Chapter 16: Is this Love?

MELODY

This is the strangest feeling.

The sun was shining above us, but this time… I was out of its reach.
I lifted my hand toward the sky, trying to grab the sun with my bare hands, but when I looked, there was nothing inside my palm.

It felt like I was free from a curse.

I began twirling and twirling, the wind catching the ends of my hair, my dress brushing against the air as if I was spinning in a dream. Noah kept trying to stop me, but I didn’t listen.

When I looked at him, I could see that he was… embarrassed. His eyes darted around, noticing the people who were staring at us.
Some looked puzzled, others curious, the kind of look that said, What is she doing?

So I did what any free soul would do, I grabbed Noah’s hand and began twirling with him, just like we were in a ballroom.

He turned so red I thought his face might catch fire. How cute.

People kept looking, but I didn’t mind. I was happy. I was finally surrounded by others, faces, voices, laughter, they are all alive.

We wandered through the town, and honestly, it was even better than I imagined.
All these people, everywhere.
This was Willowmori in its true form, alive and full of sound.

Across the sea, I could see another city, bright and shining.
"That’s Hoshivalle," Noah said.
I smiled. "I bet there are even more people there."

He asked softly, "You want to go?"
I nodded eagerly.

"Follow me then," he said, "Let’s take the train."

But I had a better idea. "Why take transportation when we can just run across the bridge?"

He sighed, almost laughing. "Because not everyone can keep up with you, and also, it would take quite some time,"

So I lost that argument. "I guess it’s better to save a lot of time," We took the train.

But it was fine, better, even. The train was crowded and alive, and I loved every second of it. I greeted everyone I could, the children who waved shyly, the elderly who smiled kindly. Even the people who ignored me made me happy, because at least they were there.

By the time we arrived in Hoshivalle, my heart felt like it could burst from joy.

As soon as the doors opened, I wanted to run straight into the city, but Noah held my hand firmly, afraid I’d get lost in the crowd.

When we stepped out of the station, I stopped walking.

It was beautiful.

Tall towers shimmered under the sunlight, their reflections dancing in the windows of passing trams. The air carried music from somewhere unseen, laughter, chatter, the rhythm of life itself.

It didn’t feel like just a city.
It felt like a dream came true, one made of glass, light, and motion.
A world that kept on living, breathing, and shining.

And for the first time… I was part of it.
We went to tons of places, the same ones from our last date.

We re-visited the Tenshino Castle, the Mizukaze Shrine, the Castle of Kazeishi, and Sakuramine Hill.

…Okay, I lied. We couldn’t go to all of them, it would’ve taken forever, especially because we couldn’t fly. Now we had to walk. But I’m not mad, it’s a unique experience.

But we did revisit the Underground Starline.

It was… a bit awkward. I almost refused to go at first because I didn’t want our date to end the same way it did last time.

Eventually, we found a quiet bench in the middle of the city.

I sat down with a cone of vanilla ice cream, soft, creamy, sprinkled with tiny bits of color and topped with a piece of waffle cookie. Different from a donut, a muffin or a even a cloud.

It was delicious.

I took a big bite, then held it toward Noah. "Want some?"

He shook his head. "No, it’s fine."

I didn’t take no for an answer. I pushed the cone toward his mouth until he finally gave in and took a bite. His embarrassed look was priceless.

While I was happily eating, Noah suddenly asked,
"Hey… Melody. Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

He hesitated. "What are we… doing?"

"What do you mean?"

"You keep saying this is a date."

"Of course! Why are you asking?"

He sighed softly. "Do you… know what a date actually is?"

"What do you mean do I know? Of course I do! It’s when two people who are really good friends go around having fun together."

For some reason, his expression fell a little.
He looked disappointed.

"Why?" I asked. "Aren’t you happy that we’re on a date?"

His expression changed again, like he was trying to hide something. "No, that’s not it. I— I’m happy. I really am. I just think I should explain how a date usually works."

