and the special cover was well disguised. If any problem occurs, the contest’s over, but we’re working hard to ensure this wouldn’t happen.

It’s just that some of the teachers wouldn’t allow for this to happen.

Kozato-sensei was one of those teachers. She had just joined our high school, was a serious one, and her lessons were easy to understand, but she’s a little too inflexible, so most students couldn’t handle her.

“But how?”

“I don’t know. All I know is that Kozato’s in the south block. She’ll be here in 5 minutes.”

I looked over at the votes on the table in a panic. Those were the results of Minegishi-san’s hard work. There’s also 80% of the voting collated in the hard disk of the computer.

Takuma acted decisively.

“Stuff the votes into the cardboard boxes, and drop them down the balcony to the photography club. As for the computer…”

Ookubo-kun raised a hand apologetically.

“Sorry, it’s lagging.”

“Now of all times? You got to be kidding. Whatever, pull the plug.”

“B-but, we may lose data here.”

“Did you save a backup?”

“Nope.”

“Don’t say that so proudly man. Ahh whatever.”

Takuma cussed, and grabbed me somewhat anxiously.

“Haru, go stop Kozato.”

“Why me?”

“She got a good impression of you, right? Just buy us 5 minutes. We’ll figure out something.”

They were beginning to move before they stopped talking. Takuma was calling someone on the phone, but he was still staring at me.

I tried to formulate a plan in my mind.

First, I would bump into Kozato-sensei, and then I would talk to her. We’ll talk about my future prospects, or lessons. Ah, no good. I couldn’t imagine myself delaying her for a minute. Time continued to pass, but everyone else was trying their best to fulfill their objective.

Takuma was looking really anxious, but he was giving me a look I had never seen before. That expression was clearly saying—

You'll always help out in the end, Haru, so enough with the pointless questions, okay? Look, it's a waste of time to argue. Just give up.

This was the ridiculous amount of trust from the friend who understood my personality really well.

So I ran. All I could do was run.

To fulfill the mission given by my friend.

I ran down the corridor, and down the stairs. Since she’s coming from the south block, she would be passing through the link bridge on the second floor. I ran from the 4th floor to the 3rd, jumping seven steps down. BAM, it sounded like an explosion, and I continued to the 2nd floor while riding on this momentum.

As expected, my target was there. She’s an outstanding beauty, but the eyes behind the glasses were sharp, harsh looking even. She noticed me, and chided me with that authoritative voices.

“Hey Segawa, stop running on the corridor.”

“Sorry.”

I managed to get her attention, as I had wished for, but the most important part was after. I had a plan to misdirect her, but I didn’t think I would succeed. Without a backup plan, I could only charge on.

So I slowed down before Kozato-sensei, tilting forward a little unnaturally, putting my hand on my tummy as though there was something hidden within my school uniform.

“W-wait, where are you rushing to?”

“To-toilet.”

“Your tummy hurts?”

“Y-yes.”

I deliberately raised my voice. Come on, doubt me already. Just doubt that I’m running from the news clubroom and hiding something. Once she doubted me, I could have naturally answered, and then I could buy some time.

But,

“Really? Sorry about that. Hurry on..”

Kozato-sensei replied.

“Eh…”

“But do not run down the corridor.”

“Al-alright.”

The completely flawed strategy naturally failed.

And worse, I was rebuked nicely because of her kindness.

“What? Hurry on.”

“Eh…erm. Well…”

Argh, my mind’s completely blank. I couldn’t think of anything. At this moment.

Someone else was running down the same corridor as I did. It’s Ookubo-kun, slouching with his arms covering his stomach.

And once he saw us, or Kozato-sensei, he stopped and tried to run away. That simple move was the difference between him (success) and me (failure).

“Ookubo, hold still. Where are you going?”

“Toilet.”

“…What are you hiding?”

“Nothing at all.”

Unfolding before my eyes was a scene I had imagined.

“Besides, isn’t Haru-senpai running on the corridor? I saw that.”

“Segawa’s having a tummyache.”

“I’m running to the toilet too.”

“Stop lying.”

“I’m not. I’m really going to the toilet. You trust Haru-senpai, and not me?”

“That’s because you skipped 5 classes with this trick!!”

Kozato-sensei’s bellow echoed through the corridor, which nearly shook the clubroom block entirely. However, Ookubo-kun wasn’t rattled. What he did next was really impressive. He looked dumb, and anxious, and finally said deflatedly, having bought the five minutes I needed.

“Actually, I heard there’s an actress at the front gates.”

“Actress?”

“Well, I’m not sure if that’s real. They say she’s a real beauty, and like, there’s a crowd at the school gates. I need to get the scoop as a news club member, right?”

And then, he pulled out a mini digital camera from his uniform, which basically hinted at it being his last move.

“Haa…I’ll go over then. Can’t let the commotion slide. Go back to the clubroom now, Ookubo. I’ll head over soon. Don’t try to run away.”

Kozato-sensei left us behind and went off. It seemed she had forgotten all about me. Once that authoritative silhouette vanished, I lowered my head to Ookubo-kun as thanks.

“Thank for the great help.”

I alone wasn’t able to slow her down for 30 seconds.

“Good work.”

“What about the computer?”

“It recovered soon, and we got a backup. I think we’re about done transferring the boxes, so I’m here to help.”

“Really? Great.”

“We’re really lucky. At first, we’re trying to figure out how to create some big news to lure Kozato-sensei over, then we got intel of a super cute girl standing at the front gates. So we wanted to make use of that. There should be at least 30 people there now, since Takuma-senpai’s stoking the flames. Argh, it drives me mad. I want to look to. Heard that she’s super duper cute, even Rindou-senpai and Takehara-senpai are inferior to her.”

Front gate?

Pretty girl?

It was then that I noticed something.

“Haru-senpai?”

I had a bad feeling.

I had a really bad feeling. There’s still a long time until our next meeting, but ever since I met her, she has always been waiting for me at the school gates. Most importantly, there’s one person I knew who’s prettier than Akane.

“Where are you going? Eh? To the toilet? For real?”

My junior loudly asked a completely off base question, and I ignored it.

I ran downstairs several times faster than I did, darted by the shoe cabinet, and arrived at the main gate.

Just as I heard, Takuma was riling the students in a circle. Kozato-sensei had not arrived. She must have been walking.

“Please excuse me. Sorry, excuse me.”

I forced my way through the crowd, and bumped into a few shoulders and elbows, even getting scolded. It hurts, but that’s nothing. There’s something else more hurting.

That’s my chest. The pain’s driving me forward.

Over there was,

“Ah, Yoshi-kun, say, what’s going on? Did I do anything wrong?”

Yuki was looking flustered to the point of tears.

“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry.”

Before Kozato-sensei could arrive, I led Yuki out from the school, and stopped at a nearby family restaurant. She was seated on the chair, the book in her hands as she covered her face with it the entire time.

“This is unforgivable.”

“I’m really sorry.”

“I said I won’t forgive you. That shocked me. I was suddenly surrounded, and everyone was looking so scary. Never thought it’s your fault. This is unbelievable.”

Her voice was shaking, but I couldn’t sense any anger. It was all fear, shame, and helplessness. It would be a lot better for me if she was outraged instead.

“Well Yuki, I just apologized.”

She might not have seen it, but I had my head lowered, my forehead on the table.

The surrounding adults might have thought we’re having an argument. The restaurant’s really rowdy, but my ears distinctively picked up on the voices nitpicking us. 99% of them…eh, let’s face the facts. All of them were talking about me.

“That bastard made such a cute girl cry. If it had been me—”

What could you have done if it was you? Would you not have hurt Yuki if it was you instead?

I could have ignored everything else, but this line was the one that really hurt my heart. Time was the only thing moving on

My head was lowered the entire time.

“————fait.”

“Eh?”

“…I want parfait.”

I frantically lifted my head. I was not mistaken. It was Yuki’s voice.

I didn’t know of the expression she made, but I was glad that she at least made a compromise, so I grabbed onto the chance she gave me. I immediately called for the waiter, and ordered parfait and self-service drinks.

After 5 minutes or so, the waiter served us strawberry parfait. Finally, she put down the book. Her pretty little face was red all over, nose, cheeks, eyes.

“I was really scared.”

“I’m sorry. I really am.”

Yuki scowled again, and while being so emotional, she attempted to swallow the parfait whole or so while bringing it to her mouth. She eked a voice from her throat, saying it’s delicious, and then…

“I want some red tea.”

“Got it. Hot? Or iced?”

“Hot.”

“Got it.”

As she wished, I ordered some tea for her, along with cake, and coaxed her for another 20 minutes.

“I’m really sorry, Yuki.”

Again, I lowered my head in apology to calm her down. She sniveled softly, and finally nodded.

“Alright, I forgive you.”

I heaved a sigh of relief after hearing these words, but just for a moment. “But” as Yuki moved her red lips again,

“You have to make me a promise.”

“I’m all ears.”

“For sure?”

“Yeah.”

She stared at me right in the eyes, nodded, and stated her wish,

“Write my name in that vote for the pageant contest.”

“What do you mean?”

“What else? Exactly that.”

“No, Yuki, you aren’t a student of our school. It’s pointless for me to do that. That vote will be invalid.”

“No, it really be.”

Yuki whispered, as though she was mentioning something important.

“I hope that for your vote, you won’t write Akane-chan’s name, or Mizuki-chan’s name, but my name. That’s enough. This will be a vote more valuable than hundreds and thousands of them.”

“Ehh, I don’t get what’s the point of that, but since you say so, I promise you.”

Yeah. If it’s what Yuki wish for, I’m going to fulfill it no matter what it is.

“I’ll write your name on. It’s nothing big anyway.”

“It’s a deal then. I’m going to ignore you if you lie to me..”

Yuki’s eyes were still a little damp as she glared at me.

I didn’t know how to respond to this, so I finally said something really unimportant.

“Ah, speaking of which, that bookmark’s pretty cute.”

There’s a bookmark clasped between the pages we were looking at.

“Cute? This paper is plain though.”

“No, eh…yeah, the pink’s nice. You see, it’s pretty, looks like sakura.”

Ah, why am I saying this? See, isn’t Yuki all startled now, At this moment, my thoughts stopped, for Yuki was beaming really happily.

It’s the first time she showed me a smile on this day.

“Thanks. Yeah, this is really pretty, but this isn’t actually a bookmark—”

And then, she said,

“This is actually my ‘wish’.”

Results wise, the culture festival was really successful, the pageant contest far beyond expectations. Akane alone had 40% of the votes, and won overwhelmingly.

Right now,

Under the distant autumn skies, I aimed the digital single-lens reflex camera hidden by the photography club at Akane. I had to take her photo, for as the winner of the pageant contest, her photo was to be recorded in the annals. Beyond the lens, Akane reached her hand for the reddened leaves, took one of them, and brought it to her mouth, covering it.

"I think this happened before."

She grinned, and I couldn't resist the urge to click the shutter. The sound echoed, and an instance in this world only I know of was taken.

“Did you take a photo of that?”

“I can’t?”

“You can’t.”

“Why?”

“I haven’t made a pose.”

For some reason, she didn't sound as energetic as usual.

"You don't have to make one."

The photography club acquaintance I knew of looked as though I had just murdered his father. When he lent me this digital SLR camera, he taught me a trick, to keep clicking on the shutter. Listen Haru, I'm not going to teach you any shutter, focus or lighting techniques. This camera will automatically deal with those troublesome bits. Your job is to talk to Rindou-san, get her to relax, and keep shooting. I don't care if you take hundreds or thousands of them. Even as an amateur, you might get a miraculous shot.

Now this wasn't difficult.

Snap.

Another instance was recorded.

"Ah, you took another one."

"This is my last job after all."

Beyond the lens, I saw Akane's anxious, perturbed, angry and pouting faces, turning each and every one of them into data (memories).

"I told you not to take anymore. Make sure I'm cuter if you want to."

"Don't worry, you're always cute."

Snap.

I nonchalantly answered as I kept taking photos.

"Eh?"

Snap.

The entire world of photos taken─

"Wh-whawhawhawhawhat are you saying?"

"Well, if you aren't, you wouldn't have won the pageant contest."

Snap.

She was redder than the leaf in her hand.

"Ah, I see. I guess so. Otherwise you would have…"

"Don't worry, I feel the same."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhh!!??"

Snap.

The face was filled with shock and unbridled joy.

"R-really?"

"Of course."

And for every snap on the shutter, Akane got increasingly charming. And thus I knew that at this moment, my index finger on the shutter would capture the prettiest photo I could get of Akane."

"I see. Fufu. I'm glad."

Snap.

As expected, the girl before me showed a smile I never saw before. The warm smile was filled with such bliss.

After the shooting ended, Akane snatche the camera, wanting to check the photos. After ten minutes or so, she returned the camera to me, and the many photos from before had been reduced to two.

One of those was the red leaf covering her mouth. And the other was her smile (best shot).

"Why?"

"You don't need the others now, right? Use the photo with the red leaf for the photo album. Take print two shots of this smile and delete it. Don't show it to anyone else."

"Why two?"

"...A reward for this hardworking Haru. Akane-chan's very kind, so one for her, and one for you. Rejoice. This is the photo of the most popular girl in school."

Once she quickly said these words, she skipped forward, as though hiding her expression from me. She spun on the spot, letting her skirt dance with the leaves. Her hair was a little longer than it was in the summer, and it swayed along too. The eyes staring intently at me were the only unfaltering ones. Soon after, Akane said,

"Ah, yeah. Got to fulfill that promise."

She, buried in the sea of red, restarted the topic we discussed about,

"A long time ago, about 30 years back, there was a timid boy. He had a one-sided crush on the prettiest, most famous girl in the year, but he dared not talk to her, let alone confess."

She continued to walk backwards while facing me. In this quiet place, her voice remained undisturbed, clearly reaching me.

"Before they knew it, they entered the third year. The only events left for autumn were the culture festival and the exams. Back then, he had a thought, that he wanted to leave a memory of this crush. He came up with a loose plan, but finally got it to work, and got the outcome he wanted. He asked that girl to leave him a memory of the champion. You know the rest, don't you?"

I looked at the camera in my hands.

There was the photo of the prettiest girl of our year, no, the whole school. The face was reminiscent of the prettiest girl on the first page in the secret book. The shape of the ears were the same.

"So, Akane, your mom's Mizumori?"

Akane nodded.

"This contest started because my dad wanted my mom's photo. They treasure the photo very much even at this age. Leaving dad aside, this photo is the most important thing to mom,"

Was that the desired thing Akane spoke of?

"You realized it? Yeah, I wanted this photo. Mom looks happy whenever she speaks of this, and even I start to feel embarrassed."

"You should be looking for someone with better skills, right? I'm an amateur."

"Nope. Nobody else with better skills can take it any better. It's a photo only one person in this world can take, and that's you, Haru."

"Seriously, I'll be embarrassed to be praised like that. So I have some talent in photography."

"You idiot, this isn't what I mean. But I really got to thank you. Now for my last activity in high school, I have a memory on par with mom and dad. I want to share a memory with you. It's great for you to have my photo."

Saying that, Akane turned her back on me again, not hearing my response.

And then, as though she had thought of something, she asked with her back still turned on me.

“Say, Haru. Did you vote for Mizuki again this time?”

“Eh? No, I didn’t vote for her.”

“Really. That’s fine then.”

She proceeded to skip forth. She looked a lot happier, even swaying side to side as she walked.

I had a feeling she seemed to be mistaken about something. And because of that, I did not try to explain further—

My vote went neither to Takehara-san, nor to Akane,

Why did I cast a blank vote? Where did that vote go?

After school, in late autumn, I met the girl whose name I wrote on that white paper.

And so, that peerless beauty came to us, bringing us to our last winter together.

### 016. Contact 212 - Side.A Her Love

“Morning Akane.”

My friends began to greet me.

It’s a morning greeting that had never changed for a long while, but the impression I had of others would change just because of the way people would speak. It’s interesting.

Some were vigorous, some were lifeless; some were sleepy, and some were energetic.

If the colorless, transparent voices were dyed with color, they would make the world a lot more vibrant.

“Morning everyone~!”

I raised my chest proudly, shouting with a booming voice from deep within my lungs. This voice wasn’t dyed any other color, but with my own distinct color to the ‘morning’. It blended into the refreshing air of the morning, gradually vanishing afar.

I felt exceptionally happy, as though I was accepted by the world. Most importantly, being able to yell out loud had me feeling really relieved.

Huu. I exhaled some white air, folded my arms, and looked towards the familiar road before me.

The light shone from the sun, turning from orange to yellow, and then to white, before blending into a faint blue. It reached into the surrounding air, the divide between light and darkness dispersed by it, finally becoming one with the horizon. The unknown grass growing by the roadside was swaying with the wind, the night dew glittering under the sunlight.

This scene could only be seen for another month or so. Next Spring, the sakura would flutter, and I, no, we would graduate from this school.

And while I was feeling just a little sad, huuuuaaaahhh, I heard a yawn from somewhere.

“Akane. You’re too loud man.”

I stopped to turn towards the voice. My classmate Takuma Mikado was walking towards me.

I wasn’t exactly angry at him for deliberately covering his ears, but it did seem he wanted me to be angry, so I glared back intently, pouting and intending to say a few words.

Well, this is the ‘usual custom’ for us.

“It’s 10 people’s worth of greetings. Not my fault that I’m a little louder.”

“No, you don’t have to yell 10 times louder just because…”

“It’s not ten times louder. What are you talking about?”

“No no no, it’s about that loud. Look, the first years are scared of you.”

“Huh? Not at all.”

I looked in the direction Takuma spoke of, and looked into the eyes of a boy wearing a uniform with an ‘I’ on the collar. He’s almost done with his first year of high school, but his uniform was still brand new, his face stilled filled with some youthfulness.

Appearing on that youthful face was some skepticism. It was a pity, but it was as Takuma said.

I tried passing it off with a dumb smile, but the boy’s face turned red, and he scampered off towards the school. It’s adorable how he bowed politely and ran off, but I was increasingly guilty for scaring off such a good kid.

“Heh heh, someone’s avoiding you.”

And in contrast, this Takuma was really, really annoying.

“Shut up.”

It would hurt to punch him from the front and hit the button, so I punched at his flank.

Of course, I didn’t do it for real. I merely tapped him softly. Any ordinary boy tanking this punch would groan and cup his stomach. My fist felt a similar touch, “Ow.” but Takuma merely responded. It seemed the abs he got from basketball training remained there even after he had left the club for a long time.

Back when he was in the basketball team, he would bring along a shoe bag and a large lunch box. Not so much nowadays. Like most of the going-home club, he was holding a large sling bag with some stationery and notebooks.

The palms that were born to grab basketballs were used to carrying school bags. It might seem like overkill.

“That looks rather light on you..”

He grinned as he brought the sling bag dangling on his fingers to me.

“You get it, don’t you? It’s like half a year has passed, I’m still not used to it.”

“Of course. I’m the same too.”

My bag no longer contained the swimsuit, goggles and towel, and no snacks which I would secretly eat whenever I was hungry.

Once I retired from the swimming club, I became an ordinary student preparing for her finals, and those things were unnecessary to me.

“Yeah. We finally don’t have to wake up early anymore.”

“We can rest during the holidays too.”

We started to talk about the stuff that got easier after retiring from our clubs as we continued on to school. This road to school was actually very short, even though it seemed very long, and before we knew it, we arrived.

“We’re no longer hungry all the time.”

“We don’t have to keep running on cold days like this.”

“Our bags are lighter.”

“We aren’t getting scolded by our captains. Not so sleepy in class, not called up so often.”

“Not at all. We don’t have to stay back and clean the clubrooms too, don’t need to buy snacks, don’t have to spend much on food. We aren’t getting injured because of club activities, which is all good, but…”

“But…yeah.”

“Yep.”

“Ah.”

Having said this much, we stopped. We continued walking forward, not consoling each other. The difference in height between Takuma and me was at least 10cm, but we saw the same thing.

We weren’t sad, but our nostrils were stinging, and we almost shed tears. Why’s that?

—And right at this moment, I found a familiar figure amongst the students dressed in the same uniform. My chest started to ring. This simple I immediately cast aside all the loneliness and sadness, along with the cold air of winter.

“Morning Haru.”

I was the first to spot him, but Takuma was the first to speak.

“Ah, morning, Takuma.”

"Hey Haru, listen man. Some first year just ran from her."

I had a feeling Takuma was about to say something unnecessary, so I kicked him in the calf for real. He yapped in pain, jumping around like a frog. He glared at me, wanting to say something, but he's the one at fault. There's no need for him to report this to Haru.

