Fragments of Memory 6

The first raindrops struck the windows of the twilight library. "Will there be thunder again?" I look up from my career guidance materials. As I gaze at the sky turning gray, a faint anxiety wells up deep in my chest. The sensation feels somehow familiar.

Just as I begin preparing to leave, lightning splits the night sky with a thunderous roar.

"Ah...!"

My body tenses involuntarily. My pride as the "Ice Queen" wouldn't allow anyone to see this weakness. But the next thunderclap shatters my pretense.

With a sharp click, the library plunges into darkness. In that instant, memories from seven years ago vividly resurface.

Rain beating against the car's windshield. The flash of lightning. The car losing control on the wet road. Mother's scream.

"Sora, it's okay. Mama and Papa will protect you—"

And then, my parents' final warmth as they embraced me protectively.

"Don't worry, I'm right here"

---

Yuta's voice resonates in my chest, overlapping with my mother's words from my memories. His voice gently draws me back from the darkness of the past.

He had appeared beside me without my noticing. His face, illuminated by the small flashlight, triggers a strange sense of déjà vu.

"Ah, the emergency lights aren't coming on..."

In the dim light filtering through the windows, Yuta takes out his flashlight. He probably had it because he was on duty. That small beam of light felt oddly reassuring.

"I'll try contacting the caretaker before the batteries fade."

Yuta makes a call but shakes his head.

"No signal... The lightning must be causing communication problems."

"So we're trapped here?"

"Yes, the door has an electronic lock. We'll have to wait until power is restored."

At that moment, intense thunder booms. I reflexively grab Yuta's arm.

"You really don't like thunder, do you?"

Yuta's voice carries neither mockery nor pity. Just gentle understanding.

"...Yes"

I admit, resigned. There's no point maintaining my usual mask in this darkness.

"Actually, since I was little..."

My words trail off. Seven years ago, that night of the accident, there was a thunderstorm just like this. On the way home with my parents in the car, sudden lightning took away our visibility—

"Sora?"

Yuta's voice draws me back from the darkness of the past.

"Sorry, I was just remembering something..."

At that moment, the flashlight makes an ominous sound and dies. Battery depleted. Complete darkness envelops us with its gentle weight.

"Ah!"

Yuta gently takes my trembling hand. It's warm. Inexplicably warm.

"I'm here for you."

Those words trigger another sudden sense of déjà vu. A memory of someone saying similar words. Though it's certainly my memory, it feels distant and hazy, like a far-off dream—

"Ah, I know"

Yuta takes out his phone and starts playing music. Soft piano melodies begin flowing through the small library.

"Perhaps the music will soften the sound of the thunder."

His thoughtfulness makes my chest feel warm.

"Hey, Yuta. There's something I've always wanted to ask."

"Hmm?"

"Why didn't you treat me specially from the beginning? Back then, when everyone called me 'Ice Queen' and kept their distance."

In the darkness, I sense Yuta's gentle smile.

"Because Sora is Sora."

The moment Yuta says this naturally, my heart skips a beat.

"What do you mean by—"

Just then, I notice the time displayed on his phone. It's past 9 PM.

"Ah, I should message Asuka."

While operating his phone, Yuta murmurs, "I'll have to apologize for making her worry when I get home."

"Sorry for keeping you so late."

"No, I... I'm glad I got to talk with you."

Hearing Yuta's softly spoken words, I find myself smiling. An expression I never imagined possible during my days as the Ice Queen.

Yuta sits down again. As the piano melody continues flowing gently through the air, we just sit there in peaceful silence.

Eventually, the power returns, and the library is bathed in warm light. In that instant, I hastily let go of Yuta's sleeve.

"Um... about today, please don't tell anyone..."

"Yes, it's our secret."

Yuta smiles gently. His expression feels familiar somehow. But when and where that memory is from—I can't recall.

---

A few days later, I find a book placed on my desk. "Lightning and Human History" from the library. The marked page contains various methods for overcoming fear of thunder.

Another bookmark highlights an interesting passage: "Lightning not only possesses destructive power but is also believed to have triggered the chemical reactions that brought forth life on primitive Earth." Opening the cover, I find a small note.

"I was happy to see an unexpected side of you that day. Sometimes, looking at scary things from a different angle—Yuta"

I feel my face soften into a smile. That morning, a small crack appeared in the Ice Queen's mask. At the same time, a warmth and stillness like the calm and clarity of the sky after a thunderstorm spread through my chest.