Time.
It flies by so quickly.
So fast that one does not have time to realize how much one's surroundings have changed in the last few years. Those few years fly by for infants as quickly as the wind sweeps across the faces of the elderly. In one day a whole life can be changed or ruined. The environment in which a person lives changes as quickly as he or she changes.
In this way, people go through the most important stage of life's journey.
***
With talk on various topics and the latest news, only half of the food was left on the table, and the boys decided to put the meal aside for later, going to play some games.
As it turned out, Ryou didn't come without his stuff either — taking some board games out of his dark bag, he invited the others to play one of them. His collection included mini-darts, trivia, and monopoly. At the girls' suggestion, they started with mini-darts and ended with yes/no game, which ended up giving the last board game time to break their heads. Before they knew it, the clock struck 11:41 p.m.
The guys were already preparing to welcome the start of the New Year by going outside and changing, and the girls, with Mari and Liliaa cleaning up the table, agreed to go outside as well, but a little later. As Mari had suggested, the guys wanted to welcome the holiday with fireworks outside, so she and Akiko had bought holiday pyrotechnics before they arrived, and Tomoyuki had put them in his backpack beforehand.
"Well, let's go light them up!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, and the boys left the house.
Finally, Glenn called out to Mari and asked her to hurry up, "You wanted to walk outside in the freshly fallen snow, didn't you?"
Mari was touched by his words, and she nodded bitterly, promising him to go out soon.
Yumiko contemplated the street from her window, resigned to the fact that the bright colors of the streetlights and city lights from all over the city were strongly conspicuous. The street seemed to be buzzing with activity from all over downtown, for in five minutes the real New Year's Eve celebration would begin, and the entire city was filled with holiday cheer. People were waiting and gathering to greet this year with sparks and fireworks to surround them with bright scenes of flashes and dancing in different colors.
Akiko came up to her.
"Yuttyan, what are you waiting for?"
"I'm... excited with all my heart to welcome next year instead of you, as if I've been waiting for this moment... all my life."
"Oh... it's..."
"I am grateful to all your souls because you support me with your beautiful emotions. In your arms I feel warm and peaceful... Before, I couldn't have imagined how happy I would be in my last year of school. What would I do without you?"
Akiko smirked, and walking to the window, she answered:
"We are each happy to be with each other, and I think it's amazing that we were able to find each other. We have a lot in common, isn't it cool to see their happy faces?"
Yumiko glanced across the yard and saw the guys setting up a fireworks display on the ground and chatting amongst themselves.
"Our collision wasn't an accident, was it?" Akiko smiled, and Yumiko felt calm in her soul. "It's a fate-given gift."
"Uh-huh. Glenn-kun would say it is the grace of God. I do not deny it, and I have no right to dispute it."
Glancing again at Akiko, she added, "I am waiting for the key that will bring us to freedom. The fireworks will light the way."
The streets everywhere were blanketed with a morning rush of snow.
"Let's go outside; they must be waiting out there."
"Uh-huh," Yumiko said, and closed the curtains.
'I sincerely wish us all happiness,' she thought to herself. 'We will achieve it in our own strength, with independence.'
A minute before the bright flashes in the sky began, the girls went outside in their jackets and, noticing the sudden change in temperature, Akiko blew on her hands. Ryo beckoned them to hurry up to them, because they were about to start lighting up.
Mari and Lilia clasped hands and ran up first.
"I can't wait for the fireworks to start!"
"Be patient, or Tomoyuki will bloat again," Ryou said.
Seconds later, Tomoyuki, who was preparing the rig for launch, openly announced that he was finished. Glenn looked at his watch and looked back at the others.
"Thirty seconds."
The boys were eager to start the fireworks, and so was the whole town with them. There were several other families from neighboring apartments walking in the yard besides them, waiting for their launch to begin.
'All our dreams are one,' they exclaimed to themselves, looking at each other in fascination. 'We have come together to meet our way.'
Glenn nodded, giving the others a sort of sign, and together they understood his willingness.
"Ten."
The cheerful buzz of children revealed themselves outside, and a festive message slipped out across the city center on the big screens greeting the new year.
"Five."
Tamotsu was the first to catch his breath, and with him the boys took a deep breath.
The time "0:00" popped up on the clock, and the calendars showed the number, "January 1, 2023."
"Happy New Year!!!" they exclaimed cheerfully, and Tomoyuki, who was sitting on the courts, abruptly lit the fireworks with his lighter, followed by ripe sparks from the installation.
