The first time I noticed her, the cherry blossoms were already falling.
Not drifting—falling. Like they had somewhere important to be.
I was sitting by the window, half-listening to the teacher, when a petal landed on her desk. She didn't brush it away. Instead, she stared at it like it meant something… like it had chosen her.
That's when I realized—
She was different.
Her name was Aizawa Hina.
She transferred into our class in April, the season where everything begins. New classes, new faces, new chances. But she didn't seem interested in any of that. While everyone else laughed and introduced themselves, she quietly took her seat by the window… and stayed there.
Always by the window.
Always alone.
I didn't mean to talk to her.
Really.
It just… happened.
One afternoon, I found myself on the rooftop—my usual escape spot. The door creaked open behind me, and there she was.
Aizawa Hina.
We both froze.
"…Sorry," I said, scratching my head. "I didn't know someone else used this place."
She shook her head gently. "It's not mine."
Her voice was soft. Almost like it would disappear if the wind picked up.
We stood there awkwardly for a moment before she walked past me and leaned against the fence, looking out at the sky.
I should've left.
But I didn't.
"Do you come here often?" I asked.
"…Sometimes."
That was it. One word. Conversation over.
And yet… I didn't feel like it was over.
Days turned into weeks.
Without planning it, we started meeting on the rooftop. Not every day. Not even regularly. Just… whenever we both happened to be there.
We didn't talk much.
But somehow, it wasn't uncomfortable.
One day, I brought two cans of juice.
"Here," I said, holding one out.
She blinked at it, surprised. "…For me?"
"Yeah. I mean, I bought it already."
A small pause.
Then she took it.
"…Thank you."
And for the first time—
She smiled.
It wasn't big. It wasn't flashy. But it was real.
And it hit me harder than I expected.
"Why do you always come here?" I asked her one day.
The sky was unusually clear, the kind of blue that makes you feel like something important should happen.
She looked up, her eyes following a drifting cloud.
"…Because no one calls my name here."
I frowned. "Huh?"
She hugged her knees slightly.
"At my old school… I didn't have many good memories. So when I came here, I thought… maybe I could start over."
"That's normal, right?"
"…But even here," she continued quietly, "no one really talks to me. So I thought… if no one says my name, it's like I don't exist. And that's easier."
Something about the way she said it—
It didn't sound sad.
It sounded… accepted.
Like she had already given up.
I didn't like that.
I didn't like it at all.
So before I could think, I said it.
"Aizawa."
She blinked.
"Aizawa Hina."
Her eyes widened slightly.
"I'll say your name," I continued, trying to sound casual even though my heart was pounding. "So you don't disappear or whatever."
There was a long silence.
The wind picked up, carrying petals between us.
"…You're strange," she said.
"Yeah, I get that a lot."
"…But…" she hesitated.
"…Thank you."
After that, things changed.
Just a little.
She started coming to school a bit earlier. Sometimes she'd say "good morning" first. Sometimes she'd even ask questions—small ones, like what homework we had or what I was reading.
And every time I said her name—
"Aizawa."
She would look at me like it mattered.
One afternoon, as the last of the cherry blossoms fell, she turned to me and asked:
"…Can I try something?"
"Sure."
She took a small breath.
Then—
"…Kurosawa."
My name.
From her lips.
It sounded… different.
Warmer.
"…Yeah?" I replied.
She smiled again, a little brighter this time.
"…I guess I exist after all."
And just like that—
Spring felt a little less like a beginning…
…and a little more like something worth holding onto.
The End.