Episode 123: Bonus - Reunion (2)

“In closing, I offer my heartfelt wishes that all new students and their families may have a wonderful three years — and with that, I conclude my remarks.”

As the entrance ceremony drew to a close, a vast crowd surged out of the gymnasium like an avalanche. I passed by, glancing enviously at the students my age having their photos taken with their parents in front of the school gates.

　My parents, of course, wouldn’t come to my entrance ceremony.

This school feels suffocating wherever I stand. I wasn’t supposed to be here. I had planned to pass the entrance exam for the same school as my sister, and enter with my father and mother beside me. No matter how much I regret it, nothing about the present will change.

I’ll start over fresh from here.
I want Mum and Dad to recognise me as someone remarkable. I want to be praised just like my sister.

‘Phew…’

I took a deep breath, resolved to do my best for the next three years at this school, and headed out of the school grounds.

On the way to the school gate, there was a large cherry tree, and I found myself drawn to it as if by a magnet. Whilst many people were taking photos, admiring its beauty, I too looked up at the blossoms.

Amidst the fluttering pink petals in full bloom, there was a small bud at the edge of the tree. That bud showed no sign of blooming yet. It seemed to be lagging behind the others, standing out from the crowd. Yet, it looked as though it were living its life to the fullest right now, in preparation for the day it would finally bloom.

If I too remained a bud at this school, could I bloom as beautifully as this cherry tree after three years of doing my best? I found myself projecting onto it in a way that wasn’t quite like me.

This bud would probably bloom before me. But someday I would bloom too — so I asked it to keep watching over me for the next three years.

　Holding onto that uncharacteristic wish, amidst the fluttering petals of countless beautiful cherry blossoms, I captured that bud with my camera.

Click.

Feeling a strange sense of being watched, I turned my gaze in that direction to find a girl so beautiful she seemed out of place here, looking at me. Her hair was slightly lighter in colour; her features refined, her uniform immaculate, her bearing composed.

　Such a picture-perfect person was looking in my direction. No, surely she must be looking at these beautiful cherry blossoms. I wanted to believe that, but I definitely made eye contact with that beautiful person.

　Amidst the crowd, she stood out because she was simply too beautiful. Just like the bud from earlier, she didn’t quite fit into this world.

　Being stared at like this, I found myself unable to look away and couldn’t move.

　Should I speak to her?
　What on earth would I even say?

　If she’s here today, she must be a first-year student like me.

Hello?
Nice to meet you?
I look forward to getting to know you?

No, there’s no point in speaking to someone I’ll have nothing to do with once these three years of school life are over. Yet, for some reason, at that moment, I felt I wanted to speak to them. Even after I left the spot, I couldn’t forget that person.

That’s right.

I had already met Endo-san again before Mai ever introduced us.

　Click

The beauty in front of me was taking a photo of the cherry blossoms that hadn’t bloomed yet.

Why…?

‘Endo-san, what were you photographing?’
‘A photo of cherry blossom buds.’

I’d taken a similar photo on the day of the entrance ceremony. I don’t even know what sort of answer I was expecting, but I found myself curious.

“Why?”
“Because they’re beautiful.”

The moment I heard those words, my heart began to pound. It wasn’t as if she’d said it about me, exactly. It was just that, on the day of the entrance ceremony, I’d thought those buds looked just like me, and hearing them praised made my heart flutter with joy.

“Anyway, Takizawa, you were taking photos of the cherry blossoms under that tree on the day of the entrance ceremony, weren’t you?”

My heart was beating faster than before, pounding through my whole body. So Endo-san had been looking at me that day…

I wanted to ask her why she’d been looking at me that day. But I simply didn’t have the courage to ask her that straightforwardly.

‘—I don’t remember.’

It might be the most disappointed I’ve felt about reverting to my usual self.

‘I see… That day, I spotted Takizawa right here, you know?’

Endo-san speaks cheerfully.

I spotted Endo-san that day, too.

Will the day ever come when I can say that honestly? Imagining the day when I could speak those words to Endo-san honestly made my heart flutter just a little.

　Click

“I’ve managed to take a good photo.”

　Mai has gone off on her own again, making a mockery of us. Still, when I saw the photo she sent to my phone later, I felt a tiny bit of gratitude towards her.

　Even though no one was looking at the photo, which captured Endo-san’s beautiful smile and my awkward one, I burrowed under the duvet and secretly added it to my favourites.