I'm Mizuhara Rika, an ordinary high school girl who has nothing else to do with other people.
It's morning, of course going to school is a daily routine for me. Since I live nearby my school, I usually head there by foot. I have someone who always tag along no matter I like it or not - Tachibana Yuuma, my childhood friend.
He's annoying. I wonder why he got very popular in school. Our personality doesn't match at all, so I seldomly talks to him. However, he's always the one talking to me. He's annoying.
But today... He is not here... Anymore... He's annoying. Even though he's no longer living. It was a rainy day, when he confessed to me. It's because a good friend of mine, Haruna likes him. But I wonder why, why did my heart go crazy when he confessed to me.
Out of confusion, I pushed him away and began running, there is a crossroad I usually pass by on my way home and school. It happens there, my vision is affected by the rain, with my short hair keeps swaying, I ignored the red lights for the pedestrians, I rushed through. Before I noticed, a hand I never felt before grabbed my short sleeve and pulled me back, while in that moment, I can see his face, worried, scared, and...? Relief.
The truck horns repeatedly, it also skidded on the wet roads.
"BOOM! CRASH!"
"Yuuma!!!" I shouted out of despair.
The truck hit his body, and his body flew over a distance. The word 'tragic' can be used to describe his state.
At that time I was unable to do anything. Yuuma is dying, all I could do is hold his hands, harder than any grip in my life. It's futile. At the time the paramedics arrived, we were separated, forever.
As long as he's unconscious, I prayed to every shrine I could reach, in hopes of finding miracles. Three days passed without any improvements, his body functions started to deteriorate, Yuuma passed away without a word.
"Phew... Luckily you didn't get hurt..." I guess I can say that those were his last words. The more I think, the more the despair I felt. I would have thought, "Hey, it's not the end of the world right?" But I couldn't.
In one day after his funeral, I visited his room, perhaps looking at it for the last time. He is obsessed with astronomy, pictures of stars, catalogues of telescopes that he planned to buy, and articles of astronomical sightings.
I opened the window, which lits up the entire room, as well as welcoming a gust of wind. The wind blew over a notebook, flipping its pages until an excerpt of an article flew out from the notebook.
What is this? I thought. I picked it up and read a few lines of it.
"In July, a rare occurrence is expected to occur for several days."
"A wishing star will appear in the night sky estimated from 21:00 to 21:30."
"It is said if you wish on it, your wishes will come true."
What... Even Yuuma believes in these?
I went back to the notebook, I saw something that surprised me.
"I wished Rika will accept my confession."
I... I... I...
"Yuuma! No..." It's not like I don't want to cry, my voice couldn't get out of me, I collapsed.
When I woke up, I was already in my bed. It seems like I had a fever after the rain without proper rest, my body is taking a toll on me. I remembered the contents of the article and quickly checked the clock. It's 9:32 pm.
Oh no! I quickly opened the windows, a star that somehow matches the diagrams in the article. It that the wishing star?
If praying in the shrines wouldn't work... What if I just try wishing for a while?
"I wish to see him again..." I wished.
The wish, I didn't much care if it's going to happen. My body is boiling up, I should call it a day.
I'm sure I was dreaming. But I saw Yuuma, walking with a girl. Is that me? No, she has longer hair than me. The two of them seemed so close together. Why do I suddenly felt so much pain?
Not long after, the two of them zoomed faster, almost disappeared into the horizon, I started running after them, but they wouldn't stop.
"Yuuma!" I shouted with all of my might, trying to reach my hands to him but to no avail...
"Yuuma!...?" I sprang up from my sleep. Huh... It's just a dream... Is it? My surroundings looked different. Everything looks packed up, boxes of my belongings are all over the floor. Are we moving away? Just who packed all the things in my room?
I quickly ran downstairs, to see every furniture that I grew up with are brand new. What happened?! Did my parents won a lottery? No, it's impossible. I saw my mother coming back from the marketplace.
