The town lay shrouded in a slumbering hush as I strolled along a street adorned with shuttered storefronts. It wasn’t until I had ventured some distance that the soft glow of orange streetlights above caught my attention.
A strange sensation gripped me as if my body and mind were disconnected. Though my feet carried me toward Grandma’s house, my thoughts remained ensnared within the forest.
“I’m waiting for my first love.” Her words reverberated within me, refusing to fade away.
In that moment, I had been so overwhelmed by her revelation that words had eluded me. An unspoken heaviness lingered between us, yet I remained oblivious to its weight.
“I’m sorry! It suddenly got dark, didn’t it?” Being the first to perceive the mood, she tried to change it.
She tried to reassure me by speaking brightly and flashing a smile.
“Wow! Keiichi-kun, you’ve got that gloomy look too. Oh no, I feel really bad about it.”
“…”
“Keiichi-kun, this isn’t like you at all. Snap out of it, and let’s head back home.”
She waved her small hand back and forth in front of my face, trying to catch my attention. Slowly, my focus shifted toward her as her rhythmic hand movements drew me in.
“Oh… sorry.”
Finally, my consciousness found its voice.
She had misunderstood the reason behind my silence and thought it was her fault. But that wasn’t right.
My gaze fell upon her right hand, where the letter was tucked away. If her note was still there, it meant the person she had been waiting for hadn’t come to the spring. She was putting on a brave face for my sake, but deep inside, she must have been hurt.
Perhaps Saki had been waiting for that man for a long time, much longer than she had been waiting for me at the spring.
She sat alone by the edge of the spring, using the umbrella to scoop up the stars, and she seemed incredibly happy and content… probably because she was waiting for a man I didn’t know.
A small sigh escaped my lips. My eyes fixed on the numbers written on the white paper she held, and I couldn’t help but gasp. Two dashes separated the digits, a distinctive pattern that undoubtedly formed a phone number.
The number didn’t begin with a mobile phone code; instead, it matched the area code for Grandma’s town. It must have been the phone number for her dormitory, where she resided.
Even as she played with me, her newfound friend, she eagerly anticipated a call from that person.
A sharp pain struck my heart.
“Keiichi, are you alright?” Saki’s concerned face came into view, her large brown eyes were as endearing as a cat’s, causing my forced smile to become self-deprecating.
“I’m fine. I was just lost in my thoughts.”
“If you say so… I’m sorry if I did anything wrong.”
“Saki, there’s no need for you to apologize for anything.”
“Alright.”
“Shall we head back? It’s getting late, and it’s not good to stay out too long.”
“Okay.”
And with that, we went our separate ways. Saki climbed up the mountain and waved goodbye from the top. I raised my hand and bid her farewell by the spring. I waited until her figure disappeared into the woods before starting my journey back.
“I’m home.”
The sliding door chimed as I entered.
I had returned to Grandma’s house. It was as quiet as ever, likely because everyone had already gone to bed.
I walked along the veranda, making no noise, and settled in the same spot as yesterday. The summer breeze brushed against my skin, its warmth contrasting with the cool night wind in Tokyo. But thanks to the clear air, it felt pleasantly refreshing.
In the distance, the gentle sound of a stream flowing downstream reached my ears. Sitting on the veranda, I tilted my head back and gazed up at the night sky. A magnificent full blue moon hung in the deep blue expanse, partially obscured by a wispy white clouds.
How beautiful…
It occurred to me that I had been in this same position, looking up at the moon, just yesterday. Thoughts of Saki flooded my mind as I sat here.
Lost in contemplation, I watched the cloud shift, revealing the moon’s radiant face. The large blue full moon proudly displayed its brilliance, casting an unexpected brightness. The bundled blue light extended straight toward me, making me exclaim, “Ah!”
As the blue light entered my body through my open mouth, it traveled to the center of my being. With a resounding burst, the core of blue light shattered, spreading throughout my entire being. The blue light bathed me in its gentle glow, illuminating everything within. My heart lamented, tormented by the inability to fully comprehend the present circumstances.
Today, I came to the realization that the dormant feelings within me were indeed my love for Saki. It was an undeniable truth. Even now, my heart burns passionately at the mere thought of her. Simultaneously, I had learned that Saki had someone she loved.
Before I could confess my feelings, she had slipped from my grasp. Nevertheless, my love for her remained unwavering…
But she—
A familiar and soothing voice interrupted my thoughts as I grappled with the intricate web of emotions.
“Welcome back, Keiichi.”
“Grandma.”
I turned around to find Grandma standing behind me on the veranda. She had come to my side, just like yesterday. The serene aura that surrounded Grandma comforted my unsettled heart. It felt like the pieces of my fragmented heart were slowly coming back together. Once my heart was restored, I mustered the courage to ask, “Grandma, shouldn’t you be getting some rest?”
It was unusual for Grandma, who always retired early and woke up at the crack of dawn, to be awake at this hour. And now, she had been here on the veranda two nights in a row.
Was I talking to myself? Had I been too loud…?
“I had a hunch that you would come to visit tonight, Keiichi, so I stayed up waiting for you.” Grandma spoke tenderly as though she were beholding something precious.
Tonight?
Her words carried a hint of unease, as if she only appeared for nocturnal excursions.
“Grandma, I’ve been here since morning. I even bought croquettes and tofu. We ate together, remember?”
“Did we?”
“Time for dinner,” my mother’s voice had called out from inside the house.
As I walked along the veranda, I noticed the pale pink hues of the sunset clouds stretching across the western sky. A warm red glow bathed the roof and glass doors. I glanced at the flower bed, its blooms turning a deep shade of red, before making my way to the living room. In Grandma’s home, where dinner was typically served early, the evening meal was already laid out on the dining table. A large plate adorned the center, piled high with Nakamura-ya croquettes, the star of tonight’s dinner. Grandma, Dad, Mom, Akane, and I gathered around the table, eagerly devouring the delectable treats. Despite there being thirty small croquettes, they disappeared in a blink of an eye.
“Big brother, you’re eating too much.”
“Oh, come on. I bought them, so it’s fine. You, on the other hand, Akane, better don’t overindulge, or you’ll put on weight.”
“That’s mean. Grandma, big brother is being mean to me. It’s the worst when your own brother bullies you and enjoys it.”
“You…”
“What?”
“Alright, alright. No fighting. Akane, you can have some of Grandma’s croquettes.”
“Wait! No need! I bought these croquettes for you, Grandma… Here, Akane.”