I Hope You’re Still Alive When Tomorrow Comes - 4

Chapter 4: Memory

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『I’m still alive. Good night.』

I had a hunch if I didn’t message her, she would definitely come to my house. Hence why I decided to give my survival report to Kiho before going to bed. 

『That’s good to hear. Good night.』

The reply from Kiho that arrived 5 seconds later was surprisingly simple. She didn’t try to continue the conversation. She truly ended our conversation with just that simple message. 

Nanami also didn’t contact me. I had mixed feelings in my heart, somewhere between loneliness and relief. Had Nanami told me about the guy I saw today, I wouldn’t know what to say to her. Of course, I didn’t try to reach out to Nanami first either.

The next morning, I boarded the same train I used to ride, just like usual, and headed to school. Nanami wasn’t here. It seemed she had taken the previous train today. 

Back when we first entered high school, we used to go to school together every day. However, lately, we hardly ever met in the morning. Nanami joined the student council and our commuting times became different. 

When Nanami asked if she should join the student council or not, I told her,”Sounds good. Go for it.” Now, I truly regretted my nonchalant response. I had no idea being in the student council would be this strenuous. 

Not only did they have work to do after school, but they sometimes had something to do early in the morning too, sometimes on weekends. As a result, the time I could spend together with Nanami had decreased significantly.

…Maybe this is the reason why?

Because our time together started to decrease, Nanami began to get closer to that guy instead? He seemed like the type who would join the student council. But why did Nanami want to join the student council in the first place? Back in middle school, Nanami never showed any interest in the student council. 

…Maybe because that guy is in the student council?

Unpleasant thoughts flickered through my mind again but I shook them off and lifted my head. 

Suddenly, I could feel someone staring at me. The seats were completely filled but the train wasn’t packed to the point of being overcrowded like a canned sardine. I was in the second car, near the front door. Somehow, I ended up getting in this same spot every morning. But today, I felt something weird. Something chilling was creeping over me. 

Slowly, I turned around and there she was. Just as I suspected. Her dyed light brown hair, her white blouse and navy cardigan, the uniform of our high school. 

“I always take the same train as you. I’m always watching you.”

Kiho was standing near the middle door of the same car, facing toward me.

When our eyes met, she smiled and waved slightly at me. She didn’t walk over to me though, nor did she look away. She just kept staring at me. Just like what she mentioned before, she was watching me. 

Kiho do this every morning? I never noticed… 

Being observed from a distance by someone made me feel uncomfortable so with a heavy heart, I walked over to where Kiho was. 

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, Tsuchiya-kun. I’m glad to see you’re alive and well.”

“I told you already, I don’t have any plans to die or anything.”

Suddenly feeling exhausted, I stood on the opposite side of Kiho and leaned against the wall. 

“Do you always watch me like this?”

“Yes. Mostly from this spot. You didn’t notice?”

“No. I didn’t notice at all.”

Thinking about it now, I wondered how come I didn’t notice her. Her stare was so intense. It was weird for me not to notice her.

“….Were you there too? At the station.”

“I was.”

She responded without batting an eye. There was no hesitation in her response. But still, there was no way she was at the station too. I would’ve noticed if she was there too. Maybe Kiho’s nearest station wasn’t actually Nakamachi Station after all? But why would she go this far for a guy she exchanged some brief words with six months ago?

“…Hey.”

“Yes?”

“Why me?”

At the question that slipped out of my mouth, Kiho looked at me. She slightly narrowed her eyes before smiling gently. 

“Because on that day, you spoke to me.”

“On that day?”

“On the morning of April 14th. On this train, at this time.”

“…Did I say something that left a great impression on you?”

“Nope. Not at all. I just looked unwell and you were worried. You asked me if I was okay and that was the end of our conversation. Then you called the station attendant. You said there was someone on the platform who looked unwell.”

After she said so, a fleeting memory began to resurface.

April. That meant I had just entered high school. I vaguely remember speaking to a girl on the morning train. I probably did so because Nanami also fainted during her commute once, so I couldn’t just ignore a girl who looked unwell. But was that girl really Kiho?

Kiho said it was her so it must have been her but somehow… It didn’t feel quite right. It didn’t sit right with my memory.

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