Naturally, I ignored Takuma's glare and smiled at Haru.

Haru. Haruyoshi Segawa. He's a friend of Takuma and me. And also, my—

"Morning Haru."

"Morning Akane. What's up with Takuma?"

"Who knows? Probably crazy now that he's studying too much."

"But he's glaring at you."

"He's always like this. More importantly, let's go to school."

I showed a little more enthusiasm in grabbing the hem of Haru's shirt. Actually, I wanted to grab his hand, but I couldn't muster my courage. However—

"Hey, Akane, what happened?"

Haru looked confused as he asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I don't know what's going on. That's why I'm asking."

"Nothing happened."

"Really? Guess it's just me. Looks like you aren't really energetic."

Haru gently placed his hand on my head, as a repeat of a certain moment in the past.

Ahh ohh. Whenever I spoke to Haru, there would be a response moving away, something I wouldn't get from talking with Takuma.

I burst out laughing. Why did he say such things out of a sudden.

That Haru's too sleazy.

I like him.

I really, really do.

I mustered my courage to reach my hand to him, but I ended up looking at a leering Takuma. Uh oh, I forgot about his existence completely.

My face turned red immediately, probably to my ears.

I knew it was unreasonable, but I kicked the leering Takuma in the calf. A little softer this time, since I was doing so to hide my embarrassment.

"Ow."

But as expected, he was jumping around like a frog.

"What are you two doing?"

Haru chuckled dumbfoundedly.

"Eh, the entire time, Akane's been,"

"What about me?"

I shook my right foot, glaring at Takuma.

"Nothing."

"Really? Then good."

I grinned back too.

Takuma was scowling away, but he seemed to be enjoying this. After all, he was smirking.

Well, it didn't matter that Haru never noticed it at this point. This relationship was unexpectedly enjoyable.

It was the last month of our third year in high school.

I fell for my friend, Haruyoshi Segawa.

☀

I joined the swimming club back in middle school.

There wasn't any special reason why I chose swimming, of all the many sports clubs. Or rather, it's for the simple, most important reason, that I liked swimming.

The swimming club basically trained in school and the pool starting from the end of spring to the start of autumn, but our training for the next half year was the same as the track team. Swimming's really draining, so we had to train our stamina and muscles.

The second and third years would share the field with the track team, and as a first year, I had to run outside the school, along with the first year of the track team.

After the hot summer days were over, the skies of autumn were clear and vast, even though my hands could not reach there.

It was back then that Haru spoke to me. To be honest, I had a bad first impression of him.

Haru's been running with an unhappy look, and he's from the track team, but he was slower than me. No, it's definitely because he wasn't focused on running, but thinking of something else.

I was running the fifth round when I passed by the slowpokes of the pool team, including Haru.

"You're slow, Sone-san."

"You're too fast, Akane. You might be faster than the track team."

"Heh heh. I haven't gone all out yet."

I gave a V pose to my swimming teammates, and picked up the pace.

"I'm going off then."

I immediately left them far behind, and had a sense of superiority. In my glee, I got cocky in thinking I had the talent for long distance running.

My right knee ached immediately. At first, I felt something was amiss, that I could keep running as long as I slowed a little.

But the pain worsened, so I had to walk instead. I hated losing, and I hated stopping. I would push myself to the limit until I could no longer move.

I would continue to stand up, unless my body fell forward like this. I knew it's stupid, but this was my personality.

"Eh, Akane, what now? You're tired?"

And soon after, the group I had passed overtook me instead.

"You guys are so slow, Sone-san, so I just waited around. I'll catch up anyway."

"Damn it. I'll show you."

"Ohh, I'll be waiting."

Sone-san's voice and silhouette became distant, and vanished around the corner of the roasted meat shop. Nobody noticed my leg was hurting. RIght when I heaved a sigh of relief, someone spoke to me, which shocked me, and caused my heart to race.

"H-hyaiii!?"

"You alright? Is your knee hurting now?"

The one who spoke to me was the boy running last with an unhappy look. I coughed hard to hide the awkwardness of the strange sound I made."

"...That's not it. Erm."

"Haruyoshi Segawa of Class 4. Everyone calls me Haru."

"Haru, is it? I get it. I'm."

"I knew you. Rindou-san of Class 1, right?"

"Akane is fine. Guess I'll just call you Haru then."

"Got it. Say, Akane, your knee is hurting, right?"

"Not at all."

"Really?"

"Really."

"...You're really stubborn."

I didn't mishear what he just muttered.

"Hm? You said anything."

"No, it's nothing. It's troublesome now. Such people won't listen to reason. Ow, what are you doing?"

"You're making it loud for me to hear now, aren't you?"

In response to that grumble, I merely hit him on the shoulder. Even I wasn't brazen enough to hit a guy I met for the first time with all my might.

"Huh, I don't get what you're talking about."

Haru played dumb as he knelt down, picking up a red leag, saying,

"Looks pretty, doesn't it?"

"Yeah."

I nodded unwittingly, because it was. He smiled, and pointed above my head. Naturally, my eyes followed the red leaf in his hand, looking up at the sky.

I had lowered my head while running due to the pain, without realizing it. He showed me why it was a pity I did so, for,

If I had lifted my head, I would have seen such a pretty world.

The leaves were dancing in the sky, every single one of them red, as though they were cutting through the sunset, and I marveled at how they contrasted the faint blue sky.

I had stopped before I realized it, and I ended up talking with that boy called Haruyoshi Segawa, until the club activities ended for the day. We didn't talk about anything big, just about how pretty the red leaves were, our complaints about the club, or rumors about the teachers, but we really enjoyed ourselves.

Just as I had chatted with Sone-san. No, I might be happier. I forgot about my knee pain without realizing it.

"Make sure you run at your pace tomorrow."

I noticed his clumsy kindness as he said these words and vanished into the sunset.

The seasons changed, and time passed.

Before I knew it, I started looking around for Haru.

He's kind of a weird guy.

Not that his actions, speech or appearance were weird. It's just that even with everyone around, he would keep his distance from others. He would look happy, make a fake smile nobody would care about. He thought nobody noticed it, so he never noticed that I did.

Haru changed though.

The fake smile appeared less often, and he was willing to say what he thought.

He started showing the kindness and honesty he already had.

It was at this moment that I found myself hopeless. I would admit that I had fallen for Haru.

Well, there's only one thing I didn't like though. It was harder for me to contact him during vacation, or after school.

What's he doing alone?

☀

As a student preparing for the finals, most of my day was spent studying.

I wanted to ask Haru if he would like to walk home with me, but he was staring at the textbook with a serious look even though the school bell rang, so I said goodbye to him before leaving.

The school building itself was quiet, but one could hear the juniors yelling from the grounds. They sounded a little lazy, though still passionate, and stung at my heart for some strange reason.

The twigs growing on the bare trees were swaying in fear of the cold. They would have to wait a little longer until the leaves and flowers would grow and bloom. Surely, I had to do the same.

I tightened the muffler acting as my safeguard against the cold, and went to the front gates. There were a few students stopped there, discussing something, it seemed. What's going on? They're all talking, but their voices were jumbled up, and I couldn't hear clearly.

"What's going on?"

I had to ask one of the junior boys closest to me. "Rin-Rindou-senpai!?" He exclaimed in shock. It seemed he recognized me.

"Yeah I'm RIndou-senpai. Good afternoon. What happened, an accident?"

"No, erm, it's because of that."

He probably determined it was faster to point with his eyes, so he look over to that 'person'. I too followed his eyes to look over. Well, one could tell what was going on just by looking over.

There was a girl standing a little farther away from the main gate. She was holding a pink bookmark and a hardcover book, the slender fingers hidden slightly within the sleeves flipping the pages.

The girl had fluffy long hair, and a perfect looking face, irregardless of size and position. The slightly large coat made her smaller than she really was.

The face, earlobes and nose were reddened by the chilly winds, indicating she had been around for quite some time. She might have been alone the entire time.

The proof's that everyone, including me, dared only to watch her from afar. It's the first time I learned that exceeding beauty could intimidate people from approaching. A lot of courage would be needed to talk to her, or, a reason to inspire oneself.

So as I continued to stare at that girl.

"Ahh, isn't this Akane-senpai? Hello there."

Someone called my name. The voice came from behind the gates, the direction I came from, so I turned my face over. It's the current captain of the swimming club, Miya. I showed a friendly smile, waving at her.

"Oh, Miya? It's been a while."

"Why's everyone gathered here?"

"Well, I just asked the same question."

"Eh?"

Miya opened her mouth in shock, tilting her head in confusion.

Standing next to her was a weak looking girl. I had some impression of the hair with inner curls and droopy eyes. She's probably in her first year. As for her name, erm, yeah, Matsumae-chan.

"Good work."

I smiled as I talked to Matsumae-chan.

"Ah, yes. Good work, Rindou-senpai."

"Akane-senpai, are you going home now?"

"Yep."

"Let's go together then. We're going to Aria next. That place should be on the way, right?

Aria Sports Club was a multi-purpose sports facility with a gym, a sauna, and even an onsen. During winter, our swimming club members would use the warm water pool.

It seemed these two would be using the pool.

"I guess that's fine. Matsumae-chan, you don't mind coming along, right?"

Matsumae-chan nodded with her face still blushing. She really resembled a cute little animal.

"Okay, let's go."

FInally, I glanced aside at that beauty.

She was beaming away, probably because the person she was waiting for had arrived. I was thinking that if I, a fellow female, was mesmerized by her beauty, the boy would be overwhelmed immediately.

And I never noticed who she was looking at.

I followed the girls to Aria, wanting to change my mood for a bit.

It's been a while since I showed up, so that uncle called Watarai was happily welcoming me.

I came here often ever since I joined the swimming club, so I had known him for six years, and we didn't have to be courteous to each other, for good or for bad.

"Ahh, it's been a while, isn't it. Come by often. This uncle isn't motivated without seeing you in swimsuit, Aka-chan."

"That's sexual harassment, uncle!"

My response had the uncle guffawing.

"That cold look on your face is really something. Every time I say this to Matsu-chan, she would just blush and lower her head. Now that's really sexual harassment?"

"Matsu-chan, as in Matsumae-chan? She comes here often?"

"Yep, every day recently. If it's not her turn in the club, she would show up a little later. Just like a certain person back then."

"Heh. Is she fast?"

"Very. No, faster. I guess this is the period when she enjoys it most though. Even Miya-chan isn't a match for her in the butterfly and freestyle."

"I see."

"Do you want to race her?"

"Eh?"

"That's the look you're giving."

"Hm, yeah."

I decided to answer honestly.

"Go swim then."

"I'm preparing for my finals though. And I quit the club."

I took the ball point pen placed next to the sign-in book, twirling it in my hand. It was a reflection of my heart, just swaying by the side of my hand.

"You're not the kind to be satisfied with just that. And it's important to relax a little right? If you want to do it, go all the way."

Gahahaha, the uncle guffawed away, and I sighed hard.

"Seriously, uncle, that might be miscontrued as sexual harassment."

But I really did relax my shoulders. I stopped twirling the pen, and gripped it hard.

There was a unique atmosphere to the pool.

First of all, it just felt like there's a lot of moisture in the air. The moisture sticking on the skin might make it sticky. Also, there's a heavy chlorine smell. It's said some people couldn't take the smell, but at least for me, I didn't hate it.

I changed into the rented swimsuit, and was feeling excited. All, this was it, this was the feeling. I really loved swimming. After that, I spent time warming up for real, stretching, checking on my condition. Right, I was fine.

Once I was done warming up, Miya-chan poked her head out from the pool. The ripples she caused hit my toes.

"Huh, Akane-senpai, you're swimming?"

"Yep. I heard Matsumae-chan's really fast. You lost to her, didn't you, Miya?"

I asked, and Miya simply nodded, as though she had accepted it as fast, neither denying it hastily, nor ashamed.

It's because of her personality that I nominated her as the next captain.

"Yes, I lost. Matsuu's really fast."

"Faster than me?"

"I don't think she's faster than you at your best. But over the past few months, It's Matsuu who's worked harder and showed more progress."

"Yes."

"You haven't entered the pool for months, have you, Akane-senpai?"

"Yes."

"And you said that we can't tell who'll win until the contest is over, Akane-senpai?"

"Yes."

"So I can't answer this question."

"I see."

That's enough.

The junior who had followed me for two years said so, so at the very least, I could be sure that Matsumae-chan's the real deal.

Miya and I looked towards Matsumae-chan, who was swimming alone. The beautiful, textbook-like swimming pose showcased her serious personality.

Soon after, her hand touched the edge of the pool. She shook away the water on her body, removed her goggles, and noticed our stares, looking very confused.

"S-senpais, what is it?"

"Hey, Matsumae-chan, race against me."

"Eh?"

"Don't eh me now. Race me now. Race."

I pointed a raised fist at Matsumae-chan, who shook her head in an increasingly exaggerated manner. She looked like a puppy who had finished showering.

"No I can't. No no no no no no no."

Matsumae-chan probably said no about a hundred times at least as I dragged her out from the pool and forced her onto the starting block. It was a little cruel, especially when she looked like she's about to cry, but she couldn't run as Miya had played her power card, 'captain orders'.

But speaking of which. Even when I stood next to her, she was just a weak-willed junior.

Those amazing ones would give off a unique presence. Reality's not a battle manga, so there's no aura or power levels to be seen. If the opponent had self-confidence based on ability however, that could be sensed through the skin.

Matsumae-chan did not have any of that.

"Sorry to force you into this."

"Eh, erm."

"But I'm going all out."

"Erm, Rindou-senpai?"

"What?"

It seemed Matsumae-chan had made up her mind, her expression more determined than before.

"No, errm, I'll do my best too."

Ready, Miya shouted.

Matsumae-chan and I arched down in unison.

It was at this moment that I realized the nature of my upcoming opponent. She's still lacking in self-confidence, but was earnest about swimming, and very focused. Her eyes probably ignored my presence completely. I thought of the opponents in the past I wasn't able to beat, remembering that some of them had similar eyes to her.

Uh oh, I was about to be swallowed up.

Right when I had this thought, Miya shouted,

"Start!"

The long years of experience got my body moving, but I wasn't focused, and lost the best moment. My angle entering the water was poor. The air bubbles formed as I jumped in, clinging onto my body, but immediately left and floated atop.

200m freestyle.

It's two times, back and forth, down the 50 meters pool. I hurriedly gave chase after Matsumae-chan. The gap between us never increased, but it wasn't shrinking. I twirled my body around at the first turn, kicking off the wall. There was a stinging pain beneath my feet.

It seemed she wasn't used to turning around, so the gap had shortened a little.

100m. 150m.

I stroked through the water, moving my feet.

Once the last turn ended, I was shoulder to shoulder with her.

It hurt. My body was yearning for oxygen. I was not giving way in the slightest.

I said I was going all out, but I never expected myself to be this serious. It's because I was serious that I wanted to win.

I could see the end. Another 15, no, 10 meters.

We're neck and neck. The result wasn't obvious.

I took a larger gasp of air, and began to sprint, reaching my hand out with utmost effort. At that moment, I met Matsumate-chan in the eyes while we were both in the water. No, we were looking at each other. She had noticed that there were others swimming in the pool.

That alone called Matsumae-chan to become that old weak-willed girl.

"Goal!"

Miya called out.

I lifted my head from the water, removed the cap and goggles. The yellow light of the ceiling was swirling in my eyes.

I was the one who won, but I didn't feel like I won.

She definitely let up at that last moment.

I climbed out of the pool, and before I could catch my breath, I lowered my head to Matsumae-chan in apology.

"Sorry."

As I had just apologized to my junior, Miya panicked, not knowing what to do. It seemed my intent had reached Matsumae-chan however, who too apologized to me.

"Don't say that. I should be the one apologizing."

Large water droplets fell from our hair, forming black spots on the poolside. We maintained the same position the entire time, and the water dropped at the same places. The black spots were expanding, just like my feelings.

I was ashamed, and furious. Of course, I was furious at Matsumae-chan for giving leeway at the end, but I was more furious at myself for forcing my junior to do such a thing. It was horrible of me.

So after a while, I lifted my head, saying,

"Give me a week. We'll race again."

"Eh? Eh? But senpai, you're preparing for the exams, right? It's less than a month until the second phase…"

Miya was the only one panicking away.

"Please."

"I could only lower my head again."

This time however, I could not order her, since I was the one asking.

I didn't know how long it took.

Probably not more than a minute.

"Please lift your head."

I did as Matsumae-chan said, lifted my head, and looked up at her.

"I should be the one asking of you."

Matsumae-chan looked a little sad as she lowered her head, and this rekindled my passion.

In any case, I reworked on my muscle training.

It's the time when students were free to report to school as and when they wanted to, so on that morning, I went to the pool.

It seemed uncle was worried this would affect my exams.

"Didn't you say you're going to go all out? There's no way you can focus in this situation."

He grimaced as he handed over the locker key. Of course, even without his reminder, I would prioritize my studies, and never forgot to take care of my long hair ever since I left the club.

Takuma once said Haru liked girls with long hair.

I didn't want to lose in any way, whether it's sports, exams, or love.

And just like that, a week passed.

I had a proper nap that morning, just as I had planned, and slept for almost 12 hours.

I had mom make fried pork cutlet for lunch, had two additional servings of rice, and went to school.

During this period, the third year classrooms were only about a third filled. The third floor was unlike the noisy first and second floors, and one could sense the tense atmosphere in the room.

On this day, I saw that the person usually sitting before Haru hadn't arrived, and took that seat.

"Morning Haru."

"It's not morning anymore. It's afternoon, Akane."

"Hey, you're being too nitpicky, Haru."

"I think you're just too lax about it."

Haru answered without looking away from the book of English words. Hmm, he's a boy, but why did he have longer eyelashes than me? I stared at the face of the one I liked. Ahh, he yawned. It's a little ugly, but my feelings didn't falter.

"Are you sleepy?"

"A little. What about you, Akane? You look a little busy recently."

"I'm fine today. Had a nice sleep."

Haru finally lifted his head. He stared right at me.

It was too sudden, and I was shocked.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Do your best."

"...You know what I'm doing?"

"Nope. But you haven't said anything, Akane, so that means I don't have to you."

"Why say that?'

"Well, we have known each other for so long, I just got a feeling that you intend to do something on this day. You said that you're a simple person, just a single line can get you to work hard. That's why I say this. This is all I can do after all."

Haru smiled at me gently.

My chest was burning.

He saw all of my hard work, and was willing to cheer me on.

Most importantly, I was glad he remembered the summer day I fell for Haru.

This made me a little greedy, so I pestered him to say the same words again.

"...One more time."

"Do your best."

"One~ more time." "Do your best. Do your best, Akane."

"Yep, leave it to me."

I slammed my chest.

Yep.

With Haru cheering me on, I won't lose. Wasn't that always the case?

A girl in love is always invincible.

There were few people at the pool on this day, either because it's evening, or it's winter. There's only two grannies I knew of wading through the pool, chatting away. I watched them as I did my usual warm up, starting from my arms, shoulders, neck and waist, to my thighs and ankles. I twisted and bent various parts of my body. This caused my blood to boil in anticipation.

It's still not enough. Just wait a little more. So I suppressed my feelings.

"Good work."

Miya noticed me, and went to the poolside. The water droplets fell down her bodyline to the floor, the black footprints far away starting to dry and disappear.

"Sorry to make you drop me."

"Don't worry. I'm a fan of yours, senpai. Just tell me what you need."

This junior of mine's terrifyingly cute, and I patted her on the shoulder. Seriously, these words were embarrassing even for me.

"How's the situation?"

"Think I'm back to form. Guess I can move well."

I poked the water surface with my toe. A ripple spread from where I touched.

The ripple spread at regular intervals, forming a ring, and vanishing. Once it vanished, I turned to the girl standing behind Miya, greeting her.

"Yo, Matsumae-chan."

Like usual, she was giving a stiff look. And she did not seem to be any more confident than usual.

The only thing different was that she never averted my eyes, and looked right back at me.

"Well, I joined the swimming club because I admire you, Rindou-senpai."

"Yep. I know."

I nodded unabashedly. There's always a few of these people who joined the club, and I had always answered their wishes. This had been the case all the time, so this time, I intended to do the same.

"Sorry to disappoint you the last time."

I deliberately spoke in a definite tone,

"But today's different. Relax. I'm amazing today. You don't have to worry. I'm going to show you that you admired the right person."

Smile.

Smile confidently.

Be filled with confidence, just as you faced the opponents at the Nationals/

I stood on the slightly wet starting block.