He scratched the back of his neck, looking away shyly. "It’s when two people who… like each other go out together."

I smiled brightly. "I like you! You don’t like me?"

"That’s not what I meant by like," he said quickly, turning red.

He tried again, stuttering. "A date is when… two people who really, really like each other—"

"Like as in love," he finished softly.

"Oh."

"Yeah… oh."

He gave a small, awkward laugh. "You’re probably disappointed now."

"I’m not," I said, about to tell him something else, something I wasn’t even sure how to say, when suddenly, a voice I didn’t recognize called out to me.
"Hey there, you’re really cutie, Want to hang out with us?"

I blinked, confused. A group of guys, maybe a little older than me, were standing nearby. Their clothes were messy, their grins even messier.

One of them stepped closer. "Come on, sweetheart, forget that kid. We’ll show you a better time."

I tilted my head, trying to understand. "That’s nice of you to say," I said with a small smile, "but I’m fine. I’m on a date right now."

"Oh yeah?" another said, smirking. "With him?" He indicated towards Noah.

I glanced at Noah. He looked tense, his jaw tight.

"Yeah," I said proudly. "With him."

They laughed. "You can do better, pretty girl. Come with us instead."

"I said no," I answered, still trying to sound polite.

Then, suddenly, one of them reached for my arm.

"Hey—"

Noah stepped forward. "Let go of her."

The guy turned toward him with a sneer. "What are you gonna do about it?"

"I said, let. go."

But before I could even blink, one of them shoved Noah backward. He hit the ground hard.

Something inside me snapped.

I looked down at the melting ice cream in my hand… then up at their stupid smirking faces.

"Fine," I said sweetly. "But first—here."

And I shoved the entire ice cream into the nearest guy’s face.

Cold vanilla splattered everywhere. He shouted in shock while his friends burst into anger. I grabbed Noah’s hand, pulling him up fast.

"Sorry, boys!" I shouted over my shoulder. "I’m on a date with this guy!"

Then we ran.

Through the crowd, through the noise, through the bright colors of the city. I could hear them shouting behind us, but I didn’t care.

Noah and I just kept running, our hands tightly locked.

When I looked at him, he was already looking at me. His breath was ragged, his hair a little messy, but he was smiling.

And for the first time, my heart felt like it was trying to sing.

I guess… this is what I can call love.We found ourselves hiding in an alley, both of us catching our breath. For a moment, we just stared at each other and then started laughing.

Our laughter echoed softly between the walls, blending with the distant sounds of the city. And then our eyes met.

Love?
I was thinking of that word.
When two people really like each other… I like Noah.I guess I am in love with—

Tiny drops of water suddenly fell onto Noah’s face.

"Huh?" he blinked, wiping his eyes.

Then more drops fell, on me, on both of us.

"What’s going on?" I asked, looking up.

"Oh no," Noah said, "it’s raining! But the weather said it’d be sunny all week."

I lifted my hand toward the sky, catching the falling droplets in my palm.

"What is this? Is the sky crying?"

Noah quickly took off his jacket and held it over both our heads. "Come on, let’s find some shelter!"

We ran through the crowded streets until we ducked inside a small bar, the same one where I once saw the poster for the concert.

‘Winehouse, but we don’t have wine.’ Still a great name.

We were both still breathing hard, standing by the window. Outside, I could see people running through the rain, covering their heads. The sound of the falling water filled the air, soft, endless, alive.

"That was… unexpected," Noah said with a small laugh.

"What’s going on out there?" I asked, still mesmerized.

"Are you talking about the rain?"

"Rain?" I repeated, tilting my head.

"You don’t know what rain is?"

"I’ve heard of it… but it never happened in my world, Is it bad?" I asked.

"No," he said, smiling. "It’s not bad. It’s just… random. Sometimes it just comes out of nowhere."

I looked back out the window again, watching the water fall from the sky.

It was the first time I’d ever seen something like this.
And in that moment, I realized how much I had missed.

Parents.
Rain.
Even love.