A Message From the Author

Thank you for reading this story.

It started with two ordinary people whose lives drifted apart, then crossed again in the most unexpected moment. Writing it reminded me how memories stay with us, even when time moves in ways we don’t expect. If any part of Hanami and Kosuke’s journey touched you, made you pause, or brought back a memory of your own, then I’m grateful.

Stories grow because someone chooses to read them.

Thank you for choosing this one and staying until the end.

I hope you carry a little warmth from these pages into your own life.

— Suhei Nakamura