My blood was still cold.

Not yet.

Not yet, just a little more.

"Ready!"

Miya's voice rang, and it echoed just like that day, dispersing away.

Not yet.

"Start!"

At that moment, Miya's voice rang along with Haru's voice in my mind. "Do your best, Akane."

Now!

The circuits in my mind were opened at once.

My blood boiled immediately.

I started off at the perfect moment.

After that─

We gathered at an okonomiyaki store near Aria, and ordered the 'traditional club set'. It was a customary moment for us. Sauce and mayonnaise added onto the batter with lots of pork, beef and seafood, and a fragrance came along with the sizzling sound Ahh, it's great.

I munched down the okonomiyaki in large mouthfuls, while Matsumae-chan, who actually ordered an extra large portion, ate more than me. Miya's the only one who trained normally, and ordered pork.

"Got to hand it to you there, senpai."

I won, overwhelmingly. There was about a 10 meters gap.

"It's okay, I guess."

Matsumae-chan kept moving her chopsticks. She continued to eat and chew, and began to chomp on the next mouthful before she was done swallowing. She chewed, chewed, chewed, drinking water from time to time, and chewed. It felt as though she refused to talk to us.

Surely she could not accept this outcome.

She couldn't accept the fact that she lost despite going all out, and the first time she felt regret.

So I felt this was fine. Ah, I finally got some reward for my hard work this week.

I could accept it, but Miya probably couldn't. She sighed, grabbed the back of Matsumae-chan's head, which startled her. Then─

Both of them lowered their heads in unison.

Matsumae-chan's mouth was still stuffed with okonomiyaki, a spatula in one hand and chopsticks in the other as she blinked in shock, looking a little stunned.

"Thank you for the lesson."

Miya said, and lifted her head. Having known me for so long, it seemed she understood my intent.

I guess it's not easy trying to act cool.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

But I played dumb, like a certain person in the past, stuffing the cut okonomiyaki into my mouth.

Miya didn't say anything more.

I went to swim on this day, partially for Matsumae-chan's sake. But I had to really emphasize that part of it was for my own sake, to swim for myself...it's true.

If Matsumae-chan just loved swimming and never intended to compete, I wouldn't have needed to do this. But I knew this wasn't the case.

When I first stood next to her, I mistook her purpose. She joined because she admired me however, and was the tolerant type who would compete just to gauge herself against others.

She's lonely, but not remotely arrogant to begin with.

In that case, it's only a matter of time until she joined the competitive side (ours). If I let her be, she would quit the club activities and swimming in a short time.

This contest might have hardened her resolve.

People are content as long as they have approached their goals to a certain extent. Matsumae-chan was content with nearly beating me a week ago, on that day, at that moment, but she didn't want that to happen, so she subconsciously slowed down, resulting in that outcome.

I could understand how she felt.

Training's difficult.

If she wanted to work hard, she needed something to support herself.

Like, to approach someone she admired, or to win a competition.

Or to have a crush cheer for oneself.

People can continue to progress just like this. I had personally experienced this.

All I did on this day was to create an opportunity for her.

The goal she admired was still far away, and she had to work hard to catch up.

She had to go further and beyond.

It was the goal a middle school boy once had for a girl.

And as a senior, I too entrusted the same wishes to my junior.

I bade farewell to the other two in front of the okonomiyaki shop.

The sun had set, but I didn't want to go home right away, so I went in the direction of the train station.

To be honest, I had been lost the entire time.

I wanted to tell Haru what happened.

But was it fine telling Haru when he didn't know what's going on? But but, it should be fine if I just told him, I did my best, right? But but but, if he's still studying, it's not good to distract him.

My mind was in a mess.

My heart was filled with much conflict as I continued walking. There were the yellow lights of the beef bowl restaurant chain, the high school students gathered at the parking lots of the convenience stores while on the way home, the crowds packed outside the windows of the burger shop.

I grabbed the lime green phone in my hand firmly, and walked for another 30 minutes or so.

I'm an indecisive maiden hopelessly in love─that's how it is, y-you got a problem─so after much frustration, I made up my mind.

Argh, I really wasn't being myself. Over the entire time, I had been opening and closing the contact list, finding the name I was thinking of.

"Haruyoshi Segawa."

It was the name of the only special person to me on this world. Whenever I touched his name, my heart would race. I switched the switch, and called out an eleven digit number. One click, Haru and I would be connected.

Well, here I go.

My heart was racing as I made the call, but nobody picked up, and all I could hear was the droning tone ringing away. It felt like a pity, but I was seemingly relieved.

What was the conflict in my heart about? Eh, but I couldn't do anything when he didn't pick up.

The feelings I could not vent were resolved, and I felt a lot better. Hm, better report to mom.

I would have her cook my favorite curry. There was a curry smell from somewhere, and though I had just eaten okonomiyaki, my mouth was filled with curry flavor. Curry~curry~if there's still some of that pork cutlet, let's have pork curry, so I hummed to myself for some reason.

I was feeling really good.

But the cruel world showed me reality.

I stopped once I saw a silhouette.

Even amongst dozens of people, I could spot him immediately. Yes, this too was the case.

Haru was there, but he wasn't alone.

He was together with the prettiest girl I saw.

That girl had the flowing long hair Haru liked.

She pretended to be pouty as she spoke to Haru, who might have been pretending before her as he clapped his hands together in apology. The girl continued to frown, but her pouting lips broke into a smile. They were smiling. Yep, they looked really happy.

It's like they were in a miracle. There was something I hoped for.

I didn't know at all; that Haru had this side to him.

I felt tragic, like someone dosed me with cold water from above. My heart was sad and angry.

Lots of complex emotions were mixed together, and I couldn't eke out a voice. Ah, but despite that, I should be able to make it in time. As long as I did something, my hands and my voice should be able to reach Haru.

I placed my hands on my chest pocket.

It contained the 'special photo' (my smile) Haru took this autumn, and that photo was throbbed violently. I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm fine.

I made up my mind, and changed directions.

They arrived at the station, said a few words, and went their separate ways.

Haru and the girl.

Who should I follow?

My body instinctively told me the answer. I hastened my steps, reached my hand out, and spoke to that person.

"Who are you?"

She was shocked, and glared back, just as I did.

And then, that girl and I had our only conversation.

But that was enough.

We fell for the same boy, neither of us would give way.

It was a competition beyond the scale I had against Matsumae-chan.

Yeah, that's right.

We couldn't understand each other, and couldn't get along with each other. There's one thing that we both understood, that we were sworn enemies.

My love rival had a name as pretty as her appearance─

It sounded like the white sparkles descending from the sky.

### 017. Contact 162 - The Encounter a Year Ago

“Hey, you there—”

Two days ago I heard a cold voice, and looked over, seeing a girl with a touching smile.

This might be the most ordinary of all encounters. She’s not a girl who fell from the sky, and it’s not a body swap. She merely talked to me. I stopped.

Ah, yes. It’s the start of an ordinary encounter between the girl (her), and the ordinary boy (me).

“I really want him to bring me to the seaside.”

I heard her mutter with the same warmth as she did that day, and turned to look at her. She was enthusiastically picking away at the pebbles by the riverbank. “This shape is a little…” “this one’s a little too big.” So she picked the pebbles and tossed them out. Her posture the entire time encapsulated the term serious.

As she continued to remain crouched, I looked towards her, and called out the name I knew days ago.

“Yuki.”

“Hm~? What is it?”

“Did I mishear that just now?”

“Just now?”

"I heard you say you want to go to the seaside."

"I think you definitely heard that wrong."

Let's use this, so Yuki nodded as she slowly got to her feet.

She was holding a small round pebble in her little hand.

With a really pretty form, she threw the pebble along the surface. It formed ripples on the water surface, once, twice, thrice, as it spun away.

Ta ta tatatatatatatata.

It bounced eight times in total, and finally sank slowly to the bottom.

Yuki said she never played stone skipping, and I was teaching her. It was a little vexing how she broke my best record on her first try.

“I said I want you to bring me to the seaside.”

Yuki finally turned towards me. The gleeful grin of succeeding at stone skipping diluted the mature vibe she had.

“Can I ask something?”

I raised my hand, and Yuki leisurely turned her palm towards me,

“Sure.”

“What month is it now?”

“February.”

In other words, it’s Winter.

We were shivering away in the frigid, blade-like winds.

The river was flowing before our eyes, dyed in the grey color of the sky, looking a little forlorn. The leisurely breezes blew by, causing ripples, headed towards us, pressing our uniforms down onto our chests.

It seemed Yuki wanted to go to a colder place in such weather.

“It’s Winter. Cold.”

Left with no choice, I could only say this.

“It’s fine, let’s go.”

“How about Summer? We think of the sea when it comes to Summer.”

“No, now is fine.”

“You’re really stubborn. We can’t go into the water when it’s winter, you know?”

“The feet alone should be fine.”

"Seriously, I think the cold's unbearable. Besides, you're scared of the cold anyway, Yuki."

"Eh, how did you know?"

At that moment, there was a glint in Yuki's large eyes, the glint small yet dazzling, ostensibly about to vanish on a single puff.

"Anyone can tell when you're dressed in such thick clothing."

Yuki's dressed in a turtleneck coat, and the scarf was wrapped around her neck a few times. Beneath the coat wasn't a sailor uniform, but a sweater. Also, she had her hands hidden inside the sleeves for protection against the cold. Whenever I saw the cute fingertips appear, I had to suppress my excitement with all I had. I actually like overly long sleeves, but there's no way I can say that.

"Yoshi-kun, you're giving a scary look."

"You're lying."

I patted my face.

“You’re thinking of something pervy, aren’t you?”

“Not at all. No, I’m saying that I’m not thinking, of anything, at all.”

“Really~?”

Yuki narrowed her eyes, which were devoid of that glint from before. She called my name, her eyes giving a different look.

Argh. I had what could only be described as a bad feeling.

“Hey, Ha, ru, yo, shi, Se ga, wa, kun.”

“Wh-what?”

Yuki took a step that was two steps long.

The gentle fragrance entered my nose, and the first thing I saw was her reddened nose, followed by her blushing face, red as an apple, a stark contrast to her white skin. Then, I saw her somewhat dry lips, on the verge of bleeding anytime soon.

My head went white, and I reached my fingers towards her lips, only to stop. That’s not a place I could casually touch.

But, why?

Why did I reach my hand out?

The hand was dangling in the air, having lost its aim, wrapped up by something soft. It’s something as cold as my hand, a certain person’s hand. Yet there was warmth from where I touched, and some pain.

She grinned away, repeating,

“Bring me to the seaside.”

Shall we get back to that topic? Her wordless smile was conveying this intent.

Now what do you expect me to do?

Well, the answer’s obvious.

“As you wish.”

Was there any other option to begin with?

This happened in winter, during my second year of high school.

And just like that, Yuki Shiina and I decided to go to the seaside.

The town I lived in was completely landlocked amongst the mountains, and a trip to the seaside would require a train ride, or a bus. I checked the place Yuki wanted to visit, and discovered it would take almost four hours to reach there. One could say it’s a little trip by itself.

“I still can’t see the sea.”

We were shaking in the train for at least three hours. Yuki duly commented as she sat by the window, but the impression she gave was different from what she said. She seemed really happy.

“Sea, sea, see the sea~” She hummed a tune I had never heard, probably something she made up, “Sea, sea, see the sea~” Seemed like she’s in a good mood.

There’s a hard cover book on her knees, and a pink bookmark stuck in the middle of that book. It’s completely pink, and while it’s commonplace, she seemed to have really treasured it. For some reason, I was very curious about this.

“What is it?”

Yuki noticed my stare, and tilted her head in confusion. But naturally, I didn’t have the courage to ask her about that—

“It’s nothing. Is that book interesting?”

And I could only pass it off with an unrelated topic.

“Sort of, but I think I got some motion sickness, so I’m not reading it. Let’s have some snacks.”

And as she said, she put the book into the bag, taking out an ordinary bento box commonly found in a convenience store, taking out some roasted snacks. She popped them into her mouth with a blissful look, and enjoyed it well.

The train soon fell into darkness, the scenery outside swallowed in darkness—not that the sky turned dark, but that the train entered the tunnel. It continued to push forward, seeking the light.

Suddenly, Yuki pointed the skewer tip of the snacks at me, asking,

“Beyond the tunnel is—”

The answer appeared in my mind even though I wasn’t thinking of it. It happened as naturally as ‘1+1=2’. After all, it’s the slogan of the most famous anime movie in Japan.

“A mysterious town beyond the tunnel, is it?”

“Yes. Now that, what might await us there?”

The moment we finished saying so, the light filled our eyes.

The light shone through the glass, turning rectangular, adding charm to Yuki’s white skin. She narrowed her eyes because it was too bright, and smiled.

Our destination, the place Yuki was looking forward to, was beyond the window. Wahh, wahh, she squealed like a kid. I took the opportunity to take a munch off the snack pointed at my nose. Hm, enough saltiness.

“Wahh～Eh? Ah, ahhhh…”

Yuki realized I was eating her snack because of my chewing, looked at the snack in her hand, and exclaimed,

“Yoshi-kun, what did you just do!!”

She’s not expressing her emotions correctly, and it’s obvious how agitated she was.

She nimbly switched between two different emotions. Delight because she saw the vast scenery outside the window; sadness because her snack got eaten.

“Waaahhhhh!!!”

This is joy.

“Ah, ahhhh…”

This is sadness.

Yuki’s reaction could muster the guilt within anyone’s heart, so I couldn’t help but divert my attention out of the window..

I could see the thick clouds in the distant skies. A beam of light shone through the clouds. I remembered it was called ‘Angel’s Ladder’ or something. The light caused the water surface beneath it to whiten and dazzle.

Speaking of which, it’s the first time I saw the sea during winter. After all, I never went out of my way to do so. I realized I was acting a little emotional, and covered my smiling lips with my hand. Goodness me, I said I didn’t want to go, but my body was being so honest.

“Waahh, the sea’s so pretty. Ah, ahh, this snack’s limited for the period. I can’t buy it anymore.”

But as Yuki next to me let out an unexpectedly dejected sigh, I could only apologize to her.

We alighted at an empty station, and boarded a bus that so happened to arrive.

After another half an hour on the bus, an empty beach appeared before our eyes. Before we walked to the sea, I had a look at the bus schedule. It seemed the last bus would arrive at 7pm.

“Hm~feels like the sea. There’s the smell of the tide～”

A few months ago, or rather, a few months later, it would be a completely different season, and this place would be full of people. Right now, it’s a place belonging only to Yuki and me.

“I guess.”

Yuki stretched as she strolled down the beach, while I remained still, watching her back.

She made it halfway between me and the sea, and removed her boots and socks, walking barefooted on the beach. The porcelain-like white feet caused my heart to jolt.

She moved her hand away from her waist, and the boots fell into the sand with a thud. Like a bird, she stretched her empty hands, but she did not fly away. She walked to the sea.

The surging waves splashed at her feet, and her footprints were swallowed, as though her stroll had never happened. I had a feeling the white waves wanted to take Yuki away. Her feet was completely buried in the water. Run! The wind prompted me from behind. Once I took the first step, the second step was easier. Three steps, four, I accelerated, and ran towards where she was.

I got to Yuki, and she turned towards me.

“Eh,Yoshi-kun, what is it?”

“I don’t know.”

“Don’t know what?”

“I don’t know why I suddenly thought of running.”

“What was that?” Yuki seemed bemused by that “That’s weird of you.”

The cold wind blew between us.

“It is.”

The words I said was lofted by the wind to a faraway place. We looked towards the direction of the voice, and a second or two passed, before the distant grey clouds were the only things left behind.

“…Hm, let’s get moving.”

Yuki suddenly declared as she rolled up her sleeves vigorously, scooping the seawater with her palms, and grinned away. I didn’t bother asking her what she was planning to do, and I all could do was to coax her,

“Yuki, don’t be crazy now.”

“I’m not, watch this!”

Yuki wouldn’t liste, and splashed water at me.

The water danced in the air, dazzling as it reflected the light. I scooted away in a panic, evading the frontal assault.

“Woah, what are you doing?”

“What do you mean? This is something we should do at the seaside.”

“It’s cold.”

“I know. Say, it really is. It’s freezing me to death.”

“You didn’t have to do tha.t”

“But we finally made it all the way here.”

“But you didn’t have to drag me into this—ahh!！”

Yuki splashed water at me again while I was talking, and I couldn’t dodge in time as I was ambushed. The water splashed onto my face, and it hurt a little. Felt like something melted too. I abandoned all caution thereafter, and removed my shoes and socks as Yuki did, stepped into the water. My knees were soaked, along with part of my shorts, but I guessed I didn’t care at that point

The chill rising from beneath my feet caused me to shiver, my teeth clattering away. I wasn’t just cold, I was in pain. Even so—

I scooped the seawater with my palm, and splashed it at Yuki.

“Kyaa, what are you doing!?.” The water hit her skirt, turning it a little black. The droplets were also black.

I burst out laughing, “Don’t splash on others if you’re not ready to get splashed.”

“Oh? So that means you’re ready to throw it down with me, Yoshi-kun?”

“Eh? Erm, Yuki, san? Isn’t that, too much water?”

“Of course not.”

“It’s freezing. My clothes are soaked.”

“Ahahahaha.”

“Hey, this isn’t a laughing matter. It’s freezing man.”

“What? It’s supposed to be cold in the winter, right?”

“No, I should be blaming you more than the winter.”

“Your fault for having poor aim.”

“So it’s all my fault?”

“Yes, it’s all your fault, Yoshi-kun.”

We yapped away happily, having fun as though we’re abandoning everything, running away from reality.

We’re the only two people at the seaside this winter. Yes, two of us. Not one.

That was why I could endure this freezing cold.

“What did we just do?”

“Who knows?”

“It’s stupid.”

“It really is.”

We calmed down after having much fun, and regretted our actions. Our feet were soaked, and we couldn’t move. We were soaked to our thighs, our clothes heavy like lead.

“Hm.”

I held Yuki’s outstretched hand, and we walked down the coast. Sand was stuck on my soles, and it hurt.. We left footprints on the beach, in the opposite direction from where we came from.

“We’ll use the sand to build a castle later.”

“Sure, a castle for Yoshi-kun and me.”

“Feels a bit weird.”

“Why? I’m the princess and you’re the chancellor.”

Yuki held my hand with hers, the other holding her boots.

“What, I’m the chancellor?”

“Yep. The chancellor who listens to all the selfish whims of the stubborn princess.”

“Sounds troublesome.”

“You don’t want to?”

“Not exactly.”

Right. It’s not something really annoying.

I was happy to go along with Yuki’s wishes. It’s not like I had some weird characteristic. In fact, I didn’t…probably.

It’s just that, whatever I did, Yuki’s happy. Whenever I called for her, she would give a happy look. Even when I was summoned by her, I didn’t feel annoyed. I just felt happy to be thanked by her.

I guess it’s something like instinct.

The creatures called men have no resistance to the smiles of women, moreso if it’s a cute girl.

“That’s fine. Are you really okay with being the chancellor?”

“Didn’t you say so?”

“Well, I said it, but you can say that you don’t want to do it. Just say if there’s any other role you want to play as.”

“Other, as in?”

“Never mind. You don’t have to understand. What I said isn’t important. It’s something you have to notice and work hard to achieve.”

Yuki said as she let go of the hand. She then pointed at the stone steps with the bags placed there.

“I think we should rest. Brought some hot tea and snacks.”

“Can I eat those?”

“What do you mean?”

“No, I just got the feeling that you’ll react like you did on the train. Sounds troublesome.”

The moment I said so, Yuki puffed her cheeks.

“I didn’t pout. It was a limited edition, that’s why. You just ate a bit without saying anything. I prepared some snacks and drinks for now, so it’s fine. Or are you saying that you can’t eat what I bought?”

“Well, it feels like you’re drunk, Yuki, like you can’t drink my wine.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Hahaha. That’s something a drunk will say.”

“Hmph. I’m ignoring you.”

Yuki pouted again, but as she returned to the stairs, she took out all the snacks, and felt a lot better. It seemed she’s not the type to be angry for long.

I felt the warmth and sweetness flow into my body. After I finished it all at once, Yuki asked if I wanted another cup, so I graciously requested for another.

I sniveled a little, sensing the warmth from my hands.

“Seems like this tea’s good for the body too.”

“I see. Oh yeah, Yuki.”

“Hm?”

“It’s warm. Very very warm.”

I put my warmed hands onto Yuki’s. She had been shivering the entire time, probably because she’s cold.

