The case where I was gradually getting buried in the heavy love of my childhood friend who had miraculously recovered from their illness was perfect!

“…Rion?”

Rion… I called out the name of my childhood friend.

But there was no response to that call, and I found myself alone in this vast space… Where could this be?

“No, there’s no need to ask where this is.”

This place… it’s undoubtedly my room.

I died in my previous life and was reborn, and I’ve been spending all this time in the familiar house I’ve known.

Why did I just say Rion’s name?

“…..”

I wonder how much time I spent in that world?

But there’s one thing I’ve come to understand — of course, a world with nothing in it is incredibly boring. There are no family members, and there’s no sign of my childhood friend, Rion. Such a world is so monotonous that if I were told to stay in it forever, I’d probably go insane.

“What is this world, really?”

What’s the purpose of showing me this world, so devoid of interest? It’s so dull that I’d almost like to say, “Don’t ever make me experience this again.”

“You’re right, it’s a very dull scene, isn’t it?”

“…Who are you?”

I was taken aback by the sudden voice.

When I turned to the source of the voice, there she was… the moment I saw her, I had a vague sense that I’d seen her somewhere before. I couldn’t quite recall what that was, but it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

“This world has nothing… For you, a world where the most important person to you has disappeared becomes like this.”

“Do you understand this world?”

“I wonder…”

…It’s hard to grasp the true intention of her words.

She feels strangely familiar to me, even though I’ve never met her before. It’s a strange feeling, but I suppose it’s because she resembles someone close to me.

“What’s the matter?”

“I was just thinking that your way of speaking and your voice are similar to someone dear to me.”

“Is that so?”

She chuckled and pointed in the other direction.

“Now, please open your eyes.”

“Huh?”

“It’s already morning… Good morning.”

With that voice, I escaped from this mysterious world.

▽▼▽▼▽▼

“Good morning.”

“…Good morning.”

When I opened my eyes, Rion was looking down at me.

For a moment, I wondered why she was in my room, but then I remembered that she stayed over last night. It was only natural, but waking up with my cute childhood friend by my side was still heartwarming.

“Why are you grinning like that? I won’t say it’s unpleasant, but if you suddenly start grinning, you might scare away girls, you know?”

“That’s rude… Huh? Did I really have such a weird look on my face?”

“Yes. If I had to put it into words, it looked like you were saying, ‘This is the best morning ever,’ with a big grin on your face.”

“That’s strangely accurate, isn’t it?”

…Why would you say something so stupid? And you say it in such a deadpan voice! It’s like you’re telling me my face was stupid!!

“Now then, aside from that… Did you have a bad dream?”

“Huh?”

“I woke up about ten minutes ago, and you were gripping my hand and wouldn’t let go when I tried to go to the bathroom.”

“…Huh?!”

I realized that what she said was true. My left hand was indeed gripping Rion’s hand. I gradually released her fingers and apologized.

“Um… Sorry about that.”

“It’s fine. I did say it, but all you had to do was let go of my hand, so there’s no need to apologize. Compared to the warmth I felt from your hand, it’s a small price to pay.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes. So, please wait for a moment.”

“Sure.”

Rion got out of bed and left the room.

I continued to look at my hand, where the warmth and sensation of her touch still lingered, before taking a look around the room.

This room was undeniably mine… It wasn’t that strange world. I felt relieved about that. Above all, Rion was here with me.

“Today is Sunday… Tomorrow is finally Monday, huh?”

Tomorrow is a school day… It will be the first time in a while for Rion to visit the Middle School.

I’m not worried about her in terms of her relationships with others or her classes, but… I hope she doesn’t get sick, given it’s been a while since she’s been to school.

“…Well, if that happens, I can always help her, just like I always do.”

Muttering that, I idled away the time by scrolling through social media on my phone.

After a while, Rion returned from the bathroom, and she immediately asked me what kind of dream I had. I honestly told her the contents as there was nothing to hide in it.

“A world with no one in it, you say?”

“Yeah… It was a really strange dream. I think I felt lonely, so I unconsciously held your hand.”

“I see, you’re such a cute child when you act like this.”

“…Ugh.”

Wait a minute…?

Did she just hit the nail on the head with that single comment? I responded as if she had, but I’m still a fresh middle school boy… Well, I guess that’s fine.

“I’m a middle school student, so I’m quite proud, you know.”

“Stop with the sophistry.”

“Yeah.”

I can’t win against Rion with just words.

I also felt the urge to go to the bathroom, so I stood up, and Rion gently enveloped my hand with hers.

Wondering what it was about, I turned my gaze towards her, and Rion smiled.

“If you ever feel anxious, please tell me, okay? We’re childhood friends, so it should be easier to talk to me than to others, right?”

“…Haha, yeah.”

She’s truly a dependable childhood friend who gives me a great sense of security. I suggested something like this, thinking it might be good when I checked the time on my phone earlier. It’s currently 6:30 AM.

“Hey, Rion, would you like to go for a morning walk?”

“I’d love to.”

That was a quick response.

After preparing quickly, we left the house and ventured out into the early morning. The cool breeze brushed against us.

“The wind feels nice, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah… I don’t usually go for morning walks, but it’s not bad.”

“I hear it’s very good for our health.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t feel like doing it without Rion by my side.”

As we walked like this, we occasionally saw elderly couples and people jogging. But I wouldn’t feel like it alone. Well, it’s good for our health, and if there’s a reason to continue, it seems like a good idea.

“Let’s go to the park.”

“Sure.”

We headed to the nearby park. During the daytime on weekends, young children gather here, and in the evening, couples come by. The park is well-maintained, with no litter in sight, so just seeing this scene makes you feel good.

“It’s a nice sight. It feels like it’s cheering for the beginning of my new days.”

That’s not wrong, I think. I can hear it — the voices of these trees, encouraging me.

“What are you saying?”

“Please don’t respond to that seriously with a straight face; I might start crying.”

As I pretended to cry, Rion gave me a very cold look, so I immediately stopped. The atmosphere between Rion and me is indescribable, but we both smiled.

“Let me say this once again, thanks for always being by my side.”

“I share the same thoughts.”

Saying that, I held out my fist, and Rion also extended her fist and gently tapped mine.

Ah, we’ve really come back to our everyday life.

“Ah, that’s right.”

“What’s wrong?”

“If we were just walking, I wouldn’t have said anything because it’s not visible, but…”

“…..??”

“Your zip is open.”

“Huh?!”

What the…!?

As she pointed it out, I looked down, and indeed, it was wide open.