I looked up at a certain apartment building.
It wasn’t particularly large — a modest complex, probably around two bedrooms with a living room and kitchen. Most likely built for couples without children, or maybe a small family with one kid.
This was the apartment where I lived until the fourth grade.
The reason I came here on my day off wasn’t anything special. I just felt it would be a waste to spend the whole day lazing around at home, so I hopped on a train for a bit of a walk. If anything, this was my way of proving I hadn’t spent the entire day doing nothing — an alibi of sorts for my own conscience.
Still, standing around staring at an apartment building made me look suspicious enough. I was just about to leave when—
“Sakura?”
A familiar voice called out to me.
When I turned around, it was Koreda Murasakiko — Yukari. She looked genuinely surprised. Well, I couldn’t blame her. She probably never expected to run into me here.
“What are you doing here?”
“Ah, well, just… you know.”
I mumbled vaguely, feeling awkward under her gaze.
Yukari narrowed her eyes at me, giving me a look heavy with suspicion and amusement.
“Can’t you just say you came to see me?”
“Do I look like that kind of guy?”
What kind of high schooler would say something that cheesy?
When I shot back, Yukari just let out a flat “Sure” and looked back up at the apartment, just like I had a moment ago.
“Feeling nostalgic?”
“Not really. I came by once last year, anyway.”
At those words, she suddenly turned to me, eyes sharp.
“You came last year?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Her intensity caught me off guard, and I stumbled over my words.
Just like I said, I’d come back here once when I moved to this area last spring — stood in this very same spot and let the nostalgia wash over me. Once had been enough.
Yukari sighed dramatically.
“Then you could’ve stopped by my house while you were at it.”
“Well, I figured you’d forgotten all about me by now…”
It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought about it. Yukari and I used to play together every single day. But I figured that even if she hadn’t completely forgotten me, she probably wouldn’t be as sentimental about it as I was. And besides, she’s a girl. I can’t just drop by unannounced like I used to when we were kids.
“No way. I walk by here almost every day, you know?”
“Fair point.”
Her house was close to this building — that much was obvious from us bumping into each other here. She probably passed by this place often. The thought that she might’ve remembered our childhood every time she did made me feel both grateful and a little guilty.
“So, uh, what about you? What are you doing around here?”
Unable to handle her accusing gaze any longer, I changed the subject.
“You’re really bad at changing topics, you know.”
“…”
“Anyway, I was at the café by the station, reading a book while having some coffee. Spent about an hour there, and I’m just heading home now.”
“That sounds pretty classy.”
It was hard to believe this was the same Yukari who used to ride BMX bikes and jump ramps like a maniac when we were kids. These days, she’d made me promise not to bring up her tomboy past, but maybe not all of this elegance was just an act.
“Then maybe you could drop by ‘Miss Me Blind’ sometime. It’s a bit farther from here, but it’s a good place.”
Sure, Mizusumi-senpai worked there, but she wasn’t the type to get in anyone’s way. Yukari would have no trouble relaxing there.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea. I’ll keep it in mind.”
“Thanks. …Anyway, guess I’ll head back.”
I’d managed to promote the café, so I turned to leave — but—
“Wait. I’ll walk you to the station.”
Yukari stopped me.
“It’s fine. You just came from there, right?”
“I want to talk.”
Her voice was firm, leaving no room for refusal.
“Alright then. Let’s go.”
And so, we started walking together.
“When I moved away in fifth grade…”
I began, breaking the silence.
“Apparently, my family’s actually from the other side of the country.”
My dad had been assigned to a branch office here for a few years. I’d actually been born back there, but since I was still little, the whole family came along when he was transferred. After gaining experience in the city, he’d been promoted to oversee the local branch.
“What’s it like there?”
“You mean my hometown? Not that different from here. It’s technically rural, but it’s still the prefectural capital.”
I’d never found it inconvenient, even as a middle schooler. And when we came here, I wasn’t exactly awestruck by the big city, either.
“So… when you graduate, are you going back?”
“Huh?”