“My hands are still so cold.”

“Shall we keep it like this for now?”

Until you’re no longer cold. Until we share this warmth equally.

Yuki’s palms turned up, and this was her answer. But why was it that I was the one who suggested this, yet I couldn’t hold her hands? It’s embarrassing of me.

Yuki might have had enough, for she sternly pulled my hands and brought our palms together. The fingers were exerting lots of strength, and they were intertwined with mine. I gripped them back tentatively. After a long time, my fingers finally touched the back of her hands, and as I was embarrassed, I had my head lowered the entire time, never looking at Yuki’s pretty face.

The winter wind was really comfortable.

If only some of this suddenly rising body warmth could be shared with Yuki.

Once again, I looked towards the winter sea, thinking about such things.

The sun had set at the time we left the seaside. The thick clouds had parted slightly, and the stars could be seen as scattered lights in the sky.

We were the only two at the seaside for the entire day. Everything left there was proof that we were the only ones there, from the sandcastles to the hundreds of footprints to the words written with drifted branches. We hurried to the bus stop five minutes before it was time. All we had to do was to head back, take another 30 minutes to the train station, and another 3 hours ride back.

We sat at the faded, if not ugly looking seats of the bus stop. We were worn out, and were unable to say anything.

Five minutes later, the bus did not appear. "It's a little late." "Yeah", so we muttered, and waited for another ten. The bus did not appear.

Yuki got up reluctantly, checked the schedule, Yoshi-kun, and called my name in shock.

"Wh-what is it?"

"Did you check the schedule properly?"

"Of course."

...Yoshi-kun, may I know what is the date today?"

"Why the sudden keigo?"

"Just answer."

I had a bad feeling about this.

"Eh? Erm, 11th February."

"Can I ask another question?"

"Yeah?"

"What's the day today?"

Yuki's question had me confused? Was it a special day? It seemed Yuki sensed my lack of awareness, and she pointed at the schedule like a school teacher.

"Look here."

I did as told, and took a closer look. It was Saturday, and the last bus was noted to be at 7pm, as I remembered. Yuki then slid her fingers to the column regarding Sunday and public holidays. The last bus was 4pm.

She saw that I still did not get her, and revealed the correct answer,

"February 11th is the National Foundation Day, so it's a holiday."

"Really?"

"Yeah."

Yuki nodded.

I messed up. I never expected myself to make this mistake.

Was it because I was too excited? Well I was. It's a big deal for me to go out with a cute girl.

Yuki, walking next to me, didn't say a word. It was terrifying.

So we walked for another ten minutes or so, and returned to the convenience store we were at half an hour ago. Yuki then turned towards me, reaching her hand out,

"Yoshi-kun. The phone."

...Right! The phone!

There's that too. It's too simple, I didn't think about it. And in response to these revelation-like words, I hastily pulled the smartphone out from my pocket.

"Lend me."

"Eh? Why?"

"Just do it. You don't have the right to refuse me now."

Yuki's right. I didn't have that right. So I handed the phone over obediently, and she nodded, looking pleased. She then switched it off.

"...Why?"

"Why you ask? You would have gone back if you had this, Yoshi-kun. Like, call your dad, or a taxi."

That's what I intended. Yuki however gave a troubled look, as though I was the one asking a weird question. Was I the weird one? No no no, that's impossible. So she ignored this stunned me, and smiled,

"More importantly, let's buy dinner."

"Huh?"

"It's cold out here, so I want something hot. Like Oden."

"Huh?"

The automatic doors opened, and the warm air warmed many things. Yuki prompted me forward, pulling my hand into the shop.

The orange light looked comfortable, and like an insect attracted to the light, I wasn't able to resist as I stumbled into the shop.

After that.

Yuki left the convenience store, holding the plastic bag leisurely, and we returned to the seaside leisurely.

Nothing happened aside from a few vehicles passing through. The headlights turned Yuki yellow, her shadow swaying aside at a right angle.

Yuki never got to buy Oden. The uncle, probably the shopkeeper, told her to return the next day as they probably were sold out. She had an increased urge to eat once she knew she couldn't, and pestered the uncle about the next time the food would be available. It seemed the shop would close at 10, and there's no point demanding for unavailable things. We bought meat buns and fried chicken and the like, and left the store.

We walked down the stone steps of the dike, and descended to the coast. The sea at night was a lot quieter than the day. It's like the sounds of the waves were the only voices left in the world.

"Sorry for acting selfishly. I just wanted to stay outside with you a little longer."

"No it's fine. It's my fault to begin with. I should be the one apologizing."

"You don't have to. Leave that until we return home. Your family should be angry now, right?"

"Who knows? My family don't really care about that. They just close an eye if I stay out for too long."

"You'll get scolded."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"That'll definitely happen."

Yuki handed over the phone she confiscated.

"They're definitely worried about you, so I allow you to send a message. Say that you're with friends. Well, that makes you a liar, but you're good at that, aren't you?"

"I don't usually lie. How am I good at that?"

Of course, I couldn't say that I never lied before. This wasn't really a lie to begin with. Yuki and I were friends, and we were together.

"Really?"

"Really."

So she responded, looking completely skeptical. For some reason, I couldn't put a finger to it, but I took the phone, and found that my mom sent me a message.

"Are you coming back for dinner?"

I pondered a little, and lied as Yuki told me to. I'll be staying at a friend's place, I don't need dinner; so I responded. This kind of lie probably wouldn't amount to much. I pressed the send button, and my lie became a message sent hundreds of kilometers away. Got it, so mom replied.

"You don't have to contact anyone, Yuki?"

"Who?"

"Like, your parents?"

"...It's fine."

Yuki's voice was soft, and I couldn't determine the emotion she had. For some reason, I felt the girl next to me was as lonely as a lost kid, and the words she said just disappeared into the night air.

I saw the street light behind her slender shoulders. It's probably 5km from here, or 10; might be longer, but still walkable.

Once we walked there, there would be a hotel, and probably an internet cafe and karaoke. Despite that, Yuki was holding the hand warmer from the convenience store as she walked down the coast, and seemed to have no intention of going to a place with light. So, we continued walking in the darkness.

"Ah, look. It's pretty nice."

Yuki finally stopped before an empty looking beach lounge. There's no human presence to be sensed there. People probably only show up there in the summer.

The blue paint on the walls had been weathered away, but it appeared they could withstand the wind. There's no door, but there's a rest area at the back. If we cleared up the rubbish of empty cans and snacks here, we probably could spend the night here.

I found myself a little excited, just a little. It's a scenario every man had hoped for at least once. It's like we discovered a secret base.

While my emotions were running wild, Yuki turned the faucet at the back door, checking for water.

Girls really were lacking in the concept of romance, but if I said so, she would have refuted, saying that our definitions were different.

"The seawater's making my face and hands sticky. Won't feel good if I don't wash it off."

So Yuki said as she washed her face in the freezing weather, and I was impressed by that. I too washed my limbs and face, but not exactly thorough.

We finally entered the rest area, and ate the meat bun that was a little colder, fried chicken, and croquettes. We had the warmed corn tea, rested a little, and that thing showed up. The sleep demon opened its mouth wide, intending to swallow my consciousness. It's no doubt a demon, as powerful as a demon lord in video games.

My eyelids got heavy, and the world began to turn hazy.

No matter how I tried to endure, I couldn't stop yawning.

Despite that, I barely forced my way to a corner of the room, keeping my distance from Yuki. I was indicating that I wasn't planning to do anything to her in my own way, but─

Yuki's HP gauge was in the red, and she came to my side, bringing the thick blanket she had and draping it all over me. The world was swallowed in utter darkness, just like when evening turned to night.

My eyes immediately saw the crescent-like lips of Yuki, resembling the moon.

"Eh."

She snuck under the blanket with a squeal. The distance between us was not even a millimeter. Typically, I wouldn't notice my own breathing and heartbeat, but those sounds were ridiculously loud.

Also, I felt other things.

Yuki's warmth.

Yuki's softness.

Yuki's breathing.

She was giving off the usual smell of spring, and the senses shooed away my sleep demons, just a little.

"E-er-erm, Yuki-san?"

"...Is something the matter?"

For some reason, both of us were speaking in keigo.

"What's going on?"

"I-it's cold."

Yuki said as she buried her face into her thighs. Her usually white neck was obviously a little red, and her awkwardness too reached me.

I tried joking, or rather, if I didn't do so, I wouldn't last.

"Don't do this if you're going to be embarrassed."

"I-I-I'm not embarrassed. You are, Yoshi-kun."

"I can't help it. It's because you're a beauty, Yuki. No, erm."

Huh? What did I just blurt out? It was too late for me to retract my words though.

I didn't know if my eyes got used to the darkness, or other reasons, but I found Yuki's neck and years a lot redder than they were before. My mind emptied itself further as a result.

"Eh, erm, I didn't mean that. No, you're cute, Yuki, but what I want to say is, eh, how should I put it?"

"Uh huh?"

"So, yeah, I guess it's no wonder I'm like this. Yeah, not that I want to do something guilty."

Yuki lifted her head, still looking red as she stared at this anxious me.

"Hey, Yoshi-kun."

Yes!"

"Thanks. Because of you, I know all the efforts I put in have not gone to waste."

I thought she would be teasing me, but she thanked me for some reason.

"Efforts?"

"It's fine that you don't know about this. Hm, well. A swan can flap at the water all it wants, but it'll still look like it's just floating around. Boys just need to see girls doing that."

I didn't really get what she meant, but she probably meant that I shouldn't look deeper into this.

"Anyway, back on topic. Seriously, Yuki, I may look like this, but I'm a guy."

"I know."

"Don't you think this situation's a little bad?"

"Not exactly. Not at all."

"Why?"

"You're a good boy, Yoshi-kun. You say you'll be fine being a chancellor."

I recalled building sandcastles with Yuki during the day. She's a stubborn princess, and I was the chancellor fulfilling her wishes.

"But you know, if you keep being one, you won't be able to fulfill a princess' biggest wish. A princess is always waiting for a prince."

So she said, and closed her eyes, leaning her head on her shoulder. A few seconds after I froze, she made a cute snoring sound. Typically, I wouldn't be able to sleep in such circumstances, but because of the body warmth and the snoring, the distant sleep demons approached once again. My eyelids were twice as heavy as before, and my consciousness was quickly fading.

Everything was becoming empty, the rational mind and self-awareness to control myself weakened, and my desire couldn't have missed out on this chance.

Sheepishly, I held Yuki's hand firmly as she slept. And then, I fell asleep, satiated.

❀

I had a dream.

In that dream, I was four, or five, in kindergarten.

I experienced this dream many times, and even in the dream, I knew it was one.

However, the dream world could only repeat the past over and over again, and the same ending happened every time, so it probably was the same this time. I was only able to observe the developments as a bystander and a first person.

Two friends were talking to me. I couldn't remember their names and appearances. However, I could remember their voices. One of them often hung out with me, and the other was one I was on better terms with recently. They had high pitches, their voices prepubescent.

One of them said that we should go play soccer. Another said we should go catch some rhino beetles.

I actually preferred the latter, but if I did, the friend I was closer to would be angry. If I played soccer, I would have made the newer friend sad. This current me would probably have dealt with it better, but I couldn't do so back then.

So I chose to remain silent.

Right. I chose neither.

And the dream ended. I chose neither, and didn't grab anything before it ended.

But this dream was different.

There was a pretty girl I had never met. She reached her hand towards me.

For some reason, the moment I saw that new girl, I felt nothing else mattered. Not the soccer, not the rhino beetle, not the friends whose names I forgot.

The only important thing was the girl before me.

In this dream, I reached my hand out, and called the name I couldn't have known of.

"Yu─"

I didn't know if my voice reached her.

❀

I woke up in the morning, and felt my body ache.

I moved my shoulders, which creaked away. I had been sleeping on the hard floor, my buttocks and neck aching away. My fatigue never faded away, and I couldn't see very well.

After rubbing my eyes a few times, the world finally got clearer.

Only then did I realize Yuki was not around.

There was a void next to me, some warmth, and Yuki's presence had vanished like snowflakes.

Some fear struck me, griping at my heart.

Suddenly, I recalled her silhouette as she stood at the seaside. The waves continued to reach its white, thin arms reaching for her feet. The unspeakable unease drove me out of the rest room.

A gust of cold wind suddenly struck my skin, bringing the cold into my body.

It was a winter morning.

Actually, was it morning? The world's still dark, some white by the hill. It's a divide between night and day. Morning was about to start.

The sun was slowly appearing in the sky, spreading its wings like a swan. Everything was engulfed in light, including her who had vanished next to me.

As expected, she was kneeling by the sea. For some reason, she had the pink bookmark she treasured in her hand, holding down the bottom with her fingers as she stared at the ending night. She was dazzling in the glimmer of the dawn.

That sight had me thoroughly mesmerized, captivated like a fool.

She then noticed me, lifted her head to say something, but because of the distance between us, I couldn't hear too well. All I could make out was a grunt from her as she got up, and her calling my name.

It was the most beautiful scene I had ever seen. This time, I called her name in reality. She ran over to me.

"Good morning, Yuki."

Just calling out this name had my heart in pain.

I was wondering what this first experience of an emotion was, one so painful and yet unable to let go of, so terrifying yet so warm. I couldn't help but conclude that, yes─

It might be the first time I had fallen in love.

On our trip back, we bought lots of Oden at the convenience store, as revenge for missing out the previous day.

Large carrots, eggs, beef tendon skewers, and most importantly, the cabbage roll, thick fried tofu, and kinchaku mochi. There were only two cabbage rolls, and Yuki squealed in exaggeration.

Since we got the chance, we went to the seaside for the third time.

We sat on the dike, took out the Oden, and the moment we opened the lid, the hot air and smell inside caused our stomachs to rumble.

"Let's eat."

"Yep, let's."

Itadakimasu, we said, and enjoyed the boiling food and broth. The pepper was overwhelming, causing our eyes to water, but despite that─

"It's really nice."

"Yeah, it really is."

"I told you we should have bought the cabbage roll."

"This might be the best cabbage roll I've ever eaten."

"That might be an exaggeration."

"It's not. It's really great."

I took the slightly large cabbage roll, and popped it into my mouth. The meat taste spread in my mouth, and the broth sipping out was really delicious, causing me to chew away.

"I'm so happy."

Yuki put down her chopsticks, muttering. I was not done swallowing the cabbage roll in my mouth.

"I feel a little lonely. The sandcastles, the words we wrote with sticks, everything today and yesterday will vanish."

"...They won't."

"Eh?"

I swallowed the cabbage roll, and said again,

"Even if we do vanish now, something definitely will remain behind."

"Like?"

"Eh, I don't know."

I didn't know what would be left behind─

"You aren't serious about this."

"Ugh, sorry."

But I really was thinking that.

"Whatever." Yuki nodded, "This is fine. If only something is left behind, but such a miracle can't possibly happen."

"What do you mean?"

Yuki merely gave a dumbfounded smile. For some reason, she seemed to be holding back her tears, and once I pointed that out,

"The mustard's too strong."

She lied, shaking her slender legs like a kid.

Once the Oden cup in my hands was empty, Yuki said,

"Actually, I,"

I had a feeling she wanted this opportunity to talk. Her hair was ruffled by the wind, and she pulled it behind her ears,

"Wanted to meet again."

"With who?"

"Umi?"

"I don't think people actually 'meet' the sea?"

Yuki didn't look at me, Ah yes, people usually don't understand, and muttered,

"Actually, this Umi I'm talking about refers to my little sister."

"Your little sister? Is she born in the summer?"

"Why you ask?"

"No, well, if you say sea, like Umi, it gives the impression of summer."

Yuki shook her head.

"She's born in the winter. I think it's because I said I wanted to see the sea soon before Umi was born."

"Just because of that?"

"Haha. Yes. So later, papa brought me along with mama who was pregnant to the sea. To be honest, I didn't really remember what happened that day, but even today, I can remember it was snowing on the sea. We saw the winter sea on a snowy day colder than it is today. It's so dark, so lonely, but so pretty and captivating. It's like my heart was captured."

Yuki's sidelong face looked so sad and grim, her eyes seemingly looking into the distance. Not at the vast seas, not at the islands afar, not the tetrapods, or the beach lounge we stayed at last night.

Yuki might have been looking at something more distant, something beautiful the naked eye couldn't see.

"The snow and sea appearing together becomes a magical sight. Papa probably named her Umi hoping that we would be such sisters. Umi's innocent and honest, a very cute girl. Back then, I had fun being together with Umi."

This tone had me a little curious,

"Back then?"

"It's been a while since I saw her. She went somewhere far. It's been a while since we met."

"Feeling lonely?"

"Very. But it's fine. I believe it's only a matter of time until we meet. I just need to do what I have to, and once it all ends, I'll be able to meet her again. Right now, I'm just waiting."

Yuki looked painful when she said these words, and didn't look like she was enduring.

But I couldn't tell her to just meet her that easily. Such was the grimness in her expression.

"The sea's really pretty."

That was the only thing I could say."

"For sure. It really is."

"Yep, very pretty."

The winter sea was so dark, so lonely, so scary. Yet I was mesmerized by the light shining through the gaps of the clouds, the waves of the seas, and the vastness of the horizon stretching into the distance. I really found the sea to be pretty.

It didn't matter whether it's the sea before me, or the girl whose name sounded the same. I never saw her, but I could be sure, for I felt that the girl sitting next to me was an existence prettier than anything else.

"Let's see the sea in winter again. A snowy day."

My words finally had Yuki looking at me. She first gave a look of shock, and then a teary look. Finally, she showed a smile,

"You're a liar after all, Yoshi-kun."

Despite that, her expression was full of sadness.

I didn't know if the future me could wipe away all her sadness.

❄

A crisp sound echoed on the night streets.

It was the alarm signalling the end of the dream, and also, what sounded like applause to conclude the end of a fairy tale.

The clapping girl looked at her aching palms, seemingly lamenting the thing that were once upon them, yet no longer existing.

The past the girl recalled was that particular thing. It was ethereal like a dream, fleeting like a fairy tale, a thing that would melt and vanish, just as her name would imply.

Ahh, but despite that─

The fragment of that dazzling world remained in the girl's heart. Something did remain, just as the boy had said that day.

The girl blushed when she was told that she was cute.

She pretended to be nonchalant, and shared the same blanket with the boy, even though she was so nervous, her heart was about to pop.

Thanks to that, she woke up earlier than the boy, and got to see his sleeping face. His eyebrows were long, his sleeping face somewhat resembling a kid's.

And most importantly, the boy was holding the girl's hand while sleeping.

Was there anything more blissful?

At this point, she could admit the feelings she had for the boy after 4 years, and the things she didn't want to admit.

About him, I─

"Hey, Yoshi-kun. Thank you for finding me."

The girl's mutter vanished like the snow, never reaching his ears. She hurried towards his house.

The right hand was holding the very sweet 'promise' between the duo, though a little bitter.

The left hand was holding the girl's pink 'wish' they had both looked up at.

She held these two things firmly, not allowing them to fall.

The night of February 14th ended.

The story no one knew of ended, and a new story began.

But despite that, so the boy (said) spoke up, and the girl (watashi) said.

It was the happiest love story in the world that belonged nowhere, but truly existed.

### 018. Contact 214 + 1 - The Place We Arrived At

"Hey, what are you doing?"

I called out to a boy I knew not of.

I was strolling around to a nearby park, and saw a little silhouette running there for who knew how long.

It's probably an elementary school kid. A small body, slender limbs, pretty face, grim looking the entire time.

The sweat on the kid fell like tears, and the kid wiped it off with the jumper sleeves. The sweat danced in the air, giving an orange glow, becoming increasingly dazzling. What hurt me most however was the sidelong face of a person working really hard, unhappy and unwilling to compromise.

That reminded me of a certain person.

That person was more mature than the boy before him, but was still a child. That person kept wouldn't give up, and kept running─

Struggling towards a place that existed nowhere.

The sweat stung the kid’s eyes, but as the blue skies of summer were too vibrant, even the tears were dried away. I could vividly remember that scene just by closing my eyes . I recalled what transpired on that hottest day of summer, when I quietly swore that I would never forget what happened on that day.

The sun that day was vicious.

The scent of the dirt was overwhelming.

The sweat continued to fall. It was really salty..

For a while now, the kid had been repeating the actions of a certain person. His fingers were on the ground, and he was looking forward, adjusting his breathing, and sprinted off. Right when he was about to accelerate, he slowed down, and returned to his old posture. This happened over and over again.

