“…Mr. Yoshida.”
“Yeah?”
These were Sayu’s first words after almost half an hour of crying, and I let go of her to look at her face.
“No, don’t look at me…,” she said.
“Huh?”
“I probably look horrible…”
“Oh… Sorry.”
It made sense that she didn’t want me to see her face, probably red from all the crying. I quickly averted my gaze.
She sniffled again.
“…I’m really glad you’re here, Mr. Yoshida. If I’d come by myself…I think I would’ve lost it.”
When I heard this, I breathed a sigh of relief.
“…I’m glad I came with you, then,” I replied, and she snickered for the first time in what felt like forever.
Then she slowly rose to her feet. I followed suit and stood up as well.
She was silent for a little while, standing there on the rooftop.
Then, squinting, as if she was gazing through to the other side of the railing, Sayu murmured, “See you…Yuuko.”
Her quiet farewell seemed to coast over the rooftop for a moment, then drifted away with the wind.
“…Let’s head back,” she said, turning on her heel.
She looked like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. I felt somehow lighter, too.
“Okay,” I said and followed her to the door leading back downstairs.
We crawled in through the window, then shut it behind us.
As Sayu descended, I noticed her steps were lighter than they’d been on her way up.
“Are you okay now?” I called out to her from behind.
She turned to face me and grimaced.
“Not at all,” she said, shaking her head.
“Yeah, I guess not…”
It wouldn’t be so easy for her to lay down her burden and forget everything that had happened. If it were, then she wouldn’t have suffered for so long.
There were some wounds only time could heal.
“But…I think I’m ready to face things properly now.”
Her voice was quiet, but her words were brimming with determination.
“I think I’m gonna try to remember everything I can about Yuuko,” she said, smiling slightly.
“Until, one day, I can think of her…and smile.”
The light shining in from the window by the stairs illuminated half of Sayu’s body. She looked so astonishingly beautiful as she stood there smiling that I gasped.
Then, bit by bit, her words began to sink in.
“Yeah…,” I said. I could feel tears bubble up inside me, but I held them back and continued. “I hope that day is almost here.”
I felt sure Sayu had already drawn a line between her past and her present.