A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy

Chapter 37: Sky

I was heading toward the rooftop of the school.

The sound of my footsteps echoed through the quiet as I climbed the stairs, step by step.
When I reached the top and opened the door that separated the rooftop, a cool yet refreshing breeze—like a mix of winter and spring—rushed inside.

“……………………”

Amid the gentle wind, a boy stood alone on the rooftop, gazing up at the sky. Leaning his arms on the railing, he simply stood there, motionless.

Seeing his back from a distance, I couldn’t help but smile softly.

“Kenji.”

When I called out to him, he turned to face me slowly. With his usual gentle smile, he greeted me.

“Hey, Kanna.”

“……………………”

Overwhelmed with emotion, I walked over to Kenji and stood beside him. Like him, I rested my arms on the railing. For a while, we gazed at the sky together.

The wind softly tousled both of our hair.
Ah, what a pleasant breeze.
I’d never felt the wind so refreshing before.

“Hey, Kenji. How are you feeling?”

“Yeah, I’m mostly back to normal now. Since I just got discharged, it’s taking me some time to adjust to the school rhythm again, though.”

“I see. That’s good to hear.”

“Yeah.”

“Ah… It’s been so long since I’ve been up here.”

Kenji muttered softly.

“The last time you called me to the rooftop was before summer break, wasn’t it?”

“…Oh, yeah. I think it was.”

“It hasn’t even been a year, yet it feels like it was such a long time ago.”

“Yeah, I feel the same.”

“A lot has happened since then.”

“Yeah. Everything that’s happened since I started dating you… I think I’ll remember it for the rest of my life.”

Kenji slowly turned to look at me.
I gave a shy smile before lowering my eyes.

“Hey, Kenji, I have two things I want to tell you.”

“Two things?”

“Can I… talk about them?”

“Of course. That’s why you called me up here, right?”

“Yeah…”

Before saying the first thing, I took three deep breaths.

Clutching the hem of my skirt tightly, I tried to steady my trembling hands.

“…Kenji.”

“Yeah.”

“Back then, I’m really sorry.”

“……………………”

“For making that fake confession… I’m truly sorry.”

“Kanna…”

“If the me from back then were here now, I’d slap her. I wasn’t thinking about your feelings at all…”

“……………………”

My throat felt drier with every word. I swallowed hard, again and again.

“It’s okay, Kanna.”

“Huh?”

“It’s okay now.”

When I nervously raised my head, there it was again—Kenji’s gentle smile, kinder than ever.

“I’m not worried about what happened back then. You don’t need to apologize.”

“……………………”

“I like you, Kanna. No matter what you feel, I like you.”

“Kenji…”

Still smiling, he turned his gaze back to the sky.

“No matter how close two people are, you can never fully understand someone’s true feelings.”

“……………………”

“Even after ten years, even after a hundred years, you can’t perfectly understand each other. There’s always a gap between yourself and others. But maybe… that’s okay.”

“……………………”

“It doesn’t matter to me what you think of me, Kanna. The fact that I like you—that’s a truth that only I know.
I don’t need to believe in anything else. Everything else can be a lie.
Recently, I’ve started thinking that way.”

“…Everything else can be a lie?”

“Yeah. The only thing I can be sure of is my own heart.”

Then, scratching the back of his head, he said with a sheepish smile, “That’s something my dad told me, though.”

“……………………”

I slowly released the hand clutching my skirt. Raising my right hand, I gently placed it over Kenji’s left hand, which rested on the railing.

Kenji responded by turning to look at me again. Staring straight into his eyes, I told him:

“I love you.”

“……………………”

“I love you, Kenji. I really, really love you. More than anyone else in the world, I love you.”

“…Kanna.”

“This is my true feeling. Even if you think my words are a lie, it doesn’t matter. I love you. That’s the second thing I wanted to tell you.”

“……………………”

“…Hehe, I’m happy.”

“Happy?”

“Yeah. I’m happy I could tell you I love you.”

“……………………”

“Telling someone you love them… I think that’s the most wonderful thing in life.”

“Kanna…”

“When you feel love, you should say it right away. Before it’s too late, before you regret it, you should let your feelings be known. That’s what I’ve come to believe.”

“…I see.”

“Yeah.”

“Thank you, Kanna.”

“Yeah.”

And then, together, we looked up at the sky.

“Hey, Kenji.”

“Yeah?”

“Let’s go to the planetarium next time.”

“Sure, let’s go.”

“Yeah.”

“I want to eat together too.”

“Me too.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Yeah.”

A gentle breeze passed between us.

Ah, how blue it is.

The sky seemed impossibly high—higher than I’d ever seen before—and so vividly clear that it filled my chest with wonder.

This blue sky… I’ll never forget it for the rest of my life.

—

Chapter 38: To a Friend I’ll Never Meet Again

Our youth passed by in the blink of an eye.

“Kenji! Good morning!”

Every morning as I walked through the school gates, I was greeted by Kana’s dazzling smile.

“Hey. Good morning, Kana.”

“Hey, Kenji! Look! I painted my nails for the first time in a while!”

“Wow, such a pretty light blue. It suits you—so cute.”

“Hehe! Right!?”

We always walked side by side, so close that our shoulders brushed against each other. Feeling her warmth beside me, I was always filled with happiness.

Before we knew it, we became the school’s famous couple. After all, Kana was known as the prettiest girl in our grade, possibly the entire school. News that someone like her had a boyfriend spread quickly, which wasn’t surprising.

There were also rumors about me. My accident and the long time I spent unconscious were whispered about throughout the school.

“Hey, look—it’s Tashiro-san!”

“Yeah, that’s her boyfriend, right?”

“Did you hear? Tashiro-san’s boyfriend was in a coma for a long time!”

“What? No way, that’s like a drama!”