It seemed he was focused on practicing his starts, and my voice never reached him. I got up from the bench, and took a large breath of the spring evening air. The sakuras had yet to bloom, but I could have sworn I smelled that.

“Hey, what are you doing?

I then called out with a voice much louder than before.

The kid was startled, tumbled over, and looked up at me.

“Eh?”

The sweat fell down his forehead. The wind blew. And the long hair covering his large eyes fluttered along.

My silhouette got bigger in the black eyes resembling a starless night, and was obviously distinct with the ambiguous world, a proof that I, a part of the background just a moment ago, had entered his world. Just like that, an encounter was made, and a relationship was formed.

“Hi there. I’m Segawa Haruyoshi.”

I greeted the kid.

“Huh? E-erm, are you as-asking…er, me?”

The kid tilted his kid in confusion, and I nodded in confirmation. He then answered me.

“He-hello there, I’m Haruto.”

It happened during the spring near the end of my university life.

And just like that, I made an elementary school acquaintance.

“Well, that happened yesterday.”

“Can I open the window?”

“Sure.”

Takuma, seated in the co-driver seat, then pulled down the car window. The spring air was still a little cold, purging away the warm air inside, even blowing back Takuma’s bangs.

“This breeze sure feels good.”

This buddy of mine said with his face by the window, humming the tune of an idol song. It’s a love song signaling the start of spring.

“It’s spring now.”

“I know your name man. How long have we been friends to begin with?”

“Enough with that dumb act man. Were you listening to me anyway?”

“I am, I am. So you spoke to that pretty kid, and got a tea session with the police, right?”

“Who said that?”

It seemed he had no interest in my encounter with the kid.

I borrowed my dad’s car half an hour ago, and went to fetch my high school friend from the train station.

The local station was already empty, and that tall friend of mine walked out. It’s been a while since we met, but I recognized him immediately. He had grown from a kid to a teenager, but his laughter was exactly the same as it was before.

“Yo!”

He waved a hand, casually greeting me, so I responded in kind..

This reunion was the same as before, but time distanced us. In a second, our relationship was good as new, and of course, it’s something for us to be happy about.

I put Takuma’s luggage into the boot, and drove the car out of the parking lots. We went down the same county road we always took at a speed of 54km/h. If this was the speed we spent our three years of high school, the same could be said of our three years of university.

And surely, the remaining year would pass at the same speed.

Takuma might have sensed something while looking at the usual scenery outside the window, for he reeled his face back in, asking,

“Say Haru, how long will you stay here?”

“About another week or so. I came back once spring break started, so I’ve been here for a while. I’m going to start looking for a job soon. What about you?”

“I can’t say. I do have time, so I might stay around for a while. I got an offer.”

“Huh?”

He said those words with such ease, and I frowned. I was so rattled, my hands shook the steering wheel, and of course, the car reacted, nearly veering off the middle line.

“Woah, that was close.”

Takuma’s voice was filled with shock and reproach.

“You don’t have to be shocked about that. The fast ones already have the best jobs, and now they’re slaves to society.”

“I haven’t filled any application forms.”

“You’re more serious when it comes to weird stuff after all. Probably having the same thoughts as a middle school kid there, wondering what you want to do in life, right?”

“Ugh…”

“Bullseye. You know, I always thought you’re pretty stupid about this. Why can’t you just go first? Go and you’ll reach somewhere. There might be a place more interesting than what you imagine. The thing about roads is that they lead somewhere, but I don’t think you get that.”

I do man, so I quietly refuted without saying, and swallowed my words. I knew very well that we could keep going and meet something, but a lot of strength would be needed , or courage.

The big talk from my friend was a little too much, so I argued back.

“You returned because you argued with Hotta-san, right?”

Once I said this, Takuma was left speechless. Simply put, Makoto Hotta-san was Takuma’s girlfriend. Takuma was at a Tokyo university, and was already dating Hotta-san in Golden Year. She’s three years older than us, and studying for her Masters. I met her a few times. She’s pretty and intelligent, and was very reliable, an ideal adult.

After all, there were few on this world who could actually treat Takuma as a kid.

“How did you know? Did Mako tell you anything?”

Takuma’s glare was piercing through my face.

“No, that’s not it. I just got the feeling that what you said wasn’t just directed at me.”

“Ugh”

“Bullseye. I think you’re pretty clumsy at that too. Did she disagree with you?”

Takuma exhaled, and leaned into the seat. Well, it’s a big company we’re talking about, so he said in a rare, feeble voice.

“The pay’s good, and so are the benefits. It’s just that the vocation’s different from my major. She said it’s a waste of my talent to go there, but I find it pretty interesting.”

“Just to ask, was that your first option?”

“Unya, the third.”

“So that’s why she’s objecting, isn’t it?”

“You think so too?”

“She doesn’t want you to regret it, Takuma.”

“But this is the answer I got after thinking through it. I hoped she would give me a nudge in the back.”

“What?”

I made a right turn at the cross junction, into an alley, and stepped on the brakes to slow down a little. The car’s shaking as the road wasn’t really paved well, and so did Takuma and I. We were shaking at the same place.

“What?”

“Time for a breather.”

“So, what are you saying?”

“You’re lost too, just like me.”

“Shut up.”

Soon after, we saw a sign board indicating expansion roadworks leading to the city. Oh. I was delighted. We wouldn’t have to wait for the opposite vehicle to pass, and there would be fewer traffic accidents.

But we would have to destroy some nearby things to build this road extension. It’s impossible not to lose anything. The expansion area was not barricaded, and not leveled, but it was an empty ground. I could no longer remember what was at this place.

“Haru, was there something over here?”

It seemed Takuma had the same thought.

“I don’t remember anything, even though we often passed by here.”

“It feels empty. I can’t think of anything.”

“Anyway, you noticed? The convenience store outside the station has closed.”

“No it’s not.”

“It's closed alright. Just that there’s a new shop there. The town’s slowly changing without us knowing. Nothing Is eternal, and change is the only thing that’s most likely to continue.”

There’s something flowing between us. It’s a common feeling, and easy to express as an idiom.

But if I expressed it as words at this point, that thing would have gnawed through our hearts, and it’ll be really, really painful. That’s why we didn’t choose to do so.

After a while, Takuma muttered in the same manner he did before.

“Yep, I see it. Still the same old place.”

Before us was the unchanging silhouette of our high school, which we spent three years at. We knew that would happen, but Takuma and I let out little sighs..

It’s been a while since I came to high school. There’s no reason for me to return, if not for Takuma saying he had something for Watanabe-sensei, advisor for the basketball club, and asked me to come along.

We greeted the uncle at the guard house, and went to the staff room. It’s Saturday, but there’s Watanabe-sensei and a few others waiting for us.

The office tables were not exactly rearranged, but there were a few teachers who were reassigned. For example, there was a table, once decorated with children photos, now replaced by gunpla figures or something.

Looking into the office through the open windows were the sakura buds that were within reach. There were a few days until they bloomed.

It would be days after when the white flowers would begin to turn pink, fluttering in the air.

“Anyway Midou, you’ve grown again. Are you going to be above 2m anytime soon?”

“Impossible. I’ve stopped growing already. It’s just my manliness that has increased.”

“Wahaha. This kid’s quite the talker now.”

Watanabe-sensei slapped Takuma on the shoulder.

“Ow.”

Takuma said as he slapped sensei back on the shoulder. It’s a sight we never saw while we were in high school.

Takuma was often lectured during club activities, and always grumbled. But the time they spent together truly existed, and that’s why they’re able to talk just like old times. Since the efforts of the past had led them to such a future, I guess Takuma’s hard work in high school must have been really valuable.

So both of them started chatting about the juniors I didn’t know, and I kept my distance so as not to disturb them. There’s no need for bystanders when talking about the past.

At this moment, I met a teacher in the eyes.

She was smiling, somewhat bemusedly. The harsh eyes behind the glasses remained, but the vibe around her was much kinder than before.

It’s Kozato-sensei.

She's been a teacher for almost four years, so she's a lot more experienced at her job. Looking back, that stifling presence of hers must have been a defense mechanism for her serious personality.

All to prevent being underestimated by her students. All to be an independent contributor to society.

We were too distant from her when we were in high school, and that's why we never noticed, but three years since, I had a feeling I could understand her.

"It's been a while."

"Yes, it's been a while since I last saw you, Segawa."

"Me?"

"Midou does come back to play whenever he has time."

"Ah, I see, but there aren't many like Takuma out there."

"Yes."

Kozato-sensei smiled as kindly as she did before, pulling the lengthened hair behind her ears.

"Truly there aren't. Your daily life doesn't revolve around here. You graduated, grew up, and found your place elsewhere. I too was the same, but it's fine to come back once in a while, isn't it?"

"I'll think back to the past. Lots of it."

So I said, but I hardly had any memories of going out with my friends back in high school.

No, I didn't lose my memories, and wasn't bullied by my classmates.

I remembered that I would go to school as usual, attended the summer festivals with my friends, prepared for the exams seriously, went to pray at the shrine before the big exam.

It's just that, whenever I stepped out of school, I often acted independently. I went alone to many places, did various things, and smiled alone.

It's been a long while, but these memories continued to flow within me like warm blood, never fading away.

I narrowed my eyes at the blue skies beyond the window, immersed in my memories.

I harbored many emotions during those days. There was elation, rage, anxiety, sadness, but added together, these were part of my youth. It's this adorable time that formed this present me.

"Yes, I was careless there. I thought you were an honest student to begin with, Segawa, but I never expected you to participate in the news club conspiracy."

"I think conspiracy is just stretching it. Anyway, you know about 'that', Kozato-sensei?"

Even as a graduate, I couldn't just openly mention about the 'pageant contest' in the staff room of all places. The teachers just appeared not to know, and didn't press on regarding the matter.

Kozato-sensei chuckled, probably understanding what was going on as she brought her face close to me, intending to whisper something, it seemed. My ear gets a little tingling.

"I'm the advisor to the news club now."

She sounded really happy, and even I grinned without thinking.

Kozato-sensei's definitely more popular than when she was teaching us.

Watanabe-sensei and Takuma had much fun talking, so I left them behind and wandered around the school.

There were a few people in the teaching block even on this rest day, and nobody in particular minded about me in plain clothes. There was a boy dressed in that nostalgic school uniform passing me by, and he ran down the corridor with his head lowered.

In this place called the school, whether it’s the past or present, there’s no one who would actually abide by the ‘no running down the hallway’ rule.

I suddenly recalled the face of that female teacher who was of similar age to the present me. That face was replaced with an effervescent smile.

Ah, better correct myself here. There’s no such person around. I guess Kozato-sensei’s skipping down the hallway without anyone noticing.

I ascended the stairs, and went to the classroom we were once at. This classroom was completely empty because of the graduation ceremony, but there were traces of our juniors, whose names I knew not of. There were traces of congratulatory words on the blackboard, and the class goals different from our time.

Suddenly, I bumped into a table with some scars on its surface. I guess someone used a penknife to cut the surface while bored or something.

It so happened to be the position of the seat I sat at.

Since it’s a rare opportunity, I sat down. The desk and chair weren’t the ones I used though, so I guess that’s why the scenery before me was different. No, perhaps it’s because there’s nobody sitting around me?

Everything I should have been familiar with looked a little faded. In any case, it’s after the seasons passed that we knew the value of such importance.

The wind blew in through the open windows, causing the curtains to flutter, and the blue of the sky to seep into the deem classroom.

My world had returned to the time I was still a high school student. The teacher reciting the words on the textbook, the ruckus occurring during the breaks, Takuma making fun of me, Akane calling me.

But when the curtains covered the windows again, the dim classroom returned to the future three years later. The illusion vanished, never to be reached.

Time certainly had passed. This was no longer my seat.

I feel so lonely. So I thought. There truly was a memory that I was prone to recalling.

But I no longer am sad about this.

At 21 years old, I knew very well it was the right thing to do.

I laid down on the table, having a nap, but the cellphone in my pocket shook and woke me up. I didn’t check who was the one calling as I moved in the usual manner, receiving the call.

“Pwoahhh～”

“Where are you now? What are you doing?”

Naturally, it’s Takuma.

“Just napping in the classroom.”

“Nice going man.”

“Sorta. You done?”

“Oh, I guess I want to go to the gym before we go back. You coming over?”

“Got it. Let’s meet there.”

“Ui～”

I got up from the chair, and left the classroom. I took one last look at the classroom, ingraining the sight into my mind, and closed the door.

I then arrived at the stairs, descending it one step at a time.

I arrived at the first level, scanned the judo room with the corner of my eye, proceeded ahead and arrived at the gym.

As promised, Takuma was waiting.

“Kept you waiting.”

Takuma opened the door with the key he borrowed from Watanabe-sensei, and a court too big for the two of us appeared.

I was a little emotional thinking how I once stepped onto the court for the graduation ceremony, singing the school anthem and thinking I wouldn’t return to this place. Takuma quickly hurried to the equipment room as though it was his house, and took out two pair of somewhat old sneakers and a basketball. He tossed a pair that was not firmly tied high towards the tall ceiling of the gym, and I caught it, asking him what was going on. The voice quickly echoed in the room.

“Seriously, what now.”

“There are guys who forget to bring their shoes sometimes, so we hid the spares there. Lucky for us, our juniors did the same. Is that size big enough?”

I checked the number on the sole as he told me to, and it so happened to fit my feet.

“Uh, yeah.”

“Really? Good good, let’s play ball.”

“No I’m not playing.”

“Why?”

It felt like he really didn’t understand, but those were the words I wanted to say.

There’s not much of a contest between a guy who only played basketball during gym class, and a guy competing as a club member in high school and university.

“I’ll definitely lose.”

“How about one on one, you attack, Haru. Offense ends when the ball gets stolen. I give you ten chances. For me well…just once is good. The one with most points win.”

“How did you link what I said to this anyway?”

“Loser has to pay for today’s drinks.”

“Pay for today’s drinks? Stop ignoring what I have to say.”

Takuma then seemingly took what he said as final and put on his shoes. Feeling peeved, I did the same. I thought the spare shoes would have been worn out and tattered, but this one was well taken care of. It felt good wearing this pair.

We tied our shoelaces, stood up, and our tiptoed on the floor. The somewhat rigid sound quickly vanished

Takuma began to stretch towards his toes, checking on how his condition was. I too began to stretch, which I hadn’t done in a long while. Soon after, my body began to heat up.

After our warm ups, Takuma threw the orange ball at me. I threw it back, and Takuma threw it back. This check ball signaled the start of our match.

Takuma pulled some distance from me, and waved to taunt me.

I batted the ball onto the court, and it quickly rebounded. The light shone through the ceiling window of the gym. I looked up and saw the sky outside. It’s the spring blue I felt before, our youth. Some might call us immature, but unexpectedly, I didn’t dislike this.

Ah, yeah, I didn’t dislike this.

I took a deep breath, and exhaled hard. Then, in one motion, I charged to the hoop.

Of course, Takuma slid to block my frontal offense. There’s a body length between us, and I kept dribbling while ensuring his hands could not touch.

“You talked so much, but you ended up playing anyway.”

“If I don’t play along, this friend of mine will cry.”

“Ah really? Thanks then. Hah!”

Takuma brushed by my left hand, and reached his long arm towards the ball, so I spun around to break through.

“Ohhh!”

I could hear Takuma’s shocked voice from behind, and I too was shocked. It felt good dribbling past someone. Well done.

Before my eyes was an empty, brand new world. I guess anyone who played basketball had such a feeling, and endured much training to repeat that experience again.

My mind suddenly recalled the falling face of that kid I met the previous day.

But the kid didn’t seem to have such a feeling. More like an earnest wish.

I charged into that empty paradise, slowed down, and with the shoes rubbing friction against the floor, I stopped, jumped, and threw the ball at the hoop.

The ball spun nicely as it gravitated towards the hoop. I clenched my fist in excitement. Good, there’s no way I lose then. Since Takuma had only one chance to attack, he could block the ball another nine times, and the worst case scenario would be a draw.

But that naïve thinking was swatted away by an outstretched arm from behind, along with the basketball. As for whose hand that was, it’s obvious; unless there’s a ghost roaming around, the only other guy on this court was Takuma.

That friend ran after the swatted ball, caught it, and grinned away.

“9 times.”

Before I realized it, I was being all serious.

I was at my best condition during the first round.

Following that was the second, third, fourth…and the longer it kept up, even I knew that my offense was not as sharp. My legs were aching, and my arms were heavy. During my university lessons, I participated in the sports elective, and never actually had other opportunities to exercise. That elective ended in the first half of my first year, so playing basketball this time was a proper exercise after two and a half years.

And most importantly, Takuma had set his distance well after the first round, maintaining an impenetrable defense. I didn’t have much room to shoot.

“You, physical freak.”

I was panting hard, glaring at the nonchalant looking friend.

“Hu hu, I’ll take that as a compliment.”

The eighth offense ended, and the result was still zero. In the blink of an eye, I had two chances left. I really had the urge to punch the me who thought ‘I just need to score once’.

Takuma threw the ball at me. I caught it, and retreated to the three point line. If I didn’t regain a little of my stamina, even the winnable rounds would be unwinnable. So I wanted to buy some time as I spoke to Takuma. I didn’t know if it was useless, but I was shaking. Mental strength has a big impact in sports.

If there’s someone cheering me on, I could have performed better than my usual usuals. If there’s someone I love waiting for me at the finish line, I definitely could finish a 100m sprint in five seconds…wait, that’s impossible.

At the very least, such things could have nudged me forward.. There’s definitely a moment when I could use that.

“Say,Takuma.”

“What? You giving up now?”

“No way man. I just thought of something.”

I thought of the sidelong face of the kid I met the previous day. Takuma raised an eyebrow.

“About why Hotta-san wouldn’t let you work at that company…”

“Don’t talk about that now.”

While Takuma said that and let down his guard, I threw the ball at him. Due to his many years of experience, he instinctively received the ball. I charged forward.

"Ah, hey, that's despicable."

"Don't call it despicable. I'll prefer it if you call it tactics."

I charged towards Takuma in two steps, saw that he reacted instinctively, and shifted my center of gravity elsewhere as planned, breaking through his defenses. Even with his overwhelming physical capabilities, there's no way he's not tired in the slightest. His knees buckled, and he lost balance. Seizing this opportunity, I approached the basket.

A little later, I sensed Takuma giving chase. If I were to shoot at this point, it would be a repeat of my first attempt.

I waited for him to catch up, and held the ball with two hands. Takuma assumed I was about to shoot, and could only jump. I straightened my legs, my soles still stuck to the floor.

"Ah."

Takuma cried. I delayed my movements, and jumped behind Takuma. Everything appeared to be in slo-mo, whether it's the slightly loose laces, Takuma's peeved look, the gym ceiling, the blue skies, and a step further back, the basket I was aiming at. I shot the ball.

"Go!"

My shirt was soaked in sweat before I knew it. My throat was parched. Yet this was the best moment for me.

The orange ball touched the rim, bounced, and tried its best to maintain balance as it swirled a few rounds before landing through the hoop.

"Ah damn it. Got bluffed by such a simple pump fake."

I ignored my groaning friend and started my final offense, but that too got blocked. There's nothing more meaningless than a second miracle. Most importantly, I was out of stamina.

"Now I got two points. You want to continue, Takuma?"

"Of course. Why are you making it sound like you've won?"

We slapped each other on the palm, and switched over. Fuuu, Takuma caught his breath, and threw the ball over. I threw the ball back as Takuma did, but he was so fast, the moment he caught the ball, he shot it as naturally as he breathed.

"Huh?"

I couldn't do anything as I watched the ball fly in an arc, and gravitated through the hoop. It didn't hit the rim, silent and pretty. Once the net shook, time finally returned and began to move.

“Hm, I win.”

Takuma clenched his fist, declaring his win.

“How? Isn’t it a tie?”

“Are you stupid? I shot a three pointer. That’s three points. You got two. The rules say that more points win. So I win.”

“Feels like I saw this scene in a manga or something. Man, that’s low of you. You’ve been aiming for this right all the way, haven’t you?”

“Uhahaha, sorta. Ahhh, good game.”

It seemed his grumbles from before was an act. I didn’t like it, but it’s my loss. Takuma grabbed the bouncing ball beneath the hoop, and slammed it down. That technique was completely different from mine as an amateur.

The ball seemingly came alive in his hands, was sucked back in, and left.

“Oh yeah, Haru. About the penalty for drinks later,”

“Got it. I lost, I lost. I’ll treat today.”

“Ah, not that. You don’t have to pay for drinks. Let’s continue with what we talked about.”

“What we talked about?”