I tilted my head, not following her at first.
“You came here for soccer, right? I mean, you won’t drop out now, but after graduation, wouldn’t going back home be an option?”
“Oh, right… huh. I haven’t really thought about it.”
She had a point. I came to Kazamigaoka for soccer. It wasn’t like I was on a sports scholarship, so quitting the club didn’t ruin my place at school, but it did mean I didn’t have to stay here after graduation.
“I do want to go to university, though. So I’ll apply to ones both here and back home — then decide based on how it goes.”
When I’d still been playing soccer, I’d thought maybe I could use that to get in somewhere. Now, I’d have to rely purely on academics. Either way, I’d never really stopped to think about how I wasn’t tied down to this place anymore.
“If you go back, maybe I’ll go too.”
“Sure, why not? It’s a good place. I think there’s even a decent national university nearby.”
I didn’t know what Yukari wanted to study, but it was definitely somewhere respectable enough for a résumé.
Yukari sighed deeply.
“What?”
“You sound like you haven’t thought this through at all.”
She sounded exasperated.
I’d just answered her question — what more did she expect?
“Well, maybe you’ll find a reason not to leave before then.”
“You think so?”
At the moment, I couldn’t imagine what that would be. A reason I’d want to stay… what could that even look like?
“How’s Minase-san doing?”
Yukari suddenly asked.
“That came out of nowhere.”
“Did it?”
She tilted her head innocently.
“…Yeah, it did.”
It definitely did. Though, the way she said it almost made me doubt myself.
“So? How is she?”
“Same as always.”
Prompted by her, I answered.
“She’s still as impulsive as ever. Acts first, thinks later. Just the other day, she showed up at ‘Miss Me Blind’ right before closing.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Said she wanted to grab ramen.”
Minase had shown up out of nowhere, waited for me to finish my shift, and then dragged me out for salt ramen. That was just her style.
“She’s got ridiculous energy. Maybe she doesn’t even realize it herself.”
“If she ever does, and starts acting with intent, she’ll be terrifying.”
Yukari’s tone turned oddly serious.
“That’s kind of scary to hear.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be the only one terrified.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Technically, she and Minase were both members of the ‘Quit the Club Alliance,’ so Yukari could easily get swept up in one of her schemes. But why would I be excluded?
“Minase-san’s cute. You probably don’t mind being dragged along by her, right?”
“Well, yeah. She’s cute, I’ll give you that.”
Honestly, she could hold her own against professional models like Sera or idols like Shiera. Back when she enrolled, even students in other classes — and even Mizusumi-senpai from another grade — had heard rumors about her.
“It’s not bad, being dragged around by her. She reminds me of you, actually.”
“Me? I was like that?”
She looked genuinely surprised, apparently unaware of how much she’d once bossed me around.
“Remember how you used to drag me to the skate park?”
“That was fun, though.”
“Yeah, I didn’t mind it either.”
I’d never been as good as she was — figured out early that soccer was more my thing — but I did enjoy riding.
“But, Yukari, you’d always show up thirty minutes early and call me to hurry up. And you rode so fast I could barely keep up. By the time we got to the park, I was already half-dead.”
Meanwhile, Yukari would immediately start doing jumps like she’d been saving all her energy. She was a total stamina monster.
“R-Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
I made sure she knew it, watching her squirm slightly.
“So yeah. Minase reminds me of how you used to be. Hanging out with her feels like hanging out with a guy friend.”
Maybe it was Minase’s cheerful, reckless nature that gave me that feeling.
Yukari chuckled softly.
“I see. Guess it’s a good thing you’re still a kid, Sakura.”
“Hey, I’m not that childish.”
I snorted in protest.
I mean, sure, I’d spent the past five years chasing a ball around like an idiot, but I knew how the world worked — at least a little.
Still, thinking back now… maybe Yukari, the one who couldn’t sit still, had been the real kid. And maybe I’d been the adult, just quietly going along with her whims.
I kept that thought to myself, though. Because, before I knew it, the station had come into view.
Post a Comment