Chapter 2- When Friendship Started Feeling Different

People always say girls mature faster than boys.
Maybe that's true.
But no one tells you what happens when the little boy you've known your entire life suddenly isn't little anymore.
...
Hayate had always walked one step behind me.
Always.
When we were children, he'd tug on the back of my shirt whenever he wanted to ask something.
"Yui..."
"Hm?"
"Wait for me."
"I am waiting."
"No, you're walking too fast."
I would sigh dramatically, slow down, and hold out my hand.
Without thinking, he'd grab it.
As naturally as breathing.
Back then, neither of us realized moments like those would become memories.
---
This morning, I found one of our old photographs while cleaning my room.
It was slightly faded.
Hayate couldn't have been older than six.
His smile was missing two front teeth.
Mine looked unbelievably awkward.
I laughed.
"I really used to wear my hair like that..."
Then my eyes drifted toward him.
Even in the photograph...
He was holding onto the sleeve of my shirt.
Some habits never change.
Some people become your home before you even understand what that means.
---
The sound of the doorbell pulled me away from the photo.
I already knew who it was.
Nobody else rang the bell twice.
I opened the door.
"There you are."
Hayate looked away immediately.
"...Morning."
I blinked.
"That's it?"
"What?"
"You've become boring."
"I'm not boring."
"You used to greet me properly."
"I literally said good morning."
"With all the excitement of a sleepy turtle."
He rolled his eyes.
"...You're impossible."
I smiled.
There it is.
That expression.
He only made that face around me.
---
We walked toward the convenience store together.
Just like we had done hundreds of times before.
The owner smiled the moment he saw us.
"The usual?"
I nodded.
"Two melon breads."

Hayate looked at me.

"You remembered."

