A dream within a dream (pt 3)

“Wait… there is another path here,” Mia noticed a weathered sign and insisted they follow.

 “This is quicker, I bet.”

An uncomfortable silence fell over the couple as they followed the stone-paved path that led in the direction of the town. Mia turned to Haru and whispered in his ear.

“I am not mad at you… I kinda suspected something.”

Haru turned around his head, his eyes meeting hers. He had a confused expression on his face. “You are not mad?”

Mia let out a soft sigh, “Yes… I don’t care that it wasn’t real. Seeing all the effort you and your friends put into it. That was real. Trying to make me feel at home, showing me the ghosts I longed for.”

She gazed up at the sky, “I wouldn’t have wanted another way. A girl couldn’t wish for more, really.”

The girl stopped and stared into Haru’s eyes, “Thank you, Haru, for all you did for me,” she said, making a gentle bow.

Haru wrapped his arm around her, and the girl closed her eyes. Their lips touched for a moment that seemed unending. For a second, they’d forgotten all about the ghosts… forgotten about the white lies. A quiet moment of romantic peace, after the reality had settled in again.

“Come, Haru, we have to hurry. We need to get back to town and find our friends,” she said while pulling the boy's sleeve.

He frowned his brow, “That’s right… we are getting chased by ghosts...” He looked around at the dark forest surrounding them. The leaves vibrated, and he could hear the distant call of an owl.

Haru swallowed, “Let’s keep going.”

The couple walked the path downhill, the town’s houses appearing over the horizon. They stepped over a dilapidated traffic-barrier, and found themselves in a back alley behind a row of houses.

“Mmm,” Haru mumbled, “I think I know where we are. Strange that I’ve never noticed this path was here.”

They turned the corner and walked in an alley between two houses. The distant forest noises faded into the background. As they stepped underneath the soft glow of a streetlamp, Mia instinctively reached for Haru’s hand.

Something was off.

They expected a quiet street. But ahead, the street was alive, crowded with people, their faces lit with anticipation. Before Haru had time to process what he was seeing, a burst of noise erupted. The loud buzzing of party horns and cheers from the crowd filled their ears.

“Welcome back, Haru and Mia!” the crowd shouted in unison.

Startled, Haru blinked. Teachers, classmates, his parents, the post lady, even the dango vendor - nearly the whole village had gathered. At the front stood Daichi, Renji, and Ayaka, grinning under the bounce of colorful party hats.

Mia pressed a hand to her chest, her eyes wide from surprise, “Is this… what I think it is?”

Haru looked around, his lips curling into a soft smile. “You really went all out, didn’t you?”

The friends smiled with proud faces. Renji crossed his arms with a satisfied grin. “We did give you a good scare, didn’t we?”

Mia and Haru exchanged a long, quiet glance. They were almost in sync, after which they gave a slow nod.

“Definitely scared…” Mia whispered, “We thought we lost you guys.”

Then Ayaka stepped forward, rubbing the back of her neck, “Okay, maybe we overdid it with the fog machine.”

“And the timed door locks,” Renji added, glaring at Haru, “Sorry man.”

“You disappeared,” Haru said, the smile fading from his face. “The mist.. the light.. the chanting.”

“That part wasn’t us,” Ayaka muttered.

Everyone looked at her in confusion.

Renji frowned, “Wait, what chanting?”

Mia started shaking, “Guys… please stop teasing us!”

Renji gave her a playful wink, after which Daichi cleared his throat and confidently said, “But honestly, we couldn’t have pulled this off without everyone’s help.”

He gestured to the villagers behind them - their smiling faces visible in the light of the streetlamps.

“They helped us rig the building,” Daichi explained. “Hiding the lights, the fog machine, and even the speakers of the sound effects. Turns out everyone in this town wanted to give you a memorable send-off.”

At first, Mia stayed silent.

She looked at the crowd, hearing their quiet murmurs. A sea of familiar faces, faces she just met this month. All these people went out of their way to set up the ghost sighting, and now they had all come here. All of them. For her.

Her throat tightened.

“You all…” she began, after which she swallowed, “You did this for us?”

She blinked, carrying a wide smile on her face. She wiped away a singular tear. With a soft voice, she spoke to the crowd. “Thank you. I really mean it. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so… seen.”

