When we arrive home, Mama slips off her cardigan at the door.
I'm already halfway inside — running so fast that my shoes fly off my feet mid-sprint.
Mama sees me.
She doesn't yell.
She just calls out, softly — like sunshine in her voice.
"Hideki…"
Her tone is warm, gentle.
I freeze. One foot already on my room.
"Put your shoes in their place, sweetheart."
I turn around slowly.
"Sorry, Mama…" I say, walking back.
She bends down, smiling as she folds her cardigan.
"It's okay, baby. I know you're feeling happy right now. But don't forget your discipline… and your responsibility, okay?"
I nod.
"Yes, Mama."
Then I pick up my shoes and place them neatly where they belong.
When I finally step into my room, Tama-chan and Shiba are there — waiting like they always do.
I smile wide.
"Tama-chaaaaan! Shibaaa! Helloooooo!"
Tama-chan meows softly from her corner, still lying down.
Shiba-inu just stares at me from his usual spot on the bed — button eyes always watching.
I kneel beside Tama-chan and gently run my hand along her back.
"Tama-chan… your belly's bigger than before…"
I pause.
"It's not gonna explode, right?"
My face scrunches up with wonder.
Tama-chan just gives me a soft meow in reply.
Then I grab Shiba-inu and set him gently on the floor beside us.
Now the three of us are sitting in a little circle.
"You know," I begin, "I played with my new friend today. His name's Shin."
I hold my hand above my head to show his height.
"He's tall. Taller than Hideki."
I grin.
"And we flew paper planes together. He's so cool when he throws them. His plane went really, really far!"
Tama-chan just blinks slowly.
Shiba stays quiet, like always.
"I like him, Shiba. And you too, Tama-chan."
I hug my knees.
"He's a good friend."
Then I lie down on the floor — arms stretched out, cheek pressed to the wood.
Inside my mind, I whisper a tiny wish:
I hope I can feel like this every day.
And as I close my eyes…
I hear a quiet voice, not from outside, but from the part of my heart that still remembers:
"We like it…
We like when Hideki feels happy…
…but he's starting to forget his best friend…
Yui."
Days pass.
One after another — like petals drifting in the wind.
Me and Shin play together every day now.
We run, we laugh, we fold new planes.
Shin tells me about the planes in the sky.
The big ones that carry people far away.
The fast ones that zoom like thunder.
And the cool ones the military uses — sharp and loud like lightning.
I just smile and nod every time he tells me something new.
He knows so much.
He talks fast, with stars in his eyes.
And me?
I listen quietly.
Still shy.
Still soft.
But… I like it.
After school, me and Shin ran toward the far end of the schoolyard.
The place where the ground dips a little and the breeze always feels a bit stronger.
Shin opened his backpack and pulled out two clean sheets of paper.
He handed me one and kept the other.
"This one," he said, "we fold together."
So we sat down in the grass. Side by side.
Our knees touched a little, but neither of us said anything about it.
It just felt… normal.
Shin showed me the folds again, but this time slower.
Corner to edge.
Then back.
Wings sharp.
Creases smooth.
I followed him carefully.
No rushing. No wrinkling.
I wanted to make mine right.
When we finished, I held my plane in both hands and looked at it.
"…Mine feels strong," I said quietly.
Shin looked at it and nodded.
"That's the good kind," he said.
"The kind that flies… even if it falls first."
I didn't say anything back.
But I smiled.
Just a little.
Then he looked at me and asked,
"What should we name them?"
I blinked.
We're naming them now?
I thought about it for a while.
Then I said softly, "…Mine is called Hope."
Shin turned to me. His eyes looked different for a moment.
Not surprised. Just… soft.
He looked down at his own plane.
"Mine is Next Time," he said.
We stood up.
Faced the wind.
Held our planes side by side.
And then, together—
"Three… two… one—GO!"
We let go.
The paper planes lifted.
They twisted a little.
Tilted.
Caught the wind.
And then—flew.
Higher than I thought.
Farther than I imagined.
Me and Shin watched them glide.
Then we laughed.
Not loud, but real.
They landed somewhere in the tall grass.
We didn't run to get them.
Just stood there for a bit.
Watching the sky.
They weren't gone.
Just… somewhere else for now.
Like memories.
Like people.
Like Yui.
Me and Shin are still laughing, even as the wind gets quiet again and our paper planes stop moving, far away across the hill.
My cheeks feel warm from all the running.
My hands are still tingling a little from the throw.
I sit back down on the grass, breath catching up to me, and say with a big smile,
"That was so fun, Shin."
He flops beside me, arms stretched out wide like he's flying too.
His hair's even messier now, but it fits him.
"I wanna do it again," I say, my eyes still chasing the sky.
But the sun is already sleepy — dipping low and turning the clouds soft orange.
"So… let's play again next time, Shin. After school?"
He nods without even thinking.
"Yeah. Let's make this our secret playground."
I grin.
"Yeah… Let's always play here from now on."
We stand up, brush the grass off our clothes, and walk down the hill.
At the gate, we wave to each other — not goodbye, just see you tomorrow.
And when I reach the front of the school, Mama's already waiting.
She greets me with a warm smile, her hand holding mine as we start walking home.
I tell her everything — about the hill, about the wind, about the planes.
She smiles the whole time, nodding like she's tucking every word into her heart.
And just like that…
my day ends.
Not loud.
Not big.
But full.
Full of laughter.
Full of new places.
Full of something special to come.
I don't know what tomorrow will bring…
But now I have a secret playground.
A sky.
And someone to fly with.