The floor was warm, soft, and squishy. My back felt ticklish, and a light breeze whipped around my prone body.
I was in a grassy field. The sun was dazzling me from above, but it wasn't bothersome. It was inviting me to open my eyes.
It didn't invade my eyelids, though. It let me enjoy the black color projecting onto my eyes.
For my part, I preferred to stay that way.
The sound of the breeze, of the small stalks of grass moving in unison, made me sleepy. It made me not want to get up, I was so calm.
I had my hands resting on my chest. I don't know when I put them there, but I decided to lower them. I rested them on the green field beneath my back.
I was able to touch the ground and feel that softness in the best possible way. That fluffiness, like a cloud, and that softness, like stroking a cat.
Nothing forced me to get up. I could stay there as long as I wanted. I had no time limit, and therefore, nothing to worry about.
I could breathe. What's more, breathing manually didn't feel like a chore or a nuisance; it was more like a gift.
To feel air of this quality, this purity. Perhaps it could replace food and drink. It fills me with energy.
The sun continued to warm my body little by little, never causing me to sweat. It was the kind of weather you always want, but never have.
Nothing hurt either. It's not like I didn't have any wounds, but they seemed healed. Whether it was a strain, a bruise, or a cut, everything was healed.
I wouldn't be surprised if the environment itself did it. Maybe the sun, the grass, or someone else doesn't want me to suffer.
I'd feel bad if that person suffered in my place. I'd appreciate it if they did, but not if they ended up being seriously hurt.
So, so, I could be thinking about a thousand and one things at once. It's not unusual for me to get lost. It's not unusual for me to start thinking about anything.
Questions, scenarios, thoughts, lives. Sometimes I feel like I spend less time on the ground and more time in the sky.
Can't I accept that the ground is where I belong? If I wanted to stay in heaven, I could have done so at any time; I could even go up now. But I haven't.
There's something about being grounded that holds me back. What is that strong thing that keeps me tied to the ground? Sanity? Fear?
If I had to guess, I would say it would be "hope."
Fear is what lets me feel. Without it, even if I went to heaven, I wouldn't feel anything. I wouldn't be sad, yes, but I could never be happy again.
Sanity is what allows me to see. Without that thread, I wouldn't be able to see what's down here, or what tempts me up there. Not being able to see your own life is a punishment God should never have imposed.
Hope. This is what makes me want to stay here. What makes me not want to go up.
Somewhere in the world, there's this place. That's why I'm lying there, enjoying it.
The timing was also key. I could have arrived early and been freezing to death, and if I had arrived late, I'd be scorching hot.
Finally, I could have a problem myself. I could be sick, have an incurable injury, or be in such deep sadness that this place couldn't ease it.
None of that happens to me now. I'm calm. You could say I'm happy, but if I were, I wouldn't be calm.
If I had to complain about something, it would be being alone.
I agree with the saying that it's better to be alone than in bad company, but for that very reason, I'd like to have good company from time to time.
There will come a point where I'll get tired of them, but for now, I want to see them...
In the distance, I began to hear footsteps. They had a calm, even elegant rhythm.
I could feel them getting closer and closer. I thought that at any moment, that someone was going to step on me.
I realized that person had already arrived, not only because the footsteps stopped, but also because the sun stopped warming my body.
I got curious. It's not necessary to see a landscape so clearly. I can already imagine what the grass, the sky, or the sun will be like, but I'll never be able to imagine what a person will be like. There will always be something to surprise me. I didn't give it much thought and opened my eyes.
"Oh, but you were awake! And I was trying not to wake you up…"
The moment I opened my eyes, a familiar figure and face covered part of my vision, blocking out the glare of the sun. It was Daiki.
"You… What are you doing here?" Deciding to end my moment of calm, I turned to the person I had said I wanted so much.
It's not that he was bad company, it's just that the words 'Daiki' and 'Calm' don't usually go together.
'Well, I've been looking for you! It's been a while since you said you were leaving... What were you going to do?' With his usual cheerful tone, Daiki spoke as if the situation were normal.
"Honestly, I only remember waking up here. And what do you mean, looking for me?"
"Yes, looking for you. We all thought you were lost or something, even though it was such an open place, so that's why I came."
