Moving gears

The wind changed direction, carrying with it the light scent of distant rain. The leaves trembled slightly, as if they wanted to listen too. I observed Yumehime for a moment. There was something fragile yet immense about her, like a song you can't stop listening to, even if you don't know the words. - Can I ask you something? I asked softly. - Sure. - You said before that you listen to the stars. But what... do they tell you? Yumehime was silent for a moment, then lowered her gaze, as if the answer was hidden in the folds of her dress. - They tell me that every person shines, even when they don't realize it. Only... some stop looking at themselves, and forget they exist. I bit my lip, almost embarrassed. - Maybe you're talking about me. She looked at me, with a sad but kind smile. - Maybe so. But also about me. Maybe we were similar, I thought, and I realized I couldn't remember the last time someone had truly looked at me, without judgment, without haste. -I... I don't know what I'm looking for anymore, I confessed softly. Sometimes I feel like I'm walking on inertia, without a reason. I work, I sleep, I breathe, but I don't really live. Yumehime listened to me in silence. Then, in a slightly warmer tone, she whispered: -Maybe you're just waiting to remember who you are. Sometimes you need someone to help you do that. I looked at her, and for a moment, the lights of the park reflected in her blue eyes, and she saw me there, small but real. A thought crossed my mind, clear as the moon: I want to see her again. -If the stars speak to you again tomorrow, I said with a slightly shy smile, promise me you'll tell me what they say. The girl laughed softly, with that laugh that seemed to belong to the night itself. -Only if you tell me what brought you here, Hayato. -Deal. I thought... did I really make friends with a lunatic? But... she's really cute... there's something... immense about her, I want to understand her more.It's late, Yumehime said. But the stars are stubborn, they never stop shining.

Maybe tomorrow... they'll talk again.

He took a few steps back, then turned around.

-Goodnight... Hayato.

-Goodnight... Yumehime.

I leaned back on the bench and sighed.

-What a strange girl... - I murmured, almost smiling.

Strange, but... really pretty.

The memory of her eyes came back to me like a reflection.

That blue wasn't a color, it was a sensation.

Like looking at the sea knowing that, somewhere in that deep water, there was an answer you'd always been looking for.

I shook my head, trying to laugh at myself.

-Really, Hayato... does five minutes suffice for you to lose your mind? —

And yet, even as I said it, I knew it wasn't just a fleeting crush.

There was something different, something that had touched me deeply, as if my soul had recognized it before my heart.

I stayed a few more minutes, gazing at the sky.

The stars seemed brighter, almost happy for me.

I finally got up, put my hands in my pockets, and started walking toward home.

Every step echoed lightly on the damp pavement, and for the first time in a long time, I felt alive.

I reached the house, my house, my lonely house, where there was no one. I immediately went to take a quick shower. As the hot water ran, I thought, "Will she still be there tomorrow night?" I stepped out of the shower feeling lighter, I changed, and threw myself on the bed.

"I have to work tomorrow... I have to work hard," I said to myself, but deep down, I hoped to meet her again tomorrow night, and I fell asleep.