"...Nakayama-san."

Sakurajima High School, Fukui — Spring, April 2015

The wind smelled sweet.

Yuzuki stood near the shoe lockers, clutching hard on a school map printed on a half piece of bond paper. Her fingers were trembling slightly. The leftover nerves from earlier this morning still lingers on her. She had bowed countless times already, apologizing to her homeroom teacher for missing the opening ceremony and introducing herself to each of her classmates again and again.

It was already lunch time. Students have flooded the hallways to the cafeteria and courtyards. Some even flocked in groups at the school grounds as if having a picnic—they may be upperclassmen who were delighted to see each other again or freshmen like her who were celebrating the first day of their senior high school.

She took a deep breath.

“Alright, let's try… this way?” she murmured to herself, stepping outside.

The sun was kind today—bright but not harsh, just warm enough to casually linger on her cheeks. Around her, the cherry blossom trees were beginning to bloom. Few, soft pink petals started clustering on the branches.

She followed the narrow stone pavement that curved behind the school’s gymnasium. It was quieter here, the gentle rustling of leaves somewhat made her feel at ease.

She folded her map as she rounded a corner, when her steps came to a sudden halt.

There, beneath a beautiful towering cherry blossom tree—its branches stretching like gentle arms overhead—sat a boy. His long legs leisurely stretched forward, his back against the wide, seemingly old yet sturdy trunk. A book on one hand while the other turns the pages lazily. His dark hair danced along the breeze, some soft strands brushing against his forehead. Thin-rimmed glasses rested low on his nose, and his eyes… no, she couldn’t see them clearly.

But it didn’t matter… because for Yuzuki, the scene in front of her was simply captivating.

It was as if time decided to slow down for him at that very moment. The faint blushes of pink petals,  the filtered sunlight, and the way he was completely unbothered of the world around him as he was engulfed in his book—everything seemed to be delicately arranged, like something out of a film.

Yuzuki stood there, unsure why her chest felt suddenly tight. She wasn’t even aware that she had stopped in the middle of the path and had been staring at him, intently.

And then—

His gaze lifted and for a very brief moment, she felt the weight of his eyes on hers.

Yuzuki nearly jumped out of her skin.

The boy blinked and asked, “Do you… need something?” His voice… blank. Like someone asking out of habit, not curiosity.

“N-no!” Yuzuki panicked, her hands flailing slightly as her map flew from her fingers. “I mean, yes! I mean—no! I was just looking! Ahh, no! I mean, walking around!” She felt breathless, “I wasn’t staring, I swear!” She gasped upon realizing what she just said, and covered her mouth with both hands.

He blinked again.

She crouched quickly to pick up her map, hitting her forehead on one knee in the process.

“Ugh… I’m sorry!” she muttered, brushing a hand on the slightly aching spot in her forehead.

When she finally stood up, cheeks fully red, he had gone back to reading as if nothing happened.

“...Don’t get lost,” he murmured, barely looking up again.

She stood there for a second too long before bowing and finally turning on her heel, half-running away, almost like a startled cat. The moment she turned back from the corner, she leaned against a concrete wall. The cold sips slowly through the fabric of her uniform unto her back and yet, all she can feel was the burning of her cheeks.

She pressed a hand to her chest. Her heart hadn’t slowed down even a bit.

What was that? Or rather, who was that?

Later that afternoon, warm sunlight entered gently through the windows, casting faint golden hues across the classroom and basking Yuzuki… whose mind had drifted far away from her seat. The drone of the teacher’s voice was soft and steady as he filled the chalkboard with clean, fresh characters.

Her pen hovered above her notebook, unmoving.

That tree… the way the first blossoms peeked open…  him at the center of that film-like scene.

In her mind, she could still see them all clearly. The way his body leaned just slightly to the side, the silver outline of his glasses, the shifting patterns of light and shadow that hit his shoulders, the quiet around him like even the air didn’t want to disturb him.

She had never been good with faces. Not since she was younger. They blurred and blended and changed so easily. But feelings—those she remembered.

And something about that scene made her feel at peace. Like finding a quiet corner in the world that she had always hoped for.

That… was really nice. She thought to herself.

“—Nakayama-san?”

The classroom door was slightly ajar, letting the hallway breeze stir the curtains just a little. Outside, unfamiliar footsteps passed—slow, steady.

At that moment, as Ryōsuke was passing by, a familiar voice caught his attention, which made him stop midstep. His eyes shifted as he glanced inside through the window.

A girl stood up halfway from her seat, startled and flustered. “Eh—yes!?” She snapped out of her trance. Her brown hair caught the sunlight, making it look like it was shining.

The teacher raised an eyebrow.

“Nakayama-san, I was just asking if you could read the next passage.”

Yuzuki flushed. “S-sorry…”

A few giggles echoed around as Yuzuki sat down quickly. She clutched her book tightly and raised it, almost covering her face, while reading the passage.

Her face felt hot.

Was it from relief that her teacher didn't catch her daydreaming in class? Or was it from embarrassment that she’s actually been thinking about that strange encounter with a guy?

She isn’t sure at all.

Ryōsuke’s gaze lingered for a moment. Then he continued walking.

He didn’t look back.

But just as he passed the room, he murmured under his breath, quiet enough that no one would hear—maybe not even himself.

“…Nakayama-san.”