Interlude: Whisper of the Heart

“Sumire, are you going out with Hisame-kun?”

The question from my classmate caught me completely off guard.

“Oh, no!” I answered frantically, my hands waving in front of my face. “I don’t think that we—” I paused, my chest heating up. “No, no, no. We’re not going out.”

I almost added yet.

Why are my classmates so curious about us?

Whenever I remember what happened in the hospital, the shadow of it still threatens to make me sad. But then I remember Hisame-kun. I remember what he did.

He is someone who stood with me through all of it. Someone I felt like I didn't need, but needed desperately at the same time.

Someone who stayed with me in my dark, grayscale world.

Whenever I think about him, the edges of the world turn soft. It feels like I'm finally seeing colors I haven't seen in a very long time.

Then, there was that moment during the festival setup when I looked at him. I almost blurted out that I liked him right then and there. Why did I stop myself? I tried to convince myself that I only meant it as a close friend.

But if that’s true, why am I heating up just thinking about it?

When Koharu-san suddenly jumped into the space between us, I was startled, but a tiny part of me felt deeply relieved. I knew my face was turning completely red when she teased us about having a romantic-comedy atmosphere.

Why am I like this?

By the time we headed to the fortune-telling booth, I had grown quiet.
The old thoughts started creeping back in. Why am I with them? Am I even supposed to be here?

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

The harsh voice snapped me out of it. It was the first time I had ever seen Hisame-kun look agitated.

The Hisame-kun I knew was always calm. He was like a mature adult who had everything perfectly figured out. But this was different.

I wanted to reach out to him, to say something, but he pushed past the curtain and ran out. My heart felt frightened by the look in his eyes.

Then it was my turn to sit across from the cards.

“Are you sure?” the fortune teller asked, her voice low. “The guy back then ran out. You wouldn’t do the same to me, right?”

“I think so,” I told her, trying to force a small smile. “Let’s do romance.”

The woman drew the cards, her eyes tracking the patterns. “Like water flows where it goes. Painful, but a beautiful light shines for you. A snow that is nearly melted will remind you that you are someone yourself. And in time, you’ll get yours.”

I blinked. It was too riddled. Too confusing to even ask a question.

“Don’t worry, Sumire-chan!” Koharu proudly comforted me, throwing her arms around my shoulders in a tight hug. “I didn’t understand mine either! So we’re both in the same boat, okay?”

“I guess ours is just to find out along the way,” I murmured.

“Yes!”

I got back to the classroom first.

My classmates were still teasing me non-stop, refusing to let it go even when I begged them to stop.

That was when I saw Hisame-kun walk back in. He looked exhausted, his hair a mess, like he had been running from something.

“I hope you’re okay, Hisame-kun. Here, have some water.”

I offered him the bottle with a quiet smile.

“Careful, though,” I giggled softly, trying to lighten the heavy air around him. “It’s carbonated. You might be surprised.”

“Thank you.”

When he said those words, his voice was lower, softer than anything he had ever said to me before. My heart gave a small, quiet flutter.

The next day, it was the same thing.

“Why should I confess?” I argued back, huffing as my friends crowded around my desk. “It’s not like I like him or anything. I just think he’s cool. And responsible. And tough.”

“Look at you listing all those things, Sumire-chan!” they kept teasing.

“Enough! I’m leaving!”

I stood up and bolted out of the classroom. But as I ran down the hallway, my mind was spinning too fast. I didn't see the person rounding the corner.

Thud.

Papers scattered across the floor.

“...Mizuno-san?”

“Ah, ouch...” I sat on the floor, rubbing my scraped knee, my head bowed in pure mortification. “Yes, I am okay. Thank you very much—”

I looked up. My eyes met his.

I froze, completely stupefied. My reflexes automatically wanted to reach out for the hand he was extending to help me stand. For a split second, the loud hallway went entirely quiet.

But midway through the gesture, a sudden panic seized me. My hand snapped back against my chest. I scrambled to my feet by myself, my movements frantic, almost desperate to get away from him before he could hear how hard my heart was beating.

“Ah, Hisame-kun!” I looked sideways, trying everything to avert my eyes from his face. “I—I am completely fine! No need to worry at all!”

“Are you sure? You still dropped your—”

“Yes!” I cut him off, desperate to escape the conversation. “Our class is calling for me. I have to go. See you later!”

I turned and sprinted away as fast as my legs could carry me. It was the most embarrassing moment of my life.

“Hey,” his voice called out from behind me, echoing down the corridor. “The classroom is the other way.”

...What?

I stopped, my soul practically leaving my body. I was running the wrong way.

It was too late to turn back now. I just kept running, wishing the floor would open up and swallow me whole.

The final day of the festival arrived.

My classmates were still teasing me, but by now, I was used to the noise.

What I couldn't get used to was the question looping in my head. What do I really feel about Hisame-kun?

I knew I was attached to him. But I didn't understand the shape of it. Is this love? I don’t know. I’ve never felt anything like it before.

But I knew it was real. I decided right then that I would just stick around him until I finally understood it.

Then, I spotted him sitting near the stairwell.

“Oh,” I said, stepping up to his side. “That’s unexpected. You’re not drinking black coffee.”

“Mizuno-san… you shouldn’t appear out of nowhere like that.”

“Eh? Hisame-kun gets startled easily?” I laughed softly, the tension leaving my shoulders. “That’s kind of cute.”

“That’s bad for my heart.”

I giggled quietly, sitting down on the concrete step beside him.

“You’re not joining the bonfire dance later?”

“I wasn’t planning to.” He took another sip from the red can. “Nobody’s going to ask me anyway. Besides, I’d probably step on someone’s foot.”

“I see.”

I looked back toward the fire. I wondered briefly why I had even come out here. But sitting next to him, the cool air felt stable. Calm.

“Then I’ll stay here too.”

“…Suit yourself.”

His words were cold, but the space he made for me felt incredibly warm. I felt welcomed in a way I couldn't explain.

I knew this feeling was going somewhere. If I just kept sticking around him, I knew I was going to find a treasure at the end of this long road.

In the distance, the firelight caught his face as he watched Saionji-san and Ishikawa-kun.

“Ah!” I pointed toward the crowd. “I saw what you did earlier with Saionji-san.”

Hisame-kun looked at me, a blank, wondering expression on his face.

“You tried to cheer her up, right?” I continued with a small smile. “They seem closer now. I think they really suit each other.”

“You think so?”

“Yes.”

I answered a bit too quickly, a little too forcefully, but I couldn't help it.

“Well… if you’re that confident about it, I guess I’ll believe you.”

For a long time after that, neither of us said a word.

But the comfort he brought to my stormy heart gave me a profound sense of peace. Security.

I didn't say anything else. I just stared quietly at the fire, letting a smile form on my face while he wasn't looking.