Haruko sat at the edge of the low dining table, her fingers gently resting against the rim of her empty glass. The remnants of curry sauce still clung faintly to the sides of the plates in front of them, the faint scent of spice lingering in the air. Her stomach felt warm and satisfied, and a gentle calm hung in the air between the three of them.
"This has been a really fun experience for me, and I enjoyed the dinner that you made for me tonight. Thank you so much, Tetsuo," said Haruko sincerely, turning to him with a small, relaxed smile.
Tetsuo, who was already stacking the dishes without much noise, glanced over at her and gave a soft nod. "It was not a problem. It's what I usually make for the two of us, so making it for someone else wasn't really that difficult."
Haruko folded her hands in front of her, letting a faint smile pull at her lips.
"Dinner was so good, and honestly… it just felt nice. Like we were a little family or something," said Usagi with a bright smile. She looked between Haruko and Tetsuo, her legs gently swinging under the table. Her voice was calm, and she seemed completely at ease.
As soon as the words left her mouth, Haruko blinked and flushed. Wait, when she says family, does she mean Tetsuo is the father, I'm the mother, and she's the child? she thought as her cheeks burned and she quickly looked away.
Across the table, Usagi beamed as she finished wiping her mouth with a napkin. "You really should come over as often as possible, Haruko. I really like your company."
"I have no problem with that. I'll come over when I have time," said Haruko, her smile returning more naturally this time.
Tetsuo stood up and slipped his feet into his sandals near the door, adjusting the back strap. "Let me walk you home, Haruko. It's pretty dark outside, and we were the ones who held you up."
"Okay, thanks for that, Tetsuo," said Haruko as she stood and grabbed her jacket from the hook near the door.
"Keep the door locked until I get back, okay, Usagi?" he said without looking back.
"Yes, big brother," she responded from inside as the front door closed gently behind them.
Inside, Usagi remained still, staring at the door for a moment longer. The hum of the refrigerator filled the quiet room. She pressed her knees together and placed her hands in her lap.
"There's something about that girl that really moves Tetsuo even more than I do. She even knows what he likes in terms of gifts and allowed him to get a step closer to changing," she thought, her lips curling into a frown. "I can't even take credit for the long-awaited embrace from him because it was all thanks to her. Plus, he really seems fond of her because he doesn't talk that much unless it's necessary. I wonder... Could he like her?"
Outside, the air was cool but not uncomfortably so. A soft breeze passed between the houses, rustling the leaves. Streetlights cast pale golden circles along the sidewalk, and the moon hung low and bright above the rooftops.
"The moonlight really lights up the sky, and the stars are so beautiful," said Haruko, her voice lighter as she walked beside Tetsuo with her arms folded behind her back.
"Yeah, it really is," he replied after a pause, watching how she glanced upward and tilted her head slightly. "My sister seems to be very fond of you. She doesn't normally warm up to anyone that quickly. You must have done something that really moved her."
"Well, I wouldn't say it was anything special," Haruko replied, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "I just helped her pick out a couple of gifts for you and then walked her home."
"I see," said Tetsuo, his tone quiet, but not dismissive. His gaze was downcast, eyes tracing the uneven patterns of the sidewalk beneath their feet. The air around them carried the lingering scent of warm pavement and trimmed hedges, and in the distance, a lone cicada trilled from its perch in a tree.
A few moments passed, filled only with the soft shuffle of their steps and the gentle rustling of leaves in the trees lining the path. Haruko glanced at him from the corner of her eye. Her hands were clasped behind her back, fingers fidgeting slightly.
"Say, Tetsuo, do you remember the first time we met on that court early in the morning?" she asked, her voice calm but purposeful.
"Yeah, I do remember," Tetsuo replied, his tone carrying a hint of warmth. He glanced sideways at her, then looked back down the path as they walked beneath a streetlight casting a soft amber halo around them.
Haruko's fingers brushed lightly against the hem of her sleeve, her steps slowing just a little. "That day I was really upset, and I felt so hopeless at basketball," she said, her voice touched with vulnerability. "No matter how much I shot, I could never score a single shot. And then, as fate allowed our paths to align, you came along and taught me how to shoot, and I got the hang of it that exact day."
She smiled at the memory, eyes reflecting the glow of the streetlamps. The distant chirping of crickets filled the silence between their footsteps.
"I just want you to know that I'm really grateful for what you have done for me. You have literally changed my life for the better."
"It wasn't anything special. I just showed you the simple mistakes you were making, and then I adjusted them," Tetsuo responded, his tone calm and straightforward.
Haruko glanced at him, her expression steady. "Well, it was special to me and my team, and it will be essential for us this upcoming season," she said, her voice more earnest than before. She drew in a quiet breath, her shoulders tightening slightly. "You might not think much of it, but it really meant a lot to us."
They walked quietly for a few seconds more. The streetlights overhead flickered on one by one, bathing the sidewalk in a faint amber glow joined by the hum of passing cars from a main road several blocks away.
"I played a practice match yesterday, and we won thanks to the things that you taught me. I'm really glad that I was able to help my team this time. Surprisingly, I scored eighteen points, and the game ended fifty-three to forty-four. My coach was really ecstatic about the way I played, and my teammates now look up to me and trust me as their captain. It's all thanks to you," said Haruko, her voice proud yet tinged with disbelief.
"If that's the case, then I'm glad I could help," said Tetsuo, his eyes softening.
