In the shadowed, secluded corners of the street, there were even people crouched low where few eyes would wander, quietly fertilizing flowerbeds and patches of grass. The night was dim, without the glow of streetlamps—no wonder such places went unnoticed.
If it weren't for the fact that Haruto and his two companions were walking in silence, speaking not a word, they might never have caught those faint sounds drifting out from the edges of the street.
It wasn't only gardeners. In those same hidden corners, couples—unable to restrain their desires—were locked in shameless displays of affection. For adults, such sights were far from rare, and for some, they were downright thrilling.
Haruto, however, spared them little thought. Now and then, his eyes would flick casually toward them, but he didn't linger. At this hour, everything blurred into vague silhouettes; unless one walked close enough to intrude, there was little to see. And to approach strangers at such a moment… Haruto couldn't imagine anyone doing so without risking a beating.
Sayu, walking hand in hand with Haruto, had noticed the same scenes. Her face flushed with embarrassment, her gaze drawn to the couples who couldn't keep their hands off each other—only to dart away just as quickly. Without realizing it, she gripped Haruto's hand more tightly, her palm damp with nervous sweat.
Mai, on the other hand, watched those shadowy figures with a curious, almost contemplative look, occasionally glancing sidelong at Haruto as though turning over some private thought.
Haruto's mind was elsewhere, focused on finding a place to rest. Eventually, the three of them came to a small slope. On the left side, the view opened wide toward the far riverbank.
Stopping at the crest, Haruto glanced toward the river.
"This isn't bad," he murmured. "Being in a residential area means no tall buildings blocking the view. You can still see the river without much obstruction."
"It's so quiet here—like a different world compared to the riverfront," Mai said, stepping up to the railing. After walking for over half an hour, it was a relief to find an open view at last.
The air here was cooler too, the evening breeze far gentler than the stifling crowd by the water.
Sayu agreed silently, standing beside Haruto and looking toward the riverbank. She had just turned to ask when the fireworks would begin when—
Whoosh—!
A streak of light soared skyward. It burst with a muffled boom, scattering brilliant petals of fire across the night.
The glow washed over their faces. Haruto tilted his head back, his thoughts quieting as he watched bloom after bloom unfurl in the dark. Beside him, Mai gently leaned her head on his shoulder, saying nothing.
Haruto glanced at her briefly, breathing in her faint scent, before returning his gaze to the sky. One after another, the fireworks lit up the night.
"Everywhere's crowded," a voice drifted up from below.
"And that couple earlier… wasn't that a bit too much? Don't they care about being filmed?"
"Too bold. But that's not the problem right now, is it? Shouldn't we be finding a place to watch before it's all over?"
"Let's keep looking ahead."
Haruto froze mid-breath—those voices were familiar. Mai straightened, looking down the slope.
A group was approaching, faces briefly lit by the fireworks' glare. Haruto recognized them immediately, though they had yet to notice the three figures above.
Sekai stopped at the base of the slope, eyes widening at the sudden open view.
"Here—this spot's perfect! You can see the fireworks clearly!"
Her friends crowded to the railing in agreement. Kotonoha, holding her younger sister's hand, was about to ask if she could see from here—when she caught sight of a figure above. She froze.
"That's…"
"Big sister?"
Little Kokoro followed her gaze—and her eyes widened. She remembered that face. The older boy she'd met once before, a rare presence in her quiet, home-and-school-only life.
"That's the big brother I met before…" she whispered.
Sekai heard her and, absently glancing upward, locked eyes with Haruto. An awkward stillness fell over her face. Her hand in Setsuna's tightened.
"What is it?" Setsuna asked, but as she followed Sekai's gaze, her expression changed too. She saw Haruto's impassive face in the firelight—and the two familiar figures standing beside him.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Kokoro noticed Haruto wasn't looking at her, but rather at someone else. She glanced back and saw it—he knew her sister's classmates.
Haruto turned away first, ignoring them and looking back to the sky. Mai's sigh was almost imperceptible. She hadn't expected this—such a coincidence. Was this… fate?
Half an hour later, the last burst faded and the night grew quiet. When Setsuna and Sekai looked up the slope again, Haruto and Sayu were gone. Only Mai remained.
