A Story About a Girl Who Took Life for Granted and Fell in Love With a Kind and Introverted Boy - Chapter 44
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- Chapter 44 - Train (END)
Chapter 44: Train (END)
So, everyone,
Do you know what this hazy, white thing really is, the one people call a river or the trail of spilled milk?
…Tatan-tatan
Tatan-tatan…
When I realized it, I was on a train.
I was sitting on an old wooden seat, feeling the gentle sway of the train’s movement.
Outside the window were stars—stars so beautiful that I had never seen anything like them before.
White, yellow, red, blue, green… so many colors shone. But strangely, the light wasn’t dazzling. It was gentle enough that I could look at the stars directly.
(…Huh?)
I noticed my reflection in the window glass. It was me during my school days.
My skin was radiant, my hair dyed blonde—just like back then.
Curious, I looked down at my body. It wasn’t just my face—my hands and feet had also become younger. I was even wearing my high school uniform.
“Wow! This feels so nostalgic!”
As I got excited on my own, I noticed someone sitting across from me.
“……………”
It was Kenji.
He, too, had returned to his youthful form, wearing his high school uniform.
“Kenji…”
When I called his name, he smiled warmly.
“…Kenji, Kenji…”
Overwhelmed with emotions, I jumped out of my seat and threw myself into Kenji’s chest.
“Kenji! I finally found you!”
I wrapped my arms around his back and held him tightly. Kenji hugged me back just as firmly.
“I missed you! I missed you so much!”
As I shouted my feelings, my voice became choked with tears. Sensing this, Kenji gently patted my back.
…Tatan-tatan
Tatan-tatan…
I sat next to Kenji. Sitting by the window, I pointed outside and spoke to him.
“The stars are so beautiful, Kenji.”
Kenji nodded happily.
The starry sky was truly breathtaking. I wished I could stay here, gazing at it with Kenji forever.
“The red-eyed scorpion, the wide wings of the eagle…”
Feeling cheerful, I rested my elbows on the window frame and started singing The Song of the Stars.
“The blue-eyed puppy, the coiled light snake…”
It was a lullaby Kenji’s mother had sung to him, and one he had sung to Kaoru and Tadashi when they were little.
“Orion sings high, dropping dew and frost…”
As I sang with ease, I noticed something strange. What was floating outside the window wasn’t stars.
“Huh…?”
Focusing on what seemed to be a shining star, I realized it was… a diary.
The diary floated softly, glowing white.
“That diary… it’s the one I used!”
The moment I recognized it, I realized that all the lights I had been seeing were coming from something.
A planetarium ticket Kenji and I used.
Fireworks we lit together.
The stroller Tadashi and Kaoru had used as babies.
“Look, Kenji! Look at this!”
Overcome with excitement, my voice grew louder.
“See! Those aren’t stars! The glowing things are our memories!”
Indeed, the sky was filled with items from our lives.
They shimmered brightly, welcoming us.
The more I looked, the more nostalgic each item felt.
The galette we shared on our first date.
The mechanical pencil I used for studying.
The TV we watched as a family.
The Swedish cake Miyuki gave me.
The script from the play at the school festival.
The sneakers I wore for years.
And… our wedding ring.
“Oh! The ring!”
I opened the window and reached out to grab it. The ring moved on its own, softly landing in my palm.
Ah… the ring I lost at the beach when Kaoru was little… it’s here again.
What disappeared into the sea has come back from the sky.
“Kenji,” I said, handing him the ring.
At first, he looked puzzled, but then he seemed to understand. Smiling gently, he nodded.
I extended my left hand toward Kenji. He slipped the ring onto my finger.
“Thank you, Kenji.”
When I thanked him, he smiled kindly again.
The ring sparkled on my finger, engraved with the words Giovanni & Campanella.
Seeing those words, I wanted to say something playful.
—Giovanni, we’ll always be together from now on.
It was a line from Night on the Galactic Railroad. It was the line that came to me when Kenji was unconscious and woke up.
“Hey, Gio…”
As I began to say it, I stopped mid-sentence.
Looking at his face, I realized that line didn’t feel right.
Because the one I loved wasn’t Giovanni.
“…Kenji, we’ll always be together.”
“……………”
Kenji smiled more beautifully than ever and replied,
“Yes, Kana-san. We’ll always be together.”
Hearing that, I returned his smile.
Then, we closed our eyes and kissed softly.
It was a kiss that filled my heart with gentle warmth. The touch of his lips proved he was here with me.
The red-eyed scorpion
The wide wings of the eagle…
In the distance, I could hear someone singing The Song of the Stars. It sounded like someone I knew, yet also like a stranger.
The blue-eyed puppy
The coiled light snake…
Orion sings high
Dropping dew and frost…
Together, we rode the train, traveling endlessly forward.
Our memories lit up the darkness around us.
They shone like stars in the night sky, wrapping us in their light.
The End