After I finish looking at everything inside the memory box, my fingers stop on one piece of paper.
It's a little folded from being opened too many times.
The corners are soft. The ink a little smudged in places.
It's the song.
The one I wrote… for her.
I sit down on the floor, my knees close to my chest, and slowly open the paper again.
The words are still there.
Even if I forgot for a while, they didn't go anywhere.
I stare at the first line.
And without even thinking…
I begin to sing.
Softly.
"Today I'm so sad
I can't remember my best friend's face
Yui, oh Yui, where are you
Do you miss me like I do?"
My voice shakes.
My eyes feel warm.
Like something's bubbling up from deep inside my chest.
But I keep going.
"We drew together, laughed together
Tama loved when we hugged each other
Now there's one plate… not two
And I sit by the door, waiting for you."
My lips tremble.
I stop for a second.
Sniffle.
Then take a deep breath.
And sing again.
"I saved you a cupcake, but the strawberry got cold
I told all my dreams, and I still haven't told
You the biggest one, that I hold in my chest—
That you, Yui… you were my best."
By now…
Tears are falling.
I rub my eyes with the back of my hand.
But the tears keep coming.
Still…
I want to finish it.
So I sing the last part — even if my voice is small.
"Yui, oh Yui, please don't fade away
I whisper your name when I draw each day
Even if your face is gone from my view…
My heart still remembers all of you."
When I finish…
The room is quiet.
Only my breathing — soft and shaky.
I hug the paper to my chest.
And cry.
Not like the loud kind of crying.
But the quiet one.
The one where your whole heart feels heavy,
but full at the same time.
Because I remembered her.
And because… I still love her.
Even if I don't see her anymore.
She was my best friend.
And songs never really disappear.
They just wait to be sung again.
After the last note of my song fades into the room, I stay there on the floor for a long while.
Just sitting.
Breathing.
My fingers brush the edge of the memory box…
And I see something else inside.
Something small.
Something I almost forgot.
I reach in and pull it out.
It's the bracelet.
The one Yui gave me…
On my birthday.
I hold it in my hands carefully.
Like it might fall apart if I squeeze too hard.
It's still here.
The tiny letters are still there too.
YUI & HIDEKI
I trace the letters slowly with my finger.
And then…
I start crying again.
I can't stop it this time.
It just comes out — warm and heavy.
Through the blur of tears, I reach for Tama-chan.
She's still lying nearby, watching me with those quiet eyes.
I pet her gently.
"...Tama-chan," I whisper, my voice a little shaky. "Do you miss Yui too?"
She lets out a soft meow.
Then presses her head into my hand, rubbing close like she understands everything.
I pet her again, slower this time.
"I think… you do," I say.
And I smile a little through the tears.
So we sit together — me and Tama-chan — remembering Yui.
No words.
Just the bracelet in my hand.
And the sound of the room being still.
After a while, I take a deep breath.
Then close my eyes.
And in my heart… I speak quietly to myself.
It's okay, Hideki.
Someday… we'll see Yui again.
So it's okay.
We have to believe that.
Maybe… just maybe…
The planes we flew today — Hope, Next Time, Together —
weren't just flying for fun.
Maybe they were messages.
Sent into the sky.
Carried by the wind.
To reach her.
Someday.
And I believe.
I really do.