"Um, Tetsuo, can I ask you something?" Haruko's voice softened, almost lost in the breeze. Her hands lowered to her sides, but one gripped the hem of her sleeve, tugging it gently between her fingers.
"And what might that be?"
"Is it just me, or does it feel like this is not the first time we have met? I'm not sure why, but it feels like I've known you for such a very long time. Or is it because we met somewhere years ago?"
Tetsuo's gaze narrowed, the weight of her words pulling his thoughts inward. He slowed further, the tips of his sandals scraping lightly against the gravel. "Who knows? That just might be the case. If I'm being honest, the energy you give off reminds me of someone I met years ago, but I cannot remember their name or face because of a certain circumstance."
Haruko turned to him, hope flickering in her eyes. Her heart gave a sudden thump in her chest. "Oh, so you also feel that we've—"
Before she could finish her sentence, her foot snagged the edge of a raised log protruding from the dirt beside the sidewalk. Her ankle twisted slightly.
"Ah—!" she cried out, arms flailing forward to regain balance.
Tetsuo instinctively reached toward her, but in the same moment, his foot caught on the very same obstruction. The ground rose quickly to meet them.
They both stumbled forward, their bodies collapsing onto the patchy grass and uneven dirt. Tetsuo grunted softly as he hit the ground, managing to break part of the fall with his hands. Haruko landed on her back, the coolness of the earth pressing through her thin shirt. The scent of crushed grass and dry soil filled her nose.
"Ouch, that really hurt," Haruko groaned, blinking up at the slowly darkening sky. Her breath came out in short puffs, and she winced as she shifted slightly against the ground.
"Are you okay, Haruko?" asked Tetsuo, his hands braced on either side of her shoulders. He hovered above her, holding most of his weight off her body, but close—too close.
Haruko blinked rapidly. He was right on top of her. His elbows were barely inches from her arms, and his face… his face was close enough that she could see the faint scar above his left brow and the gentle curve of his mouth. His body radiated warmth, and the scent of faint sweat and fabric softener made her chest tighten.
"I'm okay, don't worry about me," she said quickly, her voice trembling slightly as her cheeks turned a deep shade of red.
Tetsuo quickly pushed himself up, dusting off his palms. Without a word, he extended a hand toward her.
Haruko hesitated for a second, then reached up. Her fingers were slightly cold and shaking as they wrapped around his. He pulled her gently to her feet, and she instinctively patted at the back of her skirt and her elbows to shake off the dirt.
Our lips were really close; it almost gave me a heart attack, she thought, subtly covering her mouth with the back of her hand. Her heart thudded unsteadily beneath her ribs, and she bit the inside of her cheek to settle herself.
"Are you sure that you're okay? You look a little dizzy," Tetsuo asked, watching her closely.
Haruko waved a hand as if brushing away the concern, forcing a shaky breath through her nose. "Come on, Haruko, get yourself together, girl. It was only just an accident. There was no intent behind it," she whispered under her breath.
Just then, a voice called from ahead.
"Haruko, is that you? What are you doing out here? It's really late."
Haruko turned toward the voice, her shoulders stiffening. A gust of wind brushed past, fluttering the ends of her shirt.
"Oh, it's you, Sachiko."
Her older sister stepped out from a narrow alleyway connecting two residential blocks. She wore a light cardigan over her school uniform, and her shoes made a soft slapping sound on the pavement. As she got closer, her gaze shifted to the figure standing beside Haruko.
"Oh, Kawaguchi, I didn't know that you lived around here," Sachiko said, her brows raised in genuine surprise.
"Wait, how do you know him?" asked Haruko curiously, now fully alert. Her legs adjusted slightly to face both of them.
"Oh, I see. Well, I wasn't thinking much about it, but she's your sister, right, Haruko?" asked Tetsuo.
"Yes, she's my older sister, Tetsuo."
Sachiko tilted her head and narrowed her eyes. Her arms crossed casually, but her thoughts weren't. Wait a minute, why are they on a first-name basis, and why is Tetsuo so comfortable talking to her but gives me the cold shoulder? she wondered, a bitter sting crawling up her spine.
"So, what are the two of you doing out here so late?" she asked.
"Oh, I stopped by his house earlier with his younger sister, and it got late, so he decided to walk me home," said Haruko.
Sachiko's eye twitched slightly. Wait, what?! Did she say that she was over at his house? What the heck?
"Thank you so much for walking my sister. I'll take it from here, okay, Kawaguchi?" Sachiko said, forcing a polite tone through clenched teeth.
"Alright, no problem," said Tetsuo, nodding curtly. Without another word, he turned and walked away. The back of his shirt swayed slightly as his figure grew smaller under the streetlights, his footsteps fading into the distance.
Haruko and Sachiko walked side by side, the only sounds between them now the scuff of their shoes and the wind pushing past the trees.
"Haruko, there's something that you should know," said Sachiko, not looking directly at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Do you remember Tetsu-kun, the little boy who we found walking around aimlessly with nothing but a worn-out basketball and his little sister?"
Haruko paused, her steps halting as the memories flooded back. Her eyes widened.
"Yes, I do."
The same boy who made me love basketball. I have my reasons for believing that Tetsuo Kawaguchi might be him, but I'm not sure because they are so different in terms of personality."
"Wait, so you're saying that Tetsuo is the boy we met years ago?" Haruko asked, her voice sharp with shock. Her heart pounded in her ears as she looked toward her sister.
Sachiko looked back at her with a solemn expression, her lips pressed together. "I can't say for sure... but the possibility is there."