"Hey, nothing will change to the both of us after I move out okay?"
"Yes! I promise!"
This is the promise we've made before boarding on to the winged machine that took you away from me. I took out the logbook I had in my pocket and wrote at the very first page on the first day not being with you and it's contents were;
"June 11, 20xx
"Ah, this is my very first writing this. I want to write everything what will she miss once she moves to America. It's the day, you're going far away now, aren't you? Having accepted the fact that she'll leave me now, I am writing this to let you know how I will feel these years you'd be gone, Iroha."
Watching the plane flew you out of my reach, tears have overflowed on my eyes. My parents and little sister, who was accompanying me at the port comforted me as my tears flowed like an unstoppable current of a river.
I wrote everything that made me laugh, cry, everything that I had my emotions overflowed in onto the same logbook I've written in. Though still, I've always wished of feeling these kinds of emotions with you.
Three years later, I've already graduated in the middle school, and so are you. These past three years have been lonely without you, though not much. I've made a lot of friends after I got in the high school as I joined in the tennis club. I've also been a lot taller than before, I'm not the small Hiiro you've known before.
Two more years, I've found out you're coming back to Japan, the day I've been waiting for these five years. I immediately went to your old place but there's no one there. I came back a few more times but the neighbors told me that the house has been sold to someone, and that news has made me lost all of my hope of finding you here.
While walking on the different path as my place, I saw a girl sitting beside the road. I thought I'm just seeing things but it's you! The one I've always longed for these five years.
I rushed onto the spot you're sitting in while screaming your name out of excitement. Trail of dust has followed me as I ran full speed just to meet you now that you're here.
"Iroha!"
Not giving a care about the shame I'll receive, I shouted your name repetitively. As I got nearer, you looked at my direction, my heart almost skipped a beat as I finally saw that face that I've always longed for.
Now that you're on the reach of my hand, I held you like the most precious jewel a man could have.
"Welcome back, Iroha!"
After saying that, I saw the irritated look drawing onto your face.
"Excuse me, who are you?"
My world has fallen apart as I heard those simple lines coming from you.
"Hey, what do you mean? It's me Hiro, your childhood friend, don't you remember about our promise?"
She took a deep breath and promptly choke on the trail of dust I carried as I ran on here.
Tears have build up on the side of my eyelids, those few empty words have hurt me more than any cuts or bruises I've got.
"I'm sorry, I don't have memories regarding you or this place, I'm sorry."
I lost my strength as if I played tennis for a whole week non stop.
"Hiiro-kun…"
I heard a familiar voice coming from a man. I looked back and saw her mom's only brother.
"I'm sorry."
I heard a faint voice coming from her.
I'm sorry Hiro-kun. Since the accident happened, Iroha has lost all of her memories of this place or back there."
Having heard of that, I felt an ease that she didn't forgot me because she want to but she didn't had a choice.
"Oh is that so. Then, let's create more memories from now on. Then, I'll properly introduce myself. I'm Takasu Hiro, 18 years old, currently at third year of high school. We used to be good friends before you moved out to America, five years ago. Many things have changed now."
I blurted out as I tried to draw a wide smile on my face.
"I'm sorry, but I don't want to regain my memories back…"
She turned her back on me and went inside the house of her uncle. She didn't looked back but I tried to hide all of my pain with a smile written on my face.
I didn't took a single step out of the front of the house, hoping that she'll come back and talk to me.
I heard her shouting an incredibly dense amount of emotion. I got concerned and took a look at the opened window of the house and saw her talking with her uncle. She must have suffered from losing her memories.
An hour passed, her uncle told everything to me. Instead of putting my tail between my legs and retreat without finding the goal, I fought back on the obstacle in front of me. I climbed on the tall tree beside her room and shouted her name countless time.
"Iroha!"
I tried to get nearer onto her window but the branches couldn't carry my weight anymore so I fell down onto the ground. Unexpectedly, I caught her opening her window and looked at me. She had burst out laughing probably because of doing such idiotic thing, in response, I laughed with her.
She came down on her tall tower to lend a hand at me.
"Looks like I made you get out of your room."
I looked at her with a smile that rivalled the sun. Her beautiful face has been etched deep inside of my soul.
"I'm sorry..."
"Why would you do such idiotic thing for me?"