“Ah, you forgot about it completely? Was that just a bluff?”

“So what was that all about?”

“About the reason why Mako wouldn’t let me work there.”

“Ah that.”

I completely forgot.

“Rather than a bluff, I’ll say that I have a thought. Hasn’t Hotta-san been nudging you from behind?”

“Which part did you hear that makes you think so?”

“Hmm, well, I don’t think she’s the type to stop you from moving on just because it’s a waste of talent or something.”

I said as I wondered if he had noticed this. He didn’t know why she did so, sensed that she was acting differently from usual, and escaped back here.

Takuma stopped dribbling, and started spinning it on his fingertip.

“I see. And then?”

“So I was wondering, why would she be opposed? I’m not Hotta-san, so this might not be the correct answer, but I get the feeling she’s nudging you over the last hurdle.”

If Takuma’s thoughts were to be shaken because of Hotta-san’s opposition, he’s going to regret his decision down the road, surely. If he ignores her opposition and insists on going down this road, he might encounter some hardships, but he should be able to keep moving on. If he keeps reaching out to the future as earnestly as the kid’s wishes, then surely—

“Haru, you’ve changed.”

“Have I?”

“You do. But thanks. I feel a lot better.”

“That’s good.”

Our voices echoed clearly in the gym with only us inside, and then vanishing completely.

I drove to Takuma’s house, and dropped him and his bags there. We’re supposed to split and attend a drinking party later that night, but we were earlier than expected. The reason was that Takuma was physically present in the car, but he was spacing out completely. He probably had things to think of, and had someone he wanted to talk to. For that reason, it seemed he wanted to be alone for a while.

“See you tonight.”

“Oh, thanks. Sorry about that.”

“Don’t worry. It’s a small thing.”

I started the car, and in a blink, the guy much taller than me shrank. I could see him waving in the rearview mirror the entire time.

I returned home to find Natsuna glaring back at the oven.

The long black hair tied in a ponytail was swaying left and right, conveying its emotions like a dog’s tail. She hummed away, her voice crisp like a rising oriole. The room was filled with a delightful humming and the sweet scent of sugar.

Until middle middle, my little sister had the personality of a boy. Ever since she joined club activities in high school, she changed completely. It seemed like the excessive energy that had nowhere to go was depleted thanks to her club activities.

So Natsuna became an ordinary high school student, the change in demeanour so sudden it was depressing.

She had more female friends, knew what shame was, and worked hard on cooking and cosmetics. I never exactly talked to her, but she might have a crush.

“Ah, Haru-kun, welcome back～”

And despite that, she showed an innocent smile once she noticed me, one I was most familiar with.

“I’m back. What are you baking?”

“Apple pie. I just saw it on the TV. It looks interesting, so I tried baking one of my own.”

“Heh~sounds good. I want to try it out.”

“Eh? You’re not eating dinner at home tonight, Haru-kun?”

“Yeah. Got a beer party for uni students tonight.”

I took out a milk carton from the fridge, and poured its contents out. The white liquid splashed away, and its level rose in the glass cup. The carton in my right hand was lighter, and the last drop fell onto the surface, causing a ripple.

“Is beer nice to drink?”

Natsuna reached her hand out to me, so I tossed the empty carton over, and she soaked it in water, washed it, and dried it.

“Can’t say. I guess if it’s you, the apple pie might taste a lot better.”

“I think I'll skip that. Do you really want the apple pie?”

"Of course. There's still some time until the beer party. I just exercised, so I'm a little hungry."

I nodded as I gulped down the milk. Once I finished the entire glass, I found myself thirstier than expected.

"Alright. It should be done in another five minutes. I'll get it ready, so go get changed. It's going to be good fresh out of the oven."

"Sounds good."

I placed the glass back at the kitchen, and Natsuna naturally washed the glass. I thanked her, and she waved her hand, staring at the oven as excitedly as she did before.

I heard her continue to hum as I left the living room, and returned to my room.

I had a nice hot shower, returned to the living room, and found Natsuna seated on the sofa, puffing her cheeks, looking furious. I apologized, and sat down next to her.

There’s an apple pie cut in a triangular slice and placed on the glass dining table. Next to it was a serving of vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce on it. Due to the heat from the apple pie next to it, the ice cream melted a little, and it’s probably the reason why Natsuna was fuming.

“I bought the ice cream.”

Natsuna might have misunderstood the intent behind my expression as she said sheepishly.

“No no no, I’m just thinking that it looks good.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. So I’m thinking, let’s tuck in.”

“Yep, itadakimasu.”

“Itadakimasu.”

So we said, and used our forks to stab at the pie, causing a crisp sound. The sweet scent of the pie got richer, and the apple was so soft, glowing golden.

I cut a slice of the pie, and brought it to my mouth. First I tasted the butter, and after chewing twice, thrice, I tasted the sourness of the apple. I might be biased towards family, but I thought it’s tastier than the one sold in the shops.

“Hm, it tastes really good.”

“Great.”

Natsuna saw me eat a mouthful of pie, and took a mouthful too. She chewed it carefully, swallowed, and boasted her own pastry skill.

We sat together, sharing the apple pie as we switched the TV on. It’s a Saturday evening, so there wasn’t any show that really drew our attention. We swapped channels, and finally ended up at the local news section. The reports I saw a few times were visiting unfamiliar towns.

“They look happy.”

“Really? Reporting is a job. It’s tough, isn’t it?”

“No, I’m talking about you. Did something good happen?”

“Eh, I think I can call it a good thing. It’s because you said the pie’s nice, Haru-kun.”

“Just because of this small thing?”

“It’s a small thing, but I’m glad to be praised for putting my effort into something, moreso if it's something I like.”

I took another bite of the apple pie, chewed and swallowed, and called my sister’s name,

“Natsuna.”

“What?”

“It’s really good.”

“Oh.”

“You happy?”

“Very.”

“Then thank me.”

“Thank you for saying my apple pie’s good.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Eh? I’m the one treatin you. Why do I have to thank you?”

“Finally realized it?”

I giggled. Natsuna had the fork in her mouth as she pouted unhappily. At this moment, something happened, like instant karma for me teasing Natsuna.

There was a familiar face on the TV appearing in my eyes, and I was so shocked, I nearly choked on the apple pie. I started coughing, my chest in much pain, and I only manawas thanks to Natsuna frantically patting me on the back, giving me some iced red tea. Even on the brink of death, I stared intently at the TV.

That guy’s hair was short, his beard trimmed, but there remained the hulking body, deep voice, and childish eyes that were sparkling like stars. I could still remember them vividly.

It’s the director.

“Wooooo! I finally did it!”

He’s on the TV, shouting loudly.

“Yo-you alright, Haru-kun?”

Natsuna’s worried voice sounded so vague.

“Director.”

“Eh?”

Natsuna stared at the TV along with me. The words appearing on the screen were :Amateur Movie Producer, recipient of XXXX prize, movie title XXXX, genre XXXX.

Entering my mind were some fragmented messages, and I couldn’t sort them out completely.

The only thing I was certain about was how he was a youth who had immature dreams like a kid, kept pursuing it, and was about to fulfill it.

“Ahahaha!”

I burst out laughing. I was really moved, shivering, and though my little sister was looking at me worriedly like I was a madman, I couldn’t help it. I just burst out laughing; that’s all I could do in this situation, no?

He might have placed his fingers on the starting line, but I was moved to see the director after so many years.

Those that put in hard work reaped their rewards. I really loved such obvious stories.

“Haru-kun, you know him?”

Once I stopped laughing, Natsuna, who knew nothing, asked me while looking terrified. Her expression was really bemusing, so I pinched her little nose. She didn’t seem comfortable with that, since she was struggling, lashing out,

“What are you doing!?”

The news then proceeded to the next section.

It was a brief reunion after many years. The next time I see the director, he will surely be on another stage.

I really wanted to meet the director who stood on that vast stage, not noticing me. I hoped to see his name while strolling around town, seeing the movie posters, or in other media. If it was possible, to whom would I speak of this pride nobody else knew of?

—I have a temporary actor in this film.

So I quietly prayed for that little miracle in my heart.

I left home a little earlier than the agreed time, and went to the park.

Present was a little silhouette sprinting furiously towards the sun. It seemed he didn’t notice me, so I went to a vending machine to purchase a sports drink and a hot cocoa, the latter for myself. I held the cold PET bottle in my right hand, the hot can in my left, and went to the boy, calling his name.

“Oi, Haruto.”

“Eh, ah, woah!!”

Haruto was startled by this, tumbling over. He flailed his arms about to stop himself from falling over, maintaining his balance. His face was a little red, neither because of the sunset, nor that he was holding his breath, and naturally, not that he was bashful. It was the best proof of him working hard alone.

Soon, he heaved a sigh, barely managing to hang on, and smiled, calling my name in a prepubescent voice,

“Segawa Haruyoshi-san.”

“Why the full name?”

“Why, you ask? Hmmm…because you’re older than me?”

This reason was a little ridiculous.

“Well, you can call me Segawa, or Haruyoshi, or if that’s still no good, you can call me Haru. The full name is very long to read, right?”

“Hm…I’ll call you Segawa-san.”

“Why?”

“Well, because my name sounds similar.”

“Hm, I’ll call you by your name then. Your name is?”

“Eh?”

“Hm?”

Haruto stared at me, looking a little stunned, and then,

“Guess I’ll keep it a secret for now. Please call me Haruto for now, Segawa-san.”

He said, looking a little happy.

“Is that good enough?”

“Yep, that’s good enough.”

“I’ll call you that then.”

I said, putting the PET bottle on his red cheek. Startled, he made a girlish shriek,

“Wh-wha-wha-what are you doing!?”

“Encouraging for you from this big brother here, Haruto. Drink up.”

“Really? Thank you.”

It seemed he had forgotten he was teased, as he took the PET bottle quickly, and began drinking.

“Huu…so good.”

“That’s good.”

Haruto drank it down in several gulps, and meekly dropped the bottle into the trash bin. I finished the cocoa, and sat on the bench. Haruto appeared to be at a loss of what to do, but once I patted the seat next to him, he sat down, leaving a human-sized gap between us.

“It hurts seeing you so far from me.”

“I’m covered in sweat after all.”

“I don’t mind.”

“I do. Very.”

I cautiously focused on my nose, making sure Haruto wouldn’t notice that I was being sensitive. There’s a scent of ‘spring’ becoming richer on this spring day that was becoming warmer. Of course, I didn’t smell any sweat.

“St-stop smelling!”

“You found.”

“Are you a weirdo, Segawa-san?”

“What are you saying? It’s the first time anyone has said this about me.”

“I told you not to smell, and you’re smelling my sweat.”

Haruto gave an utterly disgusted look.

“Sorry. Didn’t think you’ll hate it. I won’t do that again.”

“You swear?”

“I swear.”

“I forgive you.”

“I shouldn’t be the one saying this, but you should learn to doubt others a little.”

“Well, you’re a weirdo, Segawa-san, but you aren’t a bad person. I’m a kid, but I can still tell.”

He grinned.

“I see. You’re an honest kid, Haruto. I’m an adult, I can tell.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“If that’s true, that’s great.”

“Say, Haruto?”

“What?”

The swing continued to swing, the see-saw heaving up and down, the anonymous butterflies flying over the flowers. I watched these silently, and after some time, I voiced out the doubt I had,

“Why are you running so hard?”

“Eh?”

“Is there a reason?”

“You can tell?”

“Well, sorta. I experienced such things before.”

Haruto looked hesitant to talk, wondering if he should. I silently waited. The minute hand of the park just passed 5pm. My meetup with Takuma was at 7pm, so there’s still some time.

Soon after, Haruto hopped off the bench. His toes touched the ground, and he stood firmly, but his legs were wobbly. He turned towards me, looking troubled, teary, yet putting on a forced smile. It was a strange sight.

“Segawa-san, have you experienced being alone?”

There was a little shadow formed behind Haruto, by the sun shining upon him. His shadow remained lonely over there, not tied to anyone. I had a thought, and answered honestly,

“…Nope.”

“Really, that’s good. I experienced that. About a year ago, the friends I got along well with suddenly stopped playing with me. I know the reason, but I can’t solve it. I still want to be with them though, so I imitated everyone, but I couldn’t get along with them. So I end up all alone.”

What Haruto spoke of was a common situation of people becoming alone. To him, this might be more unbearable than the apocalypse. I casually gauged Haruto’s mood, and because of this, I couldn’t just console him.

I was thinking, it would be great if the world was simpler.

If only reality was a video game, where a kind spell could heal all wounds.

“But I got a chance. They say if I want to join them, I’ll have to run a 100m race against him. If I win, I get to join them. This is the reason why I’m running.”

Ah, but I guess this is the reason. There’s no such spell on this world, and that’s why the boy kept running, baring his fangs to the world, resisting, working hard with his trembling legs, slender, fragile limbs.

“That’s cool, Haruto. Real cool.”

I stood up, messily ruffling Haruto’s head.

“Woah. What are you doing!?”

Haruto grumbled, but looked a little happy, frowning a lot less before. Nevertheless, it didn’t mean something was settled.

It’s one thing if he won, but if he lost—

A confused Haruto looked at my hand that stopped, and grabbed my hand with his little hand. Our shadows overlapped.

“I hate being alone. I’m scared about that. I’ll feel a lot better if I die.”

Then, Haruto lifted his head.

I was the one who started this conversation, but I couldn’t find anything to say to him. I guess my expression was weird. I should be the one encouraging him, but it’s him, the suffering one, who was worried about me.

“I was joking.”

So he said in a tone that implied otherwise.

Haruto and I went our separate ways, and I walked alone.

The day was long, yet to be dark. The world remained engulfed in light.

I arrived near the station, and even though it’s not time yet, I took a long route to the bar we’re supposed to meet at.

“I hate being alone.” The boy’s voice continued to echo in my ears, never fading. I felt conflicted, sickened. My emotions were out of control, fluctuating irrational, not caring that I might be hurting myself.

“Hate being alone…”

I muttered to myself, and suddenly thought of something.

Why did I answer so? No, what prompted me to answer?

“Segawa-san, have you experienced being alone?”

“…Nope.”

Isn’t it weird? I’m alone, always alone, but never lonely. I was never truly lonely. There’s no way I couldn’t have anyone accompany me all the time.

Before I knew it, I walked too far past the bar.

“Let’s go back.”

I called out, lifted my head, and found a white cat before me. It's a kitten, small in size, and had blue eyes. I looked into those blue eyes, and soon after, it turned away, not even purring. For some reason however, I got a feeling it was calling me along. The white cat never looked back, as though knowing I would follow along.

Cats aren't really anything special to me. I don't really like cats. White cats in particular however left a little scar in my heart, one I can't say could be called a memory.

The white cat sauntered into the shopping arcade, so I hurriedly gave chase. The uncle at the fish shop called for it, and it splendidly ignored him. That uncle however wasn't angry, and instead was impressed, as though thinking that stray cats should behave this way.

"If ya hungry, come look for me."

I couldn't understand cat language, but the cat finally purred.

It's been a while since I came to the shopping arcade. It felt so distant from me ever since I started driving.

I saw the bookstore I shopped at a few times. It's a small one, didn't have much stocks, but had books other bookstores wouldn't have, so I would occasionally visit.

And then there's the Antiquarian bookstore I read books at for free. The uncle's still reading a book, as usual.

There was the taiyaki-selling granny I occasionally visited after school, chatting with a customer. I remembered buying one back then, custard cream flavor. The sweetness of that taiyaki remained memorable.

Then, I followed the white cat to a building I never saw before. It purred, as though saying this was the end.

I stopped in my tracks.

This used to be an empty space.

I once buried a white cat here.

At 14 years old, I faced death for the first time, and this was the only thing I could do.

If only,

I didn't know if this assumption had meaning, but if that cat didn't die, what could I have done for it. Could I have saved that white cat from its loneliness?

The boy's voice continued to ring in my ears.

“I hate being alone. I’m scared about that. I’ll feel a lot better if I die.”

Ah, yes.

It's frustrating to be alone.

I didn't know when exactly did I become such a person. But starting from a certain moment, my heart would ache whenever I saw a lonely one. I spoke to Haruto because I could sense the loneliness from his sidelong face.

It's completely unrelated, but my mind suddenly recalled Takuma's voice,

"Probably having the same thoughts as a middle school kid there, wondering what you want to do in life, right?"

What I want to do.

What I could do.

What would that be?

There's an unspeakable feeling giving me the urge to yell. Once I relax, it would tear through my body from within, gnawing through my organs, bones and skin, breaking into the outside world.

But as an adult, I knew it was pointless to do that. Thus, I looked up at the sky.

The night stars started to poke out. At this point, I couldn't see all the spring stars. I sought out the α Boötis, Arcturus. The Polynesians once used that start as their guiding beacon, leading them to Hawaii, and it was called the Hōkūleʻa, Star of Gladness.

Could Haruto and I arrive at a certain place? Would the Star of Gladness shine upon us? My eyes had yet to capture that orange light.

Before I knew it, the white cat had vanished.

I arrived at the bar about 30 minutes late, and found 2 empty bear mugs on the table. I lowered my friend, whose face remained unchanged, in apology.

"Sorry for being late."

"It's fine. These two are on you."

Saying that, Takuma waved a hand, ordering another glass. I too ordered the same.

A minute later, the cold beer was served to us, so we brought our glasses together, giving the usual cheers,

""Cheers!""

I gulped down half the beer, giving a hearty voice before slamming the glass back onto the table. The beer shook, and so did the bubbles. I could sense the alcohol moving all over my body.

"What dishes did you order?"

"Hm? Edamame and broth broiled eggs, stir fried beansprouts, takowasa, and then six different kinds of sashimi. I wanted to order meat once you showed up. Anything you don't eat?"

"Anything except for konjac."

"That's weird. Konjac's nice."

"I just hate the feeling."

We started chatting away like it was during the day, talking about things that we would forget once we woke up. Once we leave the shop, we might forget what we talk about, and the next time we show up, we'll talk about the same things.

After drinking for an hour or so, Takuma, who could hold his liquor, switched from beer to Japanese wine. I just took a cup with him, and the rich aroma of the wine stung at my nose.

I had a gulp, and the liquid slipped past my tongue, entering my throat, causing my body to heat up. Hey, can you take another? Takuma chirped, so I played along and brought my empty cup. He tried to get me drunk as he poured another cup of clear liquid.

Right when I was about to drink the second cup, I heard a voice from the neighboring table.

There were partitions between the seats, but I could hear the neighboring conversation as it was too thin. We shouldn't be eavesdropping. It's basic etiquette, but I heard of a familiar name, so naturally, I responded. So I quietly made up such an excuse for myself.

Takuma didn't speak up, instead checking with me using his eyes. I grinned back, and finished my half glass as response. We quiet down, eavesdropping on the neighboring conversation.

"Ahh, never thought this onee-san has the chance to come to a bar with you, Matsuu. I'm moved."

"Eh, erm, actually, I still can't drink beer."

"Eh, really?"

"Yes, I'm only 20 in June. Sorry, Miya-senpai."

"Ah, don't worry. It's stupid making a fuss out of it. But you're right, I'm 20 now. Hmm, we should have gone to a trendy restaurant."

"No, it's fine. I do like such a place. And…"

And the girl called Matsuu, maybe the junior, exhaled, making it feel like she's going to confess or something.

"Rindou-senpai and Miya-senpai are my benefactors. I'm happy to be with you."

"Well, I can understand if it's Akane-senpai, but why me?"

"It's thanks to you two. Three years ago, you lowered your head to Rindou-senpai with me, and I was able to keep swimming back then. I intend to continue swimming."

Speaking of Akane Rindou, her fame in the swimming world was no longer limited to our town, but the entire country. She became an Olympic candidate, and coupled with her cheery disposition and appearance, her popularity had increased. She's appearing in news, and sometimes, even on variety TV. Her light was no inferior to the models, idols or actresses, but it didn't mean that she changed.

Ever since she was in high school, I found her dazzling. It's just that her dazzling light was discovered by many. That's all.

However, that alone made me really happy.

"Ehehe. Well, let's take it as that. It's awkward hearing this from a junior who made it to the Nationals. Ahh, but I feel redeemed hearing these words. Our batch didn't have a talent like Akane-senpai or Matsuu. That's why we're called the 'failed generation'."

"But those are the words of those who don't understand anything. You don't have to care about that. Rindou-senpai and I are really grateful for you, Miya-senpai. Really. Ah, why are you giving me such a doubting look? We started chatting lots about you recently during our mealtimes after training. Eh, why are you starting to cry? The beer? Maybe you should stop drinking? Ah, I see. Drink a little more. I'll have some orange juice. Eh, understood. If you say so, I'll drink some ginger ale. It's a little spicy for me, but I'll do my best for you, Miya-senpai. Ah, sorry. Please give us one more beer and ginger ale. Yes, thank you."

