Fragments of Memory 3

In the twilight of a rainy autumn evening, I walked alone with my umbrella, hurrying homeward. My white uniform—the very one that had earned me the nickname "Ice Queen"—retained its pristine radiance even beneath the gray, rain-filled sky. The raindrops falling on my clear vinyl umbrella created a quiet rhythm that resonated deep within my heart.

I had intended to walk quickly. To pass through the rain-soaked alleyways without meeting anyone's gaze. But then—

"Meow..."

A faint cry stopped me in my tracks. Though barely audible beneath the rain, I had definitely heard it. I turned my gaze toward the alley. In the corner of a weathered cardboard box, a small gray bundle was trembling. At the sight of the rain-soaked kitten, my heart began to beat in an unfamiliar rhythm.

(This scene... somewhere...)

An unfamiliar sense of déjà vu enveloped my entire being. Memories that surely couldn't exist within me stirred faintly in the depths of my heart. Though I couldn't possibly have encountered a similar scene before.

At that moment, hurried footsteps approached from behind.

"Hey, are you alright?"

I turned to find Yuta standing there, out of breath. Without noticing my presence, he walked straight toward the cardboard box and, without hesitation, reached out to gently lift the trembling kitten.

"Thank goodness, you still seem energetic"

That gentle gesture, that warm expression, that soft voice—each element quietly delivered an inexplicable warmth to my heart. I felt almost as if we were connected by invisible threads. As I watched him speak tenderly to the kitten in the rain, something deep within my soul began to stir awake.

(Do I... know this scene...?)

A faint light flashed through my mind, and fragmentary memories flickered across my consciousness. A scene of holding a kitten with someone, sharing smiles with someone. But it was like a memory from beyond a fog, from some distant place. Like a fleeting dream that slipped away whenever I reached for it.

"Sora? What's wrong?"

Yuta's voice brought me back to reality, and I extended my umbrella toward him. Though I tried to maintain my usual cold facade, an unexpected warmth had crept into my voice.

"...You'll get wet."

Those words carried an unusual tenderness, unlike my typical icy demeanor. Yuta looked at me with slight surprise before breaking into a gentle smile.

"Thank you"

He stepped under my offered umbrella, carefully cradling the kitten against his chest. As I watched his movements, a warm sensation spread through my chest. My heart, which had been as cold as ice until now, seemed to be melting little by little, creating a strange yet comforting sensation.

The two of us began walking in silence through the rain. The sound of raindrops hitting the umbrella filled the space between us, and the falling rain seemed to separate us from the outside world like a delicate curtain.

Deep in my chest, I felt fragments of unfamiliar memories quietly melting away. They weren't my own, yet they carried a nostalgic warmth that felt somehow right. Though I couldn't identify their nature, they brought an inexplicable comfort to my heart.

(This feeling... what could it be...)

The unanswered question lingered in my chest. Yet as I watched Yuta's back, I might have shown a gentleness that I never usually displayed.

His figure, protectively holding the kitten, overflowed with an indescribable kindness, and that gentleness seemed to shine a ray of light into my cold heart. In that moment at least, my heart was surely filled with warm emotions that I hadn't known existed within me.

As we continued home in silence, I listened only to the rain. The quiet, rhythmic tapping on the pavement seemed to bear witness to the small changes unfolding in my heart, as if the rain itself understood this momentary transformation in my soul.