"Everyone? You mean Naomi and Kichiro?"
"Yes! Naomi, Chimo, and Amaya!"
"Ch-chimo?" I was more surprised by the nickname Daiki used for Kichiro than by the fact that Amaya was with us.
"What's wrong with that?! Isn't that what we usually call Kichiro?"
"I don't know, do we really all call him that? It sounds horrible..." I hope Amaya doesn't start calling him that either; I couldn't get that incident out of my head.
"You're really acting weird today." Daiki sighed, placing his hands on his hips. "Well, are you getting up or what? We can't be here all day."
"Contrary to what you think, my goal is to be here all day. So yeah, I'm afraid I'm going to be here until, uh, wait!" As she spoke, even though she was ignoring him, footsteps could be heard. Footsteps heading backward.
It was when they were heard more frequently and closer that I knew what was going to happen to me.
"Arrivederci!" Now the body I had previously seen in front of me was floating above me. It threatened to crush me mercilessly as it flew toward me.
I reacted in time, rolling to the side as quickly as I could, thus avoiding the bomb that was about to fall on me. Not because Daiki was fat, just because no one would like someone to fall on them.
The next thing I saw was the not-so-flying human eating the ground upside down. I guess it'll do him good to get a taste of the ground.
"Ugh!"
"B-but are you stupid?! What are you doing throwing yourself at me??" I said excitedly, to the defeated 'bird' on the ground.
"And why are you moving away? I was supposed to knock some sense into you with a good… a good… a good fall on you!!" Daiki turned his gaze towards me after digging his head out of the ground.
"And also, why are you shouting 'Arrivederci'? Isn't that phrase supposed to be a farewell?"
Daiki, realizing that what he had said was completely nonsensical, tried to use the supposedly existing neurons in his head to come up with a coherent excuse.
"Oh yeah, that's it. I was just saying goodbye, in case you fainted or something," he said in a silly tone, placing a hand on the back of his head.
" So you jumped on me knowing you could kill me?!"
"Well, killing might be a bit much. I'd say something like sleeping for life."
"And isn't that the same thing?!"
"...Maybe."
Daiki, for his part, began to get up from the ground. I was still shocked, and slightly annoyed by what he'd done.
He began stretching as soon as he stood up, reaching his arms and hands to the sky to relax both.
"That last part aside, are you coming or not? You can stay here if you really don't want to be with the group right now. But if you want to stay alone because of something that's bothering you, you can tell me." Daiki's tone became much more understanding and friendly.
'That the same person who tried to crush me before tells me this...'
I sighed at the quick change in tone of the conversation.
"There's nothing I have to tell you, least of all. But I'm fine. I'd like to stay here longer, although if you're all waiting for me, I guess I have no choice but to go." With a more respectable and natural attitude, I decided to go with Daiki.
I wasn't going to be reluctant about the fact that he came all the way here just to check on me. I'm not that bad of a person. I'm not.
"I like it like that, that's right!" Daiki gave a few brief claps, along with that enthusiastic phrase.
After that, he came up to me, and extended his hand to me,
"Do you want me to help you up?"
"I'm not a kid, I can get up by myself." I guess that spirit rubbed off on me too. I was sitting on the floor, getting ready to get up.
"I thought you would have a hard time getting up after lying down for so long."
" I haven't been down that long—"
Suddenly, as I braced myself on the ground with my right hand, it slipped. No, my hand failed me.
I didn't expect to fall like that, so I didn't have time to balance myself, and I ended up falling sideways, right on the right side.
He stopped offering me his hand. All I could do at that moment was blush.
"Ahh, yes, yes, I see you can fall perfectly on your own. Do you want me to applaud you for that too?" I would have been surprised if Daiki hadn't taken advantage of this to mock me.
"No need!" I said, a little annoyed at my own mistake. When did I even think of slipping? The ground isn't wet, and it's not like it would be justifiable.
"H-hey, seriously, are you really okay?" It didn't take long for him to take on a more concerned tone, looking at me with some doubt.
"Yeah, I'm not going to hurt myself with this either. Maybe I'll get a little dirty."
'Though to be honest, I was lying on the floor earlier, so I should have been dirty by now,' I thought.
Regaining my posture a little, I tried to get up again. I tried, but I couldn't. My arm was still giving out. No, it wasn't just my arm.
My whole body was shaking. My teeth were chattering, and my arms and legs weren't strong enough to function.
"...?" I was, above all, puzzled. All I could think was, maybe, getting up so quickly had made me feel bad.
"Do you want me to help you? Don't be so stubborn as to tell me you'll get up on your own." Daiki was now a little more serious. It caught me off guard that he was.
Although, honestly, I know I shouldn't feel that way. He's usually much more serious than I am, especially when it comes to playing. I guess he's just good at reading the mood.
I nodded at what he said, avoiding his face. I was sitting on the floor, looking a little pathetic.
"Do you think you can stand up on your own?" he said, offering me his hand again.
"It wouldn't hurt if you let me lean on your shoulder while we go back," I replied, giving him my hand.
He pulled me up, and I tried to get up, using his hand for support. After a while, I was able to get up, but I was still weak.
The first thing I did when I woke up was look at the horizon. He had surprised me, but I hadn't noticed the landscape.
Just as I imagined, the place was beautiful. No wonder we stayed here with the rest.
Daiki let me lean on his shoulder. It would be strange if, after so much concern and seriousness, he didn't let me.
The sun welcomed me to this meadow, and the grass waved as if it were greeting me, while the wind made my hair move slightly.
We turned around and started up a small hill. I guess this was the path I'd taken to get here.
It didn't take long to reach the peak, and the landscape on the other side was just as impressive as the one behind me.
In the background, hundreds of green hills could be seen. It seemed as if it would never end.
Also, in the distance, a solitary tree could be seen, which was larger than normal, and rested on a flat top of another hill.
"You see the tree in the distance, don't you? We're there," he said, as if responding to my thoughts.
"Yes, I can understand why."
It's not the usual thing we'd be having a picnic. Now that I think about it, I've only ever been on picnics with my family. And we only went to the forest near the town. Still, I had a good time the few times we did.
"Were we having a picnic?"
"Yes. Your sister gave us a surprise. She made sandwiches and even lunch for everyone. She says it's a way of saying thank you, although I don't know what she means by thanking us."
" Mh, that's weird, but nice of you."
"Isn't it?" Daiki seemed pretty happy since I asked what was going on.
"You didn't do anything to Amaya while I was gone, did you?"
" Who do you take me for?"
"A pervert who wants to hook up with my sister."
" You naughty boy! I bet I'll let you go!"
"Please don't do that."
"…"
"..."
"...Pfff"
" Hehehe…"
"Hahahaha!!!"
We were both laughing like fools. These things practically come naturally to us, and we never take each other seriously, except when it's something serious.
"I've just been telling her really cheesy pickup lines. I wasn't even taking it seriously," Daiki tried to hold back his laughter as he spoke.
" Ahh… Yes, I can imagine… your face saying those things…"
"Are you okay?"
" Yeah, it's mostly laughter. But on the other hand, I don't know why I'm feeling like this. It shouldn't be so hard for me to walk…"
"We can stop for a moment if you like."
"No, no. I'll rest when we get there. It's not that far either. It's just up this hill and that's it."
"Yes. The rest is on the other side of the tree."
For the rest of the walk, which wasn't very long, we talked about that same topic.
I know that when I first met Daiki, he approached me just to meet my sister, but now whenever we talk about it, he says that to him, everything about it is a joke.
Although it was meant seriously at the time, it's all a joke now. Maybe he still has those intentions, but I wouldn't mind.
"Even if it all worked out that way, you shouldn't approach people with those intentions."
"I know better than anyone. I swear I'm not like that anymore."
" Have you ever had a girlfriend?"
"No way. That was the only time I tried to approach a girl that way. Or, well, approach a girl in general."
"…Honestly, I wouldn't mind if you stayed with Amaya," I said in a fairly low voice, almost a whisper. Add to that the fact that I'm not feeling well, and my voice is a bit weak, and try listening to such a low voice.
"Did you say something? You're not insulting me, are you? I'm going to let you go!"
" I didn't insult you…"
"So what did you say?"
"Nothing," I said, with a smile on my face.
" Well, I'll let you go then…" Daiki replied back, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. "H-hey, stop! At this rate, I'm going to roll off!"