Chapter 14 – A Town That Still Remembered Her

Sakura stood near the veranda, looking out toward the distant hills. The wedding preparations had filled every corner of the guesthouse with noise, laughter, and stress. Everyone was busy. Everyone had somewhere to be.

Except her.

“Aiko,” Sakura said suddenly, turning around. “Can we go to town today?”

Aiko looked up from her notebook, pen hovering mid-air. “Town?”

“My hometown,” Sakura replied. “Just for a while. I want to walk around. Eat something bad for me. Remember who I was before everything became… complicated.”

Aiko studied her face. Sakura was smiling, but there was something quieter behind it.

Before Aiko could answer, Masato rushed in, phone pressed to his ear, hair slightly disheveled.

“Yes, yes, I know,” he said into the phone. “The chairs need to face the river. No, not that river.”

He hung up and exhaled deeply.

Sakura repeated herself. “I want to visit town.”

Masato froze. “Today?”

“Is there a better day?” Sakura asked.

Masato glanced at Aiko, then at the mess around him. “I can’t leave. I barely know where my shoes are.”

Aiko smiled gently. “Then Haruto can go with her.”

Haruto, who had just stepped inside, blinked. “Me?”

Masato’s face lit up with relief. “Yes. Please. Take her. Before something else collapses.”

Sakura narrowed her eyes. “You’re sending him to babysit me?”

Aiko quickly stepped in. “Actually, I suddenly remembered I need help reorganizing the guest seating. Urgently. Very urgently.”

Masato nodded too fast. “Yes. Extremely urgent.”

Sakura stared at them both, then sighed. “Fine. But if he gets boring, I’m abandoning him.”

Haruto smiled faintly. “I’ll survive.”

The town greeted them with quiet familiarity.

Sakura walked a little slower than before, pointing out places she remembered. The old bakery. The narrow alley where she once scraped her knee running too fast. The convenience store where she used to skip school lunches.

“You were trouble even then,” Haruto said.

“I had talent,” she replied. “People just misunderstood it.”

They bought drinks and shared snacks, sitting on a low wall near the road. Sakura talked more than she had in days. Haruto listened without interrupting.

“You’re different here,” he said.

She looked at him. “How?”

“Calmer.”

She shrugged. “This place knows my worst already.”

They walked again, side by side. No pressure. No pretending.

When they reached the car, Sakura leaned inside to grab her bag. A sudden breeze caught her dress, trapping the fabric in the door.

“Wait,” Haruto said softly.

He stepped closer and carefully freed the cloth. His movements were slow, thoughtful. He adjusted the dress so it fell naturally, making sure it wouldn’t crease or pull.

Sakura froze.

For a second, neither of them spoke.

“Okay,” he said, stepping back. “All set.”

She looked away quickly. “You didn’t have to be that careful.”

“I wanted to,” he replied.

The drive back was quiet in a comfortable way. Sakura rested her head against the window, watching the scenery pass.

“This was nice,” she said after a while.

Haruto nodded. “Yeah. It was.”

Not a confession. Not a promise.

Just a moment that stayed with them longer than expected.