"I always remember."
I wasn't trying to impress him.
I simply... remembered.
How he peeled the wrapper before opening it.
How he hated tomatoes.
How he pretended spicy food didn't bother him.
How he'd secretly give me the last bite whenever we shared snacks.
There are people you learn about.
Then there are people who slowly become part of your daily life until remembering them requires no effort at all.
Hayate was one of those people.
---
"You've gotten taller."
He sighed.
"You said that yesterday."
"I know."
"And the day before."
"I know."
"And last week."
"I know."
I smiled.
"I still can't believe it."
He stopped walking.
"What?"
"You don't have to look up anymore."
I looked at him.
For the first time...
I actually had to raise my eyes a little.
When...
When did that happen?
When did the little boy who hid behind me become someone taller than me?
It felt unfair.
Not because he'd grown.
Because I hadn't noticed.
---
"You're staring."
"I am not."
"You definitely are."
"...Maybe a little."
He laughed.
That laugh had changed too.
It was deeper now.
Less childish.
I suddenly missed hearing the old one.
Not because this one was worse.
Because it reminded me...
Time wasn't waiting for either of us.
---
That afternoon, we sat beneath the hill overlooking the river.
The same place.
The same breeze.
The same sound of cicadas.
Only...
The silence felt different today.
Not uncomfortable.
Just...
Heavier.
Hayate skipped a stone.
It bounced six times.
"I beat my record."
"You did."
He looked at me expectantly.
"...Aren't you going to clap?"
"You want applause?"
"Obviously."
I gave him the smallest clap imaginable.
"There."
He laughed.
"You're terrible."
"I know."
His smile lingered.
Mine did too.
---
"Can I ask you something?"
"Hm?"
"If I left town one day..."
The question escaped before I could stop it.
"...Would you miss me?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked toward the river.
The breeze gently moved his hair.
"...Of course."
"So confidently?"
He looked genuinely confused.
"Why wouldn't I?"
"I don't know."
He smiled.
"The town would be boring."
"That's all?"
"...And..."
He scratched the back of his neck.
"I'd probably have nobody to eat melon bread with."
I laughed.
"So it's because of the bread."
"...Maybe."
Liar.
I could always tell when he was lying.
His ears turned slightly red.
They always had.
---
Sometimes...
I wonder if every relationship changes so slowly that nobody notices.
Or maybe...
We're simply too busy living each day to realize we're quietly becoming different people.
I still saw Hayate as the little boy who chased dragonflies with me.
Yet every now and then...
He'd smile.
Or laugh.
Or say something unexpectedly mature.
And I'd remember...
He wasn't that little boy anymore.
---
As evening arrived, we walked home beneath the orange sky.
Our shadows stretched across the empty road.
He suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
"My shoelace."
"Oh."
He bent down to tie it.
Without thinking...
I reached out and gently fixed his messy hair.
The same way I always had.
He looked up.
For a brief moment...
Our eyes met.
Neither of us spoke.
Something about that moment felt...
Different.
Not awkward.
Not romantic.
Just...
Different.
A feeling I couldn't describe.
I quickly pulled my hand back.
"There."
"...Thanks."
We continued walking.
Neither of us mentioned it again.
But for some reason...
My heartbeat refused to return to normal.
I blamed the summer heat.
It was easier that way.
Much easier.
Because admitting any other reason...
Would mean questioning a relationship that had been the safest place in my life.
And I wasn't ready to do that.
Not yet.
---
The next few days slipped by quietly.
If someone had asked me what happened during them, I probably wouldn't have had an answer.
Nothing special.
Nothing unforgettable.
Just...
Us.
And somehow, that had always been enough.
---
Hayate had a habit of dropping by my house without knocking.
At first, my parents used to ask him why.
Eventually...
Even they stopped asking.
He'd simply open the front gate, call my name once, and walk inside like he'd lived there his whole life.
That afternoon was no different.
"Aoi."
"I'm in the kitchen."
A moment later, he appeared beside the doorway.
"...What are you making?"
"Curry."
"Oh."
"You sound disappointed."
"I thought it was something sweet."
I couldn't help laughing.
"You've always had a sweet tooth."
"I don't."
"You literally ate six cookies yesterday."
"...That never happened."
"It did."
"You have no proof."
I pointed toward the empty cookie box sitting on the shelf.
"...Traitor."
---
While the curry simmered, he wandered around the kitchen like a curious child.
He opened the fridge.
Closed it.
Opened another cabinet.
Closed that too.
Finally...
"What are you looking for?"
"I don't know."
"Exactly."
I handed him a potato.
"If you're going to stay here, make yourself useful."
"...You're making me work?"
"I'm allowing you to eat."
"That's worse."
Even so...
He took the knife and began peeling it.
Very slowly.
Very carefully.
Almost painfully slowly.
I watched for a while before quietly taking the knife from his hands.
"You peel potatoes like you're performing surgery."
"I've improved."
"You have."
"...A little."
He looked offended.
"I was complimenting you."
"No, you weren't."
Maybe I wasn't.
---
As we cooked together, I realized something.
There had never been a moment when spending time with Hayate felt tiring.
We didn't need plans.
We didn't need exciting places.
Sometimes...
Making dinner together felt like an adventure.
---
The rain began unexpectedly.
Heavy drops tapped against the windows until the entire neighborhood disappeared behind a curtain of gray.
"...Looks like you're trapped here."
He smiled.
"I don't mind."
Neither did I.
---
We carried our bowls to the veranda.
The rain had cooled the air.
The smell of wet earth drifted through the garden.
For several minutes...
We ate in silence.
The comfortable kind.
The kind we'd always shared.
"You know..."
Hayate suddenly spoke.
"Hm?"
"If I ever move away..."
I looked up.
"...Would you forget me?"
I nearly laughed.
"What kind of question is that?"
"I'm serious."
I set my spoon down.
"Hayate."
He looked at me.
"I've known you for almost your entire life."
"So?"
"So..."
I smiled softly.
"I don't think forgetting you is possible."
He lowered his eyes.
"...Good."
Only one word.
But somehow...
It sounded like the answer had relieved a fear he'd been carrying alone.
---
The rain finally stopped.
Small puddles reflected the evening sky.
Hayate stood near the garden, staring at the clouds.
I walked beside him.
"What are you thinking about?"
"...Nothing."
"Liar."
"...Just..."
He hesitated.
"I wonder what we'll be like five years from now."
I followed his gaze.
"I don't know."
"You'll probably still scold me."
"I definitely will."
"And you'll probably still steal food from my plate."
"I definitely will."
He laughed.
"...Some things never change."
I wanted to agree.
I really did.
But as I looked at him...
Something inside me whispered otherwise.
People change.
Feelings change.
Life changes.
Maybe...
That was what scared me.
---
That night, after Hayate went home, I stood by my bedroom window.
His house was only a few minutes away.
One light was still on.
He was probably awake.
Maybe studying.
Maybe playing games.
Maybe simply lying on his bed.
Without realizing it...
I smiled.
Then...
A strange thought crossed my mind.
One day...
He'll leave this town.
He'll meet countless new people.
People funnier than me.
Kinder than me.
Prettier than me.
People his own age.
The smile on my face slowly disappeared.
"...Don't be ridiculous."
I whispered the words to myself.
He was my childhood friend.
That's all.
There was no reason for my chest to feel so heavy just because he'd eventually leave.
No reason at all.
I closed the curtains.
But somehow...
The room felt quieter than usual.
And for the first time in years...
I caught myself hoping tomorrow would come slowly.
Because tomorrow meant one day closer...
To the day he wouldn't be here anymore.