The afternoon sun was a warm, golden blanket over the quiet community garden.
It was a small, tucked-away space in a corner of a park, a place where flowers bloomed in neat rows and the air smelled like rich soil and freshly cut grass.
Birds chirped from a nearby tree, and a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soft, natural melody.
Haruya, Menma, and Tsumugi arrived first, finding a bench under the shade of a large cherry blossom tree.
Soon after, Nagisa Kubo and Shouko Nishimiya came, walking together, their soft footsteps barely making a sound on the gravel path.
Haruya stood up, a smile on his face. "Hey guys, thanks for coming."
Nagisa, always observant, took in the scene with a quiet look, her eyes lingering on Menma and Tsumugi before settling on Haruya. "Of course. It's nice to have a break from everything." She was wearing a familiar white dress that complemented her well.
Haruya recognized it as one of the outfits he bought for her in the past.
Shouko, with a gentle, serene smile, waved at them. "Hi, everyone. Thank you for inviting us." Her voice was soft but clear, carrying a warmth that instantly put everyone at ease.
Haruya took a deep breath, feeling a little nervous but happy.
It was a strange mix of people from different parts of his life, and he wanted them all to get along.
He introduced everyone formally, starting with his family.
"This is my cousin, Tsumugi Kotobuki," Haruya said, gesturing to Tsumugi. "She's visiting from her home and is a pianist. And this," he said, turning to Menma, "is my childhood friend, Meiko Honma. But I just call her Menma."
Tsumugi, always the outgoing one, gave a friendly wave. "Nice to meet you both! Onii-chan has told me a lot about you guys, but I have no idea who is who. So are you the one who sits next to onii-chan in class?" she asked Nagisa.
Nagisa gave a slight smile, a ghost of her usual expression. "Yes. I'm Nagisa Kubo. It's nice to meet you, Tsumugi."
Shouko gave a small, graceful bow and introduced herself with a warm smile. "I'm Shouko Nishimiya. It's so nice to meet you, Tsumugi-san, and Meiko-san."
Menma, a bit shy, bowed her head slightly. "It's nice to meet you both too."
The initial awkwardness was there, a thin layer of ice on the surface of the conversation, but Tsumugi, with her endless questions, was quick to break it.
She immediately started talking to Shouko about her sketchbook, asking to see some of her drawings.
Shouko, a bit surprised but happy, shyly showed her a few pages of beautiful, detailed sketches of flowers and animals.
As the three girls began to talk, Haruya found himself in the background again.
It felt good to see them all getting along.
He listened to their conversation, a comfortable observer in the scene of his own life.
Tsumugi's bubbly questions, Nagisa's thoughtful answers, and Menma's gentle voice all blended together, creating a harmonious sound.
"So," Tsumugi said, her eyes twinkling as she looked at Nagisa, "Onii-chan told me you two have been seatmates for a long time. Is that true?"
Nagisa nodded, a small sigh escaping her lips. "It's true. He transferred to our school a few years ago. I remember sitting by myself for so long until he came. Our teacher said that seats would be chosen by chance, but for some reason, we've always been seated next to each other. It's a strange coincidence."
"That's so lucky!" Tsumugi chirped. "I wish I had a cool seatmate like onii-chan."
Nagisa just gave a faint smile and looked at Haruya, her eyes holding a silent, shared understanding.
There was a story there, a quiet history that they didn't need to put into words.
Menma, who had been listening intently, leaned forward. "Wait, you were the new student? But you're so popular now, Haru."
Haruya just shrugged, a small, embarrassed smile on his face. "It was a long time ago. My family just moved here, and I didn't know anyone."
Tsumugi and Nagisa then began to talk, their conversation revolving around school and friends.
Menma, a bit nervous, decided to talk to Shouko.
"Haru told me you're a really good artist. I saw your sketchbook, your drawings are amazing," Menma said.
Shouko's face lit up, a shy but genuine smile on her face. "Thank you, Menma. Your hair is very beautiful," she said.
Menma giggled and thanked her back. "Your hair is pretty too, Shouko."
Shouko, her expression turning a little more serious, looked at Haruya and then back at Menma. "Haruya... he's a good person."
Menma nodded. She was well familiar with the boy. "I know. He's always been kind."
"He was the first person to stand up for me at school," Shouko said, her eyes soft with gratitude. "When I first came to school, a classmate would... well, he wasn't very nice at first. But Haruya... he just came and stood up for me. He told them to stop, and they listened to him."
She didn't need to say more.
Her simple words were enough to paint a clear picture of the kind of person Haruya was.
Shouko looked at him, her eyes holding a deep sense of gratitude.
Menma's eyes welled up slightly. "Haru... you're a hero. That's so cool."
Haruya waved his hands in front of him. "It's not a big deal. It was nothing. Anyone would have done the same."
"No, they wouldn't," Nagisa interjected, her voice firm. "They were all too busy laughing along, scared of getting involved with troublemakers. But you weren't." She then looked back at him, her eyes containing a small smile.
Haruya just looked down at the ground, unable to meet her gaze.
The praise felt both wonderful and embarrassing.
He didn't think of himself as a hero.
He was just a guy who did what he thought was right.
The conversation eventually shifted, as Nagisa and Shouko began to ask Menma about her hometown.
Menma's face lit up as she talked about her family's flower shop, the beautiful fields of flowers, and the quiet, peaceful life in Chichibu.
She talked about the festivals and the fireflies that came out at night, their soft, yellow lights dancing in the air.
Tsumugi and Nagisa listened intently, captivated by her words.
Haruya, for his part, listened to the story with a small smile on his face.
He remembered the festivals he would attend with her when he visited and the way Menma's eyes would light up when she saw the fireflies. He remembered the days she had been so happy that he had come.
They had spent the whole day just talking and playing. He was so happy that they were all getting along and that he could see all of his friends from different parts of his life coming together.
It was a simple yet profound moment of happiness.
As the sun began to set, casting a warm glow over the garden, the group decided to head home.
They walked together, their conversation a comfortable buzz in the quiet evening.
Haruya, Menma, Tsumugi, Nagisa, and Shouko.
It was a strange group of friends, all with their own stories, but for this one moment, they were all connected by a common thread: their connection with Haruya.
"It was fun, wasn't it, onii-chan?" Tsumugi, now standing beside him, tugged his sleeve.
Without answering, he looked at the backs of the three girls in front of him.
For a moment, he seemed to have pictured the three of them older, wearing long, white dresses with a bouquet in each hand.
A smile crept up on his face. "Yeah. It was nice."