The next day, as usual, after school I entered the library with calm steps.
The air felt damp, the smell of old books and fine dust greeted me like a familiar scent of nostalgia.
And there, at the corner table near the window, I saw Takahiro already sitting—slightly hunched, pencil in hand, and a small smile on his face.
"Have you been waiting long?" I asked as I placed my book on the table.
He turned quickly, his smile unchanged.
"No, Takamine. I just got here too."
I glanced at the table. His water bottle was already empty.
His words sounded light, but it was clear—he had been waiting for quite a while.
I pulled the chair and sat beside him. "You always come first, huh."
He chuckled. "You always come after me, so it balances out."
We laughed softly, then fell silent again. The gentle ticking of the wall clock was clear between us.
The moment was comfortable, but also a little… strange. Like there was something that didn't need to be said, but could still be felt.
"So, are we going to make a new manga?" Takahiro asked, breaking the silence.
I nodded slowly. "Um, yeah. But we need some references first."
"References?"
"Yeah. I was thinking… how about we go out this weekend? Maybe to the park or downtown. We could look for inspiration there."
Takahiro looked a little surprised when he heard the word "go out."
His expression was like someone who had just been given a reason to smile again after holding something in for so long.
"Then… sure," he finally said, with a small smile that was almost lost among the soft sounds of the library.
I looked at him for a few seconds. "Are you sure?"
"Sure. Besides, it's been a while since I've gone anywhere other than school and home."
I pretended to write something in my notebook, though my face felt warm.
Deep down, I knew—the reason "for reference" was only half true.
---
The weekend came faster than I expected.
I waited in front of the city park gate, holding a notebook for reference. The air in the early afternoon felt soft, the light blue sky slowly turning orange.
Takahiro arrived wearing simple casual clothes—a white T-shirt and a black denim jacket. He waved his hand slightly, that familiar calming smile appearing once more.
"Sorry, Takamine. I'm not late, right?"
I shook my head. "Not yet. You're actually on time today."
We started walking through the park. Leaves fell slowly, some children ran around holding colorful balloons.
The atmosphere felt peaceful. Too peaceful.
"This place is nice," he said while looking at the sky. "Like the opening panel of the manga you like."
I smiled. "I thought the same thing."
We stopped near a small pond. I opened my notebook, trying to imagine the park's scenery.
Takahiro sat on the bench, watching me.
"You always look so serious when you're thinking about something," he said softly.
"And you always watch people who are serious," I replied without looking up.
He laughed quietly. "Maybe because I want to know what's inside your imagination."
"The sky, the trees, the shadows, ordinary things."
"No," he said quietly, "I think you see something others don't."
I stopped writing. His words made me pause for a moment.
"Maybe," I answered, "because I'm afraid of forgetting the little things."
He looked at me for a long time.
"Takamine," he finally said, "if one day you lose someone, you can still imagine them, right?"
His question made me turn to him.
"Why are you suddenly talking about losing someone?"
He smiled, but this time there was something different in his eyes—faint, heavy, like a wound that hadn't healed.
"I don't know. I just thought… sometimes someone can leave without ever really saying goodbye."
I wanted to ask more, but my voice felt stuck in my throat.
We just stayed silent—two people suddenly out of words in the middle of a moment that was too calm.
Then a soft breeze blew, carrying one of Takahiro's sketchbook pages into the air.
Takahiro immediately stood up, chasing the paper that flew into the middle of the park.
When he returned, he handed it to me with a small smile.
"If we lose the drawing, we'll find it again together, okay?" he said lightly.
I laughed softly. "If I lose you, can I still find you?"
He fell silent.
His smile remained, but his gaze slowly turned to the sky.
"If I get lost… I'd want to be found by you, Takamine."
---
Before I knew it, the day was almost dark. Twilight slowly descended, creating a silhouette on his face bathed in soft orange light.
I wanted to remember that moment forever—the small laughter, the warm gaze, and the strange feeling in my chest that I had never felt before.
Because for the first time, I realized that among all the things I was searching for as reference,
I had found something more precious than inspiration—
I had found someone who made the world feel alive.
And I knew, even though we hadn't admitted it yet…
there was something between us that was slowly growing beyond the pages of any manga.
---
To be continued