Having made plans for the cherry blossom viewing, both Hiroyuki and Jiro's spirits were high. This wasn't the first time Hiroyuki had gone to watch the cherry blooms, but it was the first time they were accompanying someone they never thought they would even have encountered.
Hiroyuki and Jiro's social classes were different. At best, they might have met somewhere where Hiroyuki was the patron and Jiro was the serving attendant. Their relationship wouldn't be on equal terms as it currently was right now.
Jiro smiled as he remembered the last year his father was alive. During that time, the family went to see the cherry blossoms, but his mother would complain about time they were wasting. But his father only answered, "who knows if we can see it this next year."
His words were ominous portent of the future.
After his father's death, Jiro had no one on whom he could accompany to go view the cherry blossoms. Thus, he would sadly go to the roof of the school and peek out into the horizon. When school ended that year, his mother couldn't afford to pay for the following year's tuition. And Jiro wasn't bright enough to become a scholarship student.
In the end, Jiro dropped out of school. He ended up finding odd jobs to help pay for things around the house. And Jiro's mom never thanked him for helping. To her, it was only natural for Jiro to help out. Maybe it was, but at no point in time did his mother encourage him to use that money to pay for his own tuition. At no point in time did she encourage him to study on his own. When she saw him reading books, she told him it was a waste of time.
Thus, slowly over time, Jiro stopped going to the public library to borrow books and his knowledge declined.
As for Hiroyuki, his family made a fanfare of going to the ancestral family home to view the cherry blossoms growing on their property. Lots of delicious sushi was made by the chefs and everyone didn't have a care in the world. It was more like a festive party without the usual family bickering.
But once the merriment was over, the nagging and chastising would return. Hiroyuki's father would admonish his children on the lack of studious behavior when it comes to learning. When Hiroyuki's brother was alive, he would smile at Hiroyuki and secretly make faces when no one except Hiroyuki was looking. Hiroyuki's older brother was the light in his life.
After his death, Hiroyuki no longer returned to view the cherry blossoms. Without his brother, what was the point?
When he dated Risa, she had wanted him to take her to his ancestral family home, but Hiroyuki adamantly refused. In the end, angry and disappointed, Risa went off with her friends to view the cherry blossoms. Hiroyuki didn't care about the past, nor did he regret what transpired.
Today, he and Jiro woke up early to cook and prepare for the cherry blossom viewing. With the bento boxes packed, they were actually quite heavy. Holding the bag of beverages, while carrying the bento box reverently with two hands, Hiroyuki left Jiro to carry the lightweight mat. It would be Jiro's job to lock the door today.
As they walked, Hiroyuki looked up at the sky. "It's a blue sky, with some fluffy clouds. I think it's going to be a beautiful day."
"Yes," Jiro answered, "perfect weather for cherry blossom viewing."
The two of them walked in tandem. Although Jiro was shorter than Hiroyuki by a full head, but his legs were long. Each one of his steps matched Hiroyuki's steps.
As they neared the park, Jiro stopped.
"What is it?" Hiroyuki asked.
"My home. They're demolishing my home."