Once she joined me, I took Haru’s hand. The warmth of her palm seemed to ignore the temperature of the water. When I grabbed her hand, she let a large bubble of air out, but then she clasped my hand in return.
Haru’s tanned hand showed clearly in the water.
I pulled her hand, dragging her closer to me. Haru skillfully moved her legs and sunk to my depth. Once she did that, she seemed to ask me what I was doing with her eyes.
What was I doing?
What was I seeking at that time?
My oxygen-deprived brain was making my thoughts murkier.
Losing my inhibitions, my body moved naturally.
I brought my lips to Haru’s defenseless neck.
Ignoring Haru’s surprised movements, I pressed them on her skin.
Though my position was reversed compared to back then, my heart leapt powerfully.
Bubbles escaped from between my wavering head, my shifted lips, and Haru’s skin.
Haru inhaled those bubbles as though she were biting at them.
What had left me had gone into Haru.
Thump, thump. A flowing sound like a beat became louder. Even though we were in the water, it was like it was directly in my ears.
Shifting, Haru moved to my neck instead.
Do you understand what this means? I smiled as I accepted her lips.
Haru’s little remaining air rose and engulfed me.
In a daze, I only felt the sensation of Haru’s lips. I forgot breathing, gravity, and so many things, as only the sound of Haru’s heartbeat remained in the water. Just like that, it felt as though the cracks that had continued to remain in my newly freed heart were being filled.
At that point, I was at my limit. With no more air to breathe out, we moved our limbs sluggishly, as though they were being weighed down by something, as we headed to the surface. We didn’t rise up alone—we returned together.
We burst into the light.
Once we broke the water’s surface, the scene spread before us, just the same as it had been before we had sunk down.
I returned with Haru to the normal world.
We looked at each other with our hands still clasped together. Haru’s uncapped hair was wet and lustrous.
The two of us heaved in large gulps of air.
I felt the blood running through my trembling fingertips.
Sound became more distinct; the water cutting through the desolate pool echoed lazily.
“I dunno why, but…” Haru prefaced herself and lifted our hands. “Our palms are pretty warm, aren’t they?”
Yes, Haru was warm. It wasn’t a heat that would scald me, nor harsh enough to wound my heart. It was a temperature that I could stay in. A warmth that made me want to be there.
I didn’t feel the need to run away anymore.
Because the time was right now, I recalled the scene I had once found in the water through my blurred vision. That powerful pain I felt at the time, as if cracks were forming in my heart. The chilling premonition that seemed to enter through those gaps.
That was the first time I experienced such pain.
Since then, I had come to understand the sensations that accompanied love, and now that I knew it existed in the world…
I had felt many kinds of pain throughout the years.
By chipping away bit by bit at my past pain and failures, and patching myself back together, I had come to be who I was now.
And I was incredibly relieved that I had found peace before I allowed my entire self to be rearranged by pain.
Maybe that was what you’d call happiness.
>>So, a cultural festival play, huh?<<
>>Was it fun?<<
>Yes.<
>Though I imagine you wouldn’t like that sort of thing, Haru.<
>>Don’t judge a book by its cover.<<
>>Although yeah, I probably wouldn’t.<<
>>But I feel like if I went to one, I might actually enjoy it.<<
>Then let’s go see one sometime.<
>Come to think of it…<
>I’m going to meet up with someone soon.<
>At least, I’m going to try.<
>>Soon? Someone? Who would that be?<<
>My crush from my high school days.<
>I was thinking I should at least tell you.<
>It was just a thought.<
>>You sure are honest, Sayaka-senpai.<<
>I just don’t want to keep anything in the dark between us.<
>Plus I think you look better in the light.<
>That’s how I want to see you.<
>>Whoa.<<
>>Oh crap.<<
>Oh crap?<
>>I liked that a lot.<<
>You like crap?<
>>The thing you said before!<<
>It was a joke.<
>I was just a little embarrassed.<
>>Say it again.<<
>Just scroll up and look.<
>>Aww.<<
>>Okay.<<
>>That’s fine, of course.<<
>>Have a good time.<<
>Thank you.<
>>Don’t cheat, though.<<
>I could never.<
“I couldn’t.”
I would never be able to reach the star that was Touko.
>Want to meet up soon?<
>Not to do anything in particular.<
>I just sort of want to see your face a little.<
>>We just saw each other a little while ago, though.<<
>>But that sounds good.<<
>>Now that you mention it, I feel the same way.<<
>>I’m looking forward to it.<<
>I’m looking forward to it, too…<
>Touko.<
“Have we come here just the two of us before?” Touko asked as we sat at a table in the back of the café.
“Just once.”
I suppose Touko didn’t remember the two of us had come here during the summer break.
After Touko froze for a bit, she put on a soft, sociable smile.
It could even be called deceptive.
“That’s our Sayaka.”
“What’s that supposed to mean…?”
I ended up laughing at the carefree praise.
“We used to come here a lot with everyone from the student council, so maybe that part’s just fuzzy.”
I put my things down next to me as I vaguely recalled those times.
In those days, we had all gathered here and put our heads together to discuss the student council play.
No matter how far I went in the future, I was sure those would still be unforgettable and precious times.
After we gave our order to the store employee, I looked at Touko across from me.
Nanami Touko. I didn’t see any major external changes in her since graduation.
Because she was so beautiful, one could describe her as perfect, maybe there was no need for her to change her outward appearance.
But there was a subtle difference in her behavior.
Right now, the Nanami Touko in front of me wasn’t acting the role of anyone else.
“We saw each other at the culture festival, but it still feels like it’s been a long time.”
Touko celebrated our reunion with a merry tone. “Yes, it really has been some time. I’m sure.”
But my response fled from honesty a bit.
“It doesn’t feel like such a long time for me, though. I’ve heard quite a bit about you from Koito-san. I see her a lot.”
“Oh, you do?”
The reaction from Touko wasn’t what I expected.
“She hasn’t mentioned that to you?”
“I haven’t heard much about it.”
Touko leaned forward and brought her face close. Then, she had a complex expression on her face.
“…Is she cheating?”
I wondered why everyone suspected me of cheating. Did I just have the kind of face that looked like I would?
Well, putting that aside.
I couldn’t tell whether Touko was saying that as a joke or if she really meant it.
Ahh, I felt like a wind was eddying in my heart as I ended up smiling. Touko really is happy right now, I thought.