Sometimes, the stares and murmurs from people in the hallways made me feel self-conscious. I would instinctively look down in embarrassment.

“Kenji, what’s wrong?”

Kana would peer curiously into my face.

“Ah, um… I just feel a little shy, that’s all…”

“Geez, Kenji, you’re still the same as always—so cute!”

Kana suddenly hugged my arm, cheerfully exclaiming, “Gotcha!” The faint sensation of her chest pressing through her uniform almost made me cry out in surprise.

“K-K-Kana…”

“Come on, let’s head to class! ♡”

“Y-Yeah…”

Amid the teasing whistles of our classmates, I walked through the hallway with Kana, my face burning red.

Even though the attention was embarrassing, I was still overjoyed. Being with Kana, walking beside her, brought me a happiness I couldn’t trade for anything.

Watching her cheerful smile next to me, I couldn’t help but smile back.

These radiant days quietly passed us by.

Outside the window, cherry blossoms fluttered in the air.

The petals, carried by the wind, seemed to let us glimpse the wind’s shape.

“Today marks the end. You’re all graduating,” said Hiraizumi-sensei, our homeroom teacher, standing at the lectern. His tone was unusually cheerful, but there was a hint of melancholy, too.

“Your lives are just beginning. Live them without regret.”

Hearing his words filled me with a sudden, unexplainable sadness. Some classmates were already crying, overwhelmed with emotion.

“Now, let’s say our final goodbyes.”

At the teacher’s instruction, the class leader shouted, “Stand!” The clatter of chairs echoed as everyone rose to their feet.

“Attention!”

The leader’s voice seemed louder and clearer than ever. Realizing this was truly the last time, I closed my eyes briefly.

“Goodbye!”

“Goodbye!” we all replied in unison.

Our voices reverberated throughout the classroom. The teacher nodded lightly and responded, “Yes, goodbye.”

“…High school went by in a flash, didn’t it?”

Kana and I walked side by side through the noisy, crowded hallway.

“Right? It felt long and short at the same time… such a strange feeling.”

“Yeah, really.”

“Ugh, this uniform… Starting tomorrow, it’ll just be cosplay. I hate how that makes me feel old.”

“Haha, yeah. Starting tomorrow, we won’t wear these uniforms anymore.”

We both stared down at our uniforms.

Though we only wore them for three years, they held countless memories.

Closing my eyes, I could vividly recall scenes from school life—like staying late at school for the class play. It all felt like it happened just moments ago.

These uniforms embodied our youth.

“Hey, Kenji. Yanagihara and the others invited me to a family restaurant today. You’re coming too, right?”

“Yeah, of course.”

“Great! Let’s go then. I heard everyone’s already heading there.”

“Alright.”

We walked toward the shoe lockers.

It was our last time changing shoes here. I carefully took off my indoor shoes, placed them in my bag, and put on my outdoor shoes before stepping outside.

After leaving the school building, I stopped and turned to look up at it.

Kana did the same. Standing beside me, she silently gazed at the school.

The towering building stood under a cloudless blue sky. Amid that brilliant blue, I saw a few cherry blossoms drifting through the air.

“…”

For a while, we stood still, but after about five minutes, Kana-san murmured, “Ah.”

“What’s wrong, Kana-san?”

“…”

Kana-san lowered her face, and then she stared straight at someone.

When I followed her gaze, I saw the backs of two people. They were Mayu-san and Arisa-san, who used to hang out with Kana-san a lot.

“Then, you know? My parents got mad and said, ‘If they’re saying that, stop it!'”

“Wow, that sounds annoying.”

The two were chatting casually while walking away from us, heading outside the school.

“…Hey, Kenji.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a little time?”

“Huh? Uh, sure, but what’s going on?”

“…”

Kana-san had a slightly nervous look on her face. She puckered her lips and slightly furrowed her brow.

“…I’m going to go.”

Kana-san muttered to herself and started walking briskly toward Mayu-san and Arisa-san.

“Mayu, Arisa.”

Kana-san called out to them, and they stopped, turning around.

“Kana…?”

They both looked at Kana-san with confused expressions. After I found out about the fake confession, Kana-san and the two had grown distant.

From their perspective, it must have been very awkward, especially since they were the ones who planned that prank.

“Wh-What is it? Do you need something?” Mayu-san asked cautiously.

Kana-san looked at both of them, then gave a soft smile and said:

“Take care, both of you.”

“……”

“I remember Arisa is going to a university in Hokkaido, and Mayu is going back to Osaka, right?”

Both of them nodded silently at Kana-san’s question.

“We’re finally graduating, so I just wanted to say something… one last thing.”

“……”

“Thank you both for everything until now.”

“……”

Mayu-san and Arisa-san lowered their eyes with a look of sadness.

Cherry blossom petals were blowing past them.

“…Hey, Kana.”

Arisa-san bit her lip, looking as if she wanted to say something, sending Kana-san a pleading look.

“What is it, Arisa?”

“…I, um…”

“……”

“I should have said this a long time ago, but… you know…”

“……”

At that moment, Arisa-san briefly glanced at me. When Kana-san saw this, she seemed to realize what Arisa-san wanted to say and called out to me, “Kenji, come here.”

I was wondering what it was all about, but I walked over to them as Kana-san asked.

“……”

Arisa-san swallowed hard, keeping her eyes on the ground, and said to me:

“Sorry…”

“Huh?”

“That… the fake confession, making Kana do it…”

“……”

Seeing her lower her head, Mayu-san immediately defended Arisa-san.

“W-What are you saying? That was my idea! Arisa didn’t do anything wrong!”

Mayu-san then turned toward us, her face tensed, and bowed even deeper than Arisa-san.

“I-I’m really… sorry. I know it was a bad joke, I realize that now.”

“……”