The chilly wind blew.

But the stacked snow on the streets had vanished already.

The grey sky had changed to a vague, pale blue colour.

It was still far from spring, but the seasons were certainly changing.

“Good morning, Yuichi.”

“How?”

“What do you mean by how…I’m saying good morning.”

“How did you manage to eat breakfast earlier than me?”

“Because today’s a new semester.”

Nayuki happily ate the toast spread with her favourite strawberry jam.

“Is that reason enough for you to wake up early?”

There was nothing special about this morning except for that.

On the table were scrambled eggs, roasted ham, salad, orange juice, and milk.

They were on Minase’s usual morning menu.

“Yuichi, we’ll be late if you don’t hurry.”

On top of that, Nayuki had already changed her clothes.

Carefully, I sat beside Nayuki.

“You…hey, what did you eat last night?”

“The same thing you ate~”

“Then why…”

“That’s rude. You think I can’t wake up by myself.”

At these times, I, couldn’t say, to be frank, something like “I don’t think so.”

“I can wake up because of the alarm clock.”

“Didn’t those mountain of alarm clocks fail to wake you up? Did you buy a new one?”

“No.”

Nayuki smiled maliciously.

My heart was filled with a bad foreboding.

“Wait, is it that alarm clock?”

“Thanks to it, I can easily wake up in the morn…”

“Stop using it!”

I cried, interrupting her.

“Delete it now!”

“No way.”

Nayuki drank coffee leisurely.

“Then I’m going to delete it.”

I ran upstairs, heading to Nayuki’s room.

“You can’t do it, Yuichi!”

Nayuki embraced me from behind, stopping me.

“Even if it’s embarra.s.sing, it’s evidence, so you can’t delete it.”

Being whispered from behind, I had a sweet sensation in my heart. I held the k.n.o.b and leaned my head on the door.

“…it’s fine if you don’t delete it. But stop using it.”

“I can’t wake up tomorrow if I do so.”

“I will wake you up.”

“Every day?”

“Even every day.”

“Perhaps you’ll be doing it for a long time.”

“Okay. No matter how many days, years, or decades, I’ll go and wake you up.”

“Yuichi, what you’re saying now is even more embarra.s.sing.”

But there wasn’t any other way, was it? Nayuki’s hands and her head were soft…and because of the touch of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, my heart was already stolen in the morning.

“Nayuki.”

I turned to face Nayuki. She lifted her head and looked at me, her head tilted.

Our faces naturally closed in to each other, our lips about to touch.

“Do you two still have time?”

Akiko’s voice came from downstairs.

“Woah. It’s so late already.”

“What!”

Looking at the watch Nayuki showed me, I was shocked.

“But we’ll make it if we run.”

“Okay, don’t make haste. Let’s run!”

I ran downstairs.

But before I did that, I didn’t forget to give Nayuki a quick kiss on the lips.

“Take care.”

Akiko showed a gentle smile, seeing the two running people off.

On the usual roads, two people ran usually.

“Why do have to run on the first day of this semester!”

“I woke up early today.”

“I woke up too.”

“But you"re slow.”

“Because you ate toast leisurely.”

“You’re rude, Yuichi~”

Nayuki jumped onto my back and played around.

“Your back is wide~”

“Hey, heavy!”

“You’re rude. I’m not heavy~”

Nayuki was giggling beside my ears while fooling around.

“Okay, we have to start running now.”

“Absolutely!”

When we started running, the wind racing against us was comfortable.

The sakura petals were beside us, dancing and fluttering along the wind.

“Good morning.”

“Yo.”

“Good morning, Kaori, and also to Kitagawa.”

“Hi.”

We saw the two usual faces on the first day of the semester when we pa.s.sed through the gates of the school on the last moment.

“Look. I won.”

Kaori looked at Nayuki and I, and waved to Kitagawa.

“Why are you late on the first day of the semester?”

Kitagawa handed a hundred dollar to Kaori, seemingly reluctant.

“You two…”

I casted suspicious glances at them.

“I thought there would no way for one to come before the first bell ring on the first day of the semester…”

“Please don’t make a bet on someone else!”

I whack Kitagawa by the back of his head.

“Come to speak of it, there is something depressing to tell Nayuki and Aizawa.”

Kaori suddenly lowered her head and looked at the ground.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually…”

Kaori stopped, and Nayuki looked worried.

“The four of us will be in the same cla.s.s this year…”

Kitagawa said, bursting into laughter.

“That’s really a bit depressing.”

“I was already very busy with exams, further studying, and future working plans, if there are these people around me…”

“Kaori-sensei, I’ll have you to teach me again.”

