"That's my payback! Got you good, huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, you got me."
"Good!"
With a satisfied grin, Kaba began to skip, her red hair bouncing cheerfully in two ponytails.
I quickened my steps to catch up with her, and soon we were walking side by side in silence.
"Ethan~"
"What's up?"
It was Kaba who broke the silence.
She kept her gaze straight ahead, speaking without turning to me.
"—I like you."
Those words drifted clearly to my ears, carried by the wind.
Two simple words, yet the feelings behind them were so profound that "simple" couldn't even begin to describe their weight.
"I like you too."
Stunned into silence, I couldn't respond. Kaba, her cheeks flushed but composed, looked up at my bewildered face and repeated herself.
"I really like you, Ethan."
"..."
Was it as a friend? Asking that would be rude. Looking into her earnest eyes, it was clear she meant she liked me as something more.
"...Since when? We've only known each other for about two weeks."
"Time spent together doesn't determine when you fall in love. Some romances build slowly, while others happen in an instant."
"I see... So you've liked me since the first day we met?"
"Yeah, I guess you could call it love at first sight?"
Mikaba said this bashfully, fiddling with her hair. My heart continued to race uncontrollably. Her subtle gestures, flushed cheeks, and glistening lips captivated me. There's no denying Mikaba is an attractive girl, and her feelings for me are genuine.
"Ethan, can I hear your answer?"
Honestly, I didn't have a reason to refuse. If I said yes, we would become a couple. There was still so much we didn't know about each other, but we could learn as we went along. I thought spending everyday life with Mikaba as a girlfriend wouldn't be so bad. But—
"I... I still want to stay friends for now."
That was the response that came out of my mouth, held back by something deep within me.
"...I see. But 'still' means there's a possibility, right?"
"It's more like I'm just delaying my answer."
"Hehe, I won't give up! I'll definitely make you notice me one day."
"Sorry for giving you a half-hearted answer."
"It's okay! It would have been fantastic if we could date, but I'm just happy I could express my feelings."
Fully back to her usual self, Momiji wore a fresh and satisfied expression. Internally relieved, I let out a sigh of relief. I wanted to avoid any awkwardness that might arise, so I genuinely felt at ease.
"Hey, Ethan, do you have time after this? If you do, how about we grab lunch together?"
"Sure, sounds good."
Eager to spend a laid-back day off, I readily accepted. Momiji beamed at me and took my right hand, pulling me along as she dashed off.
"W-wait, Momiji!?"
"Come on, let's hurry! I'm starving!"
"But you just ate those dumplings!"
"That doesn't count as a real meal!"
"Alright, alright! Just stop pulling so hard—I'm gonna fall!"
"Ahaha!"
"Don't laugh at me!"
Momiji's joyful laughter echoed beneath the wide sky, filling the air with happiness. The blue stretched endlessly, reminiscent of the carefree and peaceful moments that I hoped would last forever.
---
"Mmm, that was fun!"
After enjoying lunch at Aoi Yuki's house and taking an endless walk, the sun began to dip low in the sky. As Momiji and I stood on Wind Jasper Hill, the landscape was painted in hues of sunset, offering us a view unlike anything we had seen earlier in the day.
Momiji lay back on the lush grass, carefree and in her element.
During the day, I still feel a blush creeping up my face when I remember that confession from her. The sunset tinges my cheeks red, providing a convenient cover as Momiji looks at me and simply smiles without saying anything.
"It's a bit chilly, but the wind feels nice," she says, pulling down the rolled-up sleeves of her cardigan as she sits up.
"The windmill's not spinning today either," she remarks.
"Doesn't it only spin when something special happens?" I reply.
"Apparently. Hmm... I wonder what counts as special?"
"If you, a local, don't know, I certainly won't," I retort.
"But hypothetically, if we were to start dating, do you think the windmill would spin?"
I can't help but glance at her. She seems aware of how teasing she's being, her face betraying a hint of embarrassment.
"I don't know... It could be special, but if every couple made it spin, it wouldn't feel that special anymore. I think it would take something more unexpected to get it moving," I say.
"Like what?"
"Well... let's say—"
In that moment, I couldn't quite grasp why I responded this way.
"—when someone dies."
A sudden gust of wind swept through, strong and insistent. It surged like a wave, crashing against us before slowly receding.
Kaba looked at me with a surprised expression. I probably had the same look on my face. I couldn't believe the words I had just spoken.
"…Why do you think that?"
"…I'm sorry. I don't really know. I just felt that way for some reason."
"Death… I've never even thought about it before."
"Normally, you wouldn't, right? It's strange hearing the one who said it say that."
"I think it's better not to think too deeply about it."
"That's true, but…"
I still couldn't accept my own words. It felt odd to say something so negative; I wasn't the type to dwell on pessimistic thoughts. My strength lay in bringing conversations to a more positive and uplifting place. So why had I spoken about something as grim as death?
"Ah!! I'm so frustrated!! Kaba, give me a new topic, please. Let's drop this conversation."
"When are you going to marry me?"
"Whoa, that escalated quickly from being just friends!?"
"I'm just joking!"
"When you say it, it doesn't sound like a joke!"