Soon after, we heard snivelling and giggles from the table next to us. It sounded like they were our high school juniors. We would cheer on Akane during her races, so maybe I had seen them before. Of course, we're not going to check on their appearances.

Before I knew it, Takuma was already pouring one out for myself, so I snatched some for myself.

Finally, Takuma's face turned as red as me. His slightly empty eyes were showing my face, and I got a feeling he's drunk. Takuma and I were both drunk.

And it might for this reason, Takuma said such things,

"Hey, you didn't go dating with Akane during high school?"

How did it go anyway, so he continued, but his voice couldn't overcome the noise in the the shop. He suppressed his volume to a level only I could hear.

"Why ask this out of a sudden?"

"It's not really sudden. I already asked you that. You know this very well."

"Eh, well, it's too sudden to ask this."

I chuckled back, and Takuma exhaled a hot breath full of alcohol."

"To be honest, it's because of the conversation next to me. I thought I should just ask, while we're drunk."

"While we're drunk, huh?"

"You get it, don't you. It's meaningless when it's just guys gathered together, but we're all curious. You guys are important friends to me, you know?"

"I know. I feel the same about you. What we feel about Akane's definitely the same, same goes for the juniors next table. How about we just go 1, 2, 3 and say it out loud?"

Eh, seemed like we're more drunk than we thought, since we're able to say something so embarrassing like 'important friends'.

It's another matter if I were to say this to a girl at a special place, but we're good friends who knew each other since middle school, and we're in an ordinary bar.

The noise in the shop suddenly felt like it had weight, surrounding us. The voices of all genders and ages mixed around, but it didn't feel dirty. It's like there's a marble floor separating us.

"Eh, but, Akane only acts like a brother around us, and a girl before you. You couldn't not have noticed that, right?"

He struck me where it hurt. To be honest, I didn't notice her feelings at all, I didn't have the delicacy. It was only when she brought me to the empty classroom after school that I realized. I was immature and ull, and until the very end of the end, I could only hurt Akane.

I recalled in my mind, the classroom scene, Akane's expression. Our conversation and the feelings I had remained unchanged. It's just admiration, not love, that's all.

"Hm, but Takuma. I think I fell for someone else back then."

“That’s the first time I heard of this. You got someone else you like?”

“I guess so.”

“It’s like…you said it as though it has nothing to do with you.”

“That was Akane’s instinct though.”

“What the hell is that?”

“Who knows?”

Takuma frowned upon hearing that. He seemed a little angry. Eh, no? Befuddled? He emptied the glass, ordered another glass, drank up and ate the sashimi. Over this entire time, he was scowling.

“I don’t understand what are you talking about.”

Takuma downed a piece of sashimi and slammed the table. The shock caused the wine in the glass to shake. Then, he suddenly frisked out his phone, and made a call. It connected after a few tones, and in a drunken tone, he said,

"Yo, it's been a while. You alright there? Eh? It's only been two weeks? That's long for me. Hm, right. Guhahaha, I'm drunk. Don't be so merciless. Aren't we good friends? Ah, yeah. Mako wants to go out drinking with you again. Yeah. Call her next time. I'll handle the rest."

Takuma then looked over towards me. I silently ate the fatty tuna he left until the very end, and he looked utterly devastated, but I ignored him. Once I heard the voice coming from his phone, I knew what he was planning. It's just me making a compromise.

"I'm out drinking with that guy. Will have him say a few words with you."

Once the phone left Takuma's ear, Eh, who's that guy? I could hear that voice. It's a voice I'm very familiar with.

Takuma handed over the red phone to me, his eyes were clearly saying, don't you dare run away now. You just ate my fatty tuna.

The last time we met was probably during our class reunion half a year ago, last year. I would see her on TV from time to time, so I didn't feel really nostalgic. I swallowed the fatty tuna meat.

"Hello?"

I grabbed the phone, and greeted. Huh, Haru? And there was a very familiar girl's voice, my good friend Akane Rindou. Her voice was filled with shock and delight.

"Yo, it's been a while."

"Eh, how? You're in Tokyo now, Haru?"

"No way. I just came back home with Takuma. It's spring break now."

"Ahh, I see. Too bad, I want to see you too."

Akane sounded like she really wanted to see me, and I was really happy, but I did my best to swallow back the 'I want to see you too' words, since it's too sickeningly sweet.

Instead, I changed the topic with the words, speaking of which.

"I see you often on TV. That's amazing."

"I'm not. I'm just working hard."

"No. I'm saying you're amazing at this."

"...A long time ago, probably in middle school, the guy I liked once said that he hoped for me to charge forward with all my might. That's why I'm working hard."

"Ugh, about that."

"Sorry sorry. Just want to tease you."

"I'm serious. Apologize now."

"That's why I'm saying I'm sorry."

Akane laughed, and so did I.

Takuma happily stared at us. What? So I gave him that look, nah, it's nothing, and he shook his head.

After that, we chatted about some other topics, about our common friends, when we are returning to our hometown, and the next time we're going drinking together.

After that, I tried talking about the elementary school kid I met days ago, the sidelong face working hard, the loneliness he had, and what I wanted to do for him.

But could I really help him? What could I have done for him? I was really troubled, but I just couldn't take the next step. Ehh, I just felt that I was grumbling, embarrassingly enough for me. It's no wonder Akane replied such.

Once she heard my words, "Are you an idiot?" she chuckled,

"I can't deny that."

"Yeah. Why are you the one hesitating? The one troubled is the kid, right? Buck up. It's your responsibility."

"That's an exaggeration."

"It really isn't. Since you took the first step, it's your responsibility. Relax, I know that you're someone who'll help others really well. I was once helped by you, and I got the strength to move forward. The vocal support you gave me has been, and is still my motivation."

"Akane."

"What?"

"Are you drunk?"

I was embarrassed, and tried to pass it off as a joke. My face was so hot. Thankfully, Takuma said that he was going to the toilet, so I was grateful for some alone time. It's not because of the alcohol. I was drunk on something more important. It's because of this that I didn't want others to see how useless I looked.

"I'm, not, drinking. Seriously. It's rare to hear you actually discuss something with me for real, and that's why I'm being serious here. How rude."

Akane didn't really sound angry when she said this. It seemed she knew I was trying to hide my own embarrassment, but despite that, she's not going to respond jokingly like this. Yeah, Akane Rindou's such an outstanding person.

That's why I respected her. It's nothing to do with like or dislike.

It might not be what Akane had hoped for, but I preferred to watch her from far behind, than to walk alongside her.

"Thank you."

"Huhu. Don't be so courteous now."

"I'll try that."

"Yep, just do that, Haru. If you want to support him, do it. Cheer him on, give him a nudge in the back. People can move forward easily, just like this. Ah yes, I'll try cheering up the timid Haru then."

So Akane said,

"I'll do my best. No, I'm doing my best now."

I recalled the old Akane, back when she was in middle school, wearing the school swimsuit, looking a lot smaller than before, dazzling in the light. Each droplet falling from her was a blob of light.

She raised her fist, looking a little bashful, but smiling brightly like the sun.

--Do your best too, Haru.

So I responded.

"Ah, I see."

Akane said that my voice gives her strength, but this shouldn't be the case. At this point, I realized that I too received strength.

"What?'

"Well, I just feel that I'm able to work hard now."

"Right?"

The Akane Rindou I could think of was giving a red, but gleeful face. Even though the silhouette was younger than she presently was, they were giving the same light.

It’s really great that I got to meet Akane and become friends.

But despite being drunk, I couldn’t spit it out.

The next day, Haruto was at the park, as expected, sprinting as usual.

Unlike the usual, he noticed me before I spoke to him. He kept moving his little body towards me, not hiding his delight in the slightest.

“Morning, Segawa-san. You’re early today.”

“Morning, Haruto. You knew I would be coming?”

“Actually, I was thinking that it’s great if you’re here..”

His expression softened, his nimble eyes curling into crescents as he showed a smile befitting his age. I guess it’s because of his honesty. Once he ran to me, he tilted his head, looking confused.

“Why are you wearing a sweatshirt?”

“Hm? Just want to train with you today. Ah, actually, to work hard with you. I was on the track team in middle school. I think I can teach you a few tricks.”

“Really?”

“Yep. Let’s work hard and win together.”

“…Can I?”

This time, I nodded firmly, answering,

“Of course.”

“Please guide me well.”

We made fistbumps, and despite the differences in size and shape, it’s as we promised. Nevertheless, reality’s not manga, and there’s no way to level up in mere days. It seemed Haruto understood very well, and kept practicing the starts.

“Well, Taiki…eh…Taiki’s the friend who want to race me. My 100m time’s about the same as him, but when we start, he always pulls away from me, and I just couldn’t beat him. If possible, please teach me how to perfect my starts…”

It seemed there was a reason why he was practicing his starts.

I demonstrated to Haruto, teaching him things like: not to raise the upper body immediately after starting, but to lower oneself, and stare at the ground, to wave the arms fully when running, and take large strides. He’s not used to starting from low positions, and stumbled over a few times running out. His exposed cheeks were cut a few times, bleeding. He frowned, looking in pain. But whenever I panicked and went forward, he stood on his own strength, and smiled saying he was fine. He would then put his hands on the ground, lifting his head towards the front. I would stop to watch.

“Ready!”

I clapped hard. Haruto was startled for a moment before running. The start was decent, but the response was slow.

“Still too slow.”

“Hm, it feels like I’m thinking of so many things. What do you think of when you run, Segawa-san?”

“Me? Well…”

I recalled the day that was so distant in the past, and put my fingers on the ground, something I had not done in a long while.

The older I was, the taller I got, and my distance to the ground instance. I was no longer like the current Haruto, not running without restraint, not falling over. It’s been a while since I touched the ground like this. The moment I exerted strength into my fingers, my fingertips were as red as that day.

I suddenly looked to the front, and the vision I had changed from the park to the track of my middle school. The season changed from spring to summer, the hot air, the smell of dirt, the strikingly blue sky, the clouds piled together. What was I thinking of back then? What did I see?

The silhouette of the one I called friend? Or something else?

All I could remember was the emptiness in the future (front) I could see. But…

“————wa-san,Segawa-san. What’s wrong? You alright? Did I say anything weird?”

“Eh? Ah, I’m fine. Sorry to make you worry.”

I apologized, stood up, waving my hand to dust off the dirt on my fingers. The season’s back to spring.

“What was I thinking? I guess I wasn’t.”

“it’s better not to think?”

“Ye…”

I wanted to say, yeah, but I shook my head, because I didn’t think that was the case. I didn’t do that, that there was a goal at the very end, a target there, for me to be motivated. A person can only improve when the heart yearns to be faster. I slapped my cheeks hard to pull myself together, and felt completely awake immediately. Haruto looked up at me in shock, and I smiled, “Right, I’ll take back what I just said. What do you like to eat? What are you craving for now?”

“Why ask this now? I do like lots of food, but I really want to eat ice cream now.”

“Once you nail that perfect start, I’ll buy some ice cream for you.”

“Really?”

“I don’t lie.”

“Great, we got a deal. Let’s start. Hurry.”

It’s opportunistic of Haruto, who was finally motivated. He looked forward with the most serious eyes till now, and from his sidelong face, I could tell his focus was completely different from before. Ah, it’s fine now. He’ll be able to start running.

“Ready!”

Haruto tensed his body, getting ready to start.

“Run!”

On my mark, he shot out like a bullet. His diminutive body gently sprinted into the embrace of spring.

Finally, I brought Haruto out for ice cream. We went to the convenience store I would visit countless times on the way home after my middle school club activities. Some things have changed, but some haven’t. The mood here was like before, and I felt relieved as I went to the ice cream stand.

“Just choose whatever you like.”

“Hmm…”

Haruto brooded, folding his arms and groaning for five minutes or so.

It’s obvious however that he was looking at the cup ice cream that’s about 100 yen more expensive than the others. He’s probably trying to be kind, even though he didn’t have to worry about how much it is. So I asked,

“Strawberry, match, vanilla, rum and raisin, which one you’ll like?”

“Hmm…strawberry.”

“Got it.”

I spent 300 yen for two cups of ice cream, one strawberry, and one rum and raisin for myself.

“I said to choose whatever you want, but you mind sharing this with today?”

“Eh? But isn’t that expensive?”

“Well, I’m asking you because I want to share. Can I?”

“Of course.”

We paid, and sat at the parking lots, opening the lids. Haruto scooped a small spoonful, and brought it to his mouth, happily calling it delicious. I watched on as I too began to eat.

Haruto then continued to enjoy the ice cream, but at the last two mouthfuls, he stopped. I in turn had a completely empty cup.

“Segawa-san, hear me out. Actually, I’m fine with whatever ice cream, but I’m just happy to be able to eat with someone. My dad left, so my mom’s always busy, often not at home, and I often ate alone. I could take this because I still had friends at school, and we ate together. We could play together until night after school. I just have fun, and I didn’t feel sad. That’s why I’m sad and lonely now, but I feel happy these days with you around, Segawa-san. I even get to have some ice cream. So, thanks."

Haruto said, and slowly brought the last two mouthfuls to his mouth, hiding his embarrassment. He took it to his mouth, cherishing this sweet time, but time would ultimately pass.

“I’m done.”

Haruto said, still looking a little lonely. I wanted to talk to him, ease some of his loneliness. There was a silhouette overlooking us, blocking the sun. I lifted my head to see three boys of similar age to Haruto, who called out a boy’s name,

“Ah,Taiki.”

The tall boy standing in the middle of the trio was Taiki. He’s probably 5cm taller than Haruto, and as the cap on his head was worn really low, it’s hard to tell what expression he was giving, but he looked a little gaudy. The other two behind him were looking the same. Those three looked like they were deliberating over whether they should hide the facts.

“What are you doing here?”

“Practicing. I’ll definitely beat you.”

“That’s impossible now, alright? Just give up.”

“I’m not giving up. I still want to hang out with you guys.”

For some reason, Taiki looked hurt hearing these words. According to what I heard from Haruto, I had assumed if he was being bullied, but it seemed there was some internal issue going on.

So, on whose side shall I stand by? I tried to stand up, but Haruto grabbed my hem, so I sat back next to him. I felt a shiver from the shirt being tugged at.

It seemed this was the moment Taiki noticed me. And he glared at me.

“Who are you?”

“Haruto’s coach, sorta? Say, can’t you guys just hang out together like before?”

“Like hell that’s happening. This one’s different from us.”

“You all don’t look so different.”

“Shut up, you outsider. You don’t know anything.”

Taiki’s attitude towards his classmate Haruto was completely different; he was defiant towards me. It was Haruto who was coaxing him.

“Taiki.”

“Wh-what!?”

“Apologize to Segawa-san. You’re too rude.”

With Haruto glaring at him, Taiki went silent. Something’s not right here, but I didn’t know what it was.

“Damn it!”

Taiki, who was being glared at the entire time, cussed away, and brought his two lackeys away from the convenience store. He didn’t apologize to me; instead, he glared furiously.

The trio then vanished among the crowd. Once they were completely gone, Haruto lowered his cute head, and apologized to me.

"Sorry Segawa-san."

"Why are you apologizing, Haruto? You didn't do anything bad."

I patted him on the head as encouragement, since he was so dejected. It seemed to cause a tickle.

"Anyway, that kid called Taiki isn't very popular with the girls, right? Unlike our Haruto here."

"What do you mean, our Haruto? The girls hate me too, since I'm like this, and only play with Taiki and the others."

"I don't find anything weird about this. You enjoy being with them, right? Isn't that good enough?"

"Well, I think so, but the girls and the teachers say it's weird. Ahh, you don't have to show such a face. I just need to win, and then I can play with them. Don't worry. More importantly, you're popular with the girls, aren't you, Segawa-san?"

"Well, not exactly."

To be honest, up till this point, there's only one girl who liked me. No, probably two.

There's the classmate who confessed to me, and another who didn't say anything, didn't identify herself, and just delivered chocolates into my postbox. These two memories were full of the presence of spring, and all that I had.

"Oh, I see."

"Hey, why are you so happy?"

"I'm not."

Haruto grinned, and stood up with much vigor again, stretching again. The sunset shone upon his little body, causing him to dazzle.

"Hey, Segawa-san. If I win, please give me a reward. I'll be able to have a perfect start, just like today."

"Okay. As long as it's within my capability."

"Really? It's a promise then. You break it, and you're a liar."

"Don't worry. Didn't I say I won't break a promise?"

So we promised using our pinkies. As we did so, we shouted like little kids.

Twisty twist, if we break it,

It seemed the pinky touching mine was a little hot.

The day of the showdown was pretty warm.

Right when I could see the elementary school I graduated from, my smartphone vibrated. I frisked my phone out, and it showed my good friend's name. I looked up at the sakura that had already bloomed before I knew it, and stopped in my tracks.

"Yo, you free now?"

"For a moment, yeah. I got a contest coming up."

Ahhh, it seemed Takuma understood immediately as he muttered, it's about the kid you talked about.

"I don't think I can disturb you for long then. I'll keep it brief. I'm returning to Tojyo, and I'm going to talk it out with Mako."

"So you made up your mind?"

A bunch of elementary school kids came running, brushing me by. They sounded really happy, and it would be great if Haruto could join them.

"Not exactly. Yep, I decided where I'm going, just lacking the determination. I'll just sit down and talk it out with her; hope that she'll understand."

"Understand what? That you won't regret it?"

"No, I can't guarantee that I won't regret it. Either way, I can't be certain of the future no matter what my choice is."

"Say, are you really listening to me? Hotta-san didn't want you to regret…"

"That's why I want her to understand. I may regret it, but I hope for her to be with me. I just feel that as long as I'm with her, I'll be able to keep working hard."

"...Why does it sound like you're proposing to her?"

"Too early?"

"What, you intend too?"

"I think it's more like a practice before I propose."

"That sounds better."

Ahh, I guess it's fine to bless him a little on this comfy spring day.

It's the perfect day to move forward.

"Ah but if you fail, we're going drinking. I asked Akane out."

"Of course. You guys will treat me, right?"

"That's a different matter altogether."

"Tch, that's petty."

We laughed. Takuma might have been feeling uneasy, since he notified me that he was returning to Tokyo, and I took the opportunity to nudge him on.

After this brief conversation, he hung up, and the black screen was his answer. I gripped the phone hard, and walked on. Like Takuma, I didn't know where exactly I was going, but I decided to move on.

In any case, to the elementary school grounds. I took a firm step forward, all to encourage the kid who had been training hard on sprinting.

I slipped into the elementary school through the back door. The gym and the playground had changed in appearance, but what was left remained nostalgic. The bar that seemed so tall in the past could be reached without stretching. The black bar was a little hot, and I reeled my fingers back in.

Haruto saw me, and heaved a sigh of relief. Instead, it was Taiki and the others glaring at me.

"Why are you here?"

"I asked him to."

"But he's an outsider."

Haruto approached me, and tugged at the hem of my shirt like usual. Taiki's glare intensified once he saw that.

"I hate you."

So I grinned back, responding,

"Now that's a coincidence, I don't like you at all but it seems Haruto wants to play with you lot. So then, please keep to the promise."

I lowered my head at them as I said so. It seemed I was an adult to Taiki and the others, so my action was a little surprising. "We-well, unless I win." It seemed I got him to honor the promise. My presence at this place finally had meaning.

I nudged Haruto in the back while the latter was looking up at me worriedly. Haruto's really light, and stumbled a few steps forward, and that silhouette, having received some encouragement, stood at the starting line without looking back.

I stood at the finishing line along with Taiki's two lackeys. They're short, and looked even smaller from here. Do your best, Haruto, so I muttered in my heart.

The two got to the starting line, and positioned themselves to run.

"Ready~"

The boy next to me shouted. Despite the distance from them, I could sense their tension reaching me.

"Start!"

Both of them sprinted in unison. Haruto's start was perfect; as practised, Haruto didn't lift the upper body immediately, only lifting it once he sped up. But his expression showed him crumbling. He saw Taiki before him, and though they ran at the same time, Taiki's acceleration was faster.

The minor difference was about 50cm wide, the distance Haruto had to reach out and cover.

But Haruto didn't give up. He's about to cry, and was suffering, but he gritted his teeth and continued running. He waved his arms, stretching his leg forward, trying his best to catch up to Taiki. Despite that, the gap didn't shrink, and it caused despair to appear on Haruto's face.