“Please don’t get ahead of yourself.”

Kitagawa was whacked again today. Kaori did it this time.

“But it’s great to be in the same cla.s.s as Yuichi.”

In the cla.s.sroom, Nayuki smiled in relief.

“Yuichi, when your house is built and your parents move in, you might live somewhere away.”

Nayuki said as if talking to herself.

“If you’re concerned about that,” I pretended Kaori’s depressing tone and said, “My mother phoned me saying my father suddenly had to move for work, and this time he’s going overseas.”

“Woah. I see.”

“So it’s overseas, you see, it’s inconvenient for him to be going there himself, adding his sickness in the winter, my mother decided to go with him.”

“Is that so? So…”

“Yeah, I’m staying here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, we can eat something and celebrate it.”

“Absolutely! Shall we go to the hundred flower house for strawberry parfaits?”

“You really like that…”

I shrugged a little.

“But I want to eat something different today.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Taiyaki.”

I took Nayuki to the shopping district and paid a visit to the taiyaki shop.

“It’s around time taiyaki’s don"t sell too well. I’m happy for you to come buy my taiyakis.”

The taiyaki shop’s old man still remembered me and gave us each an extra taiyaki.

“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen that girl for a while. That kid who wears a strange backpack.”

“I haven’t seen her for some time as well.”

“How could that be?”

“Yuichi, you remembered about her and took me to buy taiyaki?”

On the road, Nayuki asked while eating taiyaki.

“No. I just felt like eating.”

But my footsteps naturally led me to the open s.p.a.ce where I usually had taiyakis with Ayu.

“I once said I knew Ayu before, didn’t I?”

“Yeah.”

“But I can’t remember where Ayu lived or what kind of girl she was…”

“I don’t know too.”

I should have met her a lot, but I didn’t even know her address or phone number. But perhaps there wasn’t the need to in the first place.

“Ayu, are you still energetic?”

“She must be very energetic.”

No matter where she were.

“This is the only good point about her.”

“She’ll get angry if she hears you.”

“Probably.”

On the old tires I once sat with Ayu now sat Nayuki and I, eating the extra taiyaki.

…Yuichi.

There was a feeling that Ayu would be attracted by the smell of taiyaki and quickly appear nearby.

Miracles happen, Ayu.

As what you have said.

But even now, I don’t think I was the one who made it happen.

“This…is how I think.”

Nayuki lightly touched her fluttering hair.

“Ayu’s angel wings…perhaps…really were for that purpose.”

“The real Ayu would really find it a trouble if she heard this.”

“Yuichi…”

Every time Ayu was mentioned, Nayuki would show a troubling smile.

Nevertheless…

Perhaps Ayu was just a girl with no set living place; a girl who loved taiyaki and was energetic.

Still, if I had really retrieved the memories in the deepest place in my heart, Ayu was, what Nayuki said, a real angel.

No, Yuichi.

Ayu’s voice sounded afar.

It was one person who enabled the miracle to happen with the energy from the strong wishes he had for his important one.

After that, Nayuki and I played in the shopping district till the evening. I was surprised to find in the bookstore that Nayuki have read a lot of books, knowing tons and tons of writers and their works. In the playground, I couldn’t stop laughing at Nayuki’s expected sporty nerves.

“We ate taiyaki today, so let’s leave strawberry parfaits for next time.”

“Speaking of strawberry parfaits, I still owe you seven ones.”

“I’ll let you pay me back one by one.”

“How long do I have to pay you back…”

“When you’re almost done, you’ll owe me again~”

“Hey, when did you acquire this bullying personality?”

“I’m infected by your bad personality~”

Whack.

“Ouch…look, you have a bad personality.”

“You’re noisy.”

“But it’s good if you pay me back slowly.”

“…whatever you want.”

It’s about time we returned, with that said, we headed home.

“Akiko has made dinner waiting for us.”

“Eh? Yuichi?”

At the same time, Akiko came out from the kitchen to the corridor upon hearing Yuichi’s voice from the second floor.

But Yuichi and Nayuki hadn’t made any traces of having returned.

“It must be my imagination.”

Akiko quickly agreed to herself and returned to preparing dinner.

The real reason was that Nayuki"s alarm clock hadn’t been properly turned off this morning.

On the second floor, Nayuki’s alarm clock played the message again.

Nayuki…

Although I cannot let miracles happen…

I can still stay at your side.

I promise you.

When you’re sad, I’ll comfort you.

When you’re happy, I’ll laugh with you.

I will stay here forever.

I won’t go anywhere ever again.

Because…

I seem to have fallen in love with you.

-fin-