"I'm going to show you my charm, Ethan. Be ready!"
Honestly, her charm was already clear to me… What more did she want to convey?
"Hey… Kaba. Would you be happy if you were with me?"
"Of course."
Kaba looked straight into my eyes, answering as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. For someone like me, who had never truly fallen in love, Kaba's presence felt absolutely radiant.
"...Should we be heading home soon?"
I averted my gaze, trying to escape the brilliance of Kaba.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Kaba stood up without seeming to care.
The sky was caught between evening and night; the orange hues were giving way to deepening shades of black. In just a few minutes, sunset would arrive.
We left Jasper Hill without exchanging a word. By the time we emerged from the forest, night had fully descended, and we retraced our steps along the path we had taken.
It felt like we should say something rather than maintain this silence. Just then, Kaba abruptly stopped.
"What's wrong?"
"My house is that way, so this is where we part ways."
"It's completely dark already; let me walk you home."
"No, it's fine! The countryside is peaceful, unlike the city. Plus, I bet Summer is waiting for you."
"I can't exactly argue with that…"
Earlier, while walking, I had checked my phone and saw several notifications from Summer. They were probably about dinner plans or something similar.
"Ethan, thanks for today! See you at school on Monday!"
"Oh, hey Kaba!"
But my call fell on deaf ears as she turned away. I watched her retreating figure until it vanished from sight.
"—Big brother…"
A familiar voice, my sister's, called out softly from behind me.
"Summer, huh? How did you know this place?"
"My big brother radar went off. When I woke up, you weren't here. Were you with someone?"
"I was out for a walk with Momiji."
"Oh, I see. Let's go grab something to eat. I haven't had lunch yet, and I'm starving."
"I'll ask just to confirm... when did you wake up?"
"When I sent you a message. What's the problem?"
"It's a holiday, so it's fine, right?"
As we exchanged this light banter, we made our way to Aoi Yuki's dining room.
To be continued.
"Big bro!"
"Shuhei-san!"
During a break between classes, I ran into Summer and Sunny on my way back from the restroom.
"Hey! What's up? Is the next class a移動教室?"
"No, no, we were looking for you!"
"You were looking for me? Why?"
As we spoke, I noticed both of them had their hands behind their backs, seemingly hiding something.
Catching my gaze, Summer beamed and exchanged looks with Sunny, and together they revealed what they had hidden.
"Ta-da! Cookies!"
"We made these in home economics class. Shuhei-san, you'll eat them, right?"
"Oh wow, of course I will!"
I took the container of cookies from them and immediately popped it open. The rich scent of butter mixed with the sweet aroma of cookies teased my appetite.
Suddenly feeling a gaze, I looked around to find my classmates in the hallway watching me with envy as they chatted.
"Hmph. You won't get any of this just by looking at me like that. This cookie is all mine."
"I'm pretty good at cooking, you see. So I can guarantee the taste," I declared.
"I always thought Sunny couldn't cook, but it seems I need to rethink that."
"That's a bit rude, you know… Believe it or not, I make dinner every day. I also prepare my own bento."
Sunny puffed out her thin chest proudly. I picked up a golden-brown cookie and tossed it into my mouth. It made a satisfying crunch as the sweetness melted on my tongue—absolutely delicious.
"Sunny, you live with your family, right? Don't your parents cook for you?"
"Both my parents work, so they don't have time to cook. They usually come home late at night, and sometimes they're gone for two or three days in a row. That means I have to make dinner myself."
"Wow, Flora must be having a pretty hard time."
"Not really. It's just normal for me. But… there is one thing I can't stand…"
"Can't stand?"
Just as I reached for the fifth cookie, Sunny grabbed my arm to stop me.
The hand was cool to the touch, but as it gradually warmed up, the power contained within it also intensified. Confused, I lifted my gaze from the cookie and locked eyes with Sunny, who was staring at me with a desperate expression.
"Um… Shuhei-san, can I rely on you?"
Sunny's tear-filled eyes sent my heart racing. Summer watched us intently, as if savoring a dramatic movie climax, casually popping a cookie into her mouth that she had brought along.
"Hey, wasn't that made for me?"
"...If I can actually help you, then feel free to rely on me as much as you need. But what do you want me to do?"
"Um, you really don't need to be so wary! It's nothing dangerous or shady, I promise!"
"O-Okay… so what do you want me to do?"
"Well… could you stay with Sunny?"
"...Huh?"
"...!!"
Come on, Summer, stop acting like you're cheering because something monumental just happened. And don't lean in so close, it's irritating. But… this leaves me at a loss for words. Is Sunny confessing to me, just like Kaba did?
"...Is that a no?"
With her tearful, upward glance, she wielded her feminine charm like a weapon. Please, don't use it so explicitly…
"Go for it! Knock him down, big brother!"
"Shut up, be quiet!"
"Get more fired up! Let's burn with passion! When humans get heated—"
"Stop that, we could get into copyright trouble."
"Sorry, my bad!"
Setting Summer aside for now, I realized I had regained some calm thanks to her antics. It was more likely that I had jumped to conclusions. I needed to hear Sunny out properly.
"So, should I take that as a confession?" I asked.