Chapter 7: See You Again!

Was I really meeting Hanako-san?
Was it nothing more than a delusion seen by a lonely child?

Unable to suppress my sorrow, I crouched down and cried out loud.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Don’t suddenly start crying—I’ll listen to you.”
At the unexpected voice, I lifted my face, and Hanako-san was right there in front of me.
She had crouched down, as if to match my eye level.

“It’s me—Nana.”
I introduced myself while wiping away my tears.
She might not remember me anymore, but I was glad I could meet her one last time.
Before I realized it, my tears had changed from sadness into happiness.

“Eeh! You’ve really grown up! Long time no see.
You’re still a crybaby, Nana-chan.”
Hanako-san was smiling in exactly the same way I remembered from back then.

After that, the two of us talked about many things in the limited time we had.
About the old school building being demolished, about Hanako-san’s friends, about her range of movement—we talked about all sorts of things.

Even that pleasant time quickly came to an end, and the chime rang.
There was still so much more I wanted to talk about, but even so, I was honestly glad that we were able to talk at all.

“See you, Hanako-san.”
“Yeah, see you, Nana-chan.”

Not “goodbye,” but “see you.”
Holding a small hope in my heart, I left the restroom.