Akira sat lazily on the park bench, watching the sky turn a warm orange hue. Aside from going home for lunch, he had spent nearly the entire day out here flying kites.
Feeling the breeze tousle his hair, he turned to Hachiko, who lay sprawled beside him with his tongue out.
"I really underestimated how much energy kids have, huh, Hachiko?"
"Woof… woof…" Hachiko gave a half-hearted bark, his tail wagging just once before flopping down again.
Man and dog sat quietly, watching their handmade kites dance freely in the air.
Why was Akira resting alone while the kites still flew high? Well, it started earlier in the afternoon, when they ran into someone unexpected while on the way to the park.
"Miu?"
As they passed a convenience store, Shouko spotted a familiar figure.
Matsuoka Miu, walking out with a dejected look, looked up when her name was called.
"It's you guys," she said, a bit surprised.
Akira tilted his head. "Miu Matsuoka? What're you doing all the way out here? Isn't this a bit far from your house?"
"Mom sent me out to buy soy sauce," she replied casually, then noticed the kites in their hands. Her eyes widened. "Are you guys going to fly kites?"
Shouko nodded happily. "Yep! Akira made mine. Isn't it cute?" She proudly held up her kite for Miu to see.
Miu stepped closer, examining all three carefully. When she realized they were indeed handmade, she turned to Akira in disbelief.
"You made these yourself?!"
Akira shrugged. "Yeah. Learned it in Hawaii… in my past life. Memories just came along with me."
Miu completely ignored his nonsense. Eyes shining, she turned to Shouko.
"Shouko, I want to play too! Can I borrow yours just for a bit? I've never flown a handmade one before."
Before Shouko could even answer, Yuzuru chimed in, "It's fine, Miu. When Akira gets tired, you can borrow his."
Over the years, Yuzuru had met most of her sister's friends. Miu was one of them—odd, but oddly likable.
"Yay! Let's go!" Miu clapped excitedly. Matsouka's family had left on a business trip for two days, and she had no one to play with anyway.
Just as she was about to dash off, Shouko grabbed her hand. "Wait, Miu Don't you still need to buy soy sauce?"
"......"
Miu thought hard. Her mom had said to buy soy sauce and come home…
But she didn't say immediately, right?
After a quick internal debate, she smiled confidently. "It's not urgent. I'll get it on the way back!"
Shouko beamed. "Alright, let's walk slowly, then."
When they arrived, Miu was practically bouncing with excitement.
"Akira! Can I fly one now?"
"Sure. Be careful," he said, handing her the kite his mom had drawn. He'd been flying it all morning and was more than happy to sit down for a break.
"Hehe, thanks!" Miu bolted off, the kite string trailing behind her like a ribbon.
"Akira… wake up. You'll catch a cold sleeping here."
Shouko's soft voice gently pulled him out of a light nap.
"Huh…?" Akira blinked groggily, rubbing his eyes. "How long was I out?"
"Not sure." Shouko sat beside him and took out a tissue, patting the light sweat off her forehead.
Akira stretched and stood up. "Alright, let's go round up the others."
He glanced at his watch. Only ten minutes had passed.
At the intersection, as they parted ways—
"Bye-bye, Miu!" Yuzuru called out cheerfully from Hachiko's back, waving enthusiastically.
"Bye-bye!" Miu replied, skipping down the street with a spring in her step.
"Mom! I'm home!" she announced loudly, kicking off her shoes at the entrance.
"You finally came back?" Her mother walked out from the kitchen holding a spatula, her tone amused.
"I forgot! I'll go buy it now—" Miu was halfway to the door again when her mom stopped her.
"No need. I already went to buy it myself thirty minutes after you left. I knew you'd forget and end up playing."
"…Hehe." Miu giggled sheepishly. Inside, she was thrilled—free soy sauce money! 500 yen may not be much, but for her, it felt like winning the lottery.
After changing into her slippers, she plopped down by her mom and chattered away.
"Mom, you won't believe it—Akira can actually make kites! Real ones! They fly and everything!"
Her mother just smiled and listened quietly, occasionally responding when something caught her interest.
Later that night—
"Mom, I'm going to sleep now," Shouko said, drying her hair with a towel.
Yuzuru and Kei were already sound asleep.
Yaeko didn't look up from her work in the living room. "Alright. Don't forget your blanket."
"Mom, don't stay up too late either," Shouko added softly before disappearing into her room.
She knelt down by her bed and pulled out a large cardboard box. The small keepsake box from kindergarten had long since been replaced—it simply couldn't hold all the memories anymore.
She spread the contents across the floor gently.
The kite Akira made, with the little boy she'd drawn, was placed carefully at the bottom.
Above that were stacks of course notes he had made for her over the past three years—filled with explanations, little reminders, and doodled smiley faces.
Then came the small cat plushies he had given her, and the very first paper crane he had taught her to fold hand-in-hand.
She smiled at the memory. Back then, she'd even thought Auntie Shizuka might steal it.
Silly.
She picked up the last item—a photo of all of them together. Her gaze lingered on the black-haired boy she'd once secretly kissed.
With a quiet smile, she placed the photo on top of everything.
Time: 23:45
Nishimiya Yaeko emerged from the bathroom, drying her hair and rubbing her sore shoulder. She walked quietly toward Shouko's room and opened the door just a crack.
Her daughter was sound asleep.
She stepped inside, walked to the bed, and gently pulled the blanket up over her.
"…Good night."
Then she quietly closed the door behind her.
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POWER STONE!!!
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