"Huh?"Her face was saying that what I had said had completely gone over her head."That day, in Kyoto, I had seen that you were searching for something. I didn't know what it was back then but now I do. You were searching for Hayami."It all made sense now.The one who had said that she will find Hayami and bring her to me was Kaya. But she hadn't been able to find her and now, she had...died. Admitting that fact still made my stomach churn. She really is gone, isn't she?I signed despite myself.So, yeah, Kaya hadn't been able to find Hayami.So, why was Hayami here in front of me? Why had Hayami appeared before me on the roof that day? Connect the dots with the fact that Hamasaki had been searching for something - it all clicks into place. That day, and maybe even before that day, she had been searching for Hayami. And she had been successful as well which is easily proven by Hayami's presence before me. It wasn't that hard for her, I guess? After all, Hamasaki belonged to a wealth
For the next two days, I stayed in the hospital where I was injected and made to swallow medicines that looked shady and somewhat scary. They looked like the pills that turned a human into monsters as depicted in movies. And seems like they were quite potent medications as the doctor and the nurse asked me how I was feeling every time I took them.I took medications, got nursed by Hayami, and also took walks with her to the park behind the hospital occasionally. The people around us always gave us weird looks as if what they were seeing didn't make any sense to them. Maybe they were bewildered by how happy we looked or maybe they were thinking how the hell did I manage to get such a beautiful girl. I basked in their amazement and spent my time with Hayami.After two days, all the preparations for my discharge had been already made. My belongings were all packed and I had changed from the blue hospital dress to a casual white t-shirt and blue jeans.As we were preparing to head out, so
By the time Hayami finished the tour to our house and we each took baths (separately of course), the sun had already set casting a dark veil of the night on the sky.It was 8 pm in the night. So, we decided it was time for dinner.Hayami waited at the dining table while I went to the kitchen to warm the food that Mochizuki-san had prepared for us.While the food was being heated, I brought out plates and placed them on the table and after ten short minutes, I served the food on the table.“Wow, this looks delicious,” Hayami muttered as she eyed all the dishes served on the plate. Even I felt that Mochizuki-san had made a bit too many dishes.Our dinner consisted of hakumai – steamed white rice mixed with mugi (barley) – with tsukudanai as toppings. We had miso soup for soup that included kombu, tofu, and shitake mushrooms which made for a rich flavor. For pickles, we had the vegetable and fruit medley of sanbaizu tsukemono and sunomono (vinegar-marinated vegetable).“Ugh, my stomach f
"Let's go!"Full of teen spirit and energy, Hayami pointed up towards the bright and sunny sky with no clouds."Yeah!"I screamed trying to match her energy."Hee-hee. This is kind of fun." She giggled and flashed her teeth at me. It was such a contagious smile, I couldn't help but smile as well.Hayami wrapped her arms around mine and the two of us, glued to each other, walked out of the house toward our destination.We reached the train station and waited for our train to arrive on its platform.As we stood waiting for the train, I could feel all the eyes around us. Boys and girls alike were both looking at us in awe with their mouths hanging open. Hayami probably realized this as well as she scooted a little and whispered in my ears, with a hint of glee, "Everyone is looking at us, right?""Sure they are."Though rather than us, I think it would be better to say her. I was just a by-product.She was wearing a pink one-piece skirt that was slightly longer compared to other skirts. Th
After waking up the next day, I went down to make breakfast.When I was preparing breakfast, Hayami had already woken up and was seated on the chair with her elbows on the table and palm supporting her chin as she hummed a tune I had never heard before though it sounded melodious.As I served the dish on the plate, Hayami said with a hint of surprise, “What is this sodden-looking toast? Hmm…bread with soy-flavored boiled greens?”Laughing, I gave the actual name of the dish, “French toast.”“Ohh!” She said with excitement and used her hands to eat them. I couldn’t help but chuckle at that.“Hmm? Is something wrong?”“Normally, it is eaten using a fork and a knife.” I pointed at the fork and knife I had set beside her plate.Her face took a red hue and then stuffing the bread in her mouth, she said, “It doesn’t matter. We are at home anyway.”She looked cute and I enjoyed that bliss for a moment. Looking at her face, and thinking that I could die with someone like her filled my heart w
I reached the train station a bit late than our scheduled time.On the bench in the waiting area was the person I had come to meet.She was wearing a half-sleeved blouse on top with the shoulders exposed and a simple white skirt that reached to her knees.I walked up to where she was.Upon hearing the sound of my boots, she turned her head towards me slowly.“I thought you wouldn’t come.” She said with a heave of relief.As I sat down on the bench next to her, I thought that the charm the usual Nakamura had was not present on her face tonight. As if something had diminished her radiance. I knew that I was to blame for that one way or the other.The time was 11: 30 at the night. She had asked to meet at 11 but I ended up being late because I wasn’t yet sure whether I should go or not. It was Hayami’s persistence that I came here even though I was half an hour late as a result.“Attention all passengers. The last train for today will be arriving in fifteen minutes. I repeat…”The static
When I reached home at around 1 am, there were two people at the dining table beside the living room.One was Hayami. And the other one was sitting with her back to me. Her long brown hair reflected the light in the room.“Aina?”I walked around and stood behind Hayami so that I could be face-to-face with Aina.She had dark circles under her eyes.“I will leave you two alone.” Hayami stood up and then climbed the stairs to go to my room.I sat on the seat Hayami had been sitting on and faced Aina.Silence settled in the room. I was confused and surprised why she was here. How did she know where I lived in the first place? All the students had been taken back to Tokyo after the school camp ended. So that means she came all the way here to Kyoto to meet me? And all alone? Why would she do that?Just about an hour ago, I had had a small conversation with Nakamura at the train station. Thinking that Aina had likely come here for the same purpose, I spoke, breaking the silence.“You are he
“It’s too late.”Bam!Aina slammed the table hard with both of her hands and stood up simultaneously.“It’s not late. It is never late. You still have so much of your life ahead. You will always have a chance to make things right.”Even if I lived, I know there is no way I can make things right. In fact, I would only make things worse. Yeah, not even bad, but worse. That’s my ability. I can make things worse without getting them bad. Though no point in thinking about that.Unaware of my internal feelings, Aina spoke at the top of her lungs.“Don’t give up. We can work things out. So, it’s still not late. As long as you are alive.”I gave a smile to her in response, without actually intending to.“Yeah. That’s right. As long as I am alive.”“Yes, that’s right!”Misunderstanding my statement as agreement with her words, she broke into a smile only to break into a cold sweat with my next words.“But what do you mean by being alive?”“Eh?” She gave a quizzical look to my question.“What a