Tomoyuki rose to his feet to caution himself against the explosion. Large sparks flew into the sky, announcing the start of the new year, and fireworks opened up in the sky above the outdoor area, emitting the sound of flashes. Throughout the city, the same sound was emitted on a large scale, and the sky was covered with multicolored lights.
This breathtaking narration of lights above the open starry sky was the beginning of both the new year and the new life of all the club members. The boys' faces glistened with warm colors, and it impressed them to the point of stupefaction. Indifference did not show on their faces, and Mari ran forward, joyfully throwing up her hands and turning to everyone with tears in her eyes.
"We welcomed this holiday together!" and jumped with all her might, raising her open eyes charmingly upward. Her pupils brightly displayed the bright colors of the heavenly salute, and she made no attempt to hide her wide smile.
Lilia, meanwhile, grabbed Glenn's hand lively, and they ran up to her. Glenn didn't resist; on the contrary, it made him happy. Akiko and Tomoyuki ran briskly after them. There was not an ounce of embarrassment or regret in their eyes, and Tamotsu chased after them too.
Yumiko and Ryou were left alone on the playground, looking at the rest of the boys.
"They all look so happy. It's like they've got angel wings on their backs..."
"I mean, we've all been waiting for this event to celebrate together."
'I wish they'd all stay happy...'
Their voices were drowned out by fireworks. Ryou, who didn't have an ounce of the insecurity he used to fear, slowly turned to her:
"Yu-chan, how would you like to greet the new year?"
Yumiko turned to face him.
"No other way. Only together with your happy smiles on your faces."
'I would expect nothing less from her. That's why I admire you so much, your grace. I'd like to look at your peaceful face forever — I don't want anything else, after all. And that's why... I'm especially happy right now.'
The fireworks kept blazing in the sky, giving love to all who looked at them. The large fireworks took away any sense of sadness and honored them with a sense of intensity. All of these guys, standing side by side with each other, had more than just affection in common.
"I love you, Yu-chan."
Yumiko looked at Ryou, whose cheeks were flushed with a slight blush.
It wasn't long before she seemed despondent, for this was the turn she had feared the most. She seemed simultaneously stunned and euphoric at first at his announcement, but then Yumiko came to her senses.
Ryou's confession put her in a mood that was depressed.
Running after the girls and Tomoyuki, Akiko and Glenn didn't stop to take their eyes off the fireworks. For them, this moment seemed more precious than anything else. Akiko glanced over at Glenn and saw his enthusiasm for examining each firework uncovered in sparks.
'Maybe I'm overestimating myself. All the fantasies I've conjured up for myself... Maybe it doesn't seem fair of me? When I see the look in his eyes, I realize that this fantasy will only turn out to be a fantasy and will not turn into reality. I can't be wrong. I mean, he's... blinded by the fireworks.'
Glenn noticed Akiko's frustrated look, and turned to face her.
'We're not running away. We're only chasing our common future,' Tomoyuki thought to himself, purposely not catching up with the girls who were looking up at the sky.
"At least watch your feet when you run!"
'Akiko-chan...' Glenn looked at her. 'Is she upset about something...?'
Akiko, seeing his slightly worried face, was aware at that moment that her hunch was wrong.
'That's right, isn't it. How dare I forget? Despite my childish excitement, I'm glad. Glad to be with all of you.'
Tears slowly poured from Akiko's eyes, but Glenn saw a genuine smile on her face, and her eyes clearly reflected her satisfaction at what was happening. Realizing that Akiko had cheered up, Glenn showed his childlike joy as well.
'What is this...? In her eyes I saw all those hidden feelings in her that she never showed any of us before. She seems happy... but what is this pain that she is also trying to hide? Why... can't I look away from her?'
'That moment, those feelings. They will be my best memories of all time,' Akiko did not remove her wide and bitter smile. 'Because from that moment on, I'll be someone they'll be proud of. And if Glenn appreciates me as someone close to him, then that's enough for me for the rest of my life.'
"Oh! The fireworks are starting to die down," Mari declared, but they could barely hear her.
'I don't want to force anything on anyone, and let me continue to be tied to our bond instead.'
Thought Akiko, and realizing that there was no Ryou or Yumiko nearby, turned her gaze and saw them far behind. Her blushing eyes noticed Yumiko standing slightly lowered, trying to hide her dejected look from Ryou.
"Yuttyan...?"