She said those words in between of her gentle laugh.
"Because I've always loved you, both of you from five years ago and now."
That might be the most straightforward thing I've said in front of her.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know, and I don't wanna know."
She turned her back to me, once again. But this time, I've accomplished my goal, to let her know that I love her. I came home feeling triumph as if I beat the hardest game boss of all time.
I wrote what happened today at my logbook. I had went to sleep feeling both happy cause she's back and sad cause she can't remember anything.
The next morning, just as I went to school, late, as always, I heard that a beautiful student have enrolled to our school. I started running to the room as the school bell started to rang. The first thing that came into my view as I opened the door, it was her, Iroha. The woman I've always wanted to be with.
In surprise, I got excited and held her hand.
"Iroha!? What a coincidence! We're classmates!"
My usual energetic self has showed up as I saw her.
"You know each other?"
The teacher asked us.
"Yes!"
"No…"
"Yes."
She denied it at first but she immediately changed her answer back.
While thinking about that graceful experience, it's already lunchtime. I went to the canteen to buy my beloved buns and returned back to the room. As usual, the school room was emptied but there's a person, silently sipping on her cup of tea while staring at the flowing scenery outside of the window.
I grabbed my seat that was beside her and offered her the half of the bun I bought earlier. She gladly accepted it. I tried to make a flowing conversation between us but she always tries to cut it.
After finishing the half bun I was eating, I took out the second batch and also cut it in half. I offered her the half but this time, she didn't accepted it due to she's 'full' already. Since I've been always pushy about things, I still gave it to her.
I remember the old times when we were just sharing buns like this without any worries.
The school bell rang once again as the classroom slowly get it's usually noisy room back.
As the classes ended, I hadn't noticed her leaving the room so I waited on the shoe lockers. Her loafers are still there so I assumed that she's still in the school grounds. After more than an hour of waiting and it's already 6pm, I saw her walk through the silent hall faintly illuminated by the setting sun.
She passed beside me as if I was just a wind.
"Iroha! Shall we head home?"
Even after getting ignored like that, I still have the guts to ask her to walk with me.
"Iroha?"
I whispered as I saw her troubled face.
"Sorry, I was thinking of something."
"Oh, thinking about what?"
"I don't know."
I felt sorrow coming from her cold, monotone voice.
"Oh, is that so?"
In the midst of our almost one sided conversation, we have reached the school gate. I said my goodbye since I'd be going on a different direction than hers.
"Are you free on Saturday."
I asked her.
"...yes"
She answered quite fast, I guess she's slowly opening herself up on me.
"Let's meet at 10am in the front of the station! I'll wait for you."
I waved at her, telling my goodbyes, unexpectedly, she raised her hand in response to mine. I got fluttered at seeing such cute action.
Time flew extremely fast, it's already Saturday. I don't think that she'll come but I will wait. As the clock hit the 9 o'clock mark, I started getting ready. I ran as fast as I could to the station thinking of only one thing, her being with me.
My heart beat faster as I saw her, silently standing still in front of the station in her casual clothes. I didn't know that she'd really go. Just before I knew it, tears have already overflowed on my eyes out of happiness.
"You came…"
"I'm here."
We went on the widely known amusement park in the prefecture. As expected it was full of people, I was never a fan of it but as long as I'm with her, I'm okay.
After trying different rides and food, we've reached into our final ride, the tallest ferries wheel in the prefecture. The lovely sunset has made the mood more romantic. As the ferries wheel slowly reach it peak, the read tinted sun flashed through the windows. I saw a wide smile written all over her face.
"You look beautiful…"
"...it feels like I'm saying the past us again."
She looked at me as she sat on the sides of it. I couldn't help myself, I hadn't done this with for the whole past five years of waiting for her. I wrapped my long, average sized arms onto her.
"What are you…"
Cutting through the words she was saying. I told what I've felt for the whole day being with her.
"Thank you for being with me, I had a lot of fun."
I had loosen my hug and tried to smile to hide my tears.
"Thank you too, for giving me this so much fun…
.…I want to regain my memories back. Even if I don't, I want to make new fun memories again."
My eyelids has finally reached its limit on containing my tears for the whole time of being here, alone with her.
"Iroha…"
"...I'd be glad to help!"
end