After Golden Week ended, everyone returned to their usual routines.
Yawwwn.
Kuroki let out a long yawn as he walked, a small tear forming at the corner of his eye.
Satsuki walked beside him. Both of them were wearing their summer uniforms now that it was June.
"Mmm?" Satsuki tilted her head. "It's unusual for you to be tired, Kuroki."
"Um… well, yeah. I guess so," he replied in a monotone voice.
(To be honest… I couldn't sleep at all last night. Ever since that walk with Aohana during Golden Week…)
Every time he drifted off, he dreamed about her.
In his mind, Aohana appeared in a white dress, her hair flowing gently in the wind as she smiled brightly at him.
"Hehe…"
A quiet, almost creepy laugh escaped him.
Satsuki stared at him like he'd lost his mind.
(What the hell is his problem?)
They continued walking side by side in silence.
—
They finally arrived at school.
"All right, see you."
"Yeah, you too."
They parted ways for their separate classrooms.
Yaaawn.
Kuroki stretched again as he walked down the hallway.
"Oof—"
He bumped into someone.
"Ah, sorr—"
Before he could finish apologizing, he froze.
The person he ran into was a tall boy with blond hair, a few ear piercings, and striking blue eyes.
Kuroki stared for a second too long before snapping out of it.
"Ah, shit—sorry!" He bowed quickly.
"Haha, don't worry about it." The blond guy patted his shoulder casually and walked off.
Kuroki watched him leave.
(He looks like a total fuckboy.)
Then reality hit him.
"Oh shit—I need to hurry."
He sprinted toward his classroom.
He made it just before the bell rang and dropped into his seat with a sigh of relief.
"Man, it's hot…" he muttered, fanning himself with his hand.
A moment later, the teacher walked in.
Aohana followed behind, carrying a white box.
(Aohana?)
Kuroki straightened in surprise.
She spotted him immediately and gave him a small wave, smiling.
His face flushed red, and he quickly looked away.
"Okay, everyone!" the teacher called out. "Today, we're choosing our field trip destination."
The classroom buzzed with murmurs.
"We have three choices," the teacher continued. "Kyoto, Mt. Fuji, or Hiroshima."
Aohana stepped forward and placed the white box on the podium.
"Please take an index card, write your choice, and place it in the box."
Students began whispering excitedly.
"Kyoto sounds nice…"
"Mt. Fuji would be cool."
"Hiroshima might be interesting…"
Kuroki stood, grabbed an index card, and returned to his seat.
He stared at the blank card.
(Honestly… I don't even want to go on this trip.)
He slouched in his chair.
(I'd rather just stay home.)
Before he could sink deeper into his thoughts—
"Hey, Kuroki."
"Eek!"
He jolted upright.
Aohana stood beside him.
"Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
"No, no—it's fine! I shouldn't have been sleeping like that… haha." He scratched the back of his head nervously.
"So," she smiled, "where do you want to go?"
"To go… well…"
He glanced around. Almost everyone had already placed their cards in the box.
"Hmmm…"
And suddenly—
Middle school.
They were sitting outside on a bench, eating lunch together.
"Yo, Kuroki," Satsuki said with her mouth full. "When we're older, which city do you wanna live in?"
"What kind of question is that?" he replied, staring at her.
"Just answer it. I'm curious."
"Hmmm… well…"
He thought for a moment.
Back to the present.
Kuroki remembered what he'd said that day.
A small smile formed on his lips.
He wrote something on the card.
Standing up, he walked to the podium and slipped his vote into the box.
When he returned, Aohana leaned slightly toward him.
"You picked?"
"Yeah."
"So which one?"
"Kyoto."
Back to middle school.
"Huh?!" Satsuki stared at him. "You want to live in Kyoto? That's so far from Takayama!"
She wasn't wrong.
"I don't know," Kuroki said. "I've always liked Kyoto since I was a kid. I used to visit relatives there. We'd walk around the tourist spots and just look at the scenery."
"Scenery?" she repeated.
"Yeah. I guess… I imagine having a wife someday. Bringing her there. Bringing our kids, too. We'd all walk together, holding hands. And one of them would tug on my sleeve and say, 'Papa, papa, look at that!' with a big childish smile."
He laughed softly.
"Something like that would warm my heart."
He was smiling—but it was a different kind of smile. Softer. Dreamier.
Satsuki stared at him, completely stunned.
"W-Wow… you really thought this through, huh?"
"Hm? Oh. I guess I did."
They continued eating quietly.
But Satsuki's expression changed.
"But… I don't know what I want," she admitted softly.
"What do you mean?"
"I-I don't know. When I was younger, I got everything I asked for. I didn't have to work for anything. Friends came to me. I'm athletic because of my mom. Wealth because of my parents."
She looked down at her hands.
"But the one thing I want to understand… is…"
Her voice trembled.
"I-Is…"
The word wouldn't come out.
Kuroki stood up and stepped in front of her.
"W-What are you—"
Before she could finish, he gently cupped her face in his hands.
Their noses were almost touching.
She froze.
He smiled.
"Satsuki… it's okay. You don't have to say it."
His voice was soft. Calm.
She felt strangely at peace.
"There's just one thing I want you to remember," he continued.
"W-What?"
"Smile. I want you to smile more."
The wind blew gently. Leaves rustled around them. The sunlight filtered softly through the trees.
And in that moment—
Satsuki looked at him as if he were the sun itself.
Warm. Gentle. Steady.
A quiet light shining right in front of her.