Someone in the crowd clapped. Then another. And soon, the whole street burst out in a warm chant for Mia.

Haru glanced at his girlfriend, who had become the center of attention. Ever since she came here, really… With her, everything changed. The girl who shook up the quiet Hanabusa and ended up bringing all these people together.

“A single light can wake a sleeping town,” he quietly whispered.

The playful Daichi raised his arms, “Alright, no more tears!” he exclaimed. He pointed at a table to the side. “There is food, music, and Renji brought firecrackers - against my advice, by the way - so let’s party!”

He turned on a speaker, and the crowd started mixing. People came up to Mia to give her a personal goodbye. Some of them handed food or flowers, others said their goodbyes. A few simply hugged her, no words needed.

Haru stayed by her side, helped her carry all the presents, his arms getting completely overloaded.

The girl sighed, “How in the world am I going to take all of this with me to America? I think I will have to check in a second suitcase.”

Haru chuckled, balancing a box of sweets. “More like a third.”

Mia smiled, then looked around one last time - the lights, the people, the town she’d grown to love.

“Pff, I am really gonna miss this place.”

A breeze swept through, carrying the smell of spring grass and cherry blossom.

Haru bumped against her shoulder, “Then don’t say goodbye. Just say… see you later.”

She nodded, her eyes teary, “Yeah. See you later, Hanabusa.”

X

The next morning, in the middle of the school day, Haru helped Mia carry her suitcases out of the building. The teacher gave him and his friends time off to say goodbye to the foreign exchange student. With a lump in their throat, they waited in front of the school building for the taxi to arrive.

The place we met, just one short month ago.

He recalled getting pushed by his friends to walk up to the strange girl and give her directions. He looked at Renji, Daichi, and Ayaka standing beside him and gave them a silent nod, thanking them for giving him the push he needed.

Haru looked around, the cherry blossom tree branches were empty. The wind had scattered pale pink along the path, reminding him that the Sakura season was over. With Mia by his side, he waited for the dreaded taxi to arrive.

When the taxi appeared in the distance, his friends said their goodbyes and left Haru alone with Mia.

He stepped closer, caressing her long blonde hair one final time, her blue eyes sparkling before his.

“This is really it, isn’t it?” Mia whispered. “What will you do after I leave?”

Haru frowned his brow, “No idea. But I promise, I won’t be sad and depressed. I want to make the best of this final school year in this beautiful town. Together with these guys,” he said while turning to his friends.

Mia nodded, “I can’t wait to come back here again. But for now, I need to go back to America. On the plane back, I’ll edit my documentary-” her voice cracked, she quietly looked away, “And probably think about you a lot, Haru.”

A silence fell between them.

“I don’t want to go, Haru. I am scared that once I leave, everything that happened will feel like a dream.”

Her voice trembled, “Like, everything was so perfect… It's almost unreal.”

Haru gently reached for her hand, holding it steady. “Then, let’s make it a dream to hold onto.”

A dream within a dream.

Their breaths slowed, synching for one final moment. Without another word, their lips met. Slowly and softly, they exchanged their ultimate kiss, one that would linger even if they were on different continents.

Haru reached into his pocket and gave Mia a final gift. “Please take this with you, to remember me by.”

It was a small book of poems, like Haru usually carried with him. Mia flipped through it and held it against her chest. “I will take good care of it, I promise.”

The friends helped the cab driver load Mia’s suitcases and watched her enter the car.

“Goodbye!” the friends said in unison, waving at the girl.

The cab door closed with a soft thud. Through the window, Mia pressed her hand against the glass, her eyes locking with Haru’s one final time.

With her other hand, she blew him an air kiss, like she did that first night after she just arrived.

Goodbye Mia…

The engine started, tires slipping over the asphalt road, carrying her downhill, out of sight.

In silence, Haru stared into the distance, looking at the horizon where the car had just disappeared.

“Let’s get back inside, Haru,” Renji said, laying his hand on the boy's shoulder.

Haru gave a small nod, but didn’t move right away. “Just give me a second.”

His hand grabbed a piece of paper from his pocket. He unfolded it.

College program: Study Abroad in the U.S.

He smiled to himself.

“Maybe… I’ll see you sooner than you think.”