Chapter 1- The Summer We Promised Forever

There are memories that fade.
The first toy you owned.
The first time you fell from a bicycle.
The first day of school.

People say time eventually erases them.

They're wrong.

Some memories never disappear.

Like the first time she laughed at me.

...

"You're hopeless."

I frowned as I tried to tie my shoelaces.

"I can do it."

"No, you can't."

"I can."

She folded her arms and watched me struggle for another minute before kneeling in front of me.

Her fingers moved quickly.

"There."

She tapped the knot proudly.

"See? Not that hard."

I puffed my cheeks.

"I would've done it eventually."

She laughed.

"You've been saying that for ten minutes."

That laugh...

Even now, I can still hear it.

Maybe that's because some sounds never leave you.

I was seventeen now.

Old enough to ride my own motorcycle.
Old enough to stay out late without anyone worrying.
Old enough for people to stop calling me a kid.

Except...

"You've grown taller."

She reached up and messed up my hair anyway.

"...Stop doing that."

"No."

"I'm serious."

"So am I."

I sighed.

"You always ruin my hair."

"It looks cuter this way."

"Cute?"

I stared at her.

"I'm seventeen."

"And?"

"I'm not cute."

She tilted her head.

"You'll always be cute to me."

I didn't know why those words bothered me.

Maybe because I wanted her to stop seeing me as the little boy who followed her everywhere.

Or maybe...

No.

I shook the thought away.

She was just Yui.

My childhood friend.

Nothing more.

Right?

Everyone in town knew us.

If people saw me walking alone, they'd ask,

"Where's Yui?"

If they saw her buying snacks, they'd ask,

"Is Hayate coming later?"

It had always been like that.

Our lives somehow fit together so naturally that nobody questioned it.

Not even us.

The cicadas screamed beneath the summer sun.

We sat on the hill overlooking the river, eating popsicles like we had every summer since I could remember.

Mine melted first.

As always.

"You eat too slowly."

"I like enjoying it."

"You like making a mess."

She handed me a tissue before I even asked.

She always noticed.

Small things.

Things nobody else did.

"You've got some here."

She pointed at the corner of her own mouth.

I wiped mine.

She laughed.

"The other side."

I wiped again.

"Nope."

Before I could react...

She reached over and wiped it away herself.

Her fingers were cold from the popsicle.

For some reason...

My heart skipped.

Just once.

A strange feeling settled inside my chest.

It disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

"What?"

"You've gone quiet."

"...Nothing."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

I looked toward the river.

The water sparkled beneath the afternoon sun.

Maybe it was just the heat.

People think childhood friends always have something to talk about.

Actually...

We were often silent.

Comfortably silent.

She would read a novel.

I'd skip stones across the river.

Sometimes an entire hour passed without either of us speaking.

It never felt awkward.

Being beside her was enough.

"Hayate."

"Hm?"

"What do you want to do after graduation?"

The question caught me off guard.

"I don't know."

"Liar."

"...Maybe."

She smiled.

"I think you'll leave this town."

"What makes you think that?"

"You've always looked beyond it."

I looked toward the mountains surrounding our little hometown.

Had I?

Maybe.

Maybe not.

"What about you?"

She smiled softly.

"I like it here."

"Forever?"

"Maybe."

"You'd get bored."

"I don't think so."

She looked toward the river.

"I already have everything that makes this place feel like home."

I wondered what she meant.

I almost asked.

Instead...

I skipped another stone.

It bounced five times.

A new record.

"See that?"

"I did."

"I'm getting better."

"You are."

She smiled.

The kind of smile that never needed words.

That evening we walked home together.

The streets glowed orange beneath the setting sun.

Our shadows stretched across the pavement.

I noticed something.

Our footsteps had matched without either of us trying.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

As if we'd walked together so many times that our bodies already knew the rhythm.

Neither of us said anything.

Neither of us needed to.

Sometimes...

I wonder when people begin falling in love.

Is it because of one unforgettable moment?

A confession?

A kiss?

A miracle?

I don't think so.

Looking back...

I think it begins much earlier.

In ordinary days.

Shared silence.

Familiar footsteps.

Cold fingers wiping melted popsicle from your face.

Tiny moments so ordinary...

You don't realize they'll become the memories you'll treasure most.

Back then...

I still believed every summer would be like this.

I still believed she'd always be waiting for me beneath that hill overlooking the river.

I didn't know...

Some summers only happen once.