Despair truly has its own weight.

It causes people to feel heavy and unbearable, an increased urge to lower the head further.

Haruto's eyes were looking further down.

Ahh, no.

He couldn't do this.

The only way he's going to run was by looking forward.

The only way he's going to reach was by looking forward.

I knew that very well.

Was there no other way?

What could I, who had experienced that summer, do for Haruto?

At this moment, there was a chilly gust of winter air.

That breeze had me taking a step forward, nudging me forward.

Akane said that I just needed to voice out, to cheer him on.

I took a step forward.

Before I knew it, I was standing behind the finishing line.

I took a deep breath, and inhaled hard, causing my expanded lungs to hurt. I poured all my emotions in, and yelled towards the boy who was working hard alone.

For I wanted to tell him that he was not alone,

"HARUTOOOO!! LIFT UP YOUR HEAD!!!!!"

Haruto noticed me shouting, and lifted his head as told. The bangs pressed down by the wind fluttered up, and once he did, there was nothing blocking his sight, the spring skies and my silhouette appearing in his large eyes.

Haruto then showed a stunned look,

"LOOK FORWARD!!!"

He smiled.

Ah yes.

His smile had me realizing something,

"I'M HERE!!"

That summer, I definitely…

Did show such a face, smiling as I ran towards the future. Even though it felt hollow, I never regretted that moment. I might have grabbed something with that hand of mine.

The hard work I put in might have paid off.

My throat hurt.

I didn't know how long it was since I shouted like this.

My voice would crack, and it was embarrassing.

But I kept yelling.

I opened my arms wide.

"CHARGE AT ME!!"

Haruto sped up. Taiki panicked and tried to speed up, but Haruto was faster, for Haruto was no longer looking at Taiki.

He was looking further beyond.

He took a first step forward, and a faster second step.

And finally, he gathered strength in his feet, leaping forward as I told him to.

"Oof."

I fell backwards due to the massive impact, but I caught Haruto in my clutches, making sure he didn't get hurt. At that moment, I scented upon a weak but distinct scent of spring.

I fell to the ground, and saw a spring day brighter than that summer day.

"Ow."

My back hit the ground, and was aching away. Haruto was sprawled on my stomach, leaning on my chest, cupping my neck with his hands. He widened his eyes, and found us so close, our noses were about to touch.

“Woahhh, sorry!”

Haruto was flushed red, and hastily moved away from me.

“You don’t have to worry about that. More importantly…”

“Eh?”

“Congrats.”

“Eh? Eh?”

Haruto continued to blush, looking left and right, the thoughts unable to catch up to reality, so I kindly informed him,

“You win.”

This is the place we worked hard to arrive at.

Where no person would remain alone.

### 019. Epilogue: Life Goes On

Encounters and farewells happen over and over again, yet we continue to head towards tomorrow.

And at the same time, we pray that someday, somewhere, we will meet that unfamiliar yet nostalgic smile again.

❀︎

We met at the same old park.

After the race ended yesterday, Haruto told me to meet at a certain time, but I arrived a little earlier.

It is a clear spring, white clouds floating in the blue skies.

The spring sun engulfs the world gently.

The white flowers were beaming on the branches, their iris redder than before. I read in a few books that the sakura flowers turning pink signified that is was wilting. I was ashamed to say that the moment I reached out to touch it with my fingers, a petal fluttered away.

“Ah, Segawa-san, you’re early. Did I keep you waiting?”

“Ah, it’s fine. Eh?”

I heard the voice I was completely familiar with, and looked over to find a girl I had never met before.

She was not wearing a shirt, the long bangs were tied up by a clip. Most surprisingly was the fact that she was wearing a dress. I remembered her voice, and her face seemed familiar on a closer look. Typically, I would have asked for her name. But what I said was,

“You tied your bangs.”

“Nn. I think I can lift my head and walk without covering the front. That’s why I came to see you like this, Segawa-san, this is the real me (boku), no, me (watashi).”

Haruto was a little tentative, giving a bashful smile.

At that moment, many things clicked within me.

Haruto once said, “I guess it started a year ago. My good friends just stopped playing with me out of a sudden. I know why, but I can’t solve this. I really want to play with them, so I tried imitating them, but it didn’t work.”

Whenever Haruto and I were together, Taiki would scowl.

“This one’s different from us.”

“Shut up, you outsider. You don’t know anything.”

I chuckled. Seriously? That’s how it is?

“Ehhh, what? A-am I weird?”

“Ah, sorry, that’s not it. You aren’t weird at all.”

Haruto and I did not know, and now, Haruto’s the only one who did not know Yeah. I was an outsider, and I knew nothing. It’s cruel, but it’s reasonable why Taiki would be glaring at me. He must have liked the girl Haruto, and that’s why they couldn’t remain as friends.

“Right, mind apologizing to Taiki for me? Just say sorry.”

“Wh-what do you mean?”

“He’ll understand once you tell him.”

“Really?”

Haruto tilted her head in confusion.

The fluffy hair gently grazed her white cheek.

“Nn. Let’s finish what we set out to do quickly. What do you want me to do, Haruto?”

Haruto won her contest.

So now I have to fulfill my side of the bargain.

“Ah, that? Actually, erm,”

“Hm?”

“Hm…this is for you. I’ve written my wish.”

Haruto fidgeted, handing over a pink paper. I received it, and had a look. It looked like a bookmark, but there was a line of words on the back,

“Come look for me. Call my name."

There were cute, round, girlish words.

Just as its color would imply, the pink ‘wish’ gave a faint sakura smell. I guess it’s no bookmark, but a magpie bridge for Vega and Altair to meet and cross the heavenly river together.

“Please be my friend, Segawa-san. I guess you’ll be returning to college soon, so just visit from time to time. I want you to meet me, to call my name, to play with me.”

She was giving the yearning look of an abandoned pup, so naturally, my response is,

“Oww…my heart hurts.”

“Eh-ehhh!!?”

“I thought we’re already friends. I must be thinking too much.”

“Eh, no-not at all…”

Saying that, Haruto looked at my face , and realized she was being teased when she saw me grinning.

“Nn…Segawa-san, you meanie.”

So I apologized to the fuming Haruto.

“Sorry. Right, what are we doing today? Anywhere you want to go to?”

“Yes yes. I want to see some flowers. Can they come along too? Taiki, no, Tai-chan?”

“Sure. Let’s go.”

Haruto’s feet quickly ran off, and the scattered sakura petals on the floor danced as she ran along, giving a layer of pink. I was about to call for her, but I noticed something on the pink ‘wish’ of hers. There was a name written at a corner, not Ha-Ru-To that would be expected, but two words. Speaking of which…

“Haruto, your name is—”

Haruto turned around, spreading her arms wide and outstretched as she tried to embrace everything on this world into her little clutches. Yes, if she did try to run forth and arrive somewhere, we would have met certain things, which were being collected by us at this point.

“Nn. Haruto’s actually my family name. My actual name is—”

The word that came out were the katakana written on the wish.

What she wrote next in the air was a kanji any elementary kid could recognize.

“Yuki (Fate/Happy).”

It was so simple that one would have difficulty realizing, yet it was within grasp.

And we reached our hand out, finally grasping the thing at the place we finally arrived at.

“…Nice name.”

“Really?”

“So that’s why you have the sakura perfume on.”

Just yesterday, I scented upon a sweet sakura presence when I embraced her. It’s the same on this day; there’s a faint floral fragrance from her body.

“That’s because you’ve been smelling me.”

“I’m not doing that again.”

I’m not going to do that, especially after knowing that Haruto’s a girl. It doesn’t seem like she believes me though.

“Not exactly.. And it’s weird for you to say ‘that’s why’. The smell has nothing to do with my name.”

“No, it matters. Because…”

—For me, this floral fragrance is…

I clammed up. Whatever, I should just keep mum about this. This is a secret only I know, one the world once kept. Haruto gave me a confused look, wondering why I was suddenly silent.

“Why?”

“It’s nothing.”

“I see.”

The sakura petals fluttered in the sky.

And fell like rain.

“Hey, Segawa-san, thanks for looking out for me.”

The words went along with the breeze carrying the dancing petals, landing by my side. It fell deep into the human abyss called ‘me’, faintly melting away, becoming part of me.

I realized this was the line I was seeking since years ago.

So I began to think about these things. I guess being a teacher’s fine too, since it’ll be great to spend time with lonely kids like Haruto. I don’t want lonely people to remain alone.

My mind's starting to grasp what the necessity to that objective was.

“Hey~ Segawa-san, hurry~”

Haruto bashfully called my name, prompting me forth, so I began to move forth.

“I’m going over now.”

And then, I yelled her name.

After so long, the two wishes on the pink slip were in my right hand.

I recalled a certain event in the long past spring. There was a sakura petal that fluttered from my palm, flying to a place I could not reach.

But this is different. I grabbed it firmly in my hand, so that I would not lose it, so that it would not be taken by the wind.

And thus, this will never vanish.

It will remain forever in my heart (here).

A certain person is harboring ‘wishes’, and now, I have conveyed the ‘hope’ that will last until a certain day, along with a reading of the word ‘happiness’. So, so then…

“Come meet me.”

Someone is praying.

Yes, I will meet you. Definitely.

“Call my name.”

Someone is yelling.

And then, I will call your name.

Spring. It is a season of farewells and encounters.

Henceforth we shall experience many encounters, and ultimately reach a certain person.

At that moment, I will surely smile to that person I am unacquainted with—

—Hello(Nice to meet you).

No. I will be saying this countless times, so this is what I shall say—

“Hello, Hello and Hello(I like you).”

I firmly believe that for every first encounter that is filled with lots and lots of emotions—

The smell of ‘Yuki’ will slowly fill my world once again.

And I firmly believed I had taken a firm step towards that future.

Fin.

❀❆

“Hey—”

### 020. Afterword

That night, February 13th, the two of them harbored the same wish. However, it fell from Haruyoshi’s hand. He wanted to meet her again, he wanted to call for her name again—and so I brought this fragment of the heart to him.

Hello, or to some, nice to meet you.

This volume is a side volume meant to complement Hazuki’s debut work, the main story of ‘Hello, Hello and Hello’. I guess the readers might have been surprised, and actually, I never expected this work to have a second volume. When I first met the editor-in-charge, he asked if a continuation can be written. So I answered him, this story ends in the first volume. Well, the first volume ended, but I had a lot of elements I never got to write in the main story, so he suggested, why not write a few short stories on the Dengeki Bunko magazine…

So this naïve me really enjoyed the new encounter with them after a year’s absence. Before I realized it, I had penned three chapters onto the Dengeki Bunko magazine, and with the additional two chapters, this current volume is formed.

This volume narrates Yuki’s memories with her family, Haruyoshi’s school life, the constellation that was mentioned in the main story, their trip to the ocean in winter, the star of gladness, Hokulea , and the love story of the other heroine—Akane.

And also, there’s the part of what happened to everyone ‘till this point’, and ‘thereafter’.

To be honest, I was worried if I was overdoing it, but now I can proudly say this,

This is an important volume, for him and for her.

The main story is one of ‘encounter’ and farewell’.

The side stories are those of ‘wishes’ and ‘hope’.

It will be my honor if you, the reader can enjoy this volume.

Also, there is going to be a manga serialization of ‘Hello, Hello and Hello’! As a reader, I’m really looking forward to seeing their story penned by Teruya-san.

It is time for the thanksgivings.

First, for Boota-san, who livened this story with outstanding illustrations once again. The desire to see more of these illustrations of those two by Boota-san was the reason why I wrote this volume. Another to thank is the editor-in-charge Funatsu-san, who is willing to listen to my selfish pleas. Next, the designer Kamabe-san, along with the individuals who contributed to this volume as well.

Of course, my utmost thanks is to be given to you, the reader, for picking up this volume. Thank you for reading this volume. I look forward to meeting you again in the next story. Right now, I am working hard on the next work.

Now that we are at the last moment, I shall discuss about some inside matters, or rather, my personal explanation.

Or perhaps I might say this is about the ‘wishes’ and ‘hopes’ I have added in the story, to be narrated to you.

‘Hello, Hello and Hello’ is a story about an ordinary, commonplace boy, saving the heart of a girl. It is also the story of a girl noticing the beauty of the world once again.

So he could not do anything about her predicament. She accepted her predicament reluctantly. Despite that, I firmly believe that another form of redemption to her does exist, born by a certain person (you) reading this story of an encounter.

For example, she was nowhere to be seen in Contact 214+1.

This is a story of spring. Winter leaves, spring arrives, the snow melts away, nary to be seen. The characters in this story do not know that the snow had piled up there.

But the readers who have read the story can see it. Have they not seen a smiling girl crying out loud into the wide open arms of a boy?

If this truly is the case—

This love may not exist anywhere in this world, and the girl may continue to be alone,

But at another side of the story he created, surely she met that person, who like her had broken free from the rules of the world, and yet is interrelated to the world. 'An inexplicable person (you) who for some reason knew about her'. I feel I can say that she is no longer alone.

That person had completely recorded all of her hard work, anguish, despair, joy, and the wish she clenched so firmly in her fist, all within the heart.

So when you look up at the summer starry night, prepare for the culture festivals in autumn, look towards the winter oceans, and sprint towards the spring sun.

Please yell out the name only you know of. When she smiles so happily, do embrace her demure shoulders firmly within your clutches, and praise her for working hard.

And also, please say, nice to meet you. Ahhh, but this duty belongs to the boy who did not know her, but had truly spent time with her.

When did that happen? How did it happen? To be honest, we do not know if it truly existed.

Next to be described is something in the further future.

So, after the 'end' of this story, a certain person (you) will continue with his life, only to observe someone in the miracle happening within both spring and snow, calling for a certain person (important person).

Surely that will be proof of the two of them walking down the road to 'the world's happiest love story'. Also, there is something else to prove that this miracle exists. If Haruyoshi's (Yu) hand has hope (ki), then 'Yuki' will always be in his heart. All that is left is to pray—for Haru, Yuki, me and you, that we will be able to reach the bright tomorrow.

In this prayer, I shall follow up with the words in his heart at the very end of the story.

This is the place we worked hard to arrive at.

At nowhere will any of us be alone.

June 2018, tadily thinking about the clear stars beyond the thick clouds, Aya Hazuki

### 021. This is the Sweetest Love Story in the World

I kept waiting for Yoshi-kun while I read.

It’s a rare thing for me to buy a book that’s displayed at the bookstore exhibit. It seemed to be a love story very popular with the middle school girls.

It was a sweet read, like I’m reading a girls’ manga.

I remembered myself having a period when I looked forward to experiencing love.

He’s the ace of the soccer and basketball teams, and also the student council president , and often in the top ten in the exams. This highflower’s unknown side was known, and a romance (love story) started. In the book, ‘I’, the protagonist, invited the senior she likes to a date, OK, and got a reply. They went to an aquarium, and on the way back, they went to a café. She was so happy that she made a bold request she normally wouldn’t make.

“Yuki.”

After reading this section, someone called my name. It seemed the person I was waiting for finally arrived. I put a bookmark in, and closed the book. I’ll continue with the rest of the book later.

“Sorry, did I keep you waiting?”

“Not really. I didn’t wait for long..”

I probably read about 80 pages of a light novel or so.

“So you waited for quite a while. I’m really sorry.”

“So I say, you don’t have to worry about that.”

I knew that he would blame himself no matter what, but I replied while patting him on the shoulder.

On this day, we’re going to a cake shop rebuilt in a private residence. There’s a special issue on the free local newspapers, and after seeing this, I promised to come to this place with the him last week.

The reason why I decided to go today is because I promised him.

We sat at one of the five tables; Yoshi-kun and I ordered a banana cake and apple pie respectively. I had a little bite of the hot apple pie. Nnn. It-it’s really wonderful!

The pie’s crunchy with enough butter, and it’s really wonderful. It’s so crispy. I chewed, and chewed, and swallowed. Yep, it’s really delicious. The sourness of the apples within really complimented the sweetness of the pie

While Yoshi-kun kept eating cake with a fork, we talked about the books we had been reading recently, and I thought of something.

Suddenly, I was curious about the ending to that date. No, I was wondering if the protagonist succeeded with her objective. Thus, I probably had a thought, maybe I should try this out.

I happily finished the last mouthful of the apple pie. Hey, Yoshi-kun, I called out his name as I opened my mouth, like a fledgling waiting to be fed.

It was a replication of the novel I just read.

What will be the future Yoshi-kun will illustrate? I nervously awaited his response.

Yoshi-kun then looked at the remaining one third banana cake, before looking back and forth between the cake and me. Then, he smiled. He poked his fork at the cake, one too large to be swallowed full, and brought it to my mouth, as though saying, if you finish this, then try this.

It was the answer he chose, and it was a satisfactory result for me.

Thus, I smiled. Ah, Yoshi-kun, you really don’t know. Girls can finish this off easily, especially when they’re sweets.

I swallowed the cake whole, and Yoshi-kun widened his eyes. He then showed a smile different from before. It’s the gentle smile I usually see, like the warm spring sun.

“Is it nice?”

Yoshi-kun’s expression as he asked me heavily resembled the heroic appearance of the cool upperclassman in the novel.

And I was like the protagonist in the novel, nodding away with much sweetness in the heart.

Yoshi-kun personally fed me cake, and it’s sweeter than anything I had eaten. How is this possible?

Unhappy about this, I will not tell Yoshi-kun about this sweetness……

Speaking of which, my face, and even my ears managed to turn red. Maybe I might have the talent of an actress. That…yes.

……I’m not embarrassed at all.

### 022. Where the Palm Belongs

“Hey, Haru-kun, this is for you——”

The one presenting something to me with a smile was my little sister Natsuna.

She was holding a green cage in her little hands, with a beetle inside.

It happened when I was in third grade.

Back then, the trendy thing were neither video games nor collective card games, but bug catching

Back then, anyone with a large, cool looking beetle would be popular immediately, but it’s always my friends who caught them. I could remember very well that I couldn’t catch a single one.

“What about that?”

“I think you might like it, Haru-kun, so I caught it.”

Natsuna said with so glee. Her slender arms had a few cuts.

She’s livelier than many of the boys, and often liked to play soccer and basketball with them, but she hardly got hurt, mostly because she grasped the concepts of sports. Also, she’s pretty kind to mom because mom’s always worried that she, a girl, would easily get hurt.

This day’s different though. It’s rare to see Natsuna wounded all over.

She got hurt all because of me, and because of that, my nose got a little itchy.

“It hurts, right?”

I gently touched the wound on Natsuna’s face. She instinctively closed her eyes, but she shook her head.

“It’s fine. It doesn’t hurt.”

“It will when it gets wet while showering.”

“I’ll endure.”

“Hey, Natsuna.”

“Hm?”

“Thanks.”

I thanked Natsuna, touching her head. Her hair’s sound and silky, with some smell. We use the same shampoo, but why’s the smell different?

So I stroked her hair gently, causing a gentle, rustling sound. She showed a giddy smile.

“Ehehe. I like it when you rub my head like this, Haru-kun.”

“Really?”

“Can you continue rubbing my head in the future?”

Seeing my little sister ask this question so innocently, I nodded with a grimace.

“If you behave, Natsuna.”

Even since then, whatever happened, Natsuna would reach her head out, and I would pat her head. This ended up as a bad habit of mine. Whenever I I spaced out, I would just pat anyone on the head, not just Natsuna. Like for example, my friend Akane.

And now, too——

“Here, Yoshi-kun, for you. You worked hard today. Here’s a result.”

Yuki handed me a can of juice.

Her carefully crafted words seemed pretentious, but I didn’t hate it. She seemed happy when she said this, a little gleeful, somewhat similar to the face the young Natsuna made.

Surely this is the reason.

I didn’t really have any stray thoughts in my mind, but my body wouldn’t obey as I reached my hand towards Yuki. The hand just stopped in the air, not touching her hair. The feeling of wanting to touch Yuki clashed with the feeling that I shouldn’t, creating an error.

It’s the first time this happened to me, and I was shocked, troubled by my own feelings.

“What is it, Yoshi-kun？”

Yuki tilted her head, staring at me. At this moment, the impulse to touch Yuki overwhelmed me, but I did my best to suppress it. We just met each other days ago.

“It’s nothing. Sorry. I thought your hair has some string or something, but I was mistaken.”

I bluffed my way out, and received the juice from Yuki. I could feel a cold, liveless feeling, while my heart was thinking, this isn’t it.

Will my palm one day find a place it belongs?

In the near future (near past), I would find (found) that answer.