The town of Hanamura was famous for its spring—the kind that turned the sky pink with falling petals and filled the air with a sweetness that lingered long after sunset. It was in this season that seventeen-year-old Himari Tachibana found her life starting to feel like a fairytale.
Himari stood under the great sakura tree behind Hanamura High School. It was her favorite spot—a quiet hill overlooking the lake, where petals danced in the wind and the sun dipped gently into the water's reflection. Her long brown hair swayed with the breeze as she reached down between the roots of the tree.
Another envelope.
Cream-colored, sealed with a golden sakura sticker. No name. No address. Just like the others.
She sat down on the stone bench, heart fluttering. Her fingers slid beneath the seal with practiced care, and she unfolded the letter.
> "To the girl who hums while watching the sky,
You shine brighter than the afternoon sun on cherry petals.
Would you smile for me again tomorrow? I'll be there.
Yours always,
—H.*"
Her cheeks warmed. This was the fifth letter—and each one felt like it was written just for her heart alone. They were short, poetic, full of small details that only someone watching closely would know.
The first letter talked about how she always stayed behind after class, humming softly as she sketched the view. The second described how she fed the neighborhood cat she'd named Momo. The third mentioned the time she slipped on the stairs but laughed anyway. They weren't just letters. They were love songs written in secret.
"Himari-chan!"
She jumped slightly, tucking the letter into her school bag as Ren Sakamoto ran up the hill toward her, waving. His cheerful smile was as familiar as the sun. Ren had been her friend since middle school—easygoing, full of jokes, always walking her home even when she said she didn't need an escort.
"You're here again," he said, grinning as he dropped his bag beside hers and sat on the bench.
"You too," Himari said with a soft smile.
Ren leaned back, arms behind his head. "Let me guess… another letter from your mystery poet?"
She looked away, but her smile deepened. "Maybe."
He laughed gently. "Still no idea who it is?"
"No clue," she murmured. "But… I like not knowing. It feels like magic."
"Magic, huh?" he said, watching her from the corner of his eye. "You always believed in that kind of thing."
She turned to him with a dreamy look. "Don't you?"
Ren thought for a moment. "I think… sometimes the most magical things are the ones that have been right in front of us the whole time."
Himari looked at him curiously, but before she could ask what he meant, he jumped to his feet. "C'mon! The bakery will run out of melon bread if we don't hurry."
She laughed and followed him down the hill, her heart lighter than the petals falling above.
But just as they disappeared from view, a boy stepped out from behind a tree further up the path. He had soft silver hair, glasses slightly askew, and in his hand was a leather notebook filled with sketches and poems.
He looked down at the sakura tree where Himari had just stood… and smiled faintly.
> "Next week," he whispered to himself, "I'll write about her laugh."