She descended slowly, stopping in front of her daughter. With a soft sigh, she said, "Let's go home."
Meanwhile, Sayu walked beside Haruto, still confused. Why hadn't he spoken to Setsuna? Why hadn't they gone back together? The unease made her keep the question to herself.
Instead, she asked something else. "So… are we going back now?"
"It's only nine," Haruto replied after checking his phone. "No rush. Let's see if there's somewhere nearby to rest."
They walked on until Haruto stopped in front of a karaoke bar, neon lights flashing overhead."Can you sing?" he asked.
"A little," Sayu said after a pause.
"Then let's go here."
Haruto stepped into the shop without hesitation and booked a large private room. He ordered an assortment of drinks and snacks, then settled onto the sofa and picked up the microphone.
"Ah, ah—"
After testing the sound and finding no issues, he turned his gaze to Sayu sitting beside him.
"What kind of songs can you sing?"
"…Some… pretty common pop songs, I guess?"
Walking over to the song selection machine, Haruto listened to her answer. Ironically, the kind of pop songs she mentioned weren't his strong suit. Instead, he quietly typed in a string of keywords, searched for songs he knew, and queued one up without hesitation.
"You know this one, right?"
"Hm?"
Sayu looked puzzled. Then, the sound of a gentle piano intro filled the room. The familiar melody struck a chord in her—so familiar that it stirred a sense of warmth—but she couldn't put her finger on the title.
♪ "Graceful white birch, endless blue sky, gentle southern breeze…" ♪
Seated on the sofa, Sayu frowned slightly. She could tell it was an old song—one she had heard before—but the name still wouldn't come to her.
Until Haruto's voice suddenly rose, hitting a note she had never heard from him before:
♪ "Magnolia blossoms on the hills, oh the northern land, the springtime of the north…" ♪
At that moment, it clicked. She blinked, watching Haruto sing until the song ended.
"Is that Spring in the North Country?"
"Yeah. Didn't the title show up on the screen when I picked it?"
"…I didn't notice."
Her cheeks flushed slightly, embarrassment creeping in. She stayed quiet, unsure how to respond, while Haruto was already queuing up the next song.
One after another, he sang tunes far removed from the current era—hit songs from the last century. Sayu's expression gradually shifted into something between curiosity and disbelief.
SMAP's The Only Flower in the World, Misora Hibari's Flowing River, Miki Rofu's Red Dragonfly, Ishihara Yujiro's Red Handkerchief…
If she didn't know the boy in front of her was the same age as herself, Sayu would have thought some fossil from the past had somehow come to life.
They were all classic songs from the last century—but in this day and age, would any young people really still listen to such old tunes?
That said, she had to admit… the singing was actually pretty good.
"Phew—"
When the final notes of Morita Kōichi's Seishun Jidai ("Youth Era") faded, Haruto lowered the microphone in his hand and glanced toward Sayu, who had been sitting quietly the entire time.
"Your turn."
"…"
For some reason, an odd sense of déjà vu washed over Sayu. She pressed her lips together, then silently picked up the microphone. Moving slowly toward the song selector, her pale, delicate fingers tapped twice on the touchscreen, queuing up a few current pop songs.
'So dazzling I don't know where to look…'
'Like flowers, like the wind, forever in my heart… if only time could turn back…'
Seated on the sofa, Haruto picked up his glass of apple juice. As he watched Sayu sing in that soft, gentle voice, his expression grew distant.
"Matsu Takako's Hana-yo ('Like a Flower'), huh?"
A white shirt.
A sunlit path lined with blooming sunflowers.
A wind chime swaying gently in the breeze.
Each lyric painted a picture of a bright summer afternoon—where a boy in a white shirt met a girl for the first time, on that narrow road surrounded by swaying sunflowers, before a little blue house under the dazzling sun…
Haruto had heard this song more than once before, and sometimes—just sometimes—he imagined himself in that white shirt, waiting in a scene just like the one from the song, for the girl who would meet him there. But… who was that girl?
Quietly watching the girl singing before him, Haruto slowly closed his eyes and let out a faint sigh.
When the song ended and Sayu turned toward him, she found Haruto with his eyes still shut, lost in thoughts she couldn't guess.
~~~~~~~~~~
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