"Mom, are we moving out?" I asked.
"What are you talking about, silly? We just moved here yesterday, you even said you liked it!" She replied.
What? I'm sure I was born in this house...
"Rika, don't you have classes today? Hurry up." Mom said.
Shoot! I quickly changed into my uniform and quickly ran out from my . Before I started dashing, I glanced my neighbour's name. "Tachibana" Huh? Nothing changed...
I continued to walk, but something off happened. A familiar voice shouted from that house. "Ah crap! I'm late!" I looked back to the house, Yuuma ran out of the house, biting a toast with butter while running. It's so funny, yet reassuring, but wait. Am I still dreaming? I pinched my cheeks hard.
"Owww!" it's not, I'm not dreaming...
"Huh, are you from the uh... Mizuhara house?" Yuuma said to me, while glancing at my house's family name. Without any hesitation, I quickly hugged Yuuma, I'm so happy to see him again.
"Huh?! Hey, what are you doing? I don't know you." Yuuma said. I puzzled. He was going to push me away, but I was acting weird. I'm confused. What happened?
"Anyways, we attend the same school is it? Well I'll listen to you later, let's get to the school! Ah no, I'm late!" Yuuma ran off. Uh huh... I started walking my way to the school. I headed to the crossroad, where the accident took place. I saw Yuuma standing there, though it was green lights.
"Yuuma, it's green, we can cross the road already." I said to Yuuma.
"How did you know my name?" Yuuma asked.
Oh yeah... He didn't know me at all... I shouldn't be knowing his name at all...
"I saw your name on your name tag?" I lied.
"Huh, my nametag is in my bag, are you lying to me?" Yuuma said.
"Ah anyways, let's cross the road already!" I said and quickly stepped on the road. The lights turned red, and before I noticed, the same hand grabbed my sleeves, just like that day...
"Hey, watch where you're going!" A driver of a car shouted. I quickly apologised and went back to the traffic light. Yuuma pulled me back just now, but he looks unwell.
"Rika...? Augh..." Yuuma's head seems to be hurting. How he remembered my name? Not long after, he collapsed.
Terrified, I quickly called the ambulance. The events of that day seemingly happened again in an opposite manner. It was evening and raining; whereas it's morning and sunny. The accident happened on the other side of the road, whereas the accident almost happened here. The key difference is... The accident didn't happen this time. Am I over thinking about it?
Perhaps this long dream will end soon...
Yuuma woke up in a hospital ward, I was sitting outside of the room, since his parents happened to visit him, I just spaced out. Suddenly, a doctor dragging a patient's collar at the back. He opened a ward door and threw him into the ward.
"Don't ever come out before you settle your problems like a man." The good looking doctor said. He stood there, blocking the door. With the door went knocking for a while, and then it quieted down.
"Excuse me, what happened in there?" I asked the doctor. He turned around, I glanced at his name tag, it says Shiroyuki Hiro.
"This guy just couldn't be honest with her. He purposely hurt her so that she would leave for her treatment overseas. But he's hurt too." Dr. Hiro said.
While we are talking, a guy's voice is heard crying, I wondered what happened to them.
"Today's twilight was lonely. Even though there is someone with me, I can only feel sadness from that beautiful view. I think, I missed you." The guy said.
I felt complicated... Don't I have something to say to Yuuma if I ever meet him again? I quickly went into his ward.
His parents are preparing to leave, I introduced myself to them, they thanked me for calling the ambulance. Excuse me? It was me who caused him to be sent into the hospital, wasn't it? Nevertheless, I went to Yuuma, mustering all the courage that I had to tell him.
"Huh? Who are you?" Yuuma said when he saw me. What in world happened?! Why did he forgot about me? Why did everyone forgot about me? Did I ever exist in this world before? I ran off, unable to comprehend the situation, I ran home, without accidents. Seeking for answers like this, is too hard for me...