The rest of the afternoon had slipped by in a blur of colors and chatter. The festival stretched on, lanterns beginning to glow faintly as the sun dipped lower, slowly turning the sky in orange hues.
Haruya and his friends played a few more games and ended with one last round of photos in front of the flower field.
By the time they reached the train station, yawns had started to replace laughter.
Once aboard, the rhythmic sway of the train lulled the children into silence. One by one, heads drooped and eyes shut. Their exhaustion has finally caught up to them.
Haruya leaned back against his seat, only to feel something press against his shoulder.
Menma, having dozed off, was now resting gently against him, her breathing steady. Haruya smiled gently and adjusted her position to a more comfortable spot, silently observing her sleeping face.
Across the aisle, Akari noticed first. Her lips curved in a knowing smile, elbow lightly nudging Irene. When Menma's mother followed her gaze, her own expression softened.
"Well," Irene whispered, amused, "looks like those two get along better than I thought."
Akari chuckled quietly. "If this keeps up, we might just end up as relatives one day."
Their hushed laughter was warm, carrying the tone of two mothers sharing a private joke. The train rattled on, carrying their little group home as the day slowly faded into night.
...
The next morning, sunlight peeked through Haruya's curtains. He sat at his desk, laptop open, the familiar voice of a girl filling the quiet room.
Nagisa's face appeared on screen, her smile bright as ever. "Haruya-kun! Guess what? Osaka was amazing!"
She launched into a lively recount of her trip. Colorful markets, bustling streets, and a castle she visited with her relatives. The enthusiasm in her voice was enough to paint the scenes clearly in his mind.
When she finally paused for breath, Haruya grinned. "Sounds like you had fun. I've got stories too. We went to a festival in Chichibu... I was with my friends. We ate, played games, and took way too many pictures."
Haruya pulled out his phone, having transferred photos from the camera to it, he showed them one by one to Nagisa.
Her eyes sparkled as she stared at the photo of the sea of flowers and Haruya with his friends. "That sounds wonderful. I'm a little jealous."
The conversation flowed easily, laughter filling the pauses until a new voice interrupted.
"Nagisa, are you in here again?"
Nagisa turned, revealing her older sister, Akina, standing at the doorway, a younger girl clinging to her hand. The child's features mirrored Nagisa's, only her indigo hair and eyes standing apart.
Akina leaned closer to the screen, her grin widening. "Well, well. Chatting with your boyfriend again, Nagisa? It's been a while, young boy. Thanks for the desserts back at Christmas—they were delicious."
Nagisa's face turned crimson. "H-he's not! Akina-nee! Don't say that!"
Haruya laughed awkwardly, scratching his cheek. "It's nice to see you again, Akina-san. You're welcome."
The little girl tugged on Nagisa's sleeve, eyes big with curiosity. "Nagisa… is he really your boyfriend?"
"Eh?! No, no, no!" Nagisa waved her hands frantically before gently pulling the girl closer. "This is Haruya Sumeragi, a close friend. And this is Saki Kubo... my cousin."
Saki tilted her head, studying the boy through the screen, before wrapping her arms tightly around Nagisa. "Nagisa is mine!" she declared with determination.
Akina burst out laughing. "Don't mind her, Haruya-kun. Saki really looks up to Nagisa. Says she wants to be just like her when she grows up."
"Looks identical, don't they?" She continued. "Don't get any ideas, though. You can only get one from the Kubo Family!"
'Ugh...' Haruya was quite impressed with Akina's teasing skills. He now started to wonder if Nagisa would grow up to be similar to her.
If only he knew.
Before Haruya could reply, another voice called from the background, asking for help. Akina sighed and patted her cousin's head. "Looks like we're needed. Come on, Saki. Say goodbye."
Both girls waved before leaving the room, Akina throwing one last teasing smile over her shoulder.
Left alone again, Nagisa gave an apologetic look. "Sorry… I'll have to go too. They might need me to help as well."
"It's fine," Haruya said warmly. "We'll talk again when school starts. Hopefully, we'll be in the same class along with Hazuki."
Her smile returned, softer this time. "Yeah... that'd be nice. See you soon, Haruya-kun."
The call ended, the screen fading to black. Haruya leaned back in his chair, letting out a small sigh.
A few moments later, he received another notification on his PINE app.
Menma: Did you guys get some good rest? Wanna hang out at the secret base?
Poppo: Sure! Yesterday was really fun, I can't wait to play again today!
Jinta: Agreed. Let's go!
Haruya, Anaru, Yukiatsu, and Tsuruko followed, and all agreed to gather as well.
Haruya stood up and started preparing to leave, cleaning up his room a bit before going out. Just before going out, he grabbed a picture frame he had prepared with a photo of the Super Peace Busters they had taken during the festival.
"This would be a good decoration for the secret base." Looking at their happy photos, he smiled.
Greeting Akari and his grandparents, he finally set out.
The familiar forest welcomed them as the Super Peace Busters filed one by one into their old secret base.
Dust motes floated in the air of morning sunlight through the gaps in the walls.
Despite the years, the place still carried the warmth of their countless childhood memories.
Poppo flopped down onto the floorboards first, stretching his arms wide. "Man, yesterday was awesome! I can still hear the fireworks in my head!"
"More like you snoring on the train," Jinta muttered, sitting cross-legged near the center.
"Hey, I was just… recharging!" Poppo shot back proudly, earning a few laughs from the others.
Haruya, carrying his bag, crouched near one of the shelves tucked in the corner. "Speaking of yesterday…" he said, pulling out the picture frame he'd been saving. With care, he set it down on display where the sunlight hit just right.
The group quieted for a moment, drawn in by the frozen memory of the seven of them smiling together in front of the sea of flowers, colorful blossoms stretching endlessly behind.
"Whoa..." Menma's eyes lit up as she crouched closer to the frame. "Haru, it looks so good!"
"Not bad," Yukiatsu admitted, adjusting his collar while trying not to smile too obviously.
"This really does make the place feel more like ours," Jinta said, leaning forward with his chin resting on his hands.
Haruya smiled, leaning back as he watched the others gather around. "Figured it'd be better to keep it here. A reminder of yesterday."
As the chatter picked up again, Anaru smirked slyly and folded her arms. "By the way… speaking of yesterday. You and Menma looked pretty close, Haruya."
Haruya blinked. "Huh?"
Menma also tilted her head. "Eh?"
"Don't play dumb." Anaru's grin widened. "On the train, you adjusted her when she fell asleep on you. You were being really gentle. I saw it."
"Ohhh, really now?" Poppo leaned in dramatically. "Menmaaa, is there something going on~?"
"Yeah," Jinta added, laughing. "We've been noticing something strange going on lately, Haru!"
Even Yukiatsu raised an eyebrow, his arms crossed but his eyes sharp with interest.
"Don't tease her too much," Tsuruko cut in, pouting slightly. "What if she cri—"
But she stopped mid-sentence. Because instead of the tears she expected from the usual crybaby of the group, Menma's face broke into a wide, radiant grin.
"Ehehe, Haru was really kind!" she said cheerfully, no embarrassment in her tone whatsoever.
The room erupted with shock. Poppo clutched his stomach, Jinta's mouth widened in disbelief, and even Anaru couldn't keep a straight face.
Haruya, meanwhile, gave her a gentle look, his lips curved in a smile, and said nothing.
From the side, Yukiatsu let out a long sigh. His gaze lingered on Menma, his mind briefly drifting back to the past.
He had once liked her back when they were younger. But as time went on, he had come to see the truth.
Menma only had eyes for Haruya.
Instead of bitterness, Yukiatsu felt a quiet respect. Haruya was someone he couldn't help but look up to: a leader who seemed capable of everything.
Strong, kind, and dependable. Someone he could never quite match.
And yet… his eyes shifted, catching sight of Tsuruko laughing softly at Poppo's exaggerated pose.
She covered her little mouth as she giggled, her glasses shaking from her motion.
Yukiatsu found himself staring a little longer than he intended before quickly looking away.
Across from him, Anaru's gaze had drifted as well. She glanced at Jinta, who was still shocked at Menma's bright reaction, his hands placed atop his head, making an exaggerated pose.
Her lips pursed slightly, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks before she quickly averted her eyes.
Haruya, watching all of this unfold in silence, let out a small sigh in his mind.
'So that's how it is, huh…'
The Super Peace Busters weren't just a group of friends anymore. Piece by piece, it was starting to look more like… a couple's den.
His eyes wandered to Poppo, who had now moved on from the situation and was now happily munching on some chips he had brought along, completely oblivious to the atmosphere swirling around him.
'Poor guy.'
Haruya realized that maybe this was what made their group special.
A place where everyone's hearts, awkward as they were, could rest together.