Several years earlier, on a hot summer day in a residential area of Japan, the summer sun scorched the spanse of asphalt with its rays.
Here, a little boy and girl were saying their tearful goodbyes to each other.
“Don’t go, Haru-kun!” the crying girl said. She clung to the boy beside a parked moving van. Her name was Miharu Ayase, and she was only seven years old at the time.
“Don’t cry, Mii-chan,” the little boy said. “We’ll meet again, okay?” he added, trying to reassure the sobbing girl.
His name was Amakawa Haruto, and he was seven years old at the time.
Haruto was about to move far away to the countryside with his father; his parents were getting divorced, and he didn’t know when he’d see Miharu again, as he and his father had no plans to return anytime soon. His mother was staying in the area with his little sister, but they had already terminated the lease on their rented apartment.
Haruto’s father and Miharu’s parents were standing back and watching on with rather regretful expressions.
“No! I don’t want you to go, Haru-kun!” Miharu pleaded through her sobs.
Seeing her tears made Haruto want to cry too, but he couldn’t. He had to be brave in front of Miharu. That’s why he continued to act tough, telling Miharu that it’d be alright and that they’d see each other again. He wanted her to stop crying... even though he was frustrated and upset himself, and wanted to bawl, too.
Haruto loved Miharu...
And Miharu loved Haruto.
Their meeting had been a twist of fate; their parents just happened to move into the same newly built apartment building, just happened to lease rooms next to each other, just happened to have kids born in the same season of the same year. Thanks to that series of events, they somehow ended up as family friends. Haruto and Miharu were even named for the same reason: they were given the name haru after the Japanese word for spring — the season they were born in. As both of Haruto’s parents worked full-time, the boy would often end up at Miharu’s place. Since the two of them had been raised together since they were babies, they were perhaps the epitome of what one would call “childhood friends.” That was probably why they were naturally drawn to each other before they even knew it themselves. Though they had no idea what love meant at the time, they knew they were incredibly precious to each other. It didn’t matter whether or not they had a reason for falling in love, they just did.
They were, plain and simple, head over heels for one another.
“Haru-kun, Haru-kun... Stay with me...”
Haruto wanted to do something to stop Miharu’s tears. Seeing her sad made him sad too. But Miharu’s tears showed no signs of ceasing — she only continued to bawl, leaving Haruto at a complete loss. He felt powerless. What could he do? He couldn’t even prevent this farewell with his most beloved childhood friend from happening. With that thought, Haruto clenched his fist.
Haruto was happy simply being together with Miharu, but that wasn’t possible for him right now. They were still children, after all. Instead, he would make it possible one day — one day, he would be next to Miharu, walking alongside her forever. That’s why he had to convey his feelings to her; it was the only thing he could do in this moment.
“I’ll come get you when we’re bigger! We’ll get married!” Haru said, mustering all his courage to make the first and last confession of his life. “That way... we’ll always be together, I’ll always be beside you, and I can protect Mii-chan with my life!”
Thump, thump. He could hear his own racing heartbeat.
“Is that... okay?” Haruto asked with a trembling voice.
Miharu had stopped crying at some point, staring at Haruto’s face blankly instead.
“Yes,” she answered after a beat, beaming with a dazzling bright smile.
“Yes! I want to marry Haru-kun!”
Seeing her smile made Haruto so happy. He vowed to fulfill that promise. No matter how many years passed... He would protect it — he would protect her smile. And so, with that promise and a small kiss goodbye, Haruto and Miharu went their separate ways.
It was a faint and fleeting promise, with no binding power behind it at all. It was an innocent promise, made when they had no idea what the future held... But that promise was wedged firmly into Haruto’s chest, continuing to support his life to a nearly foolish degree.
After their separation, young Haruto pushed head-on into moving forward, dreaming only of his reunion with Miharu. He wanted to see her... but in order to do that, he couldn’t afford to stop. As long as he put all of his effort into everything he did, he believed that their reunion would come faster. He threw himself into his studies and helped with the chores on his family’s farm. His strict grandfather even taught him ancient martial arts to train his mind — which was rare to see nowadays. Thanks to that, Haruto grew into a diligent and honest adult. And his unwavering efforts didn’t go unanswered: his father allowed him to enroll in a famous prep school in the town where he and Miharu grew up. As a result, Haruto reunited with Miharu in the most shocking way...
In another twist of fate, the two of them enrolled into the same high school.
Though they were in different classes, the sight of Miharu’s name on one of the class lists made him freeze in shock. He froze once more when he saw her. The sight of Miharu in a school uniform took his breath away. There was no mistaking her — despite the time that had passed — because she had always been precious to him. She was so near, yet so far.
Her silky-straight black hair reached all the way down her back. Her facial features were elegantly refined, and her skin was porcelain-white. She had a small stature, but her figure was well-balanced, and though she seemed somewhat reserved, she had a certain graceful air about her that attracted the gaze of anyone around her.
Miharu had grown into a picture-perfect beauty.
Haruto felt his heart skip a beat — he was overwhelmed with joy at seeing his beloved childhood friend again. Yet, at the same time, he was dumbstruck... Next to Miharu was a boy that Haruto didn’t know. Seeing Miharu chatting intimately with this unknown boy shook Haruto to his core. He lost the will to talk to Miharu on the day of the entrance ceremony. On that day, Haruto went home deep in thought.
It wasn’t as if he fully expected their promise to be unconditionally fulfilled upon their reunion... but Haruto’s memories with Miharu were special to him. And it was because of those memories that he’d been able to come this far without wavering. The thought of Miharu forgetting their promise — the thought of there no longer being a place for Haruto — made him feel as though he’d lost his way. They might never be able to return to their past relationship. Miharu might have someone else she loves... and Haruto may have been the fool for having such dreams. And yet, even so, Haruto still wanted to talk to Miharu. Tomorrow